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Seth Synstelien
Seth Synstelien (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Georgia's 14th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on May 24, 2022.
Synstelien completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Seth Synstelien served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2006 to 2014. Synstelien earned a bachelor's degree from Post University in 2015 and a graduate degree from Harvard University in 2017. His career experience includes owning a business and working as an educator and police officer. Synstelien has served as the vice president of the Marine Corps Reserve Association.[1][2][3]
Elections
2022
See also: Georgia's 14th Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Georgia District 14
Incumbent Marjorie Taylor Greene defeated Marcus Flowers in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 14 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) | 65.9 | 170,162 |
 | Marcus Flowers (D)  | 34.1 | 88,189 | |
| Total votes: 258,351 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Angela Pence (L)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 14
Marcus Flowers defeated Wendy Davis and Holly McCormack in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 14 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Marcus Flowers | 74.7 | 20,082 |
 | Wendy Davis | 19.1 | 5,141 | |
 | Holly McCormack | 6.2 | 1,662 | |
| Total votes: 26,885 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 14
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 14 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Marjorie Taylor Greene | 69.5 | 72,215 |
 | Jennifer Strahan | 16.9 | 17,595 | |
 | Eric Cunningham | 6.2 | 6,390 | |
 | James Haygood | 3.6 | 3,790 | |
 | Charles Lutin | 2.2 | 2,304 | |
 | Seth Synstelien | 1.5 | 1,547 | |
| Total votes: 103,841 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mark Clay (R)
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Seth Synstelien completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Synstelien's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- The 14th district needs a voice at the table. As long as we have a representative without a committee assignment, our district cannot contribute to major legislation or push back at terrible policy. Our current representative lost her committee assignment because, according to her own words, she was "allowed" to believe untrue things, talk about them and ask questions. We need a person in Congress who will work for this district and is available to the constituents. A peacemaker that loves their neighbor and can get a job done. We don't need a gullible alarmist who is easily misled by disinformation and rumors on social media.
- A shocking number of our service members were unknowingly exposed to toxic substances, and the VA is denying them care. Worse, overall benefits claims have increased to an all-time high while the VA is still dragging behind. We need to overhaul the claims process and ensure the VA uses good independent data to determine veterans' benefits eligibility, not recycled DoD information. Veterans will be cared for regardless of whether their exposure injuries occurred in the US or overseas.
- We need to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. As we put a python-squeeze on the Putin regime, we are feeling pain at the pump. We need to ensure that it doesn't cost a day's wage just to get to work. We have proved reserves of at least 38.5 billion barrels of oil. We need to continue to utilize those reserves to make sure that foreign autocrats pay the penalty for their crimes, not the American people. We must strive for energy independence conservatively and pragmatically.
Besides my father, a person of historical note who resonates with me is the German theologian and anti-nazi dissident, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He once said, "we are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself". I am a peacemaker and that sentiment, to me, is what it means to be a peacemaker. A peacemaker does not merely try to keep things peaceful at the expense of a few, but rather brings order to agents of chaos to ensure future peace for everyone.
These are the 14 leadership traits instilled in Marines, but these traits are not limited to leading our service members in uniform. They are ideals that a leader should use to measure their every action.
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.
Campaign website
Synstelien's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Committee Representation Our current representative lost her committee assignment. Congress fulfills most of its duties described in Article I of the US Constitution through committees, so our district does not have a voice at the table when major legislation is being drafted. Our needs are not being considered and our voice is not present to push back at bad policy when it is written.
