Brian Thomsen

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

Brian Thomsen

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Republican Party

Education

Bachelor's

American Intercontinental University, 2007

Graduate

Duke Fuqua School of Business, 2013

Military

Personal

Birthplace

Erin, Tenn.

Religion

Non-Denominational

Profession

Business Consultant/Executive Coach

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal website

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Brian Thomsen (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on June 2, 2020.

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

Biography

Brian Thomsen was born in Erin, Tennessee. He earned a bachelor's degree from the American Intercontinental University in May 2007 and a master's degree from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in September 2013. His professional experience includes working as a business consultant and executive coach. Thomsen began serving in the United States Army on January 30, 1996.

Elections

2020

See also: Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2020

Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 2 Republican primary)

Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 2 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb defeated Sean Parnell in the general election for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Conor Lamb (D)	51.1	222,253
		Sean Parnell (R)	48.9	212,284

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 434,537
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17

Incumbent Conor Lamb advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Conor Lamb	100.0	111,828

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 111,828
= 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 Pennsylvania District 17

Sean Parnell advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Pennsylvania District 17 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sean Parnell	100.0	60,253

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 60,253
= 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

• Brian Thomsen (R)
• Jesse Vodvarka (R)
• Scott Timko (R)

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brian Thomsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Thomsen'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 24 year US Army Veteran, Green Beret, father, grandfather, and Duke University MBA program graduate.

Public service is more than just something we aspire to; it is a responsibility and a calling. We must act on it and serve our neighbors.

I push to confront our nation's problems with determination and resourcefulness, fueled by the founding principles of individual liberty, limited government, and economic empowerment. It is the people's county and the American citizens are the sovereigns of this great nation.

For me, people are the core of every aspect in life. Whether it is business or military operations, jobs and the economy, or law making and speaking, everything is founded, run by, and impacts people. God's most precious creation is at the pinnacle of value in the world and communities in which we live.

My thoughts and considerations always focus on the individual people involved and how my decisions and actions will impact their lives.

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?

• People are the MOST important resource, it is what I fight for.
• Fighting to make the government the servant of the people, like it should be.
• Our people are hard workers and we need to ensure there are jobs available for them here locally.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Energy

America is now the world's leader in energy production and Pennsylvania is the second largest producer of natural gas and third largest producer of coal in the nation.

Healthcare
We must reduce the enormous cost burden and start putting free market principles in place, removing restrictive regulations, and repealing the Affordable Care Act "Obamacare".

Jobs & the Economy
Our economy is booming, we must continue to promote new job creation by cutting regulations and bureaucratic red tape, permanently lowering taxes, and demanding free and fair trade.

LEO's & 1st Responders
Our LEO's and 1st responders are out there every day. They deserve all the funding and support required to keep the peace and respond to emergencies as the happen.

Military & Veterans
America has the greatest military in the world because of its men and women in uniform. We must honor our nation's commitment to those who have served and to their families.

National Security
The federal government's primary constitutional responsibility is to provide national security; through strong trade agreements, economic leadership, military might, and border control.

Rights & Freedoms

The Constitution defines the rights of American citizens. We must be extremely vigilant in defending against those who'd take our God given rights & freedoms and/or erode our civil liberties.

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

Samuel Adams, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Teddy Roosevelt, all men who stood up for their beliefs and fought for a better future for the people they served.

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

A multitude of the nations founding documents.

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

Servant Leadership and Empathy

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

Empathy, strength, self sacrificing dedication, hard work, drive, observant, quick learner, good translator of thoughts and ideas across ethnic, cultural, and academic divides

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

I believe that someone elected to this office is beholden to the people that elected them, not the party, not the special interests; the people.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I worked hard and dedicated my life to the betterment of others.

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

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. I was 12 years old and we were out of school for a snow day and I was watching the launch live.

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

Working in a McDonald's as a cook for a little over a year.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Great by Choice, by Jim Collins

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

Superman. With all of his abilities and weakness, his focus is to help people; to defend those who need defending.

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

Trying to personally take on too much. There is never a limit of things needing to be done and it can be a challenge to scale down the focus onto a smaller number of objectives.

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

US Congressional Representatives are the voice for their district; the direct link to the federal government for the people.

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

Yes, I believe there is benefit in understanding how things operate and what is to be expected. However, that knowledge does not make a person a better representative.

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

Long term it is reducing the size of the federal government. It is oppressive to the people it is supposed to serve at the size it is now.
Reducing the size of government will reduce expenditures, help reduce our deficit, reduce the tax burden, and simplify the liberties and freedoms of the American people.

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

Armed Services

Foreign Affairs

Transportation and Infrastructure

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

Yes

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe that there should be term limits and that career politicians are a liability to how America is governed and how the people are represented.

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?

Yes. In whatever capacity possible.

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

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Government

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

Newsletters

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External links

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Footnotes

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Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Fetterman (D)

David McCormick (R)

Representatives

District 1

Brian Fitzpatrick (R)

District 2

Brendan Boyle (D)

District 3

Dwight Evans (D)

District 4

Madeleine Dean (D)

District 5

Mary Scanlon (D)

District 6

Chrissy Houlahan (D)

District 7

Ryan Mackenzie (R)

District 8

Rob Bresnahan (R)

District 9

Dan Meuser (R)

District 10

Scott Perry (R)

District 11

Lloyd Smucker (R)

District 12

Summer Lee (D)

District 13

John Joyce (R)

District 14

Guy Reschenthaler (R)

District 15

Glenn Thompson (R)

District 16

Mike Kelly (R)

District 17

Chris Deluzio (D)

Republican Party (11)

Democratic Party (8)