ST. LOUIS — Vicky Hartzler is a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Missouri. The primary is August 2. One Republican will go on to face candidates of other parties in the general election in November.
U.S. Representative Vicky Hartzler won her first election to Congress in the Tea Party wave of 2010 and flipped a blue seat to red as Republican voters registered their displeasure with the incumbent President Barack Obama.
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Now, with Senator Josh Hawley’s endorsement, Hartzler hopes she can navigate a crowded primary field and move up to the Senate as Republican voters prepare to rally against President Joe Biden’s agenda in the midterms this November.
During her decade-plus on Capitol Hill, Hartzler has served on the House Armed Services Committee and House Agriculture Committee.
Her campaign website features a photo of her flashing the “thumbs up” sign with former President Donald Trump, though Trump recently poured cold water on her Senate bid, saying, “I don’t think she has what it takes.”
5 On Your Side candidate survey
To the extent any single member of Congress can influence the U.S. economy and labor market, what immediate steps would you take to reduce the cost of living burden Missourians face during this period of inflation?
Hartzler: Missourians are hurting, and that's one reason I'm running for the US Senate. And the way to fix inflation is to quit spending money we don't have and to get people back to work. And also to make more things here in America to address the supply chain issue. But the next thing we need to do is become energy independent and embrace the energy that we have here instead of shutting off our production and canceling the pipelines. We can reverse this. We need to be energy independent and bring down the cost of gasoline so Missouri families can afford to go to work once again.
Missouri state law prohibits women and girls from seeking abortion procedures at any time during their pregnancy, regardless of circumstances involving rape, incest, or other unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. Would you support a similar law at the federal level? If not, then which women or girls should be allowed access to safe, legal abortion procedures?
Hartzler: Well, I believe all life is precious and it deserves to live. Every life has a God-given plan and purpose. And my record is clear in that I believe life begins at conception and I'm supporting the Life at Conception Act in Washington, D.C. I think science backs that up. And here in Missouri, we need to be supporting the pregnancy help centers and the expectant mothers not giving money to agencies that take life.
What do you perceive as the single greatest threat to American democracy and how would you address it in Congress?
Hartzler: Well, the biggest threat to democracy right now is the Democrats proposed takeover of our federal elections. I mean, they want to do away with any state protections for voting like voter ID and they want to make ballot harvesting legal across the country and use our tax dollars for campaigns. This is ridiculous. We need to be securing our elections and making sure that voters have confidence once again in the system.
To what extent do fossil fuels contribute to the changing climate? To what extent should Congressional action attempt to alter that trajectory?
Hartzler: We need to become energy independent and embrace the clean burning energy that we have here. It's not realistic to be pursuing a lot of the Green New Deal proposals out there that would cut off all of our energy here and force every Missourian to buy an electric car. It's just not going to happen. And we can produce our own fossil fuels here, cleaner than anywhere in the world. And we've seen what's happened in Europe when they try to totally do away and shut down coal-powered plants and fossil fuels and remove just to solar and wind. We need to have all of those in our toolkit, but not shut down affordable, clean energy that America can produce right here.
Public polling shows most Americans believe the U.S. Supreme Court has become too political. What reforms, if any, should Congress take to reshape or reimagine the makeup or behavior of the court?
Hartzler: I think most Missouri supports the recent decisions that the Supreme Court has made, which are based on the Constitution. And that's what the Supreme Court justices should be making their decisions on. Does it comply with the Constitution or not? The Supreme Court is not supposed to be a legislative body. That's where the elected representatives' role comes in. And so I think we need to continue to make sure that we have Supreme Court justices that abide by the Constitution. And that's what I'm going to be doing as the next U.S. senator.
Which Constitutional amendment is your favorite and why?
Hartzler: Now, there's obviously many good ones. The first one, though, is the most important, I think, because it has and enshrines freedom of religion and freedom of expression of religion, as well as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, those things that are so paramount to our our country. And freedom of the press as well. But faith is fundamental to us as Americans. It's the source of America's goodness and greatness. And we have to protect it and other countries don't. And so I think that is the that is the key to America is to make sure and preserve our freedom of religion.
What is your favorite movie, most influential book, and go-to genre of music?
Hartzler: Well, there's so many classic movies. I mean, the Ten Commandments is great, Sound of Music, those type of things. But I have to say my favorite is Cars. It's just has, it's so funny. And it highlights small-town America and so many little things that really make America great. And I just love it. Of course, I'm a small town girl myself, and so I really appreciate the town, the small town and how it came back and all the people there. The most influential book is the Bible for me, and I read it every day, and that's where I get my guidance and wisdom and a source of hope and comfort. And so, yeah, the Bible is my most influential book. It would be a combination of country and maybe some Christian music mixed in there, too.
