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Brian Walbridge

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Brian Walbridge
Image of Brian Walbridge
Elections and appointments
Last election

May 28, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Baylor University

Graduate

University of Texas at Austin

Personal
Profession
Consultant
Contact

Brian Walbridge (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 31st Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary runoff on May 28, 2024.

Walbridge completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Brian Walbridge's career experience includes working as a consultant, diplomat, tax expert, and teacher. Walbridge earned a bachelor's degree from Baylor University and a graduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin.[1]

Walbridge has been affiliated with the Leander Chamber of Commerce.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2024

Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

Texas' 31st Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 31

Incumbent John Carter defeated Stuart Whitlow in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 31 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Carter
John Carter (R)
 
64.4
 
229,087
Image of Stuart Whitlow
Stuart Whitlow (D) Candidate Connection
 
35.6
 
126,470

Total votes: 355,557
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 31

Stuart Whitlow defeated Brian Walbridge in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 31 on May 28, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Stuart Whitlow
Stuart Whitlow Candidate Connection
 
68.5
 
3,512
Image of Brian Walbridge
Brian Walbridge Candidate Connection
 
31.5
 
1,614

Total votes: 5,126
Candidate Connection = 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.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 31

Stuart Whitlow and Brian Walbridge advanced to a runoff. They defeated Rick Von Pfeil in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 31 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Stuart Whitlow
Stuart Whitlow Candidate Connection
 
48.4
 
10,023
Image of Brian Walbridge
Brian Walbridge Candidate Connection
 
25.8
 
5,346
Image of Rick Von Pfeil
Rick Von Pfeil Candidate Connection
 
25.8
 
5,332

Total votes: 20,701
Candidate Connection = 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 U.S. House Texas District 31

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 31 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Carter
John Carter
 
65.3
 
55,092
Image of Mike Williams
Mike Williams
 
11.1
 
9,355
Image of Mack Latimer
Mack Latimer Candidate Connection
 
7.8
 
6,593
Image of Abhiram Garapati
Abhiram Garapati
 
7.4
 
6,256
Image of William Abel
William Abel Candidate Connection
 
5.2
 
4,362
Image of John Anderson
John Anderson
 
3.2
 
2,732

Total votes: 84,390
Candidate Connection = 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.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 31

Caleb Ferrell advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 31 on March 23, 2024.

Candidate
Image of Caleb Ferrell
Caleb Ferrell (L) Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Walbridge in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Brian Walbridge completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Walbridge's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

My name is Brian Walbridge. I am running for Congress to represent all Central Texans and to do the right thing for families. The majority in Congress does not care about voters, but instead views big business and special interests as key constituents. The incumbent for U.S. House District 31, John Carter, is no exception. His voting record in favor of business interests is out of touch with voters and represents all that is wrong with Congress today. I will be the counterweight who advocates for the will of the people, not special interests.

I earned degrees from Baylor University and University of Texas at Austin. I recently led a team to support pandemic healthcare needs. As a former diplomat, I defended our democracy by supporting federal agencies, our nation's military, and their families overseas. With over 15 years in the Fortune 100, I am a subject matter expert in financial management and taxation. I understand how legislation translates to real businesses and people. As a former certified Texas teacher and coach, I understand the unique challenges in public education.

I am a resident of Leander, Texas. I live in this district. I bought my forever home in this district, and I work hard every day to raise a family in this district. It is time for new faces in Congress. Today, I am asking for the job of representing you in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  • Healthcare: We need to improve access and affordability in healthcare for all walks of life. Healthcare access includes every woman's right to choose in all aspects of reproductive health. Congress needs to act to restore reproductive rights as a matter of law.
  • Veterans: We need to expand and protect resources for active-duty military, veterans, and their families. Congress needs to authorize better access to mental health resources and increased flexibility for healthcare provider choices for those who serve our country.
  • Jobs and wages: All participants deserve a fair shake in the success of our economy. Congress needs to act to increase the minimum wage and index to inflation, because it is the right thing to do to support a living wage.
We must improve affordability and outcomes in healthcare. Healthcare costs continue to outpace inflation. Americans are fed up with ever-increasing healthcare costs taking their hard-earned dollars. Congress must find solutions.

We must restore women’s reproductive rights as a matter of law. Leaving this to the courts was a failure of Congress, and only Congress can make it right.

We must respect separation of church and state. Legislation of religious views is a discriminatory practice and is not what the Founders envisioned under liberty for all.

