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Brandt Vircks
Brandt Vircks (Republican Party) ran for election to the Missouri House of Representatives to represent District 17. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Vircks completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Vircks was born on January 28, 1994, in Branson, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia with a bachelor's degree in 2016. His professional experience includes working as a senior learning consultant for Cerner.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Missouri House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Missouri House of Representatives District 17
Incumbent Mark Ellebracht defeated Brandt Vircks in the general election for Missouri House of Representatives District 17 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark Ellebracht (D) | 55.6 | 10,497 |
 | Brandt Vircks (R)  | 44.4 | 8,378 | |
| Total votes: 18,875 | |||
| = 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
Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 17
Incumbent Mark Ellebracht advanced from the Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 17 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Ellebracht | 100.0 | 3,057 |
| Total votes: 3,057 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 17
Brandt Vircks advanced from the Republican primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 17 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brandt Vircks | 100.0 | 2,718 |
| Total votes: 2,718 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brandt Vircks completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vircks' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Overall, I am just like many other people in our community. We just purchased our first home earlier this year, and have been continuing my work full time during this election season to be able to provide for my family. Outside of work, I am heavily involved in our church, and do what I can to be of service to others throughout the neighborhood.
Politics was not originally part of my plan. I have not previously run for office nor been part of a campaign. However, I was asked to run for this seat, and I strive to do my best to be of service to my community.- Representative: The first and primary thing that I want all you to know is that I am here to represent them. Whether we share the same viewpoints or not, I want all to know that they can share with me their thoughts and concerns, and that I will carry that voice into Jefferson City to make sure that it is heard.
- Health: This pandemic and the effects that have come from it has changed the way we live our lives. As we continue to work in controlling the virus and begin to work towards recovery, my efforts will be to help restore health to our communities. Whether it is helping businesses reopen, so that all can be able to provide for their families, expanding in-person classes to help students social and mental health, or any other matter of recovery, we must consider appropriate precaution while supporting individuals and families across the state return to healthy lives.
- Individual Rights and Liberties: As stated in both the Declaration of Independence as well as Missouri's Constitution, we are all endowed with natural and unalienable rights. These cannot and should not be hindered or taken from us, and as your State Representative, I will continue the fight to protect our rights of, "life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness," and as stated in the Missouri Constitution, "the enjoyment of the gains of their own industry."
Growing up in the Missouri Educational System, its success and opportunities for future improvement are some of my greatest interests. I received my K-12 education in Grain Valley, where the combination of AP and STEM courses prepared me for the future. Other programs, such as my school's gifted program and the Missouri Scholar's Academy, helped me further develop my skills and provide mental stimulation growing up. Then the various resources and class offerings at Mizzou helped me define my path, and has given me the education and preparation that I needed for my career and other endeavors.
Next, my time working in the Healthcare field has helped me gain a further understanding of the inner workings of Provider-Patient relationships, as well as the interactions between insurance companies and the hospital. I've worked in nine different states, serving in dozens of hospitals and clinics and helped train over 1,000 doctors and nurses. Being able to work alongside our healthcare providers on the front line has increased my desire to help them have the resources they need, while provided affordable and quality care to their patients.
Outside of these important shared characteristics, there are others that are even more important for an elected official. Honesty and transparency are the first two that come to my mind. Especially when it comes to politics, it is easy to lie or to obscure the truth to protect one's image. However, as a public servant, those who you represent are the ones that you are accountable to. Honesty and transparency should be among the most important characteristics that any elected official should have, and are ones that I strive to uphold each day. In addition to these, I would also place humility, and a willingness to listen and learn. An elected official should never hold themselves as the end-all be-all holder of knowledge. Nor do I think that an elected official should believe their opinions are more important than those of their people. It is important to have virtues and strong values, but we are elected to serve both those who did vote for us, as well as those who did not. The thoughts and opinions of each of our constituents, and all those who fall into our boundaries, have the right and deserve to be heard by their elected official, and know that even when we may not agree, we do value their thoughts and take those into account with our own.
If you instead define a first job as, "the first time you were hired by a company to perform labor," then that would be the time where I worked at a Cosentino's the day before Thanksgiving. Dressed in a variety of protective aprons, I worked alongside a number of other normal employees to handle the number one need when it comes to Thanksgiving: turkeys. I was responsible for figuring out what size turkey the customer was looking for, then going back and attempting to find one that fit their criteria. I transported turkeys for eight hours that day, as well as cleaned up the messy remains throughout the day. While at the end of the day I received a paycheck, that job was only a one day ordeal.
Outside of children's songs stuck on repeat however, the other song that I often find my mind playing on repeat is, "Nearer My God to Thee." This song has been personal to me for various reasons, including it being a part of my wife and I's wedding, and also one of the first songs that I am learning to play on an instrument (up to this point in time, I have never played an instrument correctly before. The acquisition of a free piano has led me to begin the process of learning.)
Considering this, I think that while there can certainly be some benefit to previous experience, the lack of direct experience does not disqualify any citizen who has the desire to serve their community. Part of the challenges that we face in government and in politics comes from those who, "play the political game," seeking to score points or to get that exact soundbite that can be used in a future campaign.
This same discussion applies not just to the idea of building relationships with legislators of the same party, but across the aisle as well. Members of opposite parties may find some areas where there is little middle-ground. However, each legislator is generally acting with the same purpose of heart: to serve and protect their constituents. As we come to understand that to a greater extent, we will be able to have better discussions and deliberations. In some cases, we might find areas of common policy where we can work together. But among this, we can also serve as an example. As divided as our country is at this time politically, the more we can demonstrate that often people do have the best intentions, even if we don't understand them, the more we might be able to regain a spirit of unity and of kindness. We can be examples of showing love and charity for one another, and by working together positively, we might just find a hope of a more peaceful future.
It is hard to pick one particularly powerful story, for each have their own weight and importance. However, one that does come to my mind was Wendy. As someone who has lived in their home for somewhere around 60 years now, she had a great many stories that she was able to share with me. But perhaps what touched me the most is the service she has and continues to provide for her community. Her example of putting others before herself was greatly touching to me, and served as a great example of how I desire to live my life. Even now widowed, she continues to pour out her every effort to support her family, neighbors, and senior citizens in the area, providing dignity to their lives and uplifting their spirits in each and every moment. It is examples like Wendy that are beacons to us all, and I am very happy that I had the chance to meet her during this time.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 17, 2020
