Rod Thompson's Platform
TRUE PUBLIC SERVICE - Why I'm Running...
Ahoy, folks. Rod here. When I started this race, I knew that I wasn't going to be your typical candidate. I'd honestly never had any political aspirations throughout most of my life. I was perfectly happy being a husband and a dad, serving in the Navy, and working in my community over the last fifteen years. So what changed, and how am I different from everybody else?
My entire motivation for running started many years ago, when my eldest son, then sixteen years old, told me that I should run for local office. At the time, I was merely dissatisfied with some of the sitting City Council and School Board Members and voiced my gripes into the wind. As time passed, I watched our government fail time and time again, politicians pandered with empty promises that they never kept, and we all witnessed the rise of a propaganda machine working tirelessly to split our nation. To me, it felt like we lost the spirit of who we were as Americans.
One day in 2021, while sitting in the Chief's Mess on the USS WHIDBEY ISLAND (LSD-41), I was watching the news while simultaneously in a heated conversation about the state of the country, and I said aloud, "This isn't the country that I signed up to die for."
After twenty-one years of Naval service, an accumulated six years serving overseas, missing the birth of my first child in 2001, and countless other family milestones, that one statement was heartbreaking to say. I love this country, and still believe it to be the greatest in the world - but the People need to wake up.
As I paused at the end of that proclamation, I knew right then and there that I was going to run for office. I didn't know which one - but I had to stop talking about it and start being about it. A little while later, a mutual friend put me in touch with then-Senator Jen Kiggans, who encouraged me to run for state office because I could affect those closest to me - my neighbors and friends who have become family.
While on terminal leave, my wife and I drove up to Jamestown for our anniversary, and we stopped at the Jamestown Church where the very first House of Burgesses met. There, I prayed for one last gut check and asked that if this was truly what God wanted me to do, He give me the strength to do it right. Two months later, I filed my paperwork to run for the Virginia House of Delegates.
I've never wanted to be a politician, nor do I even classify myself as such. I'm a public servant, plain and simple, driven by the ideas that government should be small, the People should be in charge and at the forefront of every decision, and that every elected official should remember that they're a servant to their constituents.
There is a common mindset among successful people that you must do the job before you carry the title, and if I want your vote, I wanted to earn it through acts and not just words alone. I love public service, so my campaign has never been one of kissing babies, shaking hands, and making baseless promises. I don't know any of the canned answers that other politicians regurgitate. I've been out here with my hands in the dirt and my head open for knowledge since day one - Doing the Work for my future constituents.
I have updated my platforms below to show YOU, why I'm the candidate that's already doing the job you're going to vote for me to do.
Economy
Coming from an impoverished home, I don’t simply recognize the difficulties of working-class families, I have lived through them. The Reagan-esque economic policies of empowerment and growth that allowed me to turn the tables, have now been replaced by liberal red tape, bureaucratic overreach, and bloated empty promises, taking your money to fund democratic programs that place American citizens under the government thumb. Democrats have halted innovation while sparking inflation, hurting individuals, middle-class families and small and minority-owned businesses. In Richmond, I will stand up to the left and support a commonsense conservative agenda lowering taxes and cutting red tape while supporting the availability of technical training and certifications for unlicensed workers, to build a strong workforce for today and for our future!
Military - UPDATED
As a 23-year veteran of the United States Navy, I have experience protecting America and our allies in Iraq, off the coast of Syria, and have even flexed American seapower against Russia in the Arctic Circle. I’ve seen firsthand the true importance of a well-funded and battle-prepared military. The radical left’s woke policies make our military weak and threaten the safety of America, while abandoning mentally-wounded combat veterans. I will stand up and fight to make sure our troops have all the necessary resources to keep us safe, project unrivaled American might abroad, and to ensure Virgnia’s veterans receive the care that they have rightfully earned!
UPDATE - After talking to Military, First Responder, and Law Enforcement Veterans, and doing my research into their grievances, I am currently plotting out my plan for how Virginia welcomes and takes care of our hometown heroes. My current plan includes:
- Eliminate the tax on Military Retirement.
- Further promote tax incentives for Active Duty members residing within the commonwealth.
- Promote Veteran-owned business growth.
- Reallocate "wasted" tax dollars to provide low-to-no cost housing and rehabilitative services for homeless vets.
- Gain further knowledge on the lack of healthcare coverage within the Virginia Retirement System.
Education - UPDATED
The children of Virginia are our most precious resource. As a former Church youth leader and an active Little League baseball coach, I have seen firsthand the intelligence and passion of the youth in our community. However, liberal policies are trapping kids in failing schools just because of their zip code, while indoctrinating them with radical woke ideologies to undermine the strength of the Commonwealth and that of our beloved country. We must support teachers throughout the commonwealth and give parents the freedom to speak up for their children. By demanding school choice, revising curriculum, and improving the overall quality of education we can elevate the children of Virginia and remind them that in America, every dream, whim, and goal is valid. No matter who you are, or where you come from.