Veterans have been suffering for years from toxic exposure and the VA's historic answer has been little more than a concerned shrug. Veterans who have health issues from exposure to toxic substances will be given care. This is regardless of the war they fought and whether they were exposed on US military bases, or while serving overseas. The VA has been recycling DoD data and muddying the waters in regard to decision-making. I'll work with military advocates and non-government professionals to get REAL data to help the VA make informed claim decisions. Since 2018, the VA's claim inventory has increased from around 350,000 claims to over 587,000 claims last year (Veteran’s Affairs FY2021 Agency Financial Report). This is a staggering number and I will work with The VA to expedite their claim processing and get the help your parents, brothers, and sisters are still waiting for. Whether that means contextually presuming service-connection as a temporary means to provide care immediately, or instituting a means of summary provisional review to establish plausible service connection and give our veterans vouchers so they can receive local care and not die while waiting for full consideration.
The US economy has become a digital economy. Financial technology is a thriving sector that affects us all. Since 2015, more than 70% of US financial transactions go through the State of Georgia, earning us the nickname “Transaction Alley”. I will make sure that the people of Georgia continue to benefit from such a booming business and expand it to the 14th district. Putting pressure on government agencies like the FCC and the subsidized agents responsible for bringing broadband internet to rural areas will ensure that the most remote residents of our 14th district will have access to much of the same training and employment opportunities as those who live within Atlanta’s perimeter.
We need to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. As we put pressure on the Putin regime, the pain we feel at the pump can get even worse. We need to ensure that it doesn't cost a day's wage just to get to work. We have proved reserves of at least 38.5 billion barrels of oil. We need to utilize those reserves to make sure that foreign autocrats pay for their crimes, not the American people.
There's a difference between a public servant and a career politician. One treats an office with the respect of a special assignment, while the other sees their position as a well-funded office job with perks. We need to combat a culture of comfortable establishment and ineffective government leeches with reasonable term limits. Allow experience and wisdom to be fostered, remove the focus on pandering politics, and refocus on beneficial US policy.
It is not easy to be a cop today. Police need to be funded, trained, and well equipped to deal with unorthodox issues like mental health. We need to prevent overcrowding our jails with the mentally ill. Identifying those with special needs and incentivizing mental health providers’ involvement in police work will help reduce the burden on departments that are short-handed and officers who are already overworked. Our law enforcement officers are not health providers and should not be given that liability and burden. My office will support our law enforcement and first responders, demand a standard of high-quality performance with proper rewards for a dangerous job. I’m no stranger to bureaucracy and will ensure that measures are generated from data-based strategies that rely on subject matter experts, not bleeding-heart armchair spectators.
The American citizen has two weapons for their defense: firearms and education. We have a right to arm ourselves mentally and physically, thanks to our first and second amendments. Disinformation and misinformation are the most destructive weapons currently being used against us by enemies foreign and domestic. A single gun can kill a person and bring together a family. A lie that is believed can tear a family apart and convince them to kill each other. Our fellow Americans and our children need to be literate with everyday media and technology to ensure that enemies of our constitution do not use ignorance and fear against us. There is an information war that is already in full swing. My office will do everything possible to ensure Americans are equipped to defend themselves.
Life is sacred, we must protect the unborn. We must also be cautious of authoritarian legislation that turns neighbor against neighbor and prevents medical professionals from preserving life. Pro-life means caring for the living.
Members of Congress buying and selling stock while making the rules is a conflict of interest. For instance, our current representative bought a considerable amount of stock in defense contractors before the United States made a decision to send military equipment overseas. Normal people go to jail for insider trading, for some members of Congress, it’s just another day on the job. With inflation on the rise, we need to make sure the government is pragmatic in its spending. We have to make sure that the folks who have the most need are not saddled with the most burden. There are too many examples of big tech and publicly traded companies receiving multimillion-dollar subsidies and just eating them for lunch with little to no return on investment for the average taxpaying American citizens.[4] |
” |
| —Seth Syntelien's campaign website (2022)[5] | ||
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 27, 2022
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email correspondence with Seth Synstelien," March 31, 2022
- ↑ Seth Synstelien for GA's 14th Congressional District, "Meet Seth," accessed April 7, 2022
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Seth Synstelien for GA's 14th Congressional District, “The Mission,” accessed March 30, 2022
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