Here’s who’s running in the Republican primary runoff Congressional District 12 on May 28
John C. O’Shea
Age (as of March, 5 2024): 55
Campaign website: www.oshea4texas.org
Best way for voters to reach you: contact@oshea4texas.com or campaign phone 682-225-9573
Occupation: Business owner
Education: BBA - FInance & BA - Political Science, TCU 1991 and an MBA in Finance and Management UT, Austin, 1993
Have you run for elected office before?
No other than Precinct Chair of #4492 in the Tarrant County GOP, since 2021
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism.
Give privately to several local charities.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
Received a deferred adjudication for a misdemeanor while in college I believe in 1990.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No on the bankruptcy. During the course of my 20 years in community banking was involved in some litigation as normal course of business. Was a plaintiff against an employer in 2007 (prevailed) and in a medical malpractice suit for my wife (settled 2017?). Was in litigation over a failed business I invested in with a vendor in approximately 2010 that was settled.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Myself, Wes and Debra Reeder, AG Todd Rokita (via his PACs)
Why are you seeking this office?
To secure the sovereignty of the country, seek fiscal sanity in government, and restore the Constitution and our God given rights it enshrines back to “We the People.”
What are the biggest challenges facing Congressional District 12?
The border crisis and all the evils that entails; the war this administration is waging against our energy industry; insane and reckless federal government spending; and the weaponization of the federal government against the citizens and their civil liberties.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
1. Secure our border and deport those who entered here illegally.
2. Restore economic prosperity by unleashing our energy industry, ending government subsidization of “green energy,” and ending government deficit spending.
3. Restore our Constitution and return the power back to the American citizens.
How will you measure your success as a U.S. Representative?
Based on returning the country to the peace and prosperity it was enjoying in 2019 and whether or not we are able return citizens God given rights in a restoration of our Constitution.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I am not seeking to be a professional politician, but only want to serve my country by serving the people. I am a Christian conservative who is not for sale, unafraid to face the criticisms of the media for taking an America First position, and bring a common sense, outside business perspective sorely needed in Washington, D.C.
What should Congress do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?
Reinstitute the remain in Mexico policy, complete the border wall, deport those who entered into the country illegally, legislatively clarify the rules of those seeking true asylum, and defund government agencies and NGOs working against this purpose.
What should Congress do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?
Stop spending the taxpayers’ money on irrational, progressive initiatives and get out of the State’s way in governing itself the manner it deems best.
What should be the top federal funding priorities for Congress and why?
Secure the border or shut down the federal government. Everything else is a distant second.
Should the U.S. send additional foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine?
Not before the U.S. border is secure. In addition, the situations in Israel and Ukraine are very different. Israel was barbarically attacked and has been a long ally of the United States. We already give substantial military and intelligence aid to Israel and if the case can be made that they need further assistance in securing themselves against the threat that Hamas and Hezbollah present, then I am willing to weigh and measure. They are the only democracy in the Middle East and along with the U.S. one of only two countries founded under divine providence. Ukraine is a much more complex situation. They are not an ally, are ruled by a corrupt oligarchy, and were led down this path of conflict and defeat by the West. This was should have never happened and we should be putting all pressure on both sides to strike a peace agreement as they have already suffered catastrophic casualties.
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?
Not specific to just Texas, but I believe our judiciary needs to return to rule of law and there must be some way to sanction/censure activist judges who legislate from the bench.
Craig Goldman
Age (as of March, 5 2024): 55
Campaign website: www.CraigGoldman.org
Best way for voters to reach you: www.CraigGoldman.org
Occupation: State Representative, HD 97/small businessman
Education: University of Texas, Liberal Arts Degree, 1991
Have you run for elected office before?
Texas State Representative - 2013 to present
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism.
Chair, Texas House Republican Caucus
Founding Board, Tarrant County Community College Foundation
Board, Women’s Center of Fort Worth
Member, Cowtown Executive Association
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
No bankruptcy proceedings, but like many small business owners I’ve had to deal with frivolous lawsuits.
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
On the first campaign finance report filed this week, I was honored to report that over 430 individual donors from Tarrant and Parker counties donated to my campaign. Many of them made the maximum federally allowed donation of $3300 per election. All public information concerning my campaign donors can be found at www.fec.gov.
Why are you seeking this office?
I have served the people of southwest Tarrant County as their State Representative for 11 years. With the retirement of Congresswoman Kay Granger, many in my community who I respect tremendously asked me to consider running for her seat to represent parts of Tarrant and Parker County. It is a bittersweet decision because I feel like I have been an extremely effective conservative leader for this area in Austin and have a voting record to prove it. But Washington D.C. is broken, and I want to take my leadership abilities to Congress and change the way they do business. Our nation’s capital is in dire need of new leadership to provide conservative solutions to the many problems we face.
What are the biggest challenges facing Congressional District 12?
