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Thomas Oh
Thomas Oh (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Virginia's 8th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Oh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
General election
Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. defeated Thomas Oh in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 6, 2018.
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) | 76.1 | 247,137 |
 | Thomas Oh (R)  | 23.7 | 76,899 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 712 | ||
| Total votes: 324,748 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mike Webb (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Incumbent Donald Sternoff "Don" Beyer was the only candidate to file for the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8. Therefore, the Democratic primary scheduled for June 12, 2018, was canceled.[1]
Republican primary election
Thomas Oh was the only candidate to file for the Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8. Therefore, the 8th Congressional District Republican Committee canceled the nominating convention scheduled for April 28, 2018.[2]
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Thomas Oh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Oh's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Reducing the $21 trillion (almost $22 trillion) debt, improving traffic, and enforcing equality and fairness.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I would like to actually serve on the Transportation Committee because Northern Virginia has a serious issue with traffic. Our district has highways, metro, buses, and a national airport. I believe I can really help the community by making it easier to commute throughout our district.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
The founding fathers because we need to preserve the constitution and the nation they intended to create which is free from tyranny.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
I am a straight shooter and my political philosophy comes down to the leadership skills I learned while defending our country. I come to serve as a servant for the community and truly represent them. I am here to work for the people and finally put people before politics.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honestly, integrity, and willingness to be a servant. Unlike my opponent, I do not accept dark money. Politicians shouldn't be bought and the government should represent individual citizens.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I have the discipline to resit dark money. I will never take being in office for granted. I have accepted and attended 11 forums for civic engagement while my opponent only attended half. I have knocked on over 3,000 doors, and I am always with the community to listen and be there for them. I don't accept money from corporate or special interest groups. I am here to work for the people.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Enforcing a system of checks and balances, passing the annual budget, and legislating laws.
What legacy would you like to leave?
Being a role model for other Congressman to follow by not accepting dirty PAC money, working together, and being bipartisan.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
I remember 9/11 happening. I was in 4th grade. I ultimately ended up enlisting while I was in high school to answer the call of duty.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
Office Assistant while I was in high school for about a year. I later had my military career begin at the age of 18.
What happened on your most awkward date?
I am always naturally being awkward according to my spouse. I guess, I'm lucky to always get another date.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
July 4th because I absolutely love fireworks ever since I was a kid. There is no doubt that we are divided as a nation. I'm just glad we can all come together as Americans on July 4th. I wish every day was like July 4th.
What is your favorite book? Why?
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch because it was a book with very simple life lessons. A father who had a terminal illness wanted to leave behind a novel for his children to read. He wouldn't be alive to teach them about life so he wrote a book to teach them.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Batman, he was my favorite super hero growing up!
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My dog! Who can resist a dog that is a man's best friend? Their love is so pure and genuine. It's always nice to get greeted when you come home.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Drake - KeKe Do You Love Me (In My Feelings)
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Being a working class minority that comes from an immigrant background has always been a life struggle to achieve the American Dream. I am blessed for making this far and I hope that my sons and daughters will live a better life.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
Boundaries shouldn't be drawn to favor any political party but merely by local municipalities. For example, fairfax county has three different congressional districts. I believe all local counties, cities, and towns should fall in one congressional district. Not bits and pieces of it!
What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?
The power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an electoral college tie
Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?
It's important to not be a career politician and have term limits!
What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?
Solving the issue of healthcare, and our national debt.
If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Again, I would like to actually serve on the Transportation Committee because Northern Virginia has a serious issue with traffic. Our district has highways, metro, buses, and a national airport. I believe I can really help the community by making it easier to commute throughout our district.
Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?
Yes
What are your thoughts on term limits?
Fully support it, I just want to do six years and make some several positive changes.
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 wouldn't mind but I am not very good at playing politics. I'm a straight shooter who just wants to do what's best for the American people, and not what's best for any political parties agendas.
Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
John F Kennedy, Lincoln, George Washington, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, John McCain
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 so glad to see that ServiceSource exists to help the disabled community. There are many people who just are not aware of the amount of help that organizations like ServiceSource provides. I encourage others to take the time to visit them to learn more. I want to make sure that entitlement spending is maximized for the populations that are absolutely in need of it such as the disabled, and not taken advantage of by those who are not in need of it. By doing this, great organizations like ServiceSource can truly continue maximizing ever dollar to make a more positive impact for our community. I support efforts to audit entitlement spending and to cut spending for those who take advantage of the system. This is to ensure that the disabled will receive the most amount of support as possible. While the federal government makes many efforts to help employ the disabled, there is a large disparity when compared to the private industry. I would like to create more incentives for the private industry so that we can help the disabled with better employment opportunities
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.
Oh submitted the following answer to the question, "What is your political philosophy?" through Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form:
| “ |
I promise you that I will not provide you all the false promises that comes with every typical politician to gain your support. Nor will I give you border line truths to deceive you. I promise to always be the servant I have always been to country and to serve the American people first and not corporate interests. I promise to always put people before politics. When was the last time there was a real member of the common class to represent the American people? Don't let Beyer buy the district again![3] |
” |
| —Thomas Oh | ||
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2018
- Virginia's 8th Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Certified Candidates in Ballot Order for June 12, 2018 Primary Elections," accessed January 15, 2019
- ↑ Virginia's 8th District Republican Committee, "8th District Convention is CANCELED – We have our nominee!" February 27, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
