Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in the small rural community of Huntland, TN, where I still live. In fact, I live in the same house that I grew up in with my parents living next door. I am a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves and served from 2009-2021 with one deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Primarily, I have done mostly blue collar work and currently work in healthcare in a non-healthcare role. On March 19, 2022, I married the woman I have loved for over 36 years, since we were kids.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remem

I am a veteran who will continue to fight for this country.
I am not a politician, but believe in the AMERICA FIRST initiative.
Pro-Life, Pro-2A, Pro-Constitution and Pro-MAGA.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

First and foremost, we must fix our immigration crisis. We cannot continue to allow illegal immigrants into our country by the thousands. We must build the wall bigger than ever imagined. Our national debt is out of control. Currently, Congress’ answer is to raise the debt ceiling and continue to bankrupt our country. I want my grandchildren to grow up in a prosperous nation and will work to make that a reality.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

This may sound very cliche, but who better to look up to than Jesus Christ.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understa

Any book by Dr. Ben Carson. His life and his perspective are what we need more of in Washington D.C.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The main priority for all elected officials must be to serve in the best interests of the American people, not themselves or their parties.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The ability to understand the experiences, beliefs and feelings of others. I am not going into office thinking I know all the answers like most in Congress believe.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Developing personal relationships with constituents and state representatives to find out how I can better help my district, the state and our country.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like everyone to remember me as someone who fought for our country and for the American people and did not care about what others in Congress thought of me. I am not going there to make friends. I am going simply because they have failed the American people.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were yo

I remember being in the 2nd grade and watching the space shuttle Challenger explode.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was 18 and got a job as a cart pusher at Wal-Mart.

What is your favorite book? Why?

No book in particular, but I enjoy any book that can learn from.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Kingdom (Cody Rhodes' theme song)

On the actual ballotpedia website, I posted the lyrics. But the lyrics don't do this song justice. So here is the Youtube link so you can hear it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szK50XxnU4s

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I am not afraid to say that over the last several years, I have struggled financially. At times, I have worked 2-3 jobs at once to make ends meet and still live paycheck to paycheck. I have had to borrow money from family just to get gas to get to work. I am getting better, but in all honesty, most of my first year's pay from Congress would be to going to pay off bills. I don't have a sob story, but I have just made some bad financial choices in life. I hope that I am able to fix my situation and help others not make the same mistakes that I have. One of my favorite quotes is, "Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make them all yourself."

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution

As compared to the senate members who represent entire states, House members represent a smaller area and are able to create more personal relationships with constituents.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or

I believe the desire to serve in the best interest of your country is reason enough. If you see something wrong, work to change it.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The combination of rising illegal immigration, a rising national debt and the potential for a nuclear World War 3 would devastate the U.S. economy like we have never seen before. We must take action now.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a pa

As a veteran, I would love to serve on both the Armed Services and Veteran Affairs committees. A personal opinion is that you should be a veteran to serve on these committees. I would also love to serve on the committees of Homeland Security, Education & Labor and Science, Space & Technology committees.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes. That’s all it should take to decide if the person truly represents you and your beliefs and are working to fulfill their campaign promises.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I am a strong advocate of term limits. My personal opinion is 12 years…6 terms in the House, 2 in the Senate or any combination of the two. Furthermore, I believe that once you announce your candidacy for another office, whether it be higher or lower, you automatically vacate your current seat and are unable to run again until the next voting cycle. Leading up to the 2020 election, we had several members of Congress who were running for President who were voting on President Trump’s impeachment. This was a direct conflict of interest and should never happen again. Many members of Congress use term limits as a campaign promise but never follow through because they know it will get shut down. That is why this should not be a vote by Congress themselves. It should be a vote BY THE PEOPLE. I have joined with the Convention of States to try and get more states to join and get this on the ballot in the next election cycle.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

My plan is to be my own person. I want to be the model for future representatives. But if I had to choose anyone in Congress to say I want to be more like, it would be people like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz who are not afraid to say what needs to be said. However, I will take it to a whole different level. Congress has failed the American people for too long.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents

To start, let me say that I plan on winning this election by providing examples of why people should vote for me, not why they should not vote for either of my opponents. With that being said, I will say this particular story is about the failure of our current incumbent. I received an email from a disabled veteran who has said he has reached out to Scott DesJarlais on many occasions and has gotten nowhere. As a veteran, taking care of my fellow veterans is a first priority. I plan to develop relationships with the VA whether I get on the VA committee or not. Our veterans deserve our utmost respect and should receive all the help they are entitled to and should not have to wait for months to get an appointment to have issues taken care of, whether it's issues from combat or not. Lifetime healthcare is a must have for veterans.

Tell us your favorite joke.

I have a joke about paper, but it's tearable.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Absolutely. The problem is that we currently have too many members who want it their way or no way and who are more loyal to each other and parties rather than what is in the best interests of the American people.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role woul

I would have to see what all the options are and what needs to change. I am a strong advocate for smaller government and getting unneeded money out of politics.

Below is the link for Senator Rand Paul's Waste Report. Some things will make your head spin:

Senate Floor Chart Waste Reports | PDF | Afghan National Army | National Park Service (scribd.com)