About the Candidate
Name: Thomas Lynch
DOB: March 4, 1987
Occupation: Meat and Poultry Inspector IDOA/USDA
Political Experience: Iroquois County Board Member 2020-2022.
Website: electthomaslynch.com
Twitter: @ThomasLynch1776
Facebook: thomaslynch4congress
Candidate Statement
I’m Thomas Lynch and your candidate for the 2nd Congressional District in Illinois.
I’m a member of my local American Legion, the Sons of the American Legion, my FFA Alumni and until I decided to run for office, I was a volunteer firefighter and EMT as well. I served in the Army with one tour to Iraq where I sustained an injury that eventually led to me leaving the service with an honorable discharge. Since then I’ve worked with behavioral issues in young men and now work for the State of Illinois and the USDA as a Meat and Poultry inspector. I’m not a politician. I’m a concerned citizen who is sick of standing on the sidelines just complaining.
I’m a normal American like most of you. I have a job, I pay taxes, and I’m not the smartest man in every room I enter. But all of us saw a future with high gas prices and inflation when President Biden was elected. Washington didn’t. We watched as they passed trillions in spending under the guise of COVID relief only to give you $1,200. It was a slap in the face. Washington didn’t care. We shouldn’t be surprised. Washington rarely works for the people. They give themselves raises during a pandemic and gave you another $1,200 to keep you quiet. They trade stocks on information that any one of us would go to prison for if we did the same. They exempt themselves from legislation that negatively affects the people. They have a pension system while the people have screamed for term limits for decades explaining that Congress isn’t supposed to be a career. It’s time to put a normal American in Washington because Washington isn’t listening to normal Americans.
Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I believe it’s time to start putting regular people in Congress. I’m like most Americans; I have a job, I pay taxes, and I have more debt than I’d like. I’m running because we all saw high gas prices and inflation coming the day President Biden was elected. There’s a massive disconnect between Washington and the people and we can fix it by putting the people in Washington.
What does this office do well, and what needs fixing?
The only thing this office does well is following the party line and donating large sums of money to nonprofit organizations right before an election. This office should work for the people and sadly it does not. This office needs multiple avenues for the people to stay in contact. This is a huge district covering multiple very different community cultures and beliefs. It is imperative for this office to represent all of its constituents the best it can regardless of party politics. The best way to achieve that is by listening to the people. This office need multiple avenues to connect with the people.
What is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
The people of the 2nd District are suffering from high gas prices, inflation, and a depressed economy. We need to bring back the America First energy policies to help combat high fuel prices as well as the depressed economy. We need to reign in the out of control government spending by actually opening the books and making the agencies, departments, and bureaucracies justify their budget as well as a lot of consolidation within programs and agencies that all do similar tasks.
We need our government to be accountable for its spending. Most importantly, we need a government that represents the people. Why is congress allowed to trade stocks on information that would send anyone else to prison for Insider trading? Why is Congress allowed to give themselves raises? Why does Congress have a pension system at all? It’s not supposed to be a career. Why can Congress exempt themselves from legislation? Congress needs to remember they are public servants and stop taking advantage of the taxpayers.
What specific steps would you take to ensure your office is accessible and responsive to your constituents?
District 2 is very large and covers a very diverse constituency. For this reason I have considered having multiple offices or a mobile office open during normal business hours as well as social media and a website where constituents will be able to call, txt, zoom, email, and even fax correspondence. I plan to stay engaged with a daily update on what our office is doing and a weekly Q&A where I can talk directly to the people of District 2. I will always accept feedback and suggestions on how to better make myself available to the people I represent.
