7th District Candidate Taner Demirci Lopez (L)

Lopez for Virginia

Campaign Website: https://lopezforva.com/

Candidate Questionnaire from VPM:

Q: Where in Virginia do you live?

live in Locust Grove, in Orange County.

Q: What is your current job? How would you describe your career?

I am a cultural advisor working with different government agencies depending on their needs. My career has allowed me to apply my regional and cultural expertise in support of government missions.

Q: List any college degrees or professional certifications you hold.

I have a master’s degree in World Religions and Cultures and a Ph.D. in Theology, with a special concentration in interfaith and inter-theological dialogue between the Abrahamic religions.

Q: Have you served in an elected or appointed political office before? When, where and in what position?

No. I have not previously served in elected or appointed political office.

Q: Please describe any ways you’ve used generative artificial intelligence in your campaign.

I do use generative artificial intelligence in my campaign, particularly as a tool to assist with research on topics that I believe are relevant to the people of Virginia’s 7th District. AI can help me explore issues, identify questions that require further research, and organize information more efficiently. The specific methods and tools I use to develop campaign strategy are internal campaign matters.

Ultimately, my political positions, legislative proposals, and decisions are my own, and I take responsibility for what my campaign communicates to the public.

Q: What should constituents know about you?

My cultural, academic, and professional background has prepared me to serve the people of Virginia’s 7th District. I am passionate about public service, and I believe I understand many of the challenges people in this district face.

I am not running simply to talk about problems; I am bringing serious legislative proposals that I believe can directly benefit people in my district and, potentially, Americans across the country.

I want constituents to know that I am prepared to bring specific ideas to Congress and work to turn them into solutions.

Q: In a word or phrase, tell us: What do you think your race is about?

Putting the American people back at the center of government.

Q: How should the federal government address the ongoing affordability challenges?

The federal government should begin by focusing its resources on the American people. We spend billions of dollars on foreign conflicts while Americans are struggling with the cost of groceries, energy, housing, and everyday necessities. Conflicts and disruptions in major oil-producing regions can also drive up energy prices, and higher transportation and energy costs can affect prices throughout the economy.

I would work to disengage the United States from foreign wars that do not directly serve our national defense and redirect our attention and resources toward problems here at home. As a Libertarian, I also believe affordability requires a smaller and more fiscally responsible federal government. I would work to reduce unnecessary federal spending and lower the tax burden on Americans. People should be able to keep more of the money they earn rather than continually being asked to finance an expanding federal government.

My approach is straightforward: Spend less, tax less, avoid unnecessary foreign conflicts, and leave more money in the pockets of the American people.

Q: What do you see as Congress’ role in acting as a check and balance on the other branches of the federal government?

I will never support any branch of the federal government exceeding its constitutional authority. The separation of powers and the system of checks and balances are fundamental protections of American liberty. Congress has a responsibility to hold the executive and judicial branches accountable when they exceed their constitutional authority, regardless of which political party is in power.

If elected, my responsibility will be to the Constitution and the American people—not to a president, a political party, or any other branch of government. Our system of checks and balances is one of the foundations that has made the United States a free and exceptional country, and Congress must defend it.

Q: What kinds of proposals should Congress consider as data centers become more common nationwide?

Data centers are important to our economy and technological future, but the people who live next to these massive developments should have a meaningful voice in decisions that can affect their property, communities, environment, and quality of life.

That is why I created the Data Center Community Consent Act, a legislative proposal designed to put power in the hands of the people who are directly affected, not simply investors and developers. My proposal would require meaningful community and affected-property-owner participation before qualifying large data center projects move forward, along with comprehensive impact studies paid for by the developer and compensation for affected property owners.

I am not against data centers. I believe technological development and property rights can coexist. Congress should establish protections that allow innovation and investment while ensuring that communities are not forced to bear the consequences of development without having a meaningful voice in the process.

Q: If elected, how would you use your position to help alleviate the housing crisis in your district, Virginia and nationally?

