ST. LOUIS — Ann Wagner is a Congresswoman and Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri's Second Congressional District. The primary is August 2. One Republican will go on to face candidates of other parties in the general election in November.
Wagner has represented Missouri's Second Congressional District since 2013. Wagner has worked in the Republican party and on GOP campaigns since the 1990s.
KNOW TO VOTE: Missouri primary 2022: Voter guide for St. Louis area
She voted on party lines on the big issues, including voting against both impeachments of former President Donald Trump.
"As a mother and grandmother, I am incredibly grateful and gratified that the Supreme Court has finally overturned Roe v. Wade," Wagner said in June. "This is a historic moment for families, for mothers, and for the precious unborn children who cannot protect themselves."
She did break with the majority of the GOP on a recent House vote to protect interracial and same-sex marriage.
The Ballwin resident served as the United States ambassador to Luxembourg in 2005 during President George W. Bush’s administration. She was Chairperson of the Missouri Republican Party from 1999 to 2005.
Missouri's Second Congressional District was redrawn and now includes more of Franklin and Warren counties.
5 On Your Side candidate survey
To the extent any single member of Congress can influence the U.S. economy and labor market, what immediate steps would you take to reduce the cost of living burden Missourians face during this period of inflation?
Wagner: Joe Biden's policies have led to the worst inflation in generations. People in the Second District can't afford gas, groceries or even find baby formula. The Biden administration's reckless spending is to blame for record inflation, and it needs to stop. We need to focus on increasing domestic energy supplies, getting people back into the workforce, reducing government red tape, and saying no to the runaway spending policies pushed by Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi.
Missouri state law prohibits women and girls from seeking abortion procedures at any time during their pregnancy, regardless of circumstances involving rape, incest, or other unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. Would you support a similar law at the federal level? If not, then which women or girls should be allowed access to safe, legal abortion procedures?
Wagner: I've been a pro-life advocate my entire life, and I will always stand up for life and protecting the unborn. The Dobbs case rightfully returned the issue of abortion back to the states where it belongs.
Prior to the decision, I always voted for federal policies that allowed for exceptions, for life of the mother and for rape and incest. And should similar bills come before me in Congress? I would support those policies again.
What specific policies or practices would you support from Congress that could directly improve safety and reduce violent crime in Missouri?
Wagner: We must support our law enforcement officers to the fullest extent possible and stop the Democrats' efforts to defund the police. Nancy Pelosi and the squad continue to advocate for policies that take cops off the streets and resources out of our law enforcement's hands.
Every state is also a border state now, and we must stop the millions of illegal immigrants, the illegal drugs and fentanyl and human traffickers who are streaming across our border. I will continue to support policies that strengthen support for our brave men and women in blue and help keep our communities here in St. Louis and the greater region safe.
What do you perceive as the single greatest threat to American democracy and how would you address it in Congress?
Wagner: Efforts by the Biden administration and their liberal allies to fundamentally reshape America as we know it, oftentimes without the support or the consent of the American people, is probably the greatest threat to our fundamental democratic republic, whether it is trying to federalize all our nation's election processes, limiting our Second Amendment rights with unconstitutional restrictions, trying to eliminate the fossil fuels that power our economy, or using the power of big tech to restrict our First Amendment freedoms of speech.
Our core values are being undermined and destroyed by the Biden administration, the mainstream media, and their liberal partners in state and local government. Joe Biden is trying to govern by pen and phone through executive order and the administrative state. It must stop.
To what extent do fossil fuels contribute to the changing climate? To what extent should Congressional action attempt to alter that trajectory?
Wagner: America needs an "all of the above" energy policy that includes both existing energy resources and investments in alternative fuel sources. Just a few short years ago, our nation was energy independent, and it was even able to be a net exporter of energy to other nations. We need to get back to that independence with a commitment to clean coal, expansion of nuclear energy, liquid natural gas and fracking in areas of the country where it is feasible. Advanced hydro, wind and solar power sources too.
The Biden administration's efforts to kill American energy independence has caused massive inflation and huge increases in our energy and gas costs for all Missourians. We need to return to an "all of the above" strategy and make America energy independent again.
Public polling shows most Americans believe the U.S. Supreme Court has become too political. What reforms, if any, should Congress take to reshape or reimagine the makeup or behavior of the court?
Wagner: The recent leak of a draft opinion from the Supreme Court has been, I think, the biggest threat to undermining integrity in the court in its history. It is unfathomable to me that someone in that institution, someone entrusted with the most sensitive and private of deliberations, would leak that to the media for political gain. The individual who leaked that draft needs to be found. And depending on who the person is and how it was received, either criminally charged, removed from the legal community or fired from their position. Only by taking this action can we start to restore integrity in the court and its deliberations.
I also have grave concerns the Democrats are trying to upend our Constitution and pack the court, especially in the face of the violent threats the justices have faced.
Which Constitutional amendment is your favorite and why?
Wagner: The First Amendment enshrines so many of the basic rights we take for granted each day. The right to speak how we want, the right to worship how we want, the right to petition our government. The right to a free press. And the right to gather and assemble as we see fit. The First Amendment is at its core what separates us from other democratic nations that cannot match our freedoms and God-given rights.
Without the First, most of the other amendments would not serve our Republic as intended.
What is your favorite movie, most influential book, and go-to genre of music?
Wagner: For my movies, I'd have to say when I was growing up, it was Mary Poppins. When my children, my three wonderful children were growing up, it was the Sandlot. And now I'd say it's probably a tie between Braveheart or the new Top Gun movie. My favorite book is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is someone who grew up in the eighties. I would have to go with the eighties music genre bands like Queen, Journey, Fleetwood Mac and the Police.
