This Giving Tuesday, help ensure voters have the information they need to make confident, informed decisions. Donate now!
Joe Walton
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Joe Walton (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Virginia's 7th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Walton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.
Walton earned both a bachelor's degree and an M.P.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). His professional experience includes working as an IT consultant. He has been affliated with the 5th Wall Theatre.[1]
Elections
2018
General election
Abigail Spanberger defeated incumbent David Brat and Joe Walton in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 7 on November 6, 2018.
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 7
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Abigail Spanberger (D) | 50.3 | 176,079 |
 | David Brat (R) | 48.4 | 169,295 | |
 | Joe Walton (L)  | 1.2 | 4,216 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 213 | ||
| Total votes: 349,803 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Abigail Spanberger defeated Daniel Ward in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 7 on June 12, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 7
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Abigail Spanberger | 72.7 | 33,210 |
 | Daniel Ward | 27.3 | 12,483 | |
| Total votes: 45,693 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Janelle Noble (D)
Republican primary election
The 7th Congressional District Republican Committee held a nominating convention on May 5, 2018. David Brat was the only candidate to file for convention and advanced to compete in the general election.[2]
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Joseph Buckler Walton participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on July 23, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Joseph Buckler Walton's responses follow below.[3]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | 1. Run a professional congressional office for federal service with town halls and extensive district service 2. Stay vigilant in the main role of the House: executive branch oversight 3. Focus on long term debt and deficit issues through entitlement spending issues (protect for mature participants, phase-adjust for younger, healthier, wealthier, and, as in the past, review salary caps)[4][5] |
” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | Socio-economic and demographic changes and what that means for public policy formation and application. Technology (all forms, digital to transportation to food science) is a specific driver of these changes and I am passionate about evaluating new technologies and ways to improve society through the lens of legislation and public administration.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[5]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Joseph Buckler Walton answered the following:
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow and why?
| “ | Open-minded and free-thinking leaders, willing to take the time and effort to help others understand the world and improve society. Part of that effort usually includes leaders who can defend against parochial interests preferably by artful influence and persuasion or by stalwart stubbornness if necessary. Recently, President Obama has been a good example of this, I was always partial to Speaker Boehner’s style if not always his tactics or strategy. Also Rand Paul of Kentucky, Angus King of Maine, John Kasich of Ohio. In Virginia, former Virginia Senator John Watkins and former Governor Linwood Holton. Historically, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson always seemed to embody the thoughtful and serious but not pompous free-thinking spirit of America.[5] | ” |
| “ | Without being too philosophical, Plato’s Republic is a masterpiece about society and its order and the human condition. Both Plato’s approach to those conclusions and the conclusions themselves are powerfully instructive for how to approach life and governance. More recently, Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 and the protagonist Yossarian was a memorable freedom fighter in the face of ‘the system.’ The 1957 movie 12 Angry Men is a good example of a political ethic and morality which is sorely missing from public debates. Humorously, Tom Clancy thrillers like Clear and Present Danger or the Tom Hanks classic Charlie Wilson’s War are good examples of one person making a difference in a broad public service capacity.[5] | ” |
| “ | - Being optimistic, accessible, accountable, and a responsible peer and colleague - Seeking the experience of others to help innovate and corroborate theories and activities - Learning and discovering by questioning all points of view, determining a course of action, and taking it while monitoring implementation with an open mind to ensure effectiveness - Acknowledging they do not have all the answers, but I will take the initiative to become as informed as possible - Respecting democratic principles, individual freedoms, and professional expertise; respect professional expertise within the federal workforce and demand accountability[5] |
” |
| “ | I have the background and experience – and a willingness to listen and continue learning – to represent all Virginians. I have the temperament to effectively serve the constituents of the 7th Congressional District as their advocate within the federal government. Also, I have a sincere interest in working with others to effectively collaborate with fellow members of Congress, federal officials, and state and local representatives to achieve results on intractable public policy issues.[5] | ” |
| “ | - Maintaining a professional office and professional interaction with constituents, peers, and colleagues - Holding town halls and broad public events to be directly accountable and attentive to constituents - Cooperating to get results - Fostering optimism and openness to affirm confidence among the Americans in the 7th Congressional District and fellow officials at the federal level - Expressing myself and my beliefs in a consistent and reasonable manner. Being willing to explain policy positions in a way that a reasonable, prudent person can understand even if they do not agree. - Remembering that I am working with intelligent, diverse, and concerned Americans and colleagues that expect to be dealt with fairly and openly[5] |
” |
| “ | One of having led or been influential in helping to solve issues like debt and deficit spending and positioning the United States for changing demographics and technologies such that socio-economic gaps are reduced and educational and health outcomes improved. National security is of paramount importance, too, so being a part of keeping Americans safe and our country welcoming for immigration and visitors. Above all, I’d like to be remembered for having stayed professional and responsive to all constituents and peers.[5] | ” |
