Thomas Gilmer

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

Thomas Gilmer

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 11, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Liberty University, 2014

Personal

Birthplace

Akron, Ohio

Religion

Christian

Profession

Building project manager

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Thomas Gilmer (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on August 11, 2020. Gilmer unofficially withdrew from the race but appeared on the primary election ballot on August 11, 2020.

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

Biography

Thomas Gilmer was born in Akron, Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree from Liberty University in 2014. Gilmer's career experience includes working in private equity and commercial and industrial building project management.

Elections

2020

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

Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Republican primary)

Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Connecticut District 2

Incumbent Joe Courtney defeated Justin Anderson, Cassandra Martineau, and Daniel Reale in the general election for U.S. House Connecticut District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Courtney (D / Working Families Party)	59.4	217,982
		Justin Anderson (R)	38.2	140,340
		Cassandra Martineau (G)	1.3	4,949
		Daniel Reale (L)	1.1	3,901
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	9

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 367,181
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Joe Courtney advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Connecticut District 2.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Connecticut District 2

Justin Anderson defeated Thomas Gilmer (Unofficially withdrew) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Connecticut District 2 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Justin Anderson	50.2	9,485
		Thomas Gilmer (Unofficially withdrew)	49.8	9,407

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,892
= 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

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

Tom has been involved in politics for over 15 years. He and his family reside in Madison CT where they are active members of their Republican Town Committee. Tom has served on various economic development committees and has been a strong advocate for Eastern Connecticut. In addition to being an active political leader, Tom has run a commercial and industrial building company, built a strong business in the private equity industry, and successfully brought community development and infrastructure projects to Eastern Connecticut. He is a strong advocate for Republican values and committed to sponsoring legislation focused on creating jobs in Eastern Connecticut and improving the services provided to our patriots who served to protect the freedoms we enjoy today. For these reasons and many more, Tom Gilmer earns the Coventry RTC's full endorsement, and we look forward to helping him beat sitting Congressman Joe Courtney in November.

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?

• Economy
• National Security
• Health Care

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our economy is strong only when government and bureaucracy is able to remove itself from being an obstacle to the private sector which has over time provided us with a wealth of innovation and ingenuity. We must be focused on lower taxes, deregulation of our industries and create growth policies focused on boosting our economy, doing so will create more jobs and continue to bring down unemployment.

The last 3 years under a pro economy administration has provided concrete proof that an economy focused on growing its businesses and deregulation is the best path to success for our nation. If we intend to bring American families out of poverty and build a better future for tomorrow we must create a strong economy and we must ensure a free market and an American market!

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

My hero has been and always will be my grandfather. My grandfather Vernon Braun was a World War 2 veteran, worked for Nasa when it was Casa, and was my spiritual mentor. In fact he was the first one to take me door to door for lit dropping back in 1999 when I was 9 years old which may have been the launch of my political career. His love of country, his pride for America, his sincere nature was always an inspiration to me. He taught me how to work hard, he taught my to think independently, and most importantly he taught me to put others before self. I owe a lot of who I am as a person to his example.

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

7 Men by Eric Metaxas

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

Integrity.

"Work hard and be honest with yourself, and your constituents"

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

Energy, enthusiasm, work ethic, networking, self motivated.

My passion is that at the end of the day I am able to look my neighbors in the eye and know that I did something to positively impact their lives and the lives of their families. That is why we have been doing this journey over the last year and a half. This campaign is about bringing positive change to our communities.

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

Be educated on the issues, be present with your constituents, and do the work.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I have positively impacted every family in my district and that my family and your family will have a strong community to grow up in, work in, and retire in. We need to bring back American Exceptionalism.

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

9/11 2001. I remember being the only student in my fourth grade class. During that day everyone was picked up by their parents before lunch time. My mom didn't want to alarm me so she picked me up after class to explain to me what happened. I think for me, seeing how our President at the time united the nation solidified my desire to be a public servant as well as helped me determine that I wanted to be a Republican.

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

I was a fund drive manager for a non-for profit radio station. We had over 50k listeners who tuned in throughout the week. Our goal was to raise roughly $33K which would cover our budget and fees to the FCC however my goal was always more. I worked on that radio station from 2007-2011. It was a great experience for me, I was really able to hone in on my public speaking abilities and fundraising skills. We usually raised close to $100k per fund drive and we would do this in 7 days.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible- It's consistent and the message is on point.

Other good read "The Heart and the Fist" by Eric Greitens

I love books knowledge is power. No one can ever rob you of that so read as much as you can!

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

Bilbo Baggins from the Hobbit, he had a pretty fulfilled life.

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

Aerosmith- Dream On

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

The ability to impact the course of this nation. What they are voting on has long lasting effects. This is no a position to be taken lightly and something that I hope now the American public has a better eye on.

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

Never hurts. I think however today the people really want someone representing them that understands this nation is "We the people" not "We the party".

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

Our place Globally in the market. This pandemic has shown us that relying upon other countries to produce our products is not a safe and sufficient model. That by bringing business back to our country we can improve the quality of lives for everyone. We need things to once again be "Made in the USA" that includes our pharmaceuticals. In order to do that we need to work on cutting back the red tape that Washington has placed on our enterprises over the last 30 years.

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

Seapower, Energy, Commerce, Healthcare. Eastern CT impacts all of those markets and the policies made in those committees that go to the floor impact all of us.

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

Maybe...

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Career politicians have run this country into the ground. We need to make sure that we hold in a state level our Secretary of State's accountable to fair voting practices... if that is done... our voting provides those term limits.

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 met with a small businesses owner during this COVID-19 crisis... they shut their doors were not doing take out... laid off their employees.... however what was touching is they were still there everyday making meals for their employees and delivering them and their families food. That is the American spirit that is the America I love.

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See also

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

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Connecticut's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Richard Blumenthal (D)

Christopher Murphy (D)

Representatives

District 1

John Larson (D)

District 2

Joe Courtney (D)

District 3

Rosa DeLauro (D)

District 4

Jim Himes (D)

District 5

Jahana Hayes (D)

Democratic Party (7)