As a Libertarian, I believe excessive regulation and bureaucracy are contributing to the housing affordability crisis by making it more difficult and expensive to build new homes.

If elected, I would work to identify and eliminate unnecessary federal regulations and bureaucratic barriers that increase construction costs or discourage new housing development, while preserving legitimate health and safety protections. I would also encourage policies that allow states and local communities to reduce unnecessary permitting delays and barriers to increasing housing supply.

I believe that when we make it easier to build, invest, and compete, the free market can create more housing opportunities. More supply and greater competition can give renters and homebuyers more choices rather than relying on Washington to solve the housing shortage through an ever-expanding federal bureaucracy.

Q: How do you personally use artificial intelligence in your life? What specific regulations do you propose for companies producing AI?

I personally use artificial intelligence and am a subscriber to ChatGPT.

I use AI primarily as a research and analytical tool to explore subjects, organize information, ask questions, and examine different perspectives. I believe AI can be an extraordinarily useful technology when humans remain responsible for how it is developed and used. At the same time, I believe we need to take the potential risks of increasingly powerful artificial intelligence seriously. I am currently drafting a legislative proposal addressing AI regulation and the long-term protection of human beings from potentially dangerous AI systems.

My approach is not to stop innovation or prevent Americans from benefiting from AI. It is to establish safeguards so that human beings remain in control, developers are accountable for the systems they create, and highly capable AI systems are subject to appropriate safety and security standards before they can create unacceptable risks to people or society. I intend to release the full proposal publicly after I complete my review of it.

Q: What is the largest issue facing your district right now, and how would you work to address it from Washington, DC?

Virginia’s 7th District is extremely diverse, and I do not believe there is only one issue affecting everyone equally. Different parts of our district are facing different challenges, and my responsibility would be to represent all of them.

Immigration is an important issue in the more densely populated areas of our district, including Prince William County. Data center development and its effects on property owners and communities are major concerns in our rural and rapidly developing areas. And in the Fredericksburg region, veterans have faced difficulties accessing timely VA health care.

These are not issues I began discussing simply because I decided to run for Congress. I have developed specific legislative proposals to address them, including my American Controlled Immigration Workforce and Security Act, my Data Center Community Consent Act, and my Veterans 28 Act.

I want to go to Washington with actual proposals for problems affecting the people of my district. My priority is to listen to the different communities of VA-7 and work on solutions that directly serve them.

Q: A hospital or multiple health care centers in your district are at risk of service cuts/closure due to Medicaid changes. How would you advocate for your district’s health and wellness?

I would ask my colleagues in Congress a very simple question: How can Washington find billions of dollars to spend overseas and support wars that are not ours, but when it is time to protect health care for the Americans whose taxes fund our government, we tell them there is no money?

I would strongly oppose federal funding cuts that threaten essential health care services in my district. As the representative of Virginia’s 7th District, my first responsibility would be to the people I represent. I would fight to protect access to hospitals and essential medical services and hold Congress publicly accountable when its spending priorities put the needs of Americans behind commitments overseas.

I believe we can pursue a smaller and more efficient federal government without abandoning essential health care services that our communities depend on. We should cut waste and unnecessary spending before asking American families, patients, veterans, and local communities to sacrifice their access to care.

Q: Where do you stand on the pending Dominion Energy–NextEra merger?

As a Libertarian, I generally believe private companies should be free to make their own business decisions. However, when we are talking about a regulated utility that provides an essential service to millions of people, government has a legitimate responsibility to ensure that customers are not forced to bear harmful consequences from that decision.

I would carefully examine the effects of the Dominion Energy–NextEra merger, particularly its potential impact on electricity rates, reliability, competition, and Virginia consumers. My concern is not who owns the company; my concern is whether ordinary Virginians will end up paying the price.

If the companies choose to merge, I believe regulators should ensure that merger-related costs and other negative consequences are not simply passed along to families and businesses.

Q: As a Virginian, what are your thoughts on Ballot Question 1?

As a candidate for federal office, I believe abortion policy is primarily an issue for the states.

