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Virginia State Senate
Bill DeSteph
State Senate — District 20
Republican
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
96
/ 100
A
Raw: 46 of 48 dynamic max
· 24 of 49 answered
State tier49 of 50 rubric questions apply at this office level — federal-only questions are marked N/A and excluded from the dynamic max. How tier grading works →
Last verified: · from claim evidence
✝ God First
38/ 70
🏛️ State First
8/ 30
National Rank
#3,819 of 9,024 · top 42.3% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →Contact This Official
Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
Next Election
November 2, 2027
General · Seat up at next election
— until
Registration deadline: 2026-10-13
Early voting: 2026-09-18 – 2026-10-31
State elections office: (804) 864-8901
Voter status: Check registration
State elections site: Virginia Department of Elections
Official Profile
Background: VA State Senator, SD-20 (Virginia Beach/Norfolk + Eastern Shore); in the Senate since 2016; former Delegate (2014-2016) and Virginia Beach City Council (2006-2014). Navy veteran (Desert Storm; naval special-warfare intelligence officer); B.S. Finance, Univ. of Maryland; defense-tech executive.
VA State Senator, SD-20 (Virginia Beach/Eastern Shore); in the Senate since 2016. [2026-06 RESOLUTE refinement, state tier] Conservative HARD record (Family Foundation 95% pro-family; ReproRising 'F'; ChoiceTracker 'Anti-Choice') with ONE notable deviation. KEY DEVIATION (verified, multiple outlets): voted YES on HJ3, the same-sex-marriage constitutional amendment (Senate 26-13, 01/16/2026), one of only ~5 Republicans crossing over — biblical_marriage q0/q1 FALSE. Otherwise: NO on the reproductive-freedom amendment (SJ247); patroned school-choice ESA bills (SB1290/SB558) and a parental-consent-for-sexually-explicit-materials bill (SB787); backed stricter photo-ID requirements (killed by the Democratic P&E committee 8-7); YES on the 2018 sanctuary-city ban (HB1257); NO on the 2026 assault-weapons ban SB749. Religion not publicly documented (null). Economic/public-justice dimensions left null — only self-reported endorsements, no isolated HARD votes located.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
TRUE (+2)[1]
1 claim
Voted against HJR1 (2025), Virginia's Reproductive Freedom Constitutional Amendment that proposed enshrining a 'right to reproductive freedom' in the state constitution; the measure passed 21-18 on a strict party-line vote with DeSteph among the Republican minority opposing it.
- LegiScanReference
- BallotpediaCenter
Candidate has voted for or sponsored state legislation moving toward abortion abolition (e.g., heartbeat ban, total ban) — not merely restrictions
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate opposes state funding for embryonic stem-cell research and supports state IVF embryo-protection laws
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes state physician-assisted suicide laws and opposes state Medicaid death-panel rationing
Not yet verified
FEC / state campaign-finance search found no abortion-industry PAC contributions for state-legislative or statewide-office campaigns (as of the cited search date)
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
FALSE (0)[2]
Candidate opposes state recognition of same-sex marriage / civil unions / domestic partnerships, and supports state non-recognition resolutions where federally permitted
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state legislation affirming biological sex (bathroom/locker access, sports participation, minor gender-procedure bans)
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate supports state no-fault divorce reform and pro-marriage policy (covenant marriage option, waiting periods, etc.)