| “ | I recall watching the coverage of Reagans’ ‘tear down this wall’ speech. I was 11 at the time and CNN and CNN Headline news were on all the time at home. I also recall Irish car bombings and middle east bombings and I remember being perplexed as to why people were driven to kill innocent people indiscriminately, often as suicide bombers.[5] | ” |
| “ | Growing up I was always into entrepreneurial endeavors whether by mowing lawns, magic shows, or lemonade stands. My first real job was at a McDonald’s for four years during high school. In that role, I worked in all the areas and enjoyed participating in all aspects of the overall operation.[5] | ” |
| “ | As a single, full-time dad, I went on a date with a woman that mentioned she had one child. It turned out that her child was still in the womb at about 9 months of gestation. It was a funny first few minutes, but we had a great conversation for a few hours about life and society.[5] | ” |
| “ | Impromptu relaxing breaks from the normal day or week’s routine. Major holidays over the course of the year can be fun and enjoyable but are often heavy on pre-planning and logistics, as well as anxiety. With kids, a day trip to a museum or other unique venue or a long weekend can be the most enjoyable and memorable for everyone.[5] | ” |
| “ | Plato’s Republic because of what I said above and because it is a compelling commentary on statecraft and human nature. Also, Herbert Simon’s Administrative Behavior because it is a compelling commentary on how human nature and bureaucracies intersect. More recently Daniel Kahneman’s Nobel lecture on ‘bounded rationality’ are an intriguing extension to Simon’s work. Finally, Edgar Schein’s Process Consultation Revisited: Building the Helping Relationship crystallized a lot of my perceptions about how to be an effective consultant and contribute to relationships.[5] | ” |
| “ | Quite humorously, Jeff Lebowski (the abiding Jeff, the Dude) from The Big Lebowski.[5] | ” |
| “ | Three things: hearing my daughters playing or laughing all around the house and humorously, Merrell slip-on shoes! These are regular shoes I wear only in the house. They are comfortable and stylish and keep me moving to get stuff done from cooking to laundry and everything in between. My Peugeot pepper mill and fresh ground tellicherry peppercorns![5] | ” |
| “ | Probably some song by Cake, Sheeps go to Heaven or Stickshifts and Safetybelts[5] | ” |
| “ | Eschewing formal education after high school and then making up for lost time with formal education in my adult life.[5] | ” |
| “ | Two-year terms of office keep it close to the political pulse of the country. Also, the Speaker of the House could be a non-member or a consensus choice from multiple factions which could result in an interesting dynamic for the 3rd person in line to the presidency.[5] | ” |
| “ | It is perhaps beneficial but not necessary. People who are predisposed to being genuinely good at and enjoy being an elected representative are likely folks who have been leaders of people and influencers in other pursuits prior to seeking elected office. Such prior experience has likely helped the prospective representative learn more about their own personality and how to be effective as well as give them reasons to believe they’d be good at elected office.[5] | ” |
| “ | Given the Trump administration’s wrecking ball approach to foreign and domestic policy and relationships, the greatest challenge over the next decade will be repairing those relationships and policy problems.[5] | ” |
| “ | Oversight and Government Reform and/or Energy and Commerce[5] | ” |
| “ | n/a[5] | ” |
| “ | Yes, it keeps the House directly accountable to the people and the political pulse of the country.[5] | ” |
| “ | I understand the arguments for them but I can think of too many counterfactual cases against those arguments. I have read research which is inconclusive for longevity of service being good or bad with respect to the bureaucracy or the lobbying corps. I would generally be opposed to them because I think the real issue that people are after is redistricting (see below).[5] | ” |
| “ | Non-partisan/bi-partisan redistricting with heavy reliance on algorithms for compactness and communities of interest. In Virginia, I was a part of the pre-2010 non-partisan redistricting coalition and have watched closely the pre-2020 efforts in Virginia (OneVirginia2021) and now nationwide. The need now is greater than ever and so is the understanding of simple algorithms for establishing a responsible approach to drawing district lines.[5] | ” |
| “ | Yes, Speaker of the House.[5] | ” |
| “ | Yes, I agree, it is the most enjoyable part of serving in elected office. The stories and humanity to which a representative is exposed and gets an opportunity to participate and help are amazing. I have not had any stories yet in 2018 that were of this level but in 2007 and 2011 the stories you’d hear from folks stopping you in the grocery store or calling on the phone were always so touching and ‘small world’ that it was a constant reminder of the connectedness of our communities. And there was always some problem or issue that just a chance meeting would help solve that it made it worthwhile to be in office.[5] | ” |
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
I believe in limited government and personal freedom in the tradition and practice of Thomas Jefferson – socially inclusive, fiscally responsible. My campaign is focused on preparing Virginia and America for a future of new societal and economic realities while maintaining the essential qualities which made Virginia and America models for the rest of the world in so many areas of civic life. Raising a family in a country with emerging social and economic challenges and new pressures on our communities is a challenge and privilege I understand. As I think about the future being handed to my daughters, I know I can’t stand idly by. I am running for Congress to collaboratively work on the issues facing our district so we can move our nation, state, and diverse community forward, together.[5] |
” |
| —Joe Walton[1] | ||
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Virginia's 7th Congressional District election, 2018
- Virginia's 7th Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on July 14, 2018
- ↑ Rasmussen Report, "Virginia’s Busiest Federal Primary Day in Modern History," June 7, 2018
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Joseph Buckler Walton's responses," July 23, 2018
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 5.25 5.26 5.27 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
Senators
Tim Kaine (D)
Mark Warner (D)
Representatives
District 1
Rob Wittman (R)
District 2
Jennifer Kiggans (R)
District 3
Bobby Scott (D)
District 4
District 5
John McGuire (R)
District 6
District 7
Eugene Vindman (D)
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
James Walkinshaw (D)
Democratic Party (8)
Republican Party (5)
