John Biggan

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

John Biggan

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas at Arlington, 2005

Graduate

University of Texas at Arlington, 2010

Ph.D

University of Texas at Arlington, 2012

Personal

Birthplace

San Antonio, Texas

Profession

Neuroscientist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

John Biggan (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 24th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2020.

Biggan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

John Biggan was born in San Antonio, Texas. He earned a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. Biggan’s career experience includes working as a neuroscientist, an educator, and an author. He is an eagle scout with the Boy Scouts of America and a member of the Mid-Cities Pacesetters Rotary.

Elections

2020

See also: Texas' 24th Congressional District election, 2020

Texas' 24th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Texas' 24th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 24

Beth Van Duyne defeated Candace Valenzuela, Darren Hamilton, Steve Kuzmich, and Mark Bauer in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 24 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beth Van Duyne (R)	48.8	167,910
		Candace Valenzuela (D)	47.5	163,326
		Darren Hamilton (L)	1.6	5,647
		Steve Kuzmich (Independent)	1.2	4,229
		Mark Bauer (Independent)	0.8	2,909

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 344,021
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 24

Candace Valenzuela defeated Kim Olson in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 24 on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Candace Valenzuela	60.4	20,003
		Kim Olson	39.6	13,131

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,134
= candidate completed 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 U.S. House Texas District 24

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 24 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Olson	41.0	24,442
✔		Candace Valenzuela	30.4	18,078
		Jan McDowell	10.0	5,965
		Crystal Fletcher (Unofficially withdrew)	5.7	3,386
		Richard Fleming	5.1	3,010
		Sam Vega	4.5	2,677
		John Biggan	3.4	1,996

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 59,554
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• William Carl Fisher (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 24

Beth Van Duyne defeated David Fegan, Desi Maes, Sunny Chaparala, and Jeron Liverman in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 24 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beth Van Duyne	64.3	32,067
		David Fegan	20.7	10,295
		Desi Maes	5.8	2,867
		Sunny Chaparala	5.6	2,808
		Jeron Liverman	3.6	1,809

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 49,846
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Deanna Maria Metzger (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 24

Darren Hamilton advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 24 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Darren Hamilton (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profile

John Biggan

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "My name is John Biggan. I am running to be the first neuroscientist in U.S. Congressional history. As a resident of TX-24 since 2006, I know first hand the real world problems facing the residents of this diverse and vibrant community. As a scientist, teacher, former non-profit executive and health care industry employee, I am uniquely qualified to address those issues head on and am committed to bringing well-reasoned, evidence-based decision making back to all areas of U.S. Congressional policy."

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Key Messages

The messages below are the candidate’s own.

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My primary aim is to return scientifically-sound, fact-based decision making to the U.S. Congress.

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It is my firm belief that every American deserves access to the tools necessary to control their destiny and reach their full potential.

---

To restore an atmosphere of dignity and respect to the U.S. Conress and reestablish an adhereance to the rule of law.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 24 in 2020

2018

See also: Texas' 24th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 24

Incumbent Kenny Marchant defeated Jan McDowell and Mike Kolls in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 24 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kenny Marchant (R)	50.6	133,317
		Jan McDowell (D)	47.5	125,231
		Mike Kolls (L)	1.8	4,870

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 263,418
= candidate completed 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 U.S. House Texas District 24

Jan McDowell defeated John Biggan, Edward Allen, and Joshua Andrew Imhoff in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 24 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jan McDowell	52.5	14,551
		John Biggan	21.5	5,970
		Edward Allen	20.0	5,556
		Joshua Andrew Imhoff	6.0	1,663

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,740
= candidate completed 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 24

Incumbent Kenny Marchant defeated Johnathan Davidson in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 24 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kenny Marchant	74.4	30,310
		Johnathan Davidson	25.6	10,425

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 40,735
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Campaign website

Biggan’s campaign website stated the following:

