
Jon Thorp
Independent | Tennessee
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Jon Thorp
Party
Independent
Election Year
2025
Election
Special General CD 7
Race
U.S. Representative, District 7
Incumbent
No
EDUCATION
University of Detroit-Mercy, MA, Economics, 2013
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, BS, Aeronautics, 2009
WORK & MILITARY
Army, CW2, 10
AFFILIATIONS
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
US House of Representatives, 2025
OTHER INFORMATION
Jonathan Thorp completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Neutral
Public funds should be handled with transparency and accountability. I want to take a closer look at how Title X funds are used before supporting or opposing current funding for providers.
Chemical abortion drugs should meet essential safety standards (such as in-person consultation with a medical doctor) and require reporting to gather evidence on reactions and outcomes.
Disagree
I support essential safety standards and in-person medical consultation to protect women’s health. However, additional federal reporting mandates often create red tape without improving outcomes.
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Elective abortion should be restricted to cases of rape, incest, danger to the mother’s life, or severe fetal abnormalities that make survival or quality of life impossible.
Does the federal government have a role to play in limiting abortion, and if so what federal steps and/or federal legislation would you support?
The federal government’s only legitimate role is to protect life. I believe Washington can offer scientific guidance on when life begins, but the authority to legislate abortion should remain with the states.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
Government has no authority to favor or restrict any faith. Its role is to protect every individual’s right to worship without interference.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Freedom of association is a cornerstone of a free society. The government’s role is to protect voluntary exchange, not to force individuals or businesses to act against their beliefs.
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.
The United States has become too involved in others' policies and should remain focused on issues regarding our own sovereignty unless in imminent danger.
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Neutral
China is a strategic competitor, not an inevitable enemy. Their buildup reflects U.S. global posture as much as their own ambition. The real threat comes from failed American leadership, dependency, and overreach, not competition itself.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Foreign policy should be guided by constitutional limits and mutual respect, not special treatment or perpetual aid.
What are the causes of decline in U.S. military recruitment and retention?
Americans will always step up to defend our homeland. What discourages them is seeing our military used for political or global agendas that have nothing to do with defending America.
HEALTHCARE
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Vaccine requirements should never be imposed by government coercion. Private institutions may set conditions voluntarily, but individuals must remain free to choose whether to accept those terms.
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.
I support ending taxpayer-funded healthcare in the long term (Option D), but the current system is already so distorted by government regulation that a full repeal today would hurt those trapped in it. We must first unwind government’s grip and restore true market choice.
ECONOMY
What actions would you take that would allow Americans to retain more of their income and wealth?
If it takes you more than an hour to do your taxes, government’s too tangled in your wallet. I’d simplify the tax code, end special breaks for big corporations, and help small businesses keep more of what they earn.
Student loan forgiveness unfairly shifts the financial burden to those not responsible for student debt.
Agree
It’s not right to make folks who didn’t take out loans pay for someone else’s. Let’s fix the system by making student loans subject to bankruptcy, just like other debts.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
No
Public funds should be invested to strengthen America’s future—clean air, stable communities, and accountable government. But investment decisions must be based on performance and prudence, not political agendas like ESG scoring.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Agree
Physical barriers have a place in border security, but they’re not a cure-all. The real solution is ending incentives that attract illegal crossings and enforcing immigration laws with consistency and fairness.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Immigration should favor those who respect our laws and seek opportunity. But our system is so bloated and complex that it often punishes the law-abiding while rewarding those who bypass it.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Agree
The voucher plan we got in Tennessee is a mess. Real school choice means the money follows the child, not the system. Parents, not politicians, should decide where and how their kids learn. A true universal model would fund the student directly, like an education savings account.
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
Since the Department of Education was created, spending has soared while performance has declined. Education should be locally driven and competitive, empowering families and states to innovate without federal interference.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Neutral
Police serve a vital role, but reform is needed. Cut waste, end harmful incentives like quotas and immunity, and focus resources on true public safety, not bureaucracy or overreach. Real reform means fewer bad laws, better training, and accountability for abuse.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
“Shall not be infringed” means what it says. Gun laws punish the law-abiding while failing to stop violence. Protecting the vulnerable starts with enforcing laws and defending every citizen’s right to self-defense. Freedom requires responsibility, and the right to bear arms is no exception.
JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY
The Supreme Court should be reformed to include more seats.
Strongly Disagree
The problem isn’t which party controls the Court, it’s that the Court controls too much. Expanding or rebalancing it doesn’t fix that; it just politicizes it further. We should focus on restoring the limits the Constitution actually prescribes.
ABOUT YOU
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?
Lean Conservative
My views blend constitutional conservatism with a libertarian respect for individual freedom; strong on fiscal discipline, restrained foreign policy, and government neutrality in personal matters.
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
The purpose of government is exactly as stated in the Declaration of Independence: to secure the unalienable rights of the people. When government expands beyond that purpose, it ceases to serve the people and begins to serve itself.
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
VALUES
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
Marriage is a personal and often spiritual commitment. Government should stay out of defining or licensing it, protecting only the legal rights that flow from private agreements.
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Strongly Agree
Protecting children from exploitation is a core duty of society. Decisions that permanently alter a child’s body or identity should wait until adulthood, when full consent and understanding are possible. If we don’t let them buy alcohol or cigarettes, we shouldn’t let them make permanent medical decisions either.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Disagree
Personal medical treatments are private decisions, not public obligations. Taxpayer money should go toward core public services, not elective or individual medical procedures.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I’m still exploring my own faith, but I believe deeply in honesty, compassion, responsibility, and service to others. I respect how faith traditions teach those values and strengthen our communities. We’re all part of one human community, and we have a moral duty to help and rely on each other.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Neutral
Secure elections depend on authenticating each voter, but that doesn’t always mean a government-issued photo ID. Verification should be reliable, simple, and accessible to all eligible voters.
The Electoral College should be abolished.
Disagree
The Electoral College remains the best safeguard against concentrated power. Reforms to make it more representative could be considered, but abolishing it would weaken the balance between states and citizens.
EQUALITY
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Critical Race Theory overstates its case. While racism has existed in America’s past and sometimes appears in practice, our institutions are not fundamentally racist. Problems arise from poor implementation and lack of accountability, not from the founding principles of equality under the law.
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
Individuals and private entities can make their own choices, but public policy should defend fairness and safety. Biological differences matter, and protecting vulnerable populations is a core moral duty.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Neutral
Environmental care matters, but the climate crisis is overstated. We must care for the environment through innovation and smart incentives, not fear-driven politics. Human activity affects the planet, but top-down “urgent action” often causes more harm than progress.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
A balanced mix of nuclear and solar offers the best path forward: nuclear for reliability, solar for innovation. We should invest in both to meet demand without sacrificing independence or fiscal sense.
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