At the district level one of the biggest challenges facing CD 12 is dealing with the incredible amount of growth we are experiencing. Fort Worth is now the 12th largest city and Parker County is the 6th fastest growing county in the United States. At the individual level, CD 12 residents are feeling the effects of Biden’s failed economic policies; the resulting spike in inflation has placed an enormous strain on family budgets. It’s no surprise that Joe Biden is at his lowest approval level ever, and I will do everything I can to make sure he is defeated in November.
If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?
1. Border Security – the federal government has to do their job and protect and defend our southern border from the influx of illegal immigrants and drugs. This situation also leads to the terrible consequences of human trafficking of women and children.
2. Ensure a strong national economy; stop the wasteful government spending and pass a balanced budget like we do every two years in Texas.
3. Promote and make certain the U.S. continues to fund the building of the F-35. The world is unstable, and making certain we and our allies have strong national defenses is critical.
How will you measure your success as a U.S. Representative?
First, success would be when American citizens have the confidence that the Texas/Mexico border is finally secured. As State Representative, I have voted to send over $15 billion for border security, and will continue that fight in Washington until we get the job done.
I would also define success as providing relief to overtaxed citizens, returning more of their hard-earned money to them, and getting inflation back to levels that don’t crush family budgets. I want to take what we have done in Texas and fight for the federal government to accomplish the same things.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
Every candidate will make promises about what they plan to do and how they intend to vote; however, I am the only candidate with a proven conservative voting record. In the Texas House, I worked to secure historic funding to secure the Texas border, pass the largest property tax cut in Texas history, defend the Second Amendment, protect the unborn, and fight attempts to defund the police. I authored tough anti-crime laws to keep our streets safe and ensure justice for victims of crime. I authored Molly Jane’s Law, named after a young woman from this area who was brutally murdered by a sexual predator, to give police better tools to identify and capture sexual predators before they commit more heinous crimes. I also authored the bill to stop large cities from defunding their police departments and passed a law to combat human trafficking, including mandatory jail time for human and sex traffickers.
What should Congress do to address immigration and border security at the Texas-Mexico border?
Under Joe Biden, the federal government has failed Texas by failing to secure the border. As a result, Texas has been forced to spend billions on border security in order to combat a flood of illegals, drug cartels, human trafficking, and an influx of deadly fentanyl. I helped pass the toughest border security laws of any state, including the ability to arrest and deport illegals. Last year alone, I voted for over $6 billion to upgrade border security. I authored HB 6, which creates a criminal offense of murder for anyone that supplies fentanyl resulting in someone’s death. As a member of Congress, I will work to force Washington to uphold their duty of securing the border. There is no greater responsibility for the federal government than to protect the homeland and its citizens, and the Biden Administration has failed to do so. Immigration is a privilege that should be reserved for those who come here legally and respect our processes and our laws.
What should Congress do to respond to and prepare for population growth in North Texas?
Because of the explosive growth over the last decade, two of our biggest issues we face is ensuring an adequate water supply for this and future generations, as well as continuing to build up our roads, bridges and highways. I have an established record of working to address these issues. Several sessions ago, we created a fund for Texas cities and counties to borrow from to provide for new water projects. Next, I will demand that every cent we send to the federal government in gas taxes comes back to our state for road, bridge and highway projects. Hard working Texans fund those needs with their tax dollars, and they should be returned back to us to address our transportation needs.
What should be the top federal funding priorities for Congress and why?
At the federal level, government is responsible for defending our nation from enemies and keeping us secure. That includes defending our borders, which the current administration has failed to do, and as a result has placed our nation at risk. National defense and border security must be a funding priority.
Should the U.S. send additional foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine?
With growing threats from countries like China, Russia, and Iran, I will be a staunch advocate for a strong national defense. We must help our friends in Israel and never forget what happened in October. Men, women and children murdered in their homes, women raped, and now over 100 still held hostage. We must wipe Hamas off the face of this earth.
Students of history will recall that in the late 1930s and early 1940s the U.S. stood back and watched as a dictator invaded country after country. Those who think that Putin will stop in Ukraine are wrong. Our allies in Poland could be his next target, and as they are NATO members we’d be obligated to help them, including sending troops. So far we have sent aid but not troops to Ukraine; I am for continuing this policy. There must be strict accountability for every dollar to ensure it is used only to help in the war effort against Putin. I will also work to make sure that Europe and all NATO countries pay their full share.
What’s a Texas policy issue that’s important to you, but not necessarily as high profile? Why do you think it’s important?
Though the situation at the border gets attention, I don’t think we hear enough about the personal impact. So much harm is done to people all over this country every single day because of our open borders.
I was at the border last month, and the briefing we received was quite shocking. Human trafficking and smuggling is a $1 billion a month enterprise for the Mexican cartels. There are enough drugs coming across our border to kill every single American.
Fentanyl is made in China, shipped to Mexico and smuggled across our border every day. The Biden Administration turns their back on this crisis and, as a result, fentanyl has become the number one killer of 18-45 year olds in this country. Not enough people are talking about the results of the open border and the Biden Administration won’t speak as to why they continue to let this happen.
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 10:34 AM.
