I’m Andy Thompson.  Like so many people in Ohio and across the country I have watched with dismay as we have evolved into a nearly unrecognizable nation. We face a moral, economic, and confidence crisis the likes of which we have not experienced in several generations.  Yet, it seems policymakers refuse to acknowledge this dire reality and the urgency of returning to our founding principles.  What kind of future can we hope to leave our children if we continue down this road?

After much prayerful deliberation, I decided I could no longer sit idly by as Ohio loses its bearings or wait with fingers crossed for new leaders to emerge.  I have made the commitment to run for and win Ohio’s 93rd House District. In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote,“These are the times that try men’s souls.”  I believe we are being tested again and that this year will be pivotal for our future.  Believe me, I don’t relish participating in the challenges that face Ohio’s leaders, but I feel compelled to serve in whatever way I can.  One day, my children and grandchildren will ask me what I did to secure virtue and prosperity for Ohio.  I hope to be able to answer that I did everything I could.  I hope you will support and join me in this endeavor.

Sincerely,

Sorry to have kept everyone waiting for new posts. The last two months have been challenging, fascinating, invigorating. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to serve at this critical juncture for our state. I’ve gotten acquainted with my fellow legislators on both sides of the aisle, gotten my committee assignments, and have “gotten up to speed,” with the rhythm of the process.

What has surprised me thus far? The volume of meetings and material is pretty significant. The volatile nature of the debate doesn’t surprise me given the serious nature of what we’re doing, but it is very intense. We’re not just grinding things out. We’re conscious of this historic moment and our caucus and our party want to do our best to right Ohio’s ship. We have a very conservative group in the statehouse, and I’m proud to call many of them my friends, close friends at that. I have great faith in our speaker, Rep. Bill Batchelder, and the team he’s assembled to support our efforts. We won’t let our supporters down, nor will we let the taxpayers of this state down.

Last week I briefed several business leaders in Belpre; last night I attended a “Friends of the NRA” banquet outside Marietta, and today I had a briefing with our regional  Educational Service Center, several superintendents from schools in my district, at least one principal, a Ohio Department of Education official, and several others. I shared highlights of House Bill 30, which strips several unfunded mandates that were passed under Governor Strickland, in order to grant greater discretion and flexibility to local school districts. Funding remains a concern, and things don’t look to improve immediately. But we need to hold the line until Ohio’s economy turns around. And that will take more restructuring of the way Ohio does business. We’re working to make that happen too, I assure you.

We are a few short days away from celebrating Christmas and I want to wish everyone in our district a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Even for nonbelievers this is a joyous time of the year; it is especially meaningful for those of us who do believe, and I’m not speaking of believing in Santa Claus! Christ’s birth is a blessing that is the highlight of Advent, but even more so provides a real focus to our holiday celebrations. It’s not about the iPad or big screen television; it’s about the capacity to transform the world in a loving way from a manger in a humble stable. The most powerful force in the world arrived in a very helpless state; this was just the first of many miracles in a life that was filled with them. I wish you and your family a joyous Christmas season and pray that the new year will be filled with that same spirit of hope and joy.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but I’m no longer a candidate…I’m the State Representative-Elect! Thank you to all who made this possible. I will strive to prove worthy of your confidence in me. That’s the best way I can thank you for the hard work, prayers and endless support, rain or shine. My victory is your victory! I thank God, above all, for giving me the chance to serve.

So here’s your chance to make a statement. Our vote is the precious gift our Founders gave us, among other things. It is incredibly powerful, and brings with it tremendous responsibilities. Most important is that you inform yourself on each candidate’s philosophy and the issues at hand. Having done that, encourage others to do likewise. There are tons of ads, mailers and other media which seek to distort the issues and promote outright lies. This blizzard of content is designed to demoralize you, to make you think that each candidate is a crook that can’t be trusted. This method is employed especially when the other side has no compelling reason for you to choose their candidate.

All this will be behind us after the ballots are counted, but we’re counting on you to exercise your right today, if you haven’t already.

Thank you for your support and vote, and God Bless You!