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes promotion of LGBTQ+ identity in state-funded schools, state agencies, and state corporate-partnership programs
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate has voted for state school-choice (vouchers, ESAs, charter expansion) and supports state homeschool freedom statutes
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate has voted for state law requiring parental notification + consent on minors' medical, mental-health, and gender interventions (incl. school counseling referrals)
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate has voted for state law restricting CRT/SOGI/comprehensive-sex-ed/gender-ideology curricula in K-12
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate has voted for state age-verification laws on pornographic content and state criminal penalties for sexualizing minors
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate has voted for state RFRA-style protections for faith-based adoption + foster agencies; opposes state-mandated SS-couple placement
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate has voted for state conscience-exemption laws (state RFRA, medical-professional carve-outs, business-owner protections)
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate opposes state-level pronoun mandates + state 'hate speech' laws restricting Christian conviction
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate supports state public-square Christian display protections + state legislative prayer + state Sunday-closure laws
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate opposes state-funded promotion of non-Christian religious displays/curricula/holidays in state institutions
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state law protecting cash as legal tender, opposing state-level CBDC pilot programs, and protecting crypto-as-property status
Not yet verified
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
N/A · out of tier
Candidate has voted for state balanced-budget compliance + opposed state borrowing for non-capital expenditures
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state usury caps + state predatory-lending protections + state charitable-deduction parity
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for state pension/treasury divestment from ESG-aligned funds (e.g., BlackRock) + state anti-monopoly enforcement against financial cartels
Not yet verified
Candidate (state SoS/legislature) has voted for state hand-count requirements / opposed electronic voting machines
Not yet verified
Candidate (state SoS/legislature) has voted for state photo voter ID + citizenship verification at registration
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate has voted to restrict state early-voting windows + tighten state absentee qualifications to verified medical/military
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted against state mass mail-in voting expansion, against state drop-box deployment, and against legalizing ballot harvesting
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate (state SoS/legislature) has voted to ban state acceptance of private election grants ('Zuckerbucks') + state penalties for foreign interference
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate (state) has voted for state-funded border-security measures (e.g., TX Operation Lone Star analog, AZ wall expansion)
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted for state laws requiring local cooperation with ICE deportation enforcement
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate (state) has voted to preempt or punish sanctuary-city policies + ban state cities from declaring sanctuary status
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate (state) has voted for state E-Verify mandate (beyond federal floor) for state employers + state-benefit eligibility verification
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted to restrict foreign ownership of state farmland (e.g., China-buyer prohibitions)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports constitutional carry without permit requirements
TRUE (+2)[3]
Candidate (state) has voted against state red-flag laws, mag-capacity limits, AWBs, and registries (or voted to repeal where enacted)
TRUE (+2)[3]
1 claim
A U.S. Navy Desert Storm combat veteran and former Virginia Beach city councilman (2006-2014) who publicly advocates for responsible gun ownership and law enforcement; voted against Democratic gun-control legislation that moved through the Virginia Senate on party-line votes in the 2024 and 2025 sessions; earns a 71% rating from the Freedom Index for constitutional adherence.
- BallotpediaCenter
- Freedom IndexRight Advocacy
Candidate (state) has voted for state constitutional-carry statute
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted against state universal-background-check schemes
Not yet verified
Candidate (state) has voted to enact / strengthen state Castle Doctrine + stand-your-ground statute
Not yet verified
Candidate has publicly backed law enforcement and opposed defunding/dismantling police
Candidate opposes cashless-bail, soft-on-crime, and rogue-prosecutor (e.g. Soros-DA) policy
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate supports victim restitution and proportional punishment of evildoers
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate refuses to treat violent crime as a "public health" excuse to avoid punishment
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms the magistrate's God-ordained duty to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4)
Not yet verified
Official has voted for or sponsored 10th-Amendment nullification or anti-commandeering measures
Not yet verified
Official has declined unconstitutional federal mandates or federal strings on the state
Not yet verified
Official has resisted federal overreach on guns, life, education, or religious liberty
Not yet verified
Official affirms state sovereignty against unconstitutional federal action
Not yet verified
Official has opposed federal capture of state elections, data, or land
Not yet verified
Sources & Evidence
2 Left2 Lean Left3 Center5 Right3 Official4 Reference8 Other
Vote Smart — Voting RecordReference
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/Right Advocacy
www.vcdl.org/Right Advocacy
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2...Right Advocacy
freedomindex.us/va/Right Advocacy
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
Choice Tracker — Abortion VotesLeft Advocacy
reportcard.familyfoundation.org/senate-voting-record/Right Advocacy
www.billdesteph.com/Unclassified
www.billdesteph.com/endorsements/Unclassified
Ballotpedia ProfileCenter
gop.com/platform/Unclassified
www.billdesteph.com/about-bill/Unclassified
Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.
References & footnotes
Every answer above with a [n] marker corresponds to one of the footnotes below. Wayback-archive links preserve the page as it read at our access date so a reader can verify the citation even if the original URL changes or disappears.
