Meet the Texas Republicans running for Congress in District 26
Michael Armstrong
Occupation: Self-Employed
Age: 45
Website: michaelarmstrong2020.com
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Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years: 0
Have you ever been arrested? No.
Have you ever been involved in a civil lawsuit? No
Why are you seeking this office?
Texas is the greatest state in the Union. District 26 is one of the most Republican/Conservative districts in Texas. Our representative should be one of the leading voices on Capital Hill. He is not. Everything we hold dear is under daily assault by the Left. We need a representative who will stand tall and push back.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Anything that protects life. Anything that shrinks the Federal Government. Anything that returns power to the states.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
When you vote, you choose someone to stand in DC on your behalf. You choose someone to “represent” you as if you were there. Do you feel represented? I do not. I am running for everyone who doesn’t feel represented.
The federal government is accumulating record debt, with massive deficits even in a strong economy. What specific steps would you endorse to reduce the deficit?
I would support a balanced budget amendment. I would support the Penny Plan. I would support the idea that for any new dollar spent, we had to cut a dollar somewhere else. I would support the idea of downsizing (or eliminating) agencies filled with unelected beaurocrats.
What changes should be made in U.S. trade policy?
I think the USMCA is a step in the right direction. It’s definitely better than NAFTA. I also think our recent trade agreements (and tariffs) with China are definitely an “America First” policy.
What changes to immigration law do you support? Would you vote to build any additional border wall or fence? Do you support a path to citizenship for those currently here illegally?
We don’t necessarily need more immigration laws…we just need to enforce the ones we already have. There are too many cities and states who are just ignoring federal immigration law. That needs to be punished and be stopped. I also support anything that secures the border. If that’s technology, a wall, a fence, the military, drones…I don’t care. As long as it’s secure. As far as “a path to citizenship”…I think those who have crossed here illegally, and who haven’t committed any other crimes, and who are active members of our society and have assimilated (aren’t on welfare) should be allowed to stay. We need to (as a society) figure out what their “penalty” should be. When we (American citizens) break the law…we pay a fine and move on. Maybe their “fine” is that they get to stay, but they don’t get the right to vote? I don’t know…let the voters decide.
What steps should the federal government take to combat climate change, if any?
I think we should take care of our planet, and do everything possible to keep our world healthy and clean. That being said, I think “man-made climate change” is a hoax. I’m no scientist, I just look at things logically. If Gore really thought the world were coming to an end because of “climate change”, he wouldn’t fly around in his private jet and own multiple (huge) homes. If Obama truly believed that the oceans were rising (as he has stated), he wouldn’t have just bought a home in Martha’s Vineyard right on the ocean! The people “in the know” say one thing and act the other way. I judge people’s actions…not words.
Jason Mrochek
Occupation: Business Analyst
Age: 45
Website: http://www.Jason4Texas.com
Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years: None.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: I have only been a part of a criminal proceeding as a juror.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: I have never filed for bankruptcy.
Why are you seeking this office?
When I graduated from West Point, I took an oath “to support and defend the Constitution … against all enemies foreign and domestic”. It is the same oath taken by every Member of Congress. Unfortunately, very few of them honor it today which has resulted in unsecured borders, out of control debt and annual deficits, and an expansion of federal control into areas of our lives for which it was never intended. This is unacceptable.
I am running to help restore Constitutional governance to the United States and preserve it for our descendants.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
End the illegal alien invasion, repeal Obamacare, limit federal spending to the authorities granted to Congress in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I am the only candidate that has a demonstrated record of fighting “in the trenches” for everyday Americans since 2004. Since co-founding the Patriot Coalition, I have led a fight against the illegal alien invasion, highlighting the destructive effects this problem has had on everyday Americans in every aspect of their lives. I have continued to promote Constitutional governance by opposing unconstitutional provisions to various congressional bills and attempts to circumvent the Constitution using the court systems. Voters will know that I will fight passionately for their values and principles because I have been doing that my entire adult life.
The federal government is accumulating record debt, with massive deficits even in a strong economy. What specific steps would you endorse to reduce the deficit?
I will not vote for any appropriations bill that contains un-Constitutional provisions and I will fight to reform the omnibus budget process which limits participation in the budget process to only Congressional leadership. Additionally, the budget process does not allow enough time for Members to read, digest, and deliberate on budgets spanning thousands of pages.
What changes should be made in U.S. trade policy?
The Fast Track Authority gives too much authority to un-elected bureaucrats. Congress (specifically the Senate) should recapture their authority by ensuring they vote on any agreement that will commit the United States to a course of action involving foreign nations.