UPDATE - I was recently invited to sit down with a room full of active and retired educators to learn all that I can about the issues within the education system. After more than two hours and three pages of notes, I walked away absolutely appalled at the level of indoctrination that is happening on the taxpayer's dime! I learned about Sage's Law and intrusive teaching policies aimed at circumventing parental involvement in the education of their children. The information I gained in that short amount of time gave me a small amount of ammo for the fight to come - but I will not stop! Ammo isn't enough, and a fight solves nothing. I want to go to WAR for our children, and it starts by arming myself with an arsenal of information and working with a strong team of supporters and professional allies. I have been endorsed by two education professionals, both active and retired from Suffolk Public Schools because they know that I don't make promises - but I do the work and get things done.
Healthcare
The U.S. healthcare system is currently a mess, and the Democrats have only made it worse by pushing unproven, predatory, socialized practices that would decrease the quality of care, raise costs and give Virginia families fewer choices. In Richmond, I will fight for policies that make health insurance and health care affordable for working-class families by supporting innovation and encouraging competition. We must push for expanded access and lower premiums, putting hardworking Virginians back in control of their own healthcare choices.
Law Enforcement - UPDATED
In order to ensure a safe and secure Virginia, it is vital that we support the men and women in law enforcement through training, equipment, and the proper funding to keep Virginians safe. Democrats have pushed soft-on-crime legislation while defunding the police, putting our communities at risk as crime statistics soar. I vow to support our front line protectors to ensure Virginia is a beacon for public safety.
UPDATE - Any politician can stand up and say, "I back the blue!" while standing in a room full of cops, but that's not good enough!
After in-depth conversations about the state of local law enforcement organizations and the ever-present Democrat threat against law enforcement families, I can undeniably state the following:
- I will build a titanium wall around Qualified Immunity and never back down from defending Law Enforcement Officers and their families.
- Cronyism and political activism within the force is killing the motivation of good officers, and has caused major manning shortfalls across the state. I'm actively working with LE insiders to understand what can legally be done from the state level to combat the divisive leadership practices that have fractured our police forces.
Life
As a Christian family man, I believe that every child is a gift, created in the image of God. In Richmond, I will stand up to the radical left to ensure that your tax dollars are never used to fund abortions, but that the full spectrum of prenatal healthcare is available to expecting mothers, and that crimes against women are not compounded by governmental red tape . I vow to work tirelessly, hand in hand with my brothers and sisters in the House, to champion reform in the foster care system, streamline the adoption process, and make it easier than ever for loving parents to welcome these children into safe and supportive homes.
Second Amendment - UPDATED
The second amendment is immutable, and the key to the defense of our homes, our state, and our country. I will stand up against tyrannical Democrat attempts to take away your constitutional rights and remain a strong pro-2nd amendment advocate.
UPDATE - As a gun owner, gun enthusiast, and working in the Navy with things that go boom, I love guns. As an American and avid fan of history, I completely understand why our Second Amendment rights are so precious, and it would be too easy to say, "Shall not be infringed."
...but that wouldn't be enough to serve you in the House. I needed to know where to take my battle before it came to our doorstep.
Sitting down with Gary Crossfield, owner of CE Tactical, I asked, "What do I need to know..."
From that conversation, and a follow-on town hall with 2A enthusiasts, here's the plan:
- Eliminate 30 Day Handgun laws.
- Protect private party sales and gifting.
- NEVER allow for a State or National registry.
Gary Crossfield has since endorsed my candidacy.
Election Integrity - UPDATED
As a combat veteran, I have seen firsthand the violence and anarchy present in the absence of a stable, capable, and trustworthy government, chosen by its citizens. I fought overseas to defend our freedom, democracy and elections and will do the same in Richmond. I will support Voter ID laws and other commonsense policies that protect the integrity and safety of our electoral process, ensuring that all legally registered voters have faith that their vote is counted. By combatting voter fraud, we will ensure America remains a steadfast example of freedom and democracy, as chosen by the People!
UPDATE - After speaking to the Virginia Beach Republican Party, and turning a deaf ear to naysayers, I researched Permanent Absentee Ballots (PAB) and discovered how every egregious "stolen" election has been lost in some cases by less than 2%!
Democrats have a lock on PABs, and those mail-in votes are costing us seats that we should have already won! I am an overt supporter of PABs and say we need to get our heads out of the sand and fight the democrats where they are. PABs are legal, safe - and once we get these dead people off of the voter rolls - they'll be foolproof.
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Agriculture
Agriculture is vital to the commonwealth and acts as the economic engine for many communities throughout Virginia. The far left’s regulations, red tape and economic failures have harmed farmers and weakened Virginia. I have fought against agricultural rezoning as a citizen, and I will be a champion of farmers to stop federal bureaucrats from telling you how to use your land. In Richmond, I will push for broadband initiatives, state-funded access to technical training opportunities for farmers and farmhands, and champion tax incentives that support advanced technology on farms and clean energy usage throughout the commonwealth.
UPDATE - From tracking down information on future solar projects, to understanding the excise tax critical to Virginia's peanut farmers, my homework on Agriculture has put more miles on my car than any other issue. I've sat with farmers, city planners, professional network connections at Dominion Power, Clean Energy Conservatives, and more. All that I have learned could fill an almanac, but I'm going to keep it simple:
- Agriculture is the center point of Virginia's economy. Period. The 84th is primarily agro, so it is paramount that I keep my focus on protecting our local portion of the industry and promote further advances to aid in making it easier for farmers and heirs to keep their lands producing and competitively profitable.
- We need to keep good land from getting poached, stripped, rezoned, misused, and abandoned.