Thomas E. Chalifoux Jr.
Republican | Florida
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
US Air Force War College, Montgomery, AL, Strategic Planning, 1991-1992
Pepperdine University, Masters in Human Resource Management, 1976-1978
US Army Engineer School, Advance Military Engineering, 1976-1977
University of Louisiana, Monroe, Monroe, LA, Bachelor of Science, 1967-1971
Columbus State University, MBA, 1973-1975
WORK & MILITARY
US Army, Colonel
AFFILIATIONS
Kissimmee Board Of Adjustment, Chairman, 1978-2000
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
State Committeeman, Osceola County Republican Party, -
Member and Chair, Osceola County School Board, 2000-2008
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Florida House of Representative, 2010-
Representative, Congressional District 9, 2024-
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (2)
National Right To Life
Jimmy Patronis
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (11)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2026)
State Republican Party Organizations (2026)
Erin Beth Dolan Huntley (2025)
Cory Lee Mills (2024)
Jon H. Arguello (2024)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (6)
E-PAC (2024)
Eye of the Tiger PAC (2024)
National Right to Work Committee (2024)
State Republican Party Organizations (2024)
Steve Scalise (2024)
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (2)
American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (2010)
National Education Association (national, state & local affiliates) (2010)
OTHER INFORMATION
Candidate received a grade of AQ from the NRA-Political Victory Fund.
Candidate profile. Florida Politics. 11 May 2026.
Candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Rape and Incest
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Disagree
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
People who can afford to pay more taxes should do so in order to provide relief for working families.
Strongly Disagree
The tax system already requires folks who earn more to pay more. I oppose "wealth tax" schemes.
The government should cut spending in order to reduce the national debt.
Strongly Agree
I support a balanced budget amendment.
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
1. Increase the war on fraud and corruption by deploying AI and other tools to root out all of the fraud across government, not just welfare programs. 2. Remove people here illegally. Zero out any benefits for them immediately. 3. A full financial audit of every federal agency. 4. Prohibit earmarks for members of Congress. 5. Require states to implement transparency, accountability, and adherence to all federal laws on welfare paid for by the federal government or cut their funding.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
The First Amendment says the government won't establish a state religion and won't interfere with how Americans worship. I believe that completely. What it doesn't mean is that a person of faith has to pretend his convictions don't exist the moment he takes office.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
C — Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. Medicare and Medicaid are commitments this country made to our seniors, our veterans, and our most vulnerable—and I will keep them. What I will not do is expand government's role further into the healthcare system. Government-run healthcare eliminates competition, kills innovation, and puts bureaucrats between patients and their doctors.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
NATIONAL SECURITY
With regard to America's foreign policy, which view most closely resembles yours: A) The United States should intervene whenever freedom is threatened. B) The United States should selectively help countries trying to grow democracy and fight tyranny. C) The United States has become too involved in others' policies and should remain focused on issues regarding our own sovereignty unless in imminent danger. D) The United States should stay out of foreign conflicts completely.
C. I spent thirty years in uniform defending this country. Nobody believes more than I do in American strength. But there's a difference between being the world's strongest nation and being the world's policeman—and we've been confusing the two for decades at enormous cost in lives and treasure. American interests include our alliances, our economic security, and our strategic position—not just direct threats to our borders.
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes. Absolutely and without qualification. Israel is our closest ally in the most volatile region on earth. That relationship is strategic, it is moral, and it is personal to me. I spent thirty years in the United States Army. I understand what it means to operate in a hostile environment surrounded by enemies who want to destroy you. Israel lives that reality every single day.
Islamic terrorism is a threat to the United States' national security.
Strongly Agree
IMMIGRATION
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
The answer to who should be allowed to immigrate is simple: people who come the right way. That means going through the legal process — applying, waiting, meeting the requirements, and earning the right to be here. Millions of people have done exactly that. It's fair to them, and it's fair to the country, to hold that standard for everyone.
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Strongly Disagree
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Neutral
What I support is this: take the federal K-12 dollars — Title I funding for disadvantaged schools, IDEA money for special education students, career and technical education grants — and send them directly to states as block grants with no strings attached. No Washington bureaucrats deciding curriculum. No compliance checklists that cost more to administer than the grant is worth. The money follows the same path it does today, but the control goes back to Tallahassee and to local school boards.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Agree
VALUES
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Neutral
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
My faith is the foundation of my character — not a credential I carry for political purposes. I am a Christian. I believe in the authority of Scripture, the sanctity of human life, and the conviction that every person is made in the image of God. What faith gives me is an anchor — an understanding of right and wrong that doesn't shift with polls or pressure. I believe leaders without a moral foundation are the most dangerous people you can put in power.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
EQUALITY
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Agree
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
What I believe is this: we need all of it. Nuclear, natural gas, oil, coal (where it makes sense), solar, wind—every source that can be produced affordably, reliably, and here in America. I am particularly excited about nuclear.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
What protects public safety is enforcing the laws we already have. We have federal background checks. We have laws against straw purchases, illegal trafficking, and felons possessing firearms. The problem is not that we lack laws — it's that we don't enforce the ones on the books. I will not punish millions of responsible gun owners because criminals break the law.
