Brandon Martin (Arizona)

Brandon Martin (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 6th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on August 2, 2022.

Martin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

On September 20, 2023, Martin changed party affiliation from Republican to Libertarian.^[1]

Biography

Brandon Martin was born in Columbus, Indiana.^[2]

Elections

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Eli Crane defeated incumbent Tom O'Halleran and Chris Sarappo in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Eli Crane (R)	53.9	174,169
	Tom O'Halleran (D)	46.1	149,151
	Chris Sarappo (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	76

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 323,396
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Incumbent Tom O'Halleran advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom O'Halleran	100.0	71,391

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 71,391
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Randall Friese (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 2, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Eli Crane	35.8	38,681
	Walter Blackman	24.4	26,399
	Mark DeLuzio	17.1	18,515
	Andy Yates	6.9	7,467
	John W. Moore	6.8	7,327
	Steven Krystofiak	5.5	5,905
	Ron Watkins	3.5	3,810

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 108,104
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Marissa Mitchell (R)
Myron Lizer (R)

2020

Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)

Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick defeated Brandon Martin, Iman-Utopia Layjou Bah, and Brandon Schlass in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ann Kirkpatrick (D)	55.1	209,945
		Brandon Martin (R)	44.9	170,975
		Iman-Utopia Layjou Bah (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	99
	Submit photo	Brandon Schlass (Common Sense Moderate) (Write-in)	0.0	35

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 381,054
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick defeated Peter Quilter in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 4, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ann Kirkpatrick	76.3	77,517
	Peter Quilter	23.7	24,035

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 101,552
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Nevin Kohler (D)
Andres Portela (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Brandon Martin defeated Noran Ruden, Joseph Morgan, and Jordan Flayer in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brandon Martin	42.5	31,730
		Noran Ruden	33.6	25,049
		Joseph Morgan	23.9	17,802
	Submit photo	Jordan Flayer (Write-in)	0.1	52

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 74,633
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2018

See also: Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Ann Kirkpatrick defeated Lea Marquez Peterson in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ann Kirkpatrick (D)	54.7	161,000
	Lea Marquez Peterson (R)	45.2	133,083
	Other/Write-in votes	0.0	69

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 294,152 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 28, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ann Kirkpatrick	41.9	33,938
	Matt Heinz	29.6	23,992
	Mary Matiella	9.4	7,606
	Bruce Wheeler	8.4	6,814
	Billy Kovacs	6.6	5,350
	Barbara Sherry	2.6	2,074
	Yahya Yuksel	1.6	1,319

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,093 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

William Foster (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Lea Marquez Peterson defeated Brandon Martin, Casey Welch, and Danny Morales in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 28, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lea Marquez Peterson	34.2	23,571
	Brandon Martin	28.7	19,809
	Casey Welch	21.0	14,499
	Danny Morales	16.1	11,135

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,014 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Marilyn Wiles (R)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

Brandon Martin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Martin's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm Brandon Martin 2020 GOP Nominee in AZ02 now the new AZ06. I'm a Christian, Husband, Father of girls, and Army Veteran. I was endorsed by President Donald Trump, the National Right to Life, Huck PAC, Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Kelly Copeland Sr. Director of the Tucson Walk for Life, and many others, but the endorsements I'm most proud of are the 170,975 of you that gave me your vote, thank you. In this 2022 race, we've picked up the endorsements of Ally Miller ret. Pima County Supervisor, Greg Johnson, and William Benning Sierra Vista City Councilmen along with Eric Blandford better known as IraqVeteran8888.

I'm a constitutional conservative, the purpose of government is to protect Life, Liberty, and Property. As Barry Goldwater said, we must reduce the size of government to extend freedom, I look to repeal burdensome laws not pass more. We must abolish unconstitutional departments and programs that have failed in their intended purpose or impose a financial burden on the American People. The litmus test for any legislation I put forward is, does the constitution allow it, not is it needed.

We must secure the Southern Border from invasion, reduce government spending and curb inflation, and always protect the 2nd Amendment to ensure the rest of our rights. I was an Army Interrogator in Afghanistan fighting a border war, I worked in the Command Group at Ft. Huachuca creating programs to save taxpayer money.

My family attends Calvary Chapel Sierra Vista.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We must stop the invasion of illegals and secure our southern border. We will finish the wall and put more Border Patrol Agents on the ground to enforce our nations laws. We do not have a country if we do not have borders. Effective immediatley we must stop giving money to illegals and protect American Citizens, this is why I'm calling for a 10 year moritorium on all immigration into the United States. It's time we put Americans First. We will also deport every illegal back to their country of origin.
We must stop the progressive agenda to bankrupt America. The government is printing and spending money at a record rate. The Biden adminsitration has sent over 48 billion dollars to the Ukraine to secure a border, but not the American border. Our lower and middle class is being crushed by Biden and the left and those on fixed incomes are being punished. We have to correct course immediatley. It's time we put American Seniors and Veteran's before illegals. We must balance the budget and secure the future for our children and grandchildren.
The 2nd Amendment protects all of our other rights. As your Representative in Congress I will never vote to infringe on your right to keep and bear arms. In addition I will work dillegently to repeal all unconstitutional gun laws. All of our elected politicians in DC have armed guards and police but want to disarm law abiding citizens. By definition criminals do not obey the law. After the invasion of Ukraine, the government started handing out weapons, how many citizens could have been saved.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Border Security and National Security - As an army intelligence professional my wheelhouse is intelligence operations and counterinsurgency operations. I fought a war on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, my enemy was funded by the drug trade. I'm the most qualified candidate in the AZ06 race to represent your interests in D.C. to secure the border. We also must have a fighting force that is focused on the mission of defending America against China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and all other bad actors. We must stop the social experiments being conducted in our military and place the mission first.

