Prominent conservative leaders have spoken out against the use of capital punishment across the country. Hear what some of these courageous conservatives have to say. Join your fellow conservatives in calling for an end to the death penalty.
“I believe that support for the death penalty is inconsistent with libertarianism and traditional conservatism. So I am pleased with Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty’s efforts to form a coalition of libertarians and conservatives to work to end capital punishment.” – Dr. Ron Paul, Former congressman and presidential candidate
“The moral justification I had for voting for the death simply no longer exists.” – Ohio Governor Mike Dewine
“While wrongful convictions occur all too often in our criminal justice system, they can sometimes be righted through appeals or new evidence. But when a wrongful capital punishment is carried out, it cannot be corrected. Modern DNA forensic science has demonstrated that hundreds of innocent people have been executed. Human life is sacred to us and we can no longer support the use of capital punishment.” – Tim & Randi Hutchinson, Former U.S. Senator & Senior Fellow for American Conservative Union; Counsel for Government Relations, Greenberg Traurig LLP
“If the death penalty is no deterrent, is enormously costly, and riddled with errors, all that is left is revenge. Is that an appropriate goal for a civilized nation? I think not. Recent statistics show that only four nations execute more people than the United States. Those are China, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.” – former Washington Governor Dan Evans
“I believe there is a better way to deliver justice and punish those who commit the most heinous of crimes…by executing their freedom, not their lives.” – Ohio State Senator Michele Reynolds
“I’ve heard all the justifications — deterrence, support for victims, cost savings…those misguided arguments act as a smoke screen for the profound flaws that mark capital punishment.” – Former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro
“The finality of the death penalty leaves no room for error. History has shown that innocent people have been executed, and the risk of condemning even one innocent person is too great a price to pay.” – Pennsylvania State Senator Tracy Pennycuick
“To me, it is a little like playing God when we sentence people to death. I feel that a far worse punishment is to spend the rest of their years incarcerated without the possibility of release.” – Maureen Walsh, former Washington State Senator
“I happen to be a pro-life person and believe all human life is precious from conception to natural death. My value lies in protecting human life.” – Mark Miloscia, former Washington State Senator
“Given the long, bloody history of human rights abuses by those in political power, how confident are we that the executioner’s hand is always righteous? And what does it say about us as a civilized society when we propose as punishment the very crime we condemn?” – Chad Magendanz, former Washington State Representative
“Given the challenges that local and state budgets are facing, it does not make fiscal sense to keep the death penalty. A handful of capital cases cost taxpayers millions of dollars but do nothing to make us safer. Life in prison without parole is a proven alternative to the death penalty that is less expensive and, most importantly, more in line with promoting a culture of life.” – Trey Joy, former Republican Mayor of Smith Center, KS
“The concern I have about the death penalty is that government can determine value of life and can decide to end it or sustain it…. God determines the value of each of us.” – Anthony Brown, former Maryland State Representative
“I would prefer that Kansas repeals the death penalty and replaces it with life in prison without parole rather than try to expedite executions. As someone who is strongly committed to protecting life from conception to natural death, I want to be sure that Kansas passes legislation that promotes a culture of life.” – Bill Sutton, Kansas State Representative
“As someone who is skeptical of our government’s ability to implement effective and equitable programs we know that in this regard government has failed as well. Since the re-imposition of the death penalty in the 70’s, 156 people have wrongly convicted, sentenced to death, and later exonerated and released from death rows across this nation – six of those in Georgia. This is a failure of government that cannot be corrected. Therefore, from a fiscally conservative, taxpayer friendly standpoint with a healthy skepticism of government, I must conclude that the death penalty also fails in that regard.” – Brett Harrell, former Georgia State Representative
“Wyoming has not carried out an execution in 27 years and does not have a single inmate on death row, yet we continue to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to maintain the death penalty. I believe the availability of a life without parole sentence adequately balances the need to protect public safety while recognizing the need to reduce the strain on taxpayer resources.” – Brian Boner, Wyoming State Senator
“I oppose the death penalty because I believe in limited government over life and liberty matters concerning our citizens, fiscal responsibility in how we spend our justice dollars, and because executing our own citizens is immoral and a violation of God’s natural law. If we’re taking a person’s life because we believe that it was unjust for that person to take another’s life, then that seems paradoxical. We ought to be consistent with our morals and our principles. Life is either precious or it’s not.” – Jared Olsen, Wyoming State Senator
“Concerned Conservatives is asking serious questions about how justice is implemented and the ramifications of the death penalty in a fallible system. As a conservative legislator in America, I am grateful to have an organization like CC asking the hard questions so that we may bring true justice to victims and exonerate the innocent.” – Becky Cash, Indiana State Representative (R-Zionsville)
*Names and affiliations are for identification purposes only
