David Tofsted - Freedom Voter Guide

Party:

Republican

District:

36

Office:

State Senate

www.DaveTofsted.com

@DaveT4NM36

Survey Responses:

S = Support
O = Oppose
NR = No Response

Life	S	O	NR
1. Prohibiting Abortion: Prohibiting abortion after a baby’s heartbeat is detected, with limited exceptions such as to save the mother’s life or in cases of rape or incest.		X
2. Taxpayer Funded Abortion: Allowing taxpayer dollars to fund organizations that provide abortion.		X
3. Physician-Assisted Suicide: Allowing voluntary physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.		X

Candidate's Comments:

I live in a state that has abortion services up until the day of birth. This is outrageous. The people in our state are more moderate than many of the anti-abortion measures being proposed in more conservatively oriented states. Propaganda emerging from Democratic candidates targeting conservative routinely excoriate all conservative as wanting a total abortion ban. My position is that Roe-v-Wade allowed for abortion to be limited/restricted after babies are fully viable in the womb. This is basically the position that I have staked out. I recognize that that does not fully comport with groups who are pro-life. But I believe it is a defensible position. The other component of that is this: Consider the "Kick Test". If a mother is able to detect the baby kicking inside her, it means that there is another person that she does not have any control over, another living being that is NOT part of her body. Otherwise, if this was truly consistent with the leftist mantra of "My Body, My Choice", if this was truly just another part of HER BODY, then she should be able to stop this other person from kicking inside her. Leftists say that no reasonable person would bring a pregnancy to the seventh month. But if so, then what is the problem with restricting abortions to the first 6 months or 24 weeks? In New Mexico we have to begin pushing back from our side, but we are not going to win over the majority of the propagandized electorate in one election cycle. It is going to take years to win this battle.

First Amendment	S	O	NR
4. Conscience Rights for Professionals: Prohibiting the government from denying required licensure or certification to individuals because of their religious or political beliefs.	X
5. Conscience Rights for Faith-Based Organizations: Exempting faith-based organizations (e.g. adoption/foster care providers, private schools) from regulations that cause them to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.	X
6. Transparency in Banking: Allowing consumers to obtain a written explanation when a financial institution shuts down the consumer’s account to protect against ideologically driven cancellations.	X
7. Privacy in Financial Giving: Protecting confidential donor information so individuals are able to privately support charities and causes of their choice without fear of being doxed.	X

Family	S	O	NR
8. Parental Rights in Gender Identity Counseling: Allowing parents to obtain professional counseling for a child struggling with gender confusion to help the child find comfort with his or her biological sex.	X
9(a). Protected Class for Sexual Orientation: Elevating “sexual orientation” to a protected class alongside race, religion, sex, age, and disability in nondiscrimination law.		X
9(b). Protected Class for Gender Identity: Elevating “gender identity” to a protected class alongside race, religion, sex, age, and disability in nondiscrimination law.		X

Candidate's Comments:

Civil rights laws were written with discrimination against sexual identity in mind. If advocates for such distinctions as "sexual orientation" or "gender identity" wish these laws to be expanded they should do so in a democratic fashion, and not through bureaucratic means.

Education and Public Safety	S	O	NR
10. School Choice: Allowing the use of tax credits, vouchers, and/or education savings accounts to cover the cost of children attending the school of their parents’ choice, including private religious schools.	X
11. Free Speech at School: Protecting teachers and students from being forced to refer to a person by inaccurate pronouns that do not align with the person’s sex.	X
12. Parental Rights in School Healthcare Disclosure: Directing schools to inform parents of any mental, physical, or emotional health information and treatment that a child is receiving at school.	X
13. Transparency in School Curriculum & Activities: Giving parents access to the curriculum, presentations, and activities that their children are learning in school and allowing them to opt their children out of school extra-curricular activities, presentations, or specific lessons to which the parents object.	X

Candidate's Comments:

With regard to 10 above, while I might wish for such, in New Mexico government funding is only allowed to be directed toward the public schools, not private schools. In this case the state constitution would need to be amended to allow state funding for private schools. Again, with regard to 12, unfortunately New Mexico already has a statute that was passed in 2023 that prohibits school officials from informing parents, with a corresponding fine of $5000 if they should do so, and also with the potential threat of being fired (unstated).

Health and Welfare	S	O	NR
14. Medical Rights of Conscience: Protecting health care workers from losing their jobs if they decline to participate in a procedure or treatment that violates their personal beliefs and conscience.	X
15. Women’s Privacy: Preventing males who identify as female from entering sex-separated spaces intended for females, such as showers, locker rooms, bathrooms, dormitories, women’s shelters, prisons, etc.	X
16. Protecting Pregnancy Centers: Ensuring pregnancy centers that provide life-affirming support to women and their families are not targeted or penalized by government officials.	X