Steven Porter
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This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates. |
Steven Porter was a 2012 independent candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 3rd Congressional District of Pennsylvania. He lost to incumbent Mike Kelly.[1]
Elections
2012
Porter ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Pennsylvania's 3rd District. Porter ran as an Independent and faced Democrat Missa Eaton and Republican incumbent Mike Kelly in the November 6 general election.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Missa Eaton | 41% | 123,933 | |
| Republican |  Mike Kelly Incumbent |
54.8% | 165,826 | |
| Independent | Steven Porter | 4.2% | 12,755 | |
| Total Votes | 302,514 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Stevan Porter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Porter's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Hard to pick 3, but ... 1. Criminal Justice Reform - Ending civil asset forfeiture, voting rights restoration, mandatory sentencing reforms, and more! 2. Fiscal Responsibility - The debt is going to destroy us and we need to seriously example spending reform NOW. 3. Military - We need a strong military to fulfill its mission but we need to look at that mission. Endless wars, forward deployments, etc. are not defending our nation. I want to bring most of our troops home.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
In talking with the people of my district and hearing their stories, I have become increasingly concerned about and passionate about fixing our broken criminal justice system. I also am very passionate about my belief that YOU understand what is best for YOU, the people YOU love, and YOUR community. The closer we keep government to YOU, the more accountable, transparent, and efficient it will be. Finally, I am passionate about civility in politics. We need to be able to talk to one another without mud slinging if we are going to actually find solutions to our country's problems.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
It really depends on the context but if we are talking about political figures, one person I have admired quite a bit in the current Congress is Representative Justin Amash. Part of it is that he holds a lot of similar and libertarian leaning positions. More importantly though I like how he does his job. He holds town halls, he explains EVERY vote to his constituents, he prides himself on being a legislator and voting (he was heart broken when his vote streak was broken last year). He does his best to be a representative, be a legislator (the primary job of Congress), and to be transparent/accountable.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
I would say overall the Constitution of the United States and the Federalist Papers are a big part of my overall political philosophy. I often describe myself as a federalist leaning libertarian or a libertarian leaning federalist. The idea that each level of government has certain functions to perform -- and in some cases functions are not appropriate to any level of government -- is very important to my political philosophy.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honesty, being respectful to others, a willingness to listen to people (especially those you disagree with), being open to new ideas, realizing that you do not have all the answers, and honestly caring about our country, its future, and its people.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I am an analytical introvert (somewhere rare in politics). In various roles in my life, I have proven myself to be a strong problem solver by carefully considering all sides of a problem and then looking for the best approaches. Sometimes the practical reality of the situation means that the best solution -- at least at this juncture in time -- may not be the one that I ideologically agree with the most. The ability to compromise, seek new solutions, and move the ball forward is critical and something I have consistently been able to do.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Members of Congress are first and foremost legislators. This is something that Congress seems to have forgotten over the year as they have shifted more and more of their responsibility to the executive branch and (to a lesser degree) the judiciary. Congress needs to take back its rightful role as the law makers of the federal government. Other responsibilities such as oversight and constituent services are important, but the primary responsibility of Congress is to shape federal laws.
What legacy would you like to leave?
A big part of my campaign and why I am running is that I want to restore civility into the political discussion. So a legacy that I would hope to leave is being remembered as someone who truly worked across party lines, listened to people, and treated everyone -- even those I disagree with -- with respect and fairness.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The bicentennial of 1776 and the parades / fireworks. I was 7.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
It was unpaid, but my first job was to program a new class registration system at my junior high school. Took about 6 months and I helped support the program for all three years I was there. They actually used the program for quite a while. If we are talking traditional paid jobs, it would have been at McDonalds. I did grill, customer service, janitorial, and maintenance work. Did it part-time, school breaks, etc. for 4 or 5 years. My first full time job was as a software instructor and computer consultant in the DC area. I did that job for about 11 months before moving to a customer support position with another company that provided software to the U.S. Congress, White House, and other governmental entities.
What happened on your most awkward date?
It was the first formal dance I went to in high school. I took my date out to a nice restaurant (first time doing that as well) but did not think to bring enough money to leave an appropriate tip. Needless to say I never went back to that restaurant.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
My wife's birthday. It falls in the summer and typically we make it a big deal -- somewhat roll my birthday, Christmas, our anniversary, etc. into a long weekend.
