Thom Atkinson

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

Thom Atkinson

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Graduate

University of California, 1997

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Marine Corps

Years of service

1989 - 2015

Contact

Campaign website

Thom Atkinson (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Colorado's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

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

Biography

Atkinson served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1989 to 2015. He earned a master's degree from the University of California in 1997. Atkinson has been affiliated with the Libertarian Party and the NRA.

Elections

2020

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

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (June 30 Republican primary)

Colorado's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (June 30 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 2

Incumbent Joe Neguse defeated Charles Winn, Thom Atkinson, and Gary Swing in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Neguse (D)	61.5	316,925
		Charles Winn (R)	35.4	182,547
		Thom Atkinson (L)	2.6	13,657
		Gary Swing (Unity Party)	0.5	2,534

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 515,663
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Mark Matyi (Independent)
• Alex Johnson (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 2

Incumbent Joe Neguse advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 2 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Neguse	100.0	168,393

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 168,393
= 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 Colorado District 2

Charles Winn advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 2 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charles Winn	100.0	66,297

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 66,297
= 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

• William Cutcher (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Colorado District 2

Thom Atkinson advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Colorado District 2 on April 13, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Thom Atkinson (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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.

Unity Party convention

Unity Party convention for U.S. House Colorado District 2

Gary Swing advanced from the Unity Party convention for U.S. House Colorado District 2 on April 4, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Gary Swing (Unity Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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

Thom Atkinson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Atkinson'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.

Thomas Atkinson is a father and retired reserve Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps after serving for twenty-one years. Thom Atkinson has worked at the highest levels in the Marine Corps and at the DOD as well as the State Department in strategy, planning, and budgeting. He holds an MBA from the University of California and has worked for twenty years as a global businessman who has worked overseas extensively and understands European and Asian politics. He also is an expert on Africa.

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?

• Keep and fight for our Constitutional freedoms, I have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. Open the economy that was unconstitutionally closed and prevent it from every being closed again. Prevent growth of the federal government beyond the authorities provided by the Constitution. Fight to keep the rights we have and reverse past encroachments like with the 2nd Amendment.
• Fix the economy and try to recover from the unconstitutional incentive funds. Force governors to fix within their states the economic chaos they unleased with their unconstitutional closures of the economy.
• Make the US relevant in the world. Focus on funding the development of key technologies including renewable energy and biotech.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about the following:

Constitutional Freedom and Authorities - preventing special interest groups and parties from trying to make a "one size fits all" policy for the nation at the expense of our personal, state, and local independence. Our forefathers created the Constitution to allow citizens to move to and live in states with laws that more closely followed their way of life and opinions. It should stay that way.

Economic health - Shutting down the economy will leave hundreds of thousands jobless and homeless. It will impact the financial integrity of our nation and therefore our defense. The trillion dollar incentive program will force taxes on future generations like we have never seen before. This will impoverish the poor further and leave the rich relatively unaffected, causing a greater divide between the rich and poor. The economy must be opened and the future budget will require may cuts to keep out of control taxation in check.

Technological Development - The US must stay relevant globally in key technologies as well as in manufacturing infrastructure.

Environment - It's all we have. We need to be on the cutting edge of technologies and processes that improve our footprint on our world from a position of taker to either balance or nourisher. This should not be done at the expense of personal freedom.

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

Jesus - A good spiritual man that didn't judge others or try to force them be something they weren't. Instead, he set the example and gave them the freedom to choose.

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

The United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

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

To represent the people. To adhere to the Constitution despite personal feelings. To work hard to make America better.

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

Strong desire to preserve the freedom of the all Americans. Extensive Business Experience. Government Strategy, Planning, and Budgeting. Extensive overseas experience.

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

A statesman serves the people. A politician serves his party and himself. I think it is important to be a statesman.

What legacy would you like to leave?

An America that is stronger and more free than when I started.

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

Vietnam and Watergate, five and six years old.

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

Summer Construction job while in high school

What is your favorite book? Why?

Three Musketeers

Adventure, intrigue, politics, and love, but above all it is a story of 4 friends who completely know and trust each other despite their differences.

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

Gandolf - He guides and serves others be the best they can be

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

"The Last in Line," -Dio

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

Work too much.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I believe there should be a balance in population between rural and urban population. This is the basis for the electoral college. I believe our founding fathers had it right.

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

The US House has the unique role of passing or repealing laws according to the Constitutional authority given it. The US House also has the responsibility for funding the federal government and budgeting for the welfare and defense of the United States. Ultimately, the budget and the amount each citizen is taxed rests with the House. The House also initiates the decision to go to war.

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

This was never a requirement for our founding fathers. I believe career politicians are the reason for many problems in this country. For instance, the US Representative in District 2 follows most every vote of Nancy Pelosi in California to enhance his career. This does not represent the people of Colorado.

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

Economic recovery

Global and domestic attacks on our freedom
Overt and covert attacks from other nations in the digital space, in space, and along our oceans.
Privacy and freedom from technological intrusion at a personal and business level.

The Environment and global warming

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

Energy, defense, and environment

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

yes

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I support the Constitution as it is.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I would support the people above my party.

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

John Quincy Adams

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?

We have been impacted by wildfires. There needs to be better management of the wildlands by the US Forest service to prevent these fires. I feel deeply for the families and business with losses and am incredibly proud of the firefighters who are away from their families fighting these fires every day.

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See also

2020 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

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Colorado's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Michael Bennet (D)

John Hickenlooper (D)

Representatives

District 1

Diana DeGette (D)

District 2

Joe Neguse (D)

District 3

Jeff Hurd (R)

District 4

Lauren Boebert (R)

District 5

Jeff Crank (R)

District 6

Jason Crow (D)

District 7

Brittany Pettersen (D)

District 8

Gabe Evans (R)

Democratic Party (6)

Republican Party (4)