Voter’s guide: Meet the Texas Republican candidates running for the U.S. Senate
The Star-Telegram sent questionnaires to all candidates. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Dwayne Stovall
Occupation: Business Owner (Construction and Oil Field Service)
Age: 54
Website: www.DwayneStovall.com
Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years: Ran for HD18 in 2012. Ran for United States Senate in 2014 and garnered nearly 11% of the Republican Primary.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: No.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: No.
Why are you seeking this office?
A United States Senator has one primary responsibility unlike that of any other office: to protect the best interests of his State. That responsibility comes first, before anything else, and that is where my campaign mantra “Putting Texas First” comes from. Men like George Mason referred to the Senate as the “mechanism of self-defense” for the States. Unlike the incumbent, I will put the interests of Texas first, and not those of the elites in the DC swamp. We Texans know that the federal government is too large, too powerful, and needs to be divested of power.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
These are equal in importance; Serious Border Security, Remanding Powers not delegated to the federal to the States, and stopping the federal from unconstitutionally infringing on the right to bear arms.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I ran for U.S. Senate in 2014 and garnered nearly 11% of the Republican Primary with only $70,000. I have been a delegate to the RPT State Convention numerous times where I helped make abolition of abortion a legislative priority, and authored two of the planks in the current Party platform. Unlike the incumbent, I have many years of experience in business, risked my own money to start a business, created jobs, and made a payroll. All of which gives me a level of experience with government interference in the economy that the incumbent could never have.
If you were currently a senator, would you vote to remove President Donald Trump from office on the current impeachment charges?
No.
The federal government is accumulating record debt, with massive deficits even in a strong economy. What specific steps would you endorse to reduce the deficit?
This is a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Much of this can be dealt with by simply divesting unconstitutional powers away from the federal and closing associated agencies. The debt is the single largest threat to our way of life and those in offices of the federal government are the ones responsible for endangering us.
What changes should be made in U.S. trade policy?
Trade policies and agreements must be based on what is in the long term best interests of the States. Historically, trade agreements have been awful for U.S. citizens and have only led to lost jobs and trade deficits. Each agreement must be evaluated on its own merits, but the overall position must be a positive for the USA or it should be avoided.
What changes to immigration law do you support? Would you vote to build any additional border wall or fence? Do you support a path to citizenship for those currently here illegally?
The U.S. should stop every unconstitutional (illegal) refugee resettlement program which does nothing more than fund the migration of non-citizens with the earnings of U.S. Citizens, then forcibly deposits those non-citizens (refugees) in the States against the will of the citizens of those States. The border must be secured — in a serious way — to protect the lives, liberty, and property of Texans, while allowing for lawful travel and commerce at the legal ports of entry. There should be no one with an “overstayed” visa. Citizenship out of convenience is not an answer. Enough is enough.
What steps should the federal government take to combat climate change, if any?
None. The Constitution of the United States gives the federal government no authority whatsoever to manage the environmental concerns of the citizens of the States. It is a State issue, period. (Yes, the EPA is unconstitutional)
Mark Yancey
Occupation: Private Investor
Age: 62
Website: www.voteformark.com
Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years: N/A
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: No.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: A civil lawsuit in 2017 as a defendant. Subcontractor contracted by Attacca (my company) made major errors in the scope of their work. The subcontractor retained a contingency attorney and extort money from Attacca. The suit was settled without prejudice.
Why are you seeking this office?
Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution states: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State. It is my opinion Texas has been working with one Senator for ten plus years. I intend to represent all Texans and be present and available to ALL Texas constituents. Further, the National debt is north of $23 trillion. This is insurmountable & unsustainable.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
1) Term-Limits. 2) National Debt. 3) Abolish the Dept of Education.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I will focus on Texans rather than lobbyists and the well connected. I will align my interest with Texans rather than Mitch McConnell and the party.
If you were currently a senator, would you vote to remove President Donald Trump from office on the current impeachment charges?
No. I could not in good conscience vote for impeachment because removal of a sitting President must not be the culmination of a partisan process, fueled by tribal animosities that have so gravely divided our country.
The federal government is accumulating record debt, with massive deficits even in a strong economy. What specific steps would you endorse to reduce the deficit?
1) Abolish the Dept of Education. 2) Aggressively tackle Medicare fraud. 3) Do a forensic audit of the thousands of defense contractors that are retained by the Pentagon.
What changes should be made in U.S. trade policy?
Global trade is an important engine of the global economy — trade as a share of global GDP has risen from 25% in 1960 to about 59% in 2019. Greater openness to trade and trade reforms worldwide have been linked to higher growth in productivity and real incomes, as well as reduced poverty worldwide. President Trump is on the right path.