Government must work for voting constituents (the will of the people). We must get big money, dark money, and foreign money out of our elections to mitigate special interests.
The constituents of U.S. House District 31 deserve to be represented by a competent and dynamic leader who is committed to public service and who understands the importance of earning the public trust.

Leadership: I am a proven leader and have led diverse teams in both the public and private sectors. Experienced leaders understand how to listen, empathize, educate, and negotiate reasonable compromise in service to the common good.

Public service: You know true public service when you see it. Elected officials should not pursue endless service to self. In contrast, President Obama exemplified a commitment to public service that extended beyond himself. His message of public service was largely the reason I left the private sector to serve at the Department of State.

Integrity and transparency: Representative government thrives in the light of transparency. Elected officials should demonstrate the integrity to tell hard truths and never neglect the public trust.
I have government experience as a former diplomat. I am persistent and mission-focused. I have led diverse teams and understand how to work with others with different viewpoints. Most importantly, I am highly motivated to go to work for all Central Texans.
Elected officials in Congress take an oath of office. I already took a similar oath to defend our Constitution as a foreign service officer. I defended democracy as a part of my job overseas; I am certainly qualified to defend democracy as your elected representative in Congress.

Core responsibilities include:

Listen to the constituents of Congressional District 31.

Legislate with integrity.

Communicate with transparency.

Honor the oath of office to defend the U.S. Constitution.
My favorite novel is A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. The character is authentic and relatable, in part due to the author’s own experiences in World War I. The general level of wartime chaos in the book also reminds me of the actual experiences my grandfather shared about the European Theater in the following conflict, World War II. My favorite non-fiction book is The Seventeen Traditions, by Ralph Nader, which recounts his childhood origins and values that inform his views about public service.
The U.S. House of Representatives was envisioned by the Founders as conduit for representative government to be responsive to the will of the people. I strongly believe that the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision undermined that responsiveness and continues to erode public confidence in our government today. As your representative, I will fight to preserve the will of the people and push back against the outsized influence of certain non-voting entities like big business and related special interests that seek to serve big business.
The United States faces a confluence of challenges in the coming decade.

We must fight to restore the right to reproductive choice, to strengthen our diminished right to vote, and to defend our right to speech.

We must preserve the integrity of our democratic institutions—this includes Congress. An effective legislature is necessary to keep the executive and judicial branches in check.

We must prepare our nation and lead the world for better environmental stewardship. The United States must rise to the challenge to tackle climate change.
The United States needs term limits. The absence of term limits undermines the will of the people. There are plenty of qualified people in the United States; we do not need to send the same people back to Congress for decades.
Compromise is an inevitable reality in representative government. The Founders expected this and relied upon compromise to establish our government.
The U.S. House of Representatives should use its investigative powers sparingly and with seriousness. The voting public has grown tired of partisan, politically motivated investigations that resemble a circus; this undermines public confidence. The best use of valuable investigative resources should be employed upon matters that best serve the national interest.
Texas Democrats with Disabilities, Statewide Caucus

Rick von Pfeil, Business Executive, Angel Investor
Ken Flippin, Founder and Executive Director, Flippin Policy and Advocacy Consulting

Mohammed Nasrullah, Precinct Chair, Harris County Democratic Party
As a former diplomat and an experienced financial manager, I understand the value of transparency. It is not enough to execute a mission; government programs must demonstrate financial accountability to the public and relevant stakeholders. It is extremely gratifying to see good government in action, putting dollars to work and achieving the intended mission. Conversely, taxpayers do not want to see mismanagement and waste. Transparency keeps us honest. Central Texans deserve transparent and responsive government.

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.

Note: Walbridge submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on May 2, 2024.

Campaign website

Walbridge’s campaign website stated the following:

Healthcare
We need to improve access and affordability in healthcare for all walks of life.

Right to Choose
Every woman should be able to to make decisions about her own body.

Military
We need to improve resources for active duty military, veterans, and their families.

Jobs & Wages
All participants deserve a fair shake in the success of our economy.[2]

—Brian Walbridge’s campaign website (2024)[3]

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Brian Walbridge campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* U.S. House Texas District 31Lost primary runoff$67,684 $67,684
Grand total$67,684 $67,684
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 2, 2024
  2. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. Brian Walbridge for Congress, “Issues that Matter,” accessed January 14, 2024


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