What changes to immigration law do you support?
Pass legislation to:
1) fund the completion of the wall at the southern border
2) fund the prosecution of all employers of illegal aliens,--big and small, urban and rural.
3) fund the prosecution of visa overstays (absconders) which have represented as much as 40% of the illegal alien invasion historically.
4) require local and state jurisdictions to send to the DOJ data points on a) nationality, and b) legal status of those arrested, charged, or convicted for crimes.
6) re-write asylum laws requiring asylum seekers to apply through one of our embassies or consulates in a foreign country.
Would you vote to build any additional border wall or fence?
Yes.
Do you support a path to citizenship for those currently here illegally?
No.
What steps should the federal government take to combat climate change, if any?
None. The federal government is not authorized by the Constitution to “combat climate change”.
Jack Wyman
Occupation: Retired
Age: 66
Website: jackwymanforcongress.com
Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years:
School Board, East Haddam, Connecticut, 1996-1999
Maine House of Representatives, 1977-1981; two terms
Republican nominee for the United States Senate in Maine, 1988, against George Mitchell
Republican candidate for Governor, 1994
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding?
No.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding?
No.
Why are you seeking this office?
I’m running for Congress because I have three children and five grandchildren. I want them to live, as I have, in the greatest, freest, and most wonderful nation on earth. We are living in very challenging times. America stands at a critical turning point in its history. We will, as a people, either descend down a dark road of third-world socialism, widespread poverty, big government control and the loss of individual rights and liberties. Or we will boldly and courageously reaffirm the conservative values that have made Texas and America great.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Protecting life, individual rights and liberties, religious freedom and American children and families
American veterans and their families
Sound economic policies, including reducing regulations and eliminating wasteful government spending
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
While a good and decent man, my opponent was the only Republican in Congress to vote with Nancy Pelosi, AOC and the Squad to lower the voting age to 16. He’s co-sponsored a red-flag gun control bill that would establish a surveillance state. I support the 2nd Amendment. My opponent has been reticent to defend President Trump on impeachment. He went so far as to state in a news interview that he might be convinced to change his mind and vote to impeach the President. Despite the clear partisan nature of this attempt. North Texans need and deserve a bold and courageous voice on their behalf in Congress.
The federal government is accumulating record debt, with massive deficits even in a strong economy. What specific steps would you endorse to reduce the deficit?
We must boldly identify and eliminate wasteful government spending, courageously set spending priorities in the national interest, reform entitlement programs, reform the budget process and adopt zero-based budgeting. There can be no sacred cows nor partisan trades and deal-making when it comes to fiscal responsibility in Washington. One form of wasteful spending cannot be justified by balancing another. The cause of this growing problem is bi-partisan, the responsibility for addressing it is bi-partisan and the solutions must also be bi-partisan. For the sake of those who will inherit the impact of the decisions and choices we make today.
What changes should be made in U.S. trade policy?
I support President Trump’s imposition of tariffs. While no tariff is pleasant, the President promised as a candidate to redress the trade imbalance with China. He is seeking to fulfill that pledge. I believe these tariffs will ultimately lead China to negotiate fair trade agreements with the United States, which will improve our relationship with that country and will also strengthen our economy. China is a major trading partner, and leading global economic and military power. It was essential that the next president boldly confront this issue. Donald Trump did just that. The previous status quo was neither healthy nor helpful.
What changes to immigration law do you support? Would you vote to build any additional border wall or fence? Do you support a path to citizenship for those currently here illegally?
Those who wish to enter this nation legally, having followed all statutory requirements and who are coming to America to become Americans, should be welcomed. There is only one path to citizenship in this country – legal immigration. I will support all legislation that will make it easier for those coming to America to do the right thing. And I will support all efforts to make it more difficult for those coming to America to do the wrong thing. We must build the wall, abolish catch and release, expand and enforce e-verify, reform the immigration court, and encourage merit immigration and patriotic assimilation.
What steps should the federal government take to combat climate change, if any?
The climate has been changing from the beginning of time. Nothing Congress does will ever prevent that. The extent and nature of man’s responsibility for this change remains in scientific dispute. The shrill and extreme voices predicting the apocalyptic doom of the planet are not helpful and are motivated by ideological and partisan considerations, more than a careful and balanced effort at addressing our environment and our economy together. We must conserve our environment with measures that make sense. As a committed conservationist, I will support legislation that will help exercise a wise, protective and prudent stewardship of the earth, it’s resources, its natural beauty and its safety.
Michael Burgess
Incumbent Michael Burgess did not return a questionnaire.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Meet the Texas Republicans running for Congress in District 26."