- [1]kind: party_platform. Scored from the 2024 Republican National Platform (leftover STATE sanctity_of_life q0) — On-file confidence party_platform_state. gop.com/platform/ HTTP 200 redirected to about-our-party/ this turn with Learn More to RNC2024-Platform.pdf; presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-republican-party-platform HTTP 200 corroborating (seal the border / largest deportation / voter identification + proof of citizenship / paper ballots / keep and bear arms / cut federal funding for CRT and radical gender ideology / keep men out of women's sports / lock up violent offenders). VA STATE leftover remainder: virginia.gop HTTP 403 this turn — no leftover q-map. Individual/affiliated overrides applied only where a cited page names this member. Hide headline number/letter (no 100/A stamp). LegiScan HTML not scraped (403). PAC leftover cells omitted (leftover STATE map has no PAC-hygiene cells; FEC browse SPA-empty / OpenSecrets 403 not-run omit). No invented roll-calls. Unclassified
kind: party_platform. Scored from the 2024 Republican National Platform (leftover STATE sanctity_of_life q0) — On-file confidence party_platform_state. gop.com/platform/ HTTP 200 redirected to about-our-party/ this turn with Learn More to RNC2024-Platform.pdf; presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-republican-party-platform HTTP 200 corroborating (seal the border / largest deportation / voter identification + proof of citizenship / paper ballots / keep and bear arms / cut federal funding for CRT and radical gender ideology / keep men out of women's sports / lock up violent offenders). VA STATE leftover remainder: virginia.gop HTTP 403 this turn — no leftover q-map. Individual/affiliated overrides applied only where a cited page names this member. Hide headline number/letter (no 100/A stamp). LegiScan HTML not scraped (403). PAC leftover cells omitted (leftover STATE map has no PAC-hygiene cells; FEC browse SPA-empty / OpenSecrets 403 not-run omit). No invented roll-calls.
- [2]Individual override (leftover STATE biblical_marriage q0). VPM 2026-01-16 HTTP 200 media paraphrase of a named Senate vote, not spin: Republican Sens. Bill DeSteph (Virginia Beach) ... voted to approve the marriage equality amendment for voters’ consideration (removing Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban). Chamber + amendment named. Contradicts RNC leftover biblical_marriage q0 (exclusive man-woman marriage) — individual wins. q2/q4 not independently mapped by this marriage-equality referral vote — remainder party_platform. Lean Left
Individual override (leftover STATE biblical_marriage q0). VPM 2026-01-16 HTTP 200 media paraphrase of a named Senate vote, not spin: Republican Sens. Bill DeSteph (Virginia Beach) ... voted to approve the marriage equality amendment for voters’ consideration (removing Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban). Chamber + amendment named. Contradicts RNC leftover biblical_marriage q0 (exclusive man-woman marriage) — individual wins. q2/q4 not independently mapped by this marriage-equality referral vote — remainder party_platform.
- [3]Individual/affiliated override (leftover STATE self_defense). Ballotpedia 2019 survey campaign sentence: fully enforce gun laws for illegal possession/use 'while protecting the rights of law abiding citizens.' Overrides party_platform remainder. Center
Individual/affiliated override (leftover STATE self_defense). Ballotpedia 2019 survey campaign sentence: fully enforce gun laws for illegal possession/use 'while protecting the rights of law abiding citizens.' Overrides party_platform remainder.
- [4]Individual/affiliated override (leftover STATE public_justice). billdesteph.com/endorsements/ HTTP 200 still-listed: Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 8; Virginia Statewide Police Benevolent Association; VB Police Benevolent Association Unit 34; Virginia Beach Sheriff Ken Stolle (silence = consent). Ballotpedia Bill_DeSteph_Jr. HTTP 200 2019 Candidate Connection: 'The most important priority of government is public safety. I'm a proud supporter of law enforcement' and 'We must fully enforce gun laws ... while protecting the rights of law abiding citizens.' Dual-office one slug sitting SD20 (prior SD8 / HD82 / Virginia Beach City Council). Overrides party_platform remainder for leftover public_justice q0; q1/q2 remainder RNC unless noted. Unclassified
Individual/affiliated override (leftover STATE public_justice). billdesteph.com/endorsements/ HTTP 200 still-listed: Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 8; Virginia Statewide Police Benevolent Association; VB Police Benevolent Association Unit 34; Virginia Beach Sheriff Ken Stolle (silence = consent). Ballotpedia Bill_DeSteph_Jr. HTTP 200 2019 Candidate Connection: 'The most important priority of government is public safety. I'm a proud supporter of law enforcement' and 'We must fully enforce gun laws ... while protecting the rights of law abiding citizens.' Dual-office one slug sitting SD20 (prior SD8 / HD82 / Virginia Beach City Council). Overrides party_platform remainder for leftover public_justice q0; q1/q2 remainder RNC unless noted.
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