Matthew Bjelobrk

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Matthew Bjelobrk

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 8, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

St. John's University, 1988

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1985 - 2019

Personal

Birthplace

Rockville Centre, N.Y.

Religion

Roman Catholic

Contact

Campaign Twitter

Matthew Bjelobrk (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on September 8, 2020.

Bjelobrk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Matthew Bjelobrk was born in Rockville Centre, New York. He served in the U.S. Army from 1985 to 2019 and reached the rank of Colonel. Bjelobrk earned a bachelor’s degree from St. John's University in 1988.

Elections

2020

See also: New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (September 8 Democratic primary)

New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (September 8 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New Hampshire District 2

Incumbent Annie Kuster defeated Steve Negron and Andrew Olding in the general election for U.S. House New Hampshire District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Annie Kuster (D)	53.9	208,289
		Steve Negron (R)	43.7	168,886
		Andrew Olding (L)	2.4	9,119
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	147

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 386,441
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Hampshire District 2

Incumbent Annie Kuster defeated Joseph Mirzoeff in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Hampshire District 2 on September 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Annie Kuster	92.8	71,358
		Joseph Mirzoeff	7.2	5,500

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 76,858
= 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 New Hampshire District 2

Steve Negron defeated Lynne Blankenbeker, Matthew Bjelobrk, and Eli Clemmer in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Hampshire District 2 on September 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Negron	48.1	30,503
	Submit photo	Lynne Blankenbeker	38.6	24,464
		Matthew Bjelobrk	6.9	4,381
	Submit photo	Eli Clemmer	6.1	3,850
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	153

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 63,351
= 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

• Gilead Towne (R)

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Matthew Bjelobrk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bjelobrk's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a citizen who wants to serve. I am concerned about the lack of leadership in our country at all levels of government. "We the people" are being shortchanged and public officials need to held accountable for their actions. This is the greatest country in the world, we need to make sure it stays that way.

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?

• Institute term limits on Congress. The need for term limits on elected officials has never been greater.
• Eliminate pensions for Congress. Public service should be exactly that, not a way of life.
• Our personal rights and liberties are in peril. The erosion of our constitutional rights since 9/11 has been disgusting.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about our nation's place in the world. The United States has always been a beacon of hope to our world, I do not want to see that image further tarnished by the endless, needless wars that we embark upon. We overthrew a king over 244 years ago and replaced him with a permanent ruling class in Congress that puts its own self-interest above our nation as a whole. That needs to stop NOW.

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

My father. He was a policeman, he worked blue-collar jobs his whole life. He worked several jobs to give our family a nice life while I was growing up. He sacrificed for our family and never complained, the family came first to him.
I think we draw the circles of our families too small. If we saw all of our fellow Americans as a family, I think it would be harder to have so much anger and vitriolic hate toward each other that is slowly killing our great nation.

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

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. The stoic philosophy and outlook on life have impacted my way of thinking and seeing the world.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity and good judgment. I could not think of two more important qualities.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Integrity and good judgment.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To serve and advocate for YOUR constituents. To always do what is in THEIR best interests.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I made a difference, for the better, in someone's life.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The bicentennial celebration, I was 9 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked in a delicatessen, I had that job throughout high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. It was an honest, personal reflection of a historical figure without any thought of ever being published. He was a flawed man but had an incredible sense of duty to his people. The book is exceptional.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I don't read fiction.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

It was an oldie, Come a Little Bit Closer, by Jay and the Americans. It was in the soundtrack to the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Readjustment to civilian life after four combat tours abroad in our "War on Terrorism". I am one of the lucky ones in the sense that I am readjusting and moving forward, not allowing the physical injuries and my experiences overseas to impact my life in a negative way. I use them as a source of strength to help other veterans. My feeling is if I can survive that, I will survive anything.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I think a computerized method of making districts a uniform shape that conforms strictly to population densities. It would eliminate the gerrymandering that goes on now in many states. It should be done without regard to political affiliation or racial/ethnic considerations.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

That the U.S House of Representatives has the lowest approval ratings of almost any public institution, yet 98% of its representatives a re-elected year after year.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, I do not. In the end, what matters is judgment and integrity. I would stand with any man or woman who has those virtues.

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

I think peaceful discourse is essential. We lost that in the past decade or so. Without the ability to rationally discuss our issues, any issue, we are lost.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

The Armed Services Committee, as a retired U.S. Army Colonel, I believe my 33 years of military experience would be most useful on that committee.
The Intelligence Committee, I hold a top-secret clearance and am familiar with intelligence issues that concern our national security.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I often thought that three years would be a better length of time, it would be half that of a Senator's term. I think there is a learning curve in any job and two years does go by very fast.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

They are critically needed. It is my number one agenda item.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Sadly, no.

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?

I am a veterans advocate. The rate of veteran suicides and homelessness is a national scandal. It is a tragedy for any American to be homeless or take their own life, but for the very people who volunteer to serve our nation to become forgotten after their many sacrifices. That situation has a profound impact on me personally.

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

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

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External links

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Footnotes

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New Hampshire's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Maggie Hassan (D)

Jeanne Shaheen (D)

Representatives

District 1

Chris Pappas (D)

District 2

Maggie Goodlander (D)

Democratic Party (4)