CJ Grisham
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
CJ Grisham
Party
Republican
Election Year
2018
Election
Primary
Race
State Rep., Dist. 55
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Temple College, Temple, AA - Pre-Law, 2016
Texas A&M - Central Texas, Killeen, BA - History, 2018
WORK & MILITARY
US Army, First Sergeant, 20
AFFILIATIONS
Open Carry Texas, President/Founder, Veterans of Foreign Wars
Life Member, NRA, Endowment Life Member
American Legion, Life Member, DAV
Life Member, Association of the United States Army, Life Member
Army Non-Commissioned Officer Association, Life Member, CCRKBA
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
N/A
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
Previous Races
SCORECARDS
CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (4)
Grassroots America
Lone Star Liberty
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Texas Conservative Digest
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (3)
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
We The People: Grassroots America
Lone Star Liberty
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (3)
Briscoe Cain
Dawn Buckingham
Jonathan Stickland
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.
Strongly Agree
Governments should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with taxpayer or public funds.
Strongly Agree
It is the government’s responsibility to be sure everyone has a livable income.
Strongly Disagree
It is the government’s responsibility to be sure everyone has health insurance.
Strongly Disagree
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
More restrictive gun control is needed to protect public safety.
Strongly Disagree
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
Strongly Agree
Any teaching to children on sex education in public schools must include all contraceptive methods, and should not show preference to abstinence.
Strongly Disagree
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments.
Strongly Agree
Islamic law (Sharia) should take precedence over national and state laws where there are Islamic majority communities in the U. S.
Strongly Disagree
The state constitution should limit the growth of spending to the rate of population growth plus the rate of inflation.
Strongly Agree
Congress should pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
Strongly Agree
People should be allowed to use public restrooms, showers, and changing rooms based on "gender identity."
Strongly Disagree
I support sanctuary cities.
Strongly Disagree
I support the death penalty.
Neutral
Tuition-free public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Disagree
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Strongly Agree
Parents should be the primary authority in decisions affecting their minor children.
Strongly Agree
Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.
Strongly Agree
I support using a party caucus to nominate my party's candidate for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and I pledge to vote for my party's nominee.
Yes
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
2010 General Election, 2010 Republican Primary, 2012 General Election, 2012 Republican Primary, 2014 General Election, 2014 Republican Primary, 2016 General Election, 2016 Republican Primary
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Never.
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
Our Founders relied upon the basic notion that the role of government is to protect individual liberty and rights. It is man's desire to be free that led to our Constitution. These rights are bestowed upon us by God as a condition of our very existence.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I believe in God, the Eternal Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost that through the atonement of Christ all may be saved. Every moral decision should be based on biblical principles and every legislative decision based on constitutional principles - those principles were also inspired by a kind and loving Father. I recognize that I have sinned, but through my faith and His sacrifice, my sins can be forgiven if I turn to Him for redemption.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and immigration, which of the following best describes you overall?
Very Conservative
Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.
I'm the founder of Open Carry Texas, which is proof of my conservative belief in gun rights. I've been a blogger on constitutional issues for about 14 years at A Soldier's Perspective and the You Served podcast. I've been a very public advocate for limited government in all that I do. Probably the most publicly available information is how much liberals hate me. I've testified on hundreds of bills on behalf of conservative principles and Christian values. I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to put here (links?), but a simple search of my name provides a plethora of evidence since I've been engaged in many conservative efforts that have garnered local, state, and national attention. I was also invited to the White House to meet President Bush, have worked closely with Vets for Freedom to take care of veterans, and fought side by side with Texas legislators like Briscoe Cain, Matt Rinaldi, Jonathan Stickland, Matt Shaefer and other like-minded conservatives.
What is the best way to bring down unemployment?
Unleash the free market. End oppressive taxation and regulation (ie: inventory tax, minimum wage). Make public assistance temporary to discourage idleness, laziness, and abuse of taxpayers by instituting work requirements.
How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?
I'm a strong supporter of HSAs and believe that businesses that provide health coverage for their employees should receive tax exemptions for doing so since less government involvement saves taxpayers anyway (I don't believe there should be ANY government involvement). In the national sense, health insurance should be competitive so that it can be purchased across state lines. States should be able to manage its own Medicare and Medicaid programs in the form of block grants without dictates from the federal government. The first dollar spent in the Texas budget goes towards mandatory health care costs. Finally, the government should stop mandating minimum coverage requirements so that individuals can tailor their health insurance to their needs.
What role should government play in boosting the economy?
Getting out of the way. My answer here is pretty much the same as question #31. Businesses are being micromanaged by unelected bureaucrats thanks in large part to elected bureaucrats meddling unnecessarily in the economy through excessive regulation. The role of government in the economy is simply to prevent fraud and protect consumers.
What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?
I have held every enlisted leadership position from team leader to First Sergeant in charge of 120 soldiers. I also served as the acting Sergeant Major of Current Operations for III Corps, managing operations for over 10,000 troops. I've managed budgets in excess of $6 million. I've worked in the Texas legislature as an conservative activist for several years, so I already understand how the system works, how bills get passed, and who can be relied upon to help with conservative issues. I am uniquely qualified since I will be able to hit the ground running from day one instead of having to learn as I go and I have already built close relationships with fellow conservatives in the House and Senate.
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you:
cj@cjgrisham.com 254-493-5505
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
In reference to question #19 about the death penalty. I whole-heartedly support the death penalty to the extent that the system did its due diligence in convicting someone worthy of the punishment. I've become very cynical of our court system and have seen too many cases where people on death row have been exonerated decades after being "convicted" for crimes they didn't commit. The only thing that spared their life was time. Had they been put to death sooner, innocent people would have died. So, to the extent that the system maintains its integrity and exculpatory evidence isn't suppressed, I support the death penalty, but I'm too cynical to trust it at this point to say our death penalty system is effective.