“	HEALTHCARE We can and must do a better job of ensuring ALL Americans get the care they need. Supports Universal Health Care Will fight to lower prescription drug costs by encouraging competition and allowing for the import of lower priced drugs from Canada Encourages investment in research and development to keep America’s medical care on the cutting edge Has first-hand knowledge of the complexities of the issue, which extends beyond insurance alone ENERGY I support the Green New Deal and the sense of urgency that it brings to the climate crisis. We have the tools to achieve energy independence, lower the cost of goods and services, and clean our air and water in the face of climate change. Improving energy efficiency improves climate change and puts money in your pocket Investing in clean energy reduces dependence on fossil fuels and will create a new green infrastructure and economy Upgrading the Nation’s Grid storage is essential to creating sustainable clean energy sources IMMIGRATION Immigrants are valuable contributors to our economy and society. They are human beings worthy of dignity and respect. Passage of the DREAM Act is long overdue Immigrants contribute to economy through entrepreneurship and small-business ownership Providing Immigrants with an obtainable path to citizenship increases the workforce, as well as overall tax revenue TAXES Taxes not only fund a functioning government; they fund a variety of public services that benefit all Americans. Supports simplifying the tax code Supports closing loopholes Supports restoring the balance between individual and corporate tax rates, as well as increasing taxes on the super-rich EDUCATION Education is critical to the success of every individual American as well as the success of our society and the economy. Remove federal mandates requiring standardized testing and restore the freedom of state and local governments to prepare students as they best see fit Increase access to workforce training and technological literacy programs Create access to universal pre-school Supports decreasing regulation on teacher certification processes in order to help combat our growing teacher shortage EQUALITY We must make sure that all Americans are treated equally under the law. No one should be left behind because of who they are or whom they love. Supports passage of the Equality Act Supports passage of The Paycheck Fairness Act Will fight to reinforce civil rights and civil liberties WOMEN’S HEALTH All women, regardless of background or ability to pay, should have access to quality health care, medically accurate sex education, contraception, and legal reproductive services. Women, not the federal government, should decide for themselves when they want to be sexually active or get pregnant Universal health care will ensure that all women get the care they need, however, until we can make that a reality we must expand Medicaid so that anyone who can’t afford care can get it All teens, male and female, need comprehensive, age-appropriate and medically accurate sex education ENTREPRENEURSHIP New businesses help grow the economy, provide opportunities for employment and push innovation. Providing Universal health care encourages small business creation by alleviating a great financial burden for potential entrepreneurs Encourages increased competition, research and development and access to capitol for small business owners Supports increasing new small business ownership by increasing legal immigration INFRASTRUCTURE Repair and new construction not only maintain the safety of our infrastructure, they provide immediate jobs, support businesses, and help people move about. We need to assess and repair our levees, dams, waterways, electric grids, airports, and seaports, as well as our “C” rated roads and bridges We must provide more public transport options including High Speed Rail We must increase access to affordable and reliable High Speed Internet SOCIAL SECURITY Social Security has helped millions of retired Americans over the years, but it will not remain solvent if adjustments are not made and soon. The income cap should be raised to $250,000 to account for income disparity but remain fair The top 10% of earners live approximately a decade longer and many of the bottom 10% die before being able to claim benefits ensuring those who need it the most too often benefit the least GUNS I support the right of citizens to keep and bear arms for protection and hunting. However, we have the highest rates of gun violence of any first-world nation by a landslide. We must have sensible protections. Supports Universal Background Checks Supports increasing access to mental health services Supports funding research DRUGS Too much time, money and resources are spent enforcing cannabis laws when we should be focusing on the deadly opioid crisis. Supports marijuana legalization on the state or federal level and the reclassification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug Committed to stopping the flow of illegal opioids into our communities, as well as changing the way we help addicts by focusing on harm reduction	”
—John Biggan’s campaign website (2020)

2019

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released December 19, 2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John Biggan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Biggan's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is John Biggan. I am running to be the first neuroscientist in U.S. Congressional history.

As a resident of TX-24 since 2006, I know first hand the real world problems facing the residents of this diverse and vibrant community.

As a scientist, teacher, former non-profit executive and health care industry employee, I am uniquely qualified to address those issues head on and am committed to bringing well-reasoned, evidence-based decision making back to all areas of U.S. Congressional policy.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My primary aim is to return scientifically-sound, fact-based decision making to the U.S. Congress.
• It is my firm belief that every American deserves access to the tools necessary to control their destiny and reach their full potential.
• To restore an atmosphere of dignity and respect to the U.S. Conress and reestablish an adhereance to the rule of law.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The issues facing the residents of TX-24 are as broad and diverse as our community itself.

As a scientist, I am particularly passionate about any issue for which a return to well-reasoned thinking would bring about a positive change in the lives of our constituents. Whether in the short term by improving access to affordable healthcare, education, housing and women's health services or the long term through addressing tax reform, climate change, our crumbling infrastructure and gun violence reduction.

Much of my professional work as a scientist, teacher, published author and executive has centered around ending homelessness among women and children, improving access to affordable on-campus childcare, and developing early intervention techniques aimed at slowing mental decline in older adults.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The leader affectionately known as Madiba, Nelson Mandela, embodied one of the most crucial components of leadership. He knew how to heal a divided country. Following his 27 years in prison for standing up against apartheid, he was elected President of South Africa and he did something amazing; he invited one of his former jailers to his inauguration. He could have used his newfound power to attack his enemies, but instead he used it to bring people together. That is a quality of truly great leaders.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy is a shining example of political leaders who were not swayed by public opinion, put country before party and exhibited remarkable integrity and fidelity to their oaths of office. All qualities sorely missing from the current U.S. House of Representatives.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A restoration of scientific, evidence-based policymaking in the U.S. Congress.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Jurassic Park by Michael Chrichton has been on my bookshelf since I was young and upon my first reading it immediately reinforced my burgeoning love of science and the powerful effect it could have on the greater world at large. (Although I certainly aim for a more positive effect than is indicated in the outcome of the book.)

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The "graying" of America is of great concern and an underappreciated challenge facing our nation. The rapid decline of older adults in the workforce due to retirement and continued automation potentially creates an enormous drain on the economy and our health care system. While certainly challenging, this also represents an opportunity to intervene, keep older Americans working, and help stave off an enormous systemic decline.

The first-hand experience I have gained though years of research aimed at helping older adults arms me with the tools necessary to face this problem head on.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I respect the idea behind term limits, however too often they only serve to shorten the amount of time a new office holder has to adjust to the job, build support for a cause and pass common-sense legislation. The rapid nature of the election cycle already truncates the window of time a civil servant has for effective governance enormously. Most term limits seek to cap that window at too short a period of time.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Throughout my campaign I am often reminded of a particular woman I met during my last race. A DREAMER who never knew a home other than the United States, who worked her way through college to earn a degree in Special Education, and who expressed to me her worry that after her decades long struggle to better herself she would be exempted from participation in the American workforce due to the nature of her Immigration status. It is imperative that we pass the DREAM Act and include a pathway to citizenship for the millions of Americans who currently live in the shadows and are kept from their dream of contributing to a better America.

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.

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Footnotes

[show]

Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Louis Gohmert (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Van Taylor (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Kevin Brady (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Kay Granger (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Sheila Lee (D)

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Michael Burgess (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Eddie Johnson (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Colin Allred (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Filemon Vela (D)

District 35

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Vacant

District 38

Vacant

Republican Party (25)

Democratic Party (13)

Vacancies (2)