Fiscal Policy - We must immediately stop printing and spending money at record rates. We must return to the Trump agenda and get all Americans back to work in what was the greatest economy the world had ever seen. We must cut regulations and cut taxes to stimulate job creation and growth. I promise to never vote to raise your taxes!

2nd Amendment - The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. We have seen a sweeping overreach by the Biden administration and the ATF creating new policies to restrict the right to bear arms. I will work to repeal unconstitutional gun laws.

America First Culture - we must end the government practice of indoctrinating our children. The federal government has no business in the schools, churches, or gender identity of our children! Parents are not terrorists. We need a government that classifies drug cartels as terrorists.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

For my soul and character, it is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For my civic duty and responsibility is George Washington, and for those, I wish to work with most for the fight for liberty in Congress it is Rep. Thomas Massie.

We must have compassion for our fellow man but hold steadfast to the truth. We must be humble and when offered power, keep our passion within due bounds. Finally, we must never petition or vote to infringe on the rights and liberties of our neighbors.

America is a shining city on the hill, a light for all mankind to look toward for inspiration, and a Republic if we can keep it. It is time to return servant leaders to Washington D.C. and Save the America we all love.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Holy Bible, the US Consitution, the Declaration of Independence, and The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Humility, Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage.

It is easy to do the "right thing" when times are good, it is a testament to self-conviction and principles to do what is right when times are tough.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To uphold their oath of office. To protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. To represent faithfully the constituents.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember many, but the one that is the most significant and has had the greatest influence on my life was the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. It was my junior year of high school, I was 17 years old and I remember every minute of that day. The terrorist attacks inspired me to join the Army and give back to my country and led me to become an interrogator at Ft. Huachuca, AZ, deploying to Afghanistan, and ultimately moving to Arizona in 2006 and later starting a family.

I will never forget watching as American citizens jumped from the towers in New York to escape the flames or listening to the calls from those brave patriots on flight 93 to family members back home. We have a duty to all those who came before us in the fight for freedom and a responsibility to all of those yet to come to carry the torch into the future.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was cutting and hanging tobacco during the summers during high school. I held this job for two seasons.

It was hard and rewarding work lifting heavy sticks of tobacco leaves up to the back of the truck and then up to hang in the barn. It taught me the pride and satisfaction of a hard day's work. Today's youth seem to be in lack of good life lessons, but the work I put in on farms has served me well in life and was a good transition preparing me for Army Basic Training right after high school.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The House of Representatives is the people's House, it was laid out first in the Articles of the Constitution first for that very reason. We the People give the government its just powers.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, it is important for Representatives to have deep knowledge and understanding of the US Constitution and the limits of their oath of office. We have plenty of currently elected individuals that trample our rights and did so starting in lower offices.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The greatest challenge to our nation is educating the uninformed and returning to American Patriotism.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Appropriations, Armed Services, Judiciary.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes. It was intended that representatives were to return home and be held accountable to their constituents.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

We should have term limits and we should have informed, educated, involved citizens to exercise them.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky. He receives the highest freedom index score from multiple organizations such as FreedomWorks and others year in and year out. When you want to model your business after someone it is the smartest idea to look to the best in the industry and copy the things they do well.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Sue Krentz a border rancher has been a friend and supporter of mine since our first campaign, Sue has told me her story and it has stuck with me ever since. Sue's husband Rob Krentz was murdered by an illegal alien on his property. Rob was murdered and in 40 years the U.S. Government has failed to secure the border and protect American citizens. My efforts to secure the border are in service to all of the people in Southern Arizona and especially all of those who have lost loved ones due to the illegal invasion of our country.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I will never compromise on the US Constitution or with any individual or party that would seek to harm or diminish the United States of America. I will be fiercely loyal to those who cast a vote for and elect me to office.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

The power of the purse is the most powerful tool in the US Government. It is also a tool that should be used to keep the government in check from growing too powerful and to limit overreach. My priorities would be to reduce the size of government and return money and power back to the people and states.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Brandon Martin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Arizona District 6

Personal

Footnotes

↑ HeraldReview, "Cochise County Republican chair registers as a Libertarian after calls for his ouster," September 23, 2023
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 27, 2022

[show]

Arizona's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ruben Gallego (D)

Mark Kelly (D)

Representatives

District 1

David Schweikert (R)

District 2

Eli Crane (R)

District 3

Yassamin Ansari (D)

District 4

Greg Stanton (D)

District 5

Andy Biggs (R)

District 6

Juan Ciscomani (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

Abraham Hamadeh (R)

District 9

Paul Gosar (R)

Republican Party (6)

Democratic Party (4)

Vacancies (1)

[1] HeraldReview, "Cochise County Republican chair registers as a Libertarian after calls for his ouster," September 23, 2023

[2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 27, 2022

[1]

[2]

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Brandon Martin (Arizona)

Biography

Elections

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

2020

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2024 Elections

2024 Election analysis

2025 Elections

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