What changes to immigration law do you support? Would you vote to build any additional border wall or fence? Do you support a path to citizenship for those currently here illegally?
I support President Trump’s agenda to complete 600 plus miles of wall. I do support a path to citizenship for those currently here illegally, ASSUMING, they are “processed” and have NO criminal record AND have continually been employed.
What steps should the federal government take to combat climate change, if any?
When China stops burning dirty brown coal, I will consider what part, if any the United States position would be specific to carbon-free and carbon-reduction.
John Anthony Castro
Occupation: International Tax Attorney
Age: 36
Website: www.johncastro.com
Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years: N/A
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: N/A
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: N/A
Why are you seeking this office?
Our country has become much too divided because only ideologues are running for office. There is almost a complete lack of statesmen and stateswomen that put the interests of the country over their own ideology or political party. My hope is that I can be the person that mediates disputes, finds common ground, and gets work done.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Expansion of public education to cover Pre-K to PhD paid through the privatization of our insolvent social security system — increasing retirement benefits by up to 20%. Creating a new 0% tax bracket for retirees on their first $100,000 of retirement income. A massive public works project to build 500,000 wind turbines, 20,000 square acres of solar farms, and 80,000 hydroelectric dams to declare energy independence. The creation of a GSE Health Insurance Company utilizing a business model to drive down health insurance costs. An unlimited Student Loan Tax Credit to effectively make students tax-free until they’re debt-free.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
A true measure of a person is never made by reference to another’s shortcomings. This is a divisive question, and I will not answer it.
If you were currently a senator, would you vote to remove President Donald Trump from office on the current impeachment charges?
Only after seeing all of the evidence presented by the House can we make an informed decision as to whether conviction and removal is warranted. Currently, Senator McConnell is actively coordinating with the accused, which is, in and of itself, obstruction of justice. President Trump is also refusing to allow people to testify and refusing to produce requested documents. If it was proven that President Trump intentionally withheld international aid to compel a foreign government to criminally investigate a political rival, then logic would dictate that one must vote to convict.
The federal government is accumulating record debt, with massive deficits even in a strong economy. What specific steps would you endorse to reduce the deficit?
There are only two options: increase revenue or decrease spending. I would focus on decreasing net spending with grand bargains like expanding education while starting the phase-in process of privatizing social security. And if a new 0% tax bracket is added to this total package on the first $100,000 of retirement income after the age of 65, it would still produce a net tax reduction in federal spending. I would set the U.S. on a trajectory to zero-out the federal deficit before the end of the decade and filibuster any budget that didn’t adopt a pay-down agenda.
What changes should be made in U.S. trade policy?
First and foremost, no trade wars. You cannot successfully engage in a trade war when you live in a free market economy and you’re up against a government-controlled economy like China. Trade wars can work against other free markets, but I would still oppose them as they are never healthy or net positive from an economic standpoint. Our strength comes from our economy, which comes from our publicly traded companies; but that doesn’t mean we completely ignore the American people for the sake of economic growth. We can negotiate deals that are win-win for both business and American working families.
What changes to immigration law do you support? Would you vote to build any additional border wall or fence? Do you support a path to citizenship for those currently here illegally?
We need to shift to a merit-based immigration system. I believe a border wall or fence would initially deter illegal immigration, but we risk that it would spawn a new breed of human traffickers utilizing tunnels. But the pros outweigh the cons, so I would support a physical barrier. I believe those that entered the U.S. unlawfully as adults should not be rewarded for skipping the line. They can be eligible for a transitional visa, come into compliance with taxes, agree to forego public assistance, and then be eligible for lawful permanent residence; however, they would never be eligible for naturalization.
What steps should the federal government take to combat climate change, if any?
A massive public works project to build 500,000 wind turbines, 20,000 square acres of solar farms, and 80,000 hydroelectric dams to declare energy independence and actually generate a profit for taxpayers. After the infrastructure is put in place, we will auction off to private industry and grant exclusive territorial energy rights. This would generate enough electricity to power the entire United States on renewable energy, and create an electric grid that can actually support a total transition to electric vehicles. Utilizing domestic and international price control measures, we would guarantee continued profitability for coal and oil companies.
Virgil Bierschwale
Did not respond.
John Cornyn
Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign declined a request to fill out a questionnaire. “We receive unique questionnaires from publications and outlets from across the state, and aren’t able to respond to them all. Therefore — and considering the senator’s record is public and easily researched — we have declined all requests.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 2:32 PM.