One of the most rewarding parts of this campaign has been getting to know other candidates who are also running for office at the same level, or above or below my race.

In Guernsey County, we have knocked on thousands of doors with Mike Belaj, who’s running for county commissioner. We’ve also knocked on doors there with Bob Gibbs’s team.

In Noble County, we’ve had many encounters with Virgil Thompson (no relation) who’s running for reelection as county commissioner. Virgil prefers to knock on doors all by his lonesome, and I respect that, but we’ve really enjoyed our strong level of support in Noble County, and it’s great to have another Thompson on the ballot!

In Monroe County, Jimmy Williams has been our constant companion. He too is running for commissioner and other than the ads run against me, I’ve seen nothing approaching the level of nastiness Jimmy has encountered from his opposition. Amazing, but Jimmy is incredibly dedicated to this campaign and he’s been a tremendous help to my campaign.

Here locally we’ve worked with Tim Irvine, who’s our Washington County commissioner candidate. We’ve assisted Mike Hunter, who’s running in the 92nd Ohio House District, and resides in Athens. We’ve also had visits from Josh Mandel, John Kasich, Rob Portman, Mary Taylor and John Husted. S.E. Ohio is important, and we’re making our mark as a campaign, and with a team that is the envy of other campaigns across the state.

I can’t stress how truly blessed I feel to be part of this team. Please see to it that they are rewarded for their hard work on November 2nd by voting and encouraging others to do likewise.

Each of these men brings a wealth of experience to the table, and it’s been my pleasure to get to know them. If you’re reading this and are still making up your mind in one of these counties, please support these fine candidates. Their success will mean a great deal to me going forward.

With four short days remaining until election day, anticipation is high on the Republican/conservative side. There seems to be a real mandate to shrink the size of government, to get back to some semblance of the constitutional republic our founders intended. We want to cut taxes to inspire vigorous investment in our state, and I believe there will be a serious sense of optimism and hope once we get past November 2 and we have a new Congress, and a new Ohio House and governor.

I’m pleased the business community has rallied to offset all of the spending by the union hierarchy, which represents neither their membership nor any significant share of the public. All the union leaders have is money they’ve extracted involuntarily from so many workers. I expect many union members to embrace my conservative principles; they too are reacting to a government that has overstepped its bounds.

Today I received the endorsement of my hometown Marietta Times. It’s the third time in four races for office they have endorsed me (I’m still wondering what they were thinking during my first try at elective office!). Anyway, all that remains are the casting of ballots and the counting of those ballots. It’s a shame that some in our military are being denied their opportunity to be heard due to the ineptitude or nefarious actions of bureaucrats who’ve failed to mail the ballots out in a timely fashion. Can’t say I’m shocked, however. The same folks who’ve lambasted me (SEIU) seem to have their hands on the election machinery in certain states and will try and steal the election if they can.

Your vote is precious as the freedom that makes that vote possible. With that vote comes the responsibility to make an informed decision. I feel confident that those who are informed about the candidates in my race will choose me by a wide margin.

I thank everyone who’s helped me over the past year. I’m especially grateful to my wife Jade, Khadine and Kevin Ritter, Dick and Pat Hanf, Leslie and David Haas, Anita and David White, Jon Grimm, Cory Fleming, Terry Fleming, Bill and Elsa Thompson, Leo Antons, Manuel Rubio, Jim King, Mike McCarthy, Glenn Newman, Jerry James, Dave and Cheri Hill, Jon and Martha Tipton, Rick Walters, Colleen Cook, Laura Fulton, Ron Feathers, Lorena Feathers, Tom Fenton, Nancy White, Skeet Vore, Cathy and Jim Neuhart, Sheila Cochran, Joanne Wells, Jeri and Mike Belaj, Jimmy Williams, Gib and Marilyn Moody, Neil and Cathy Grosel, Jim and Bonnie Arnold, Tom Snyder, Glenn McCabe, Jeff and Janet Campbell, Karen Weaver, Bob Kirkbride, Dave Archer, John Lehman, Rich Galen, Bill White, Jimmy Stewart, Troy Balderson, Ann Kerenyi, and all my friends at the Ohio House Republican Caucus and NFIB.