However, as a Virginian, my personal view is that this is a difficult issue involving both a woman’s liberty and the developing life of an unborn child. I believe a woman should have access to abortion when a pregnancy presents a serious threat to her health or when the pregnancy resulted from rape or other forced circumstances.

At the same time, I believe that as a pregnancy progresses and the unborn child develops, there is an increasingly important interest in protecting that developing human life, particularly later in pregnancy. I also do not believe taxpayers who have profound moral objections to abortion should be compelled to fund elective abortions.

For Ballot Question 1 specifically, I would want Virginia law to protect women facing serious medical circumstances and forced pregnancies while also maintaining meaningful protections for developing human life later in pregnancy.

Q: As a Virginian, what are your thoughts on Ballot Question 2?

I would vote Yes on Ballot Question 2. I view civil marriage fundamentally as a legal contract between two consenting adults. Government should recognize legally valid marriages equally regardless of sex, gender, or race. I therefore support removing Virginia’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

At the same time, I strongly support religious liberty. Churches and other religious institutions must remain free to determine, according to their own beliefs, which marriages they will perform, recognize, or bless. Government should neither discriminate against adults entering a lawful civil marriage nor dictate religious beliefs or practices. To me, these principles are compatible: equal treatment under civil law and freedom of religion.

Q: As a Virginian, what are your thoughts on Ballot Question 3?

I would vote Yes on Ballot Question 3. I believe that people convicted of felonies must be held accountable and serve the penalties imposed by the justice system. However, once they have completed their incarceration and are released back into society, they should not continue to be punished by permanently losing their voice in our democracy.

If we expect people to return to their communities, work, pay taxes, support their families, and obey the law, they should also have the right to participate in choosing the government that represents them. Once they have served their period of incarceration, their voting rights should be automatically restored.

I also support protecting the fundamental right to vote while maintaining an appropriate safeguard for individuals who have been judicially determined to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting.

Q: What is your stance on the United States’ foreign policy with Israel?

I believe the United States should maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, but we should not finance other countries’ wars or become involved in conflicts that do not directly serve the defense of the United States.

Our role should be diplomacy. The continuing conflict in the Middle East has also intensified divisions here at home. I am deeply concerned when Jewish Americans are harassed, threatened, or blamed for decisions made by the Israeli government. Jewish Americans are not responsible for the actions of a foreign government, and antisemitism has no place in our country.

I would work to end U.S. financing of the war and use American diplomacy to encourage a durable peace acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians. We should seek to prevent the conflict from expanding, protect innocent civilians, and keep America from being drawn into another Middle Eastern war.

My priority is peace, American security, and protecting Americans—including Jewish Americans—from hatred or violence here at home.

Q: What is your stance on the United States’ foreign policy with Iran?

I believe the United States should be willing to negotiate directly with Iran and pursue a diplomatic agreement that prevents Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Diplomacy backed by effective verification is preferable to another war in the Middle East. It is not the responsibility of the United States to change Iran’s government or decide who should govern the Iranian people. Our responsibility is to protect the United States and the American people.

We have serious problems here at home that require our attention and resources. America should defend itself when necessary, but we should not act as the police of the world. I would prioritize diplomacy, nuclear nonproliferation, and American security over regime change and another costly foreign war.

Q: What is your stance on the United States’ foreign policy with Ukraine?

I believe the United States should immediately use its diplomatic influence to push for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or wounded, communities have been devastated, and American taxpayers continue to finance a conflict that has no clear endpoint.

Human beings should not exist to sustain wars; governments and militaries exist to protect human life. At some point, diplomacy must replace continued killing.

I would support negotiations based on the realities on the ground, with territorial disputes ultimately resolved through a negotiated settlement rather than an endless war. I would also support taking Ukrainian membership in NATO off the table as part of a broader peace agreement.

In return, Russia should provide meaningful and enforceable security commitments regarding Ukraine and neighboring countries. I would also pursue broader negotiations with Russia over issues affecting American security, including Russian military and security relationships close to the United States, such as with Cuba.