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Steve Wozniak

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Steve Wozniak
Image of Steve Wozniak

No party preference

Elections and appointments
Last election

March 5, 2024

Personal
Birthplace
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Religion
Catholic
Profession
Business owner
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Steve Wozniak (No party preference) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 5th Congressional District. He lost in the primary on March 5, 2024.

Wozniak completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Steve Wozniak was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Wozniak's career experience includes working as a freelance writer, editor, journalist, humorist, realtor, sports writer, data analyst, restaurant manager, caddy, roofer, proofreader, copywriter, actor, satirist, and kitchen worker. He has been affiliated with Koininia Family Services, Bel Passi Baseball, and Sylvan School District.[1][2]

Elections

2024

See also: California's 5th Congressional District election, 2024

California's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 top-two primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 5

Incumbent Tom McClintock defeated Mike Barkley in the general election for U.S. House California District 5 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tom McClintock
Tom McClintock (R)
 
61.8
 
227,643
Image of Mike Barkley
Mike Barkley (D)
 
38.2
 
140,919

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 368,562
Candidate Connection = 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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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 5

Incumbent Tom McClintock and Mike Barkley defeated Steve Wozniak in the primary for U.S. House California District 5 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tom McClintock
Tom McClintock (R)
 
58.5
 
118,958
✔
Image of Mike Barkley
Mike Barkley (D)
 
32.8
 
66,680
Image of Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak (No party preference) Candidate Connection
 
8.7
 
17,636

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 203,274
Candidate Connection = 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

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Wozniak in this election.

2022

See also: California's 5th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 5

Incumbent Tom McClintock defeated Mike Barkley in the general election for U.S. House California District 5 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tom McClintock
Tom McClintock (R)
 
61.3
 
173,524
Image of Mike Barkley
Mike Barkley (D)
 
38.7
 
109,506

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 283,030
Candidate Connection = 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 5

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 5 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tom McClintock
Tom McClintock (R)
 
45.5
 
87,010
✔
Image of Mike Barkley
Mike Barkley (D)
 
33.6
 
64,285
Image of Nathan Magsig
Nathan Magsig (R)
 
13.2
 
25,299
Image of Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
3.2
 
6,045
Image of David Main
David Main (R)
 
3.1
 
5,927
Image of Kelsten Obert
Kelsten Obert (R)
 
1.5
 
2,864

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 191,430
Candidate Connection = 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

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Steve Wozniak completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wozniak's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I'm a father, coach and entrepreneur hoping to change the party dynamics by offering a third choice that will represent the people instead of party loyalty.
  • Push for universal health care that is affordable to all.
  • Fight corruption and monopolies with stronger anti-trust laws.
  • Establish lower college costs, more availability of child care, and stronger protections for workers unions.
We are the wealthiest nation on earth. Our education, technology and health care should be the best of any nation, but they're not, due to misprioritizing government funds.
I want to make the U.S. a global power in more ways than just militarily.
Nobody's ever done what I'm trying to do. This is uncharted territory, and I am a pioneer.
"Brazil": a brilliant cinematic satire of a society obsessed with, and enslaved by, bureaucracy and materialism. Consider me Bob Hoskins' plumber character.
Transparency, honesty, compassion and empathy.
I never go along to get along. I'll fight anyone who stands between my constituents and a better life.
Try to make each constituent's life a little better.
"Man, that guy changed the game forever."
We already established I was an idealist and eternal optimist.
Came of age in grade school from 1979-1985. So I remember the Iran hostage crisis, the Challenger explosion and the 49ers dynasty.
Paper route for The Pittsburgh Press from ages 9-14.
First real wage job was assembling Cold Cut Combos at a Subway.
One of the 12 unpublished novels sitting in my desk.
Jim Gordon from Batman lore. In the midst of chaos, he never abandoned his principles.
"Da doo doo doo, da da da da" by the Police.
Fighting the man.

Raging against the machine.

Saving the world, one person at a time.
Really nice seats.
Not at all. More experience in politics equals less experience in the real world. We need to burst the D.C. bubble.
A withdrawal of creeping military presence around the world and a refocus on the homeland and the day-to-day needs of its citizens.
Yep. And we need more turnover.
Absolutely necessary. Four terms for Congress and two terms for Senate should be the max. They can work in two or three administrations, then ride off into the sunset where they can sell their souls lobbying for their mega-donors.
Davy Crockett. We share a birthday and a passion for giving voice to the ignored and forgotten.
They all are. People and struggling, and each tale inspires me to be more of a man of action.
The one about the corduroy pillow made headlines, but the one about the refrigerator is way cooler.
Compromise is the greatest and yet least visible of checks and balances in government. Partisanship needs to go the way of the Whigs and Dixiecrats.
No raising of taxes. In an ideal world, I would repeal the 16th Amendment. But that's not possible until we decentralize government and significantly downsize the leviathan administrative state.
Go after corporations and corruption, not political opponents. Idealist? Sure. But hope is free and it's a heck of a drug.

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

Wozniak's campaign website stated the following:

“

Transparency
I PLEDGE to always be transparent, informing constituents of upcoming votes and proposed legislation, and hosting quarterly town meetings across the district where no question will be edited, no criticism filtered, and no citizen booted for making their public servant uncomfortable.

Push for Universal Health Care
I PLEDGE to use all my charm and skills to enact a national health care system provided by tax dollars which will never leave another person in bankruptcy over medical bills.

End Corruption and Fraud
I PLEDGE to push for stricter enforcement of anti-trust and anti-corruption laws, demanding jail time over insignificant fines. I PLEDGE to go scorched earth until criminal fraud charges are brought against every leader in the NIH, FDA and CDC who oversaw a COVID response that led to much more harm than good.

