Lewis Carter

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Lewis Carter

Populist Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Associate

Tidewater Community College, 1998

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Marine Corps

Years of service

1973 - 1979

Personal

Birthplace

Tell City, Ind.

Lewis Carter (Populist Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Carter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lewis Carter was born in Tell City, Indiana. Carter served in the United States military from 1973 to 1979. He earned an associate degree from Tidewater Community College in 1998. Carter's career experience includes working as a civilian employee with the environmental department at Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, and with the U.S. Census Bureau. He has served as a lifetime member with the Noncommissioned Officer Association, the Disabled American Veterans, and with the Kentucky Farm Bureau.

Elections

2020

See also: Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Democratic primary)

Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Incumbent Brett Guthrie defeated Hank Linderman, Robert Lee Perry, Lewis Carter, and Poet Tribble in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brett Guthrie (R)	71.0	255,735
		Hank Linderman (D)	26.3	94,643
		Robert Lee Perry (L)	2.1	7,588
		Lewis Carter (Populist Party)	0.7	2,431
	Submit photo	Poet Tribble (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	2

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 360,399
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Hank Linderman advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 2.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Incumbent Brett Guthrie defeated Kathleen Free in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 2 on June 23, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brett Guthrie	88.6	65,313
	Submit photo	Kathleen Free	11.4	8,380

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 73,693
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Kentucky District 2

Robert Lee Perry advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Kentucky District 2 on March 7, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Robert Lee Perry (L)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Lewis Carter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Carter's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Between 1973 and 1979 I served in the U.S. Marines working in the supply trade. Later I graduated from the Marine Security Guard School. Then in 1980 through 1990 I served in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. As a soldier I graduated from the Chemical Operations Course and the Instructor Training Course with the rank of Staff Sergeant. In 1999 I retired working in the Environmental Department at the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia. While in federal service i graduated from a U.S. Department of Transpiration course called Transportation of Hazardous Materials and Waste. There I completed a degree at the Tidewater Community College in Environmental Protection. Nowadays I operate a weather station for the National Weather Service from my cabin from my cabin next to Rough River Lake.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Presently the incumbent U.S. Representative is Bret Guthrie. Listed in the webpage FreedomWorks clearly shows that during Mr. Guthrie's first term his conservative rating was an impressive 95%. Then Mr. Guthrie's conservative rating dropped as low as 50%. Thus far in 2020 Mr. Guthrie's conservative rating is only 71%. Brett Guthrie receive tens of thousands of dollars from pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, and healthcare professionals during a time when many Americans can't afford basic healthcare. Plus Mr. Guthrie received more out-of-state campaign contributions than in-state campaign contributions.
• If elected I would favor legislation which would clean up both our waterways and the air. Fluoride or hydrofluoric acid ought to be banned form being placed in drinking water. Seventy percent of our nuclear power plants are leaking radiation; any nuclear power plant which cannot be repaired out to be shut down. Bio sludge ought to be banned from being placed in our cropland. GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms ought to be banned from our food. Mandatory vaccines ought to be discontinued. Cancer causing 5G towers ought to be banned.
• Our aging infrastructure requires a major investment. This includes things like railroads, bridges, airports, dams, highways, wastewater treatment, and hazardous waste facilities. Our nation is rapidly falling behind compared to the advanced nations in both Europe and Asia. Improving our infrastructure would be a worthwhile investment towards the future of our children and the nation.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a Tea Party favorite I am a conservative and patriotic candidate. The United Kentucky Tea Party stands for six things. First, we believe in smaller, constitutionally limited government that fits within the framework of the U.S. and Kentucky's Constitutions. Second, we believe in lower taxes based on those smaller constitutional governments. Third, we believe in free and open markets without State/Federal government interference or State/Federal government choosing winners and losers. Forth, we believe in PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, not State/Federal government controlling all aspects of our lives and businesses. Fifth, we believe in balanced Federal, State and local government budgets, without borrowing or taking monies from other funding sources to balance. Sixth, we are not anarchists! We believe in PERSNONAL RESPONSIBILITY and the CONSITITIIONAL roles of Government, not Nanny State tyranny.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Our national debt is now well past 26 trillion dollars. That means $213,276 per taxpayer. If elected I would favor a 25 percent deduction in federal spending . Former Secretary Treasury Alexander Hamilton consolidated all Revolutionary War debt and paid it off even before there were income taxes.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

My guide would be the Constitution of the U.S. and the Holy Bible.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The leadership traits taught by the U.S. Marines which are justice, judgment, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, tact, integrity, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty, and endurance.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am determined to do whatever is best for Kentuckians regardless whatever criticism becomes public.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To place the interest of the voters above the personal gain of the elected official.

What legacy would you like to leave?

N/a

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The assassination of President John F. (Jack) Kennedy. At the time I was 6 or maybe 7 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I first served in the U.S. Marines for six years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

N/A

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

The Flight of the Valkyries

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Swan Lake a ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Overcoming personal health issues has been a struggle for me. At present I feel like a teenager since I consider myself a fanatic pertaining to health related issues.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

The current system seems to work well.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

N/A

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, I have both military experience and I'm a retired federal employee. Plus I've volunteered for the National Weather Service since 2005 operating a weather station. Thus I've served my country for about fifty years.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

There are many foreigners whom are disrespecting our national borders. Plus, our nation has no moral or legal obligation to accept refugees. Oftentimes we get criminals, diseased persons, leftist, religious fanatics, the unskilled, and the uneducated arriving here. There are few immigrants which will ever be employable and the ones that can work are even taking the jobs away from the native-born population thereby keeping wages artificially low. This nation doesn't need anymore immigrants. Whenever an illegal immigrant penetrates our national boundaries he or she should be incarcerated, quarantined, and placed in work camps until they are removed form our nation.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Yes, I would be interested in committees such as Agriculture, Armed Services, Natural Resources, and Transportation & Infrastructure, .

If you are a current representative, why did you join your current committees?

N/A

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes since a Representative ought to be more accountable to the voters.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I have mixed feeling for now!

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

N/A

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Yes, Representative Thomas Massie of northern Kentucky.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

N/A

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

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Kentucky's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mitch McConnell (R)

Rand Paul (R)

Representatives

District 1

James Comer (R)

District 2

Brett Guthrie (R)

District 3

Morgan McGarvey (D)

District 4

Thomas Massie (R)

District 5

Hal Rogers (R)

District 6

Andy Barr (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (1)