TX-06: Jake Ellzey (R)

REPLACING:

Ronald Wright (R)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

US House of Representatives (Representative, TX-06); Texas House of Representatives (State Representative, District 10); Southwest Airlines (Pilot); Texas Veterans Commission (Commissioner); Executive Office of the President (Social Aide to George W. Bush); Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. (Training Professional); HoldFast HQ (Chief Executive Officer); BGI LLC (Consultant); L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (Pilot); US Navy (Commander)[ii]

EDUCATION:

Diploma, Perryton High School; BS, US Naval Academy[iii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Defend the 2^nd Amendment; Protect the Right to Life; Secure Our Border; Protect Private Property Rights; Stop Job-Killing Regulations; Improve & Protect Public Education; Help Our Economy Recover; Stand Up For Veterans & Police; Cut Taxes; Stand for Election Integrity; Stand with Israel[iv]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

”As a father and a Christian,” Ellzey is “100%” pro-life. He argues the Biden administration “is stripping federal protections from unborn babies across the board,” and “have made it clear they intend to attack the Hyde Amendment.”[v] He has touted his work to help pass Texas’ Heartbeat bill, which bans abortion if a fetus’ heartbeat is detected, noting that he was “honored to be part of passing the most conservative pro-life legislation in our state since Roe v. Wade.”[vi] [vii] In April 2022, Ellzey joined 125 US representatives in signing a letter to Biden opposing his budget proposal “on the basis of anti-life provisions.”[viii]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

Ellzey argues the US must “prioritize cutting wasteful spending and stopping tax increases,” asserting that “for too long, Washington has passed bloated budgets and gotten away with it.” He supported Trump’s economic policies, which he says led to a “booming” economy. He supports a free market and argues the Biden administration is killing jobs with “draconian” regulations.[ix] Ellzey opposed the Inflation Reduction Act and voted against Build Back Better, which he argued would “increase inflation, reduce jobs, decrease economic competitiveness and growth, and increase the national deficit.”[x] [xi] [xii]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Ellzey has previously argued that Congress should prioritize ending Obamacare.[xiii] He cosponsored the Jobs and Opportunities for Medicaid Act, which would “require all able-bodied adults to work or volunteer for no less than 20 hours per week to remain eligible for Medicaid benefits.”[xiv] He strongly opposes mask and vaccine mandates.[xv] [xvi]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Ellzey has accused “Biden and his dangerous open border policies” of creating “one of the worst humanitarian crises in our nation’s history.”[xvii] He supports building a border wall, which he argues will help “put an end to illegal immigration, drug cartel violence, and human trafficking.”[xviii] In Congress, he has voted to increase funding for US Border Patrol and cosponsored legislation “eliminat[ing] the Asylum claim loophole by requiring all claims be made outside the United States and exclude those who entered the country illegally.”[xix]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Ellzey says he will “always stand” with law enforcement and “will stand against any and all attacks against them.”[xx] As a member of the Texas Legislature, Ellzey co-authored legislation “creating financial consequences for cities defunding the police.” Ellzey argues calls to defund the police are “dangerous” and “reckless.”[xxi] [xxii] [xxiii]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

According to his campaign website, Ellzey will oppose voter fraud and “efforts to subvert the sanctity of our electoral process,” arguing, “Our votes must be cast, collected, and counted in a way that is 100% secure and accurate.”[xxiv]

EDUCATION:

A supporter of public schools, Ellzey has called for supporting teachers by stopping “the efforts [of] forcing teachers to comply with radical indoctrination.”[xxv] In an August 2022 thread of tweets in opposition to a Biden administration announcement to cancel student loan debt for certain borrowers, Ellzey argued the administration was “putting a bandaid on the problem” and that the President “does not have authority to cancel student debt.”[xxvi]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Ellzey supports US energy independence and has co-sponsored legislation to approve the Keystone pipeline and other drilling for natural gas.[xxvii] In an August 2022 tweet criticizing the Inflation Reduction Act, Ellzey complained, “More than 3/4 of the Democrats' $437 billion Inflation Reduction Act is headed toward ‘Energy Security and Climate Change.’”[xxviii]

GUN SAFETY:

During the campaign, Ellzey said he would “oppose any and all federal regulations on the right to keep and bear arms.”[xxix] A self-described “lifetime member of the NRA,” he co-sponsored legislation that he said would make Texas a “2^nd Amendment Sanctuary State,” meaning it would not “enforce any federal order or law that infringes on the right to keep and bear arms.”[xxx]

FOREIGN POLICY:

In a March 2021 tweet, Ellzey claimed that the US was “under attack from China, Russia, and even many of our own who are putting political agendas and personal gain above what's best for our nation.”[xxxi]