War Against War
I PLEDGE to never vote for a single dollar of military aid to foreign countries, except those we are treaty-bound to support, such as fellow NATO states.

Affordable College
I PLEDGE to combat the skyrocketing costs of secondary education by tying access to federal grants and loans, to strict price controls on colleges and universities. I PLEDGE to invest more in trade, vocational and technical schools and programs, where the majority of future careers will be learned.

Controlling Debt
I PLEDGE to push for a balanced-budget amendment overwhelmingly supported by voters, and to lobby for more austerity through steamlining and decentralization of the administrative state.[3]

”
—Steve Wozniak’s campaign website (2024)[4]

2022

Candidate Connection

Steve Wozniak completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wozniak's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a father of six, a foster parent to many others, and have held myriad jobs in diverse industries through my life. I am running as an independent to give voters an option outside the establishment.
  • People before Party: Loyalty only to voters
  • Curb rising costs of college and the debt cycle it creates.
  • Strengthen anti-corruption laws
I will fight for the most innocent and vulnerable among us-- children. Whether that's daycare with more expanded hours, more freedoms for parents to decide, harsher penalties for pedophiles and more education incentives, I will make sure the next generation has the same chances we had to succeed.
Theodore Roosevelt may have been the greatest reformer in U.S. history. I would like to bring the same fight to a town overrun by corruption. Why? Because the mark of a great society is its fairness.
As a music geek, I would offer the following playlist:

"I'm Free" by the Soup Dragons
"Disparate Youth" by Santigold
"Fight the Power" by Public Enemy
"People Have the Power" by Patti Smith

"Guerilla Radio" by Rage Against the Machine
Honesty, transparency, compassion and courage.
As a father of six, I know how to deal with childish behavior. Seems perfect for DC
Make life a little easier and better each day for my constituents.
He cared enough to fight. That should be my epithet.
The release of the hostages from Iran when I was seven-- Jimmy Carter's final act in office
I held a paper route for the now-defunct Pittsburgh Press from ages 8-12.
"Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn was the first book to make me re-examine everything in the world from a new perspective. I could only read a chapter at a time before having to take a week and absorb it all.
Gandalf from "Lord of the Rings"
"I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow
Finding purpose
The sheer numbers are majestic. For anything to pass, you need a minimum of 218 people to agree. That can be a Herculean task.
No. A crash course in parliamentary procedure coupled with fresh ideas is more valuable than years of playing a rigged game.
The ever-rising debt is a ticking time bomb that could be catastrophic for future generations. To curb spending, we need to prioritize the economic and intellectual growth of our citizens over the growth of a fantastical U.S. empire.
Intelligence, Ethics, Oversight and Reform, Foreign Relations
NA
Yes. And four terms should be the max allowed.
I fully support them. Legislators would be more ambitious and more determined to get things done if there was a ticking clock to motivate them. Six to eight years would be ideal; it provides the opportunity to work with two administrations to accomplish as much of their agenda as possible.
No. I aim to chart my own path.
I find every concern and story equally impactful, but the ones that have resonated with the most passion concern struggles caused by the government's poorly considered response to the COVID epidemic. I aim to ensure that cornucopia of errors is never repeated.
A ham sandwich walks into a bar and orders a whiskey. Bartender says, "I'm sorry. We don't serve food here."
Absolutely essential. I lean on two old phrases to aid policymaking-- "Everything in moderation" and "Truth lies somewhere in the middle." I believe most voters agree, but the moderate middle has been marginalized because it doesn't shout as loud as those on the ends of the political spectrum.
I would never raise taxes, but believe more revenues could be generated from tougher tariffs, liquidation of redundant federal assets, and harsher penalties for companies that violate federal statutes.

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

Wozniak's campaign website stated the following:

“

End Homelessness

Increase investments in both addiction recovery services and mental health programs, then work with law enforcement to direct homeless to these services.


Cut College Costs

Make price controls a condition of colleges and universities receiving federal student loans for its students. Incentivize affordability.


Balance the Budget

Implement a business-like approach to the budget, where each department's budget is directly tied to a percentage of tax revenues. Do away with line-item spending and pork-barrel projects.


Fight Corruption

Prohibit government officials from future employment with companies that they policed or regulated as bureaucrats. Prohibit congressmen and senators from active stock trading while they hold office.


Take Back Federal Lands

Move custodianship of federal lands and forests to the counties where they are located. No one knows what's best for Eastern California more than local stakeholders.


Stand Up for Human Rights

Sanction any and all countries that refuse to recognize basic inalienable rights of women and gays. Work to decriminalize female independence and homosexuality in those countries.


Reform Foster Care

Enable easier interstate placements to help alleviate the burden on the system and invest in more mental health services for the most traumatized children. Incorporate more life-skills training.


Curb Inflation

It's very simple. The biggest drivers of inflation are increased government spending or limited supply chain. Moving more of the supply onshore to the U.S. and balancing the budget will help control runaway costs for some of life's basic necessities.


Let Doctors be Doctors

Nobody knows what's best for patients more than the front-line doctors. To prevent another dumpster fire like the government's response to COVID-19, the FDA, CDC and NIH must have their power limited to override the decisions of these wise heroes in hospitals.[3]

”
—Steve Wozniak's campaign website (2022)[5]

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Steve Wozniak campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* U.S. House California District 5Lost primary$0 N/A**
2022U.S. House California District 5Lost primary$0 N/A**
Grand total$0 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

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External links

Candidate

U.S. House California District 5
  • Website
  • Twitter
    		•

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 26, 2022
    2. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 7, 2024
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑ Steve Wozniak for Congress, “My Pledges,” accessed January 28, 2024
    5. ↑ WozForCongress, “Home,” accessed May 23, 2022


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