Here’s to victory on November 2nd!

On Tuesday night, my opponent and I concluded a series of debates with a final encounter on her home turf at the Crossroads Library Branch in Cambridge. While she read her responses from several pages of copious debate notes, it remains clear that the overriding themes of her campaign are 1) Don’t vote for Andy Thompson, and 2) Things are just peachy in Ohio, thanks to the great leadership of Governor Strickland.

Neither is a compelling reason to vote for my opponent, and for that reason, I believe enthusiasm is almost non-existent regarding her candidacy.

As my wife and I go about our day to day activities we’re often stopped on the street by people whom we know (and some we don’t know) who say, “I’m a lifelong Democrat, but given all the terrible flyers they’ve put out and the nasty things they’ve said, I’m voting for Andy.” Likewise, we’ve placed a ton of signs in yards at the request of Democrats who are fed up at the course the state and our country have taken.

We prevailed convincingly in each encounter with Mrs. Secrest. At our final encounter, she demanded of me, “Andy, if the flyers are untrue, why don’t you file a lawsuit?” My response is this: We’re winning, and while it might make me feel better to sue regarding these lies and distortions, I’ll feel much better when we are victorious on November 2nd. A campaign like my opponent’s has very little appeal, because there’s no valid reason to support her candidacy, unless you merely take your cues from your party or your union boss.

We won the straw poll after the debate (47-41) even though the other side attempted to pack the auditorium. We had a tremendous turnout from counties all over the district. That’s why I’m confident that we’ll prevail on November 2nd.

I spent yesterday in Muskingum and Noble Counties. I was in Muskingum for a candidate forum in Zanesville, sponsored by WHIZ-TV, at the McIntire Library. Present were candidates (or their representatives) for the governor’s race, the U.S. Senate race, the 18th Congressional District race, the Attorney General race, the Secretary of State race and numerous others. My opponent was absent. Zack Space is the incumbent in the 18th Congressional District race. He seemed out of gas and disheveled. Bob Gibbs, the Republican challenger, seemed upbeat and on a roll. Very few actual statewide candidates on the Republican side appeared, perhaps because they’re so far ahead in the polls. I think everyone is aware of the momentum on the Republican side; we just can’t let up until victory is secured.

There were Green Party representatives and also a representative of the Socialist Party, the latter of whom is a schoolteacher (surprise!). I didn’t think their policies and anti-capitalist rants sounded much different from President Obama, but perhaps the fact that our commander-in-chief is cozy with Goldman Sachs is what’s bothering them.

We concluded the day at the Noble County Fairgrounds with a very enthusiastic group of local residents and supporters. A hearty meal of bean soup and cornbread was served, fortifying us for the remaining two weeks of the campaign. Thank you to all who attended and contributed financially or on the culinary front, and please don’t stop working until November 2nd!!!

As the airwaves abound with competing ads (and extremely expensive attacks from my opponents’ handlers), there are several ways to compare and contrast the candidates.

My opponent says cutting taxes will “hurt Ohio.” Just which Ohio is she referring to? Is it the one that has employed her in-laws for most of the past century, or the Ohio that can be great again if it trusts the private sector more than pompous bureaucrats?

I invite you to examine our list of endorsements as well. Unless the group has a union label, you can pretty much rule out an endorsement for my opponent. Meanwhile among those groups that scrutinize both campaigns and candidates, I’ve prevailed repeatedly. Among the groups giving me the “thumbs up” are the political action committees of The National Federation of Independent Business, the Associated Builders and Contractors, Ohio Society of CPAs, Ohio Right to Life, The Ohio Manufacturing Association, the Ohio State Medical Association, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and the Ohio Farm Bureau. Winning these endorsements is not achieved by telling these groups what they want to hear; rather it’s a reflection of their belief that I intellectually grasp the issues and will make an informed and thoughtful decision.

I invite you to examine both campaigns and to share your conclusions with your friends and neighbors. Also, please pay close attention to our prescriptions for Ohio. They provide a clear contrast as well.