What is your favorite book? Why?
I have not been able to read much on the campaign trail, but I am a big reader across a lot of genres. So not sure I have a favorite book -- depends on my mood.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Dr. Who -- As a student of history it would be really cool to be able to travel through time and actually witness and even potentially interact with historical events and people.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
We have a big two person chair I really like. Great for reading, watching TV, working, snuggling with the wife, snuggling with our two dogs, and generally relaxing after a hard day at work, volunteering, or hitting the campaign trail!
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Ughhh ... asking this question made me think about it and get the song stuck in my head again. Disney's Its a Small World. Now I need to crank some Metallica to clear it out!
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
I struggled with weight for many years and actually got up to around 400 pounds. In 2013, I had bariatric surgery and made a lot of changes to diet, exercise, etc. I am now down around 230 and much happier and healthier.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
There is no perfect method to redistrict but I think we should raise the limit on number of U.S. Representatives to make the districts smaller, that they should be more compact, and ideally use more computer algorithms to TRY and more neutrally draw the lines. Of course there will be a human factor regardless and that factor is always going to have a political spin to it, but at least we can try to minimize that.
What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?
The two party system and the seniority system in the House of Representatives makes it somewhat unique among similar federal legislatures. Not saying that is a good thing ...
Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?
Not necessarily. Certainly they should understand civics. One of the ideas behind a citizen legislature is that it would bring together people with different talents and backgrounds to give a broader perspective to governing the nation. I also think people with more traditional backgrounds are more heavily invested in that system and less likely to look for ways to truly improve it. Ultimately we need a mix of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to make Congress work best for the people.
What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?
The deficit and debt would top my list. With the deficit nearing $1T annually, projected debt of nearly $28T by 2028, and a debt that will be roughly 96% of our GDP in 2028, we have a major issue that MUST be dealt with. The other issues are somewhat in flux and it is hard to determine which will rise to the top as the most critical over the next decade. I do think internally that we need to make improvements in race relations which is really sad to have to say in 2018.
If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
The two committees that would most interest me would be House Judiciary and the Select Intelligence Committee. With my strong focus on criminal justice reform, the House Judiciary Committee is a fairly obvious choice. The Select Intelligence Committee would be valuable because in order to solve problems you have to have good information and a full picture of the situation. Right now it seems that a lot of things have secret (often unnecessarily secret) pieces to them. Without knowing that information, there are a lot of decision that would have to be made without a full analysis. I really prefer NOT to do that.
Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?
Actually I would prefer to see 3 year terms. With 2 year terms, U.S. Representatives are always in campaign mode. Giving them a bit of breathing room would hopefully allow them to work more on doing their jobs at least for a year rather than be constantly campaigning.
What are your thoughts on term limits?
Running for office has given me a lot better insight into the problems with our current system and as a result I do support term limits. It would be nice to be at a point where "elections are term limits" but the reality is the money, media bias, incumbent advantages, gerrymandering, and so many other factors have effectively made it so that incumbents win even with poor job performance ratings. So I think term limits (I prefer 2 x 4 for President, 3 x 3 for U.S. House, and 2 x 6 for U.S. Senate) are necessary at this point to get new ideas and promote progress.
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?
I do not plan on joining either the Republican or Democrat major caucus so barring a REALLY good year for Libertarians it is somewhat of a moot point for me. I would welcome a leadership role on a minor, issue based caucus though.
Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Rep. Justin Amash -- I like most of his stands and more importantly I like how he approaches his role as a representative.
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?
I have heard a lot of stories but one that stuck with me was a woman who told me about hear near arrest for attempting to purchase a handgun. Apparently as a young mother nearly 16 years ago the baby was sick and she had not slept for over 24 hours. She went to the hospital for help and they admitted her overnight. Although she was not suicidal or anything like that, the doctor flagged it as an inpatient psychiatric event and submitted it to the national system. So without knowing it, without any chance of defending herself in a court of law, etc. she lost her right to have a gun forever. She is trying to fight it now but the processes for getting off that list are severely broken as well. The take away is that even with good intentions, many laws are flawed and we really need to be careful about the legislation we enact.
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Campaign finance summary
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Recent news
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External links
Footnotes
