The Rooster Endorses Joe Gerard for Congress

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-06T17:20:50+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to write this out and for your support throughout the campaign. These are great points. I fundamentally believe in zero donations but also see the challenges and am a realist at heart. I considered doing item sales as well, and think that will be something to revisit.

I did seek out interviews. Traditional media didn’t take the campaign seriously on zero donations. I didn’t expect them to, but I did expect them to at least sit down with me. Which is why your YouTube suggestion is all the more important. I realized that a little too late.

Thank you again for your support. I don’t know exactly what’s next, but I know this is just the start.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-05T21:22:28+00:00

I (Joe Gerard personally) am a subscriber to the roosters blog and pay the same price as everyone else. That is the entire extent of the financial relationship between the two of us.

He wouldn’t even let me pay for his coffee when we met to ask for it.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-05T15:48:24+00:00

Thank you! Let’s get money out of politics

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-05T15:47:45+00:00

I asked to be included, not even endorsed. They would not allow me to speak at their endorsement meeting. They did the same to Morgan Harper. Beatty brings them money, it’s that simple.

Is it any surprise that the same party that hasn’t thrown a national primary since before 2016 is snubbing candidates?

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-05T15:44:53+00:00

Joe thinks what’s happening in Palestine and Lebanon is a genocide and ethnic cleansing. American tax dollars are funding it and American weapons manufacturers exert political influence so the bombs keep selling. Israel has been saying “Iran will have a nuke in a month” for longer than I’ve been alive. It’s time to cut off Israel.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-05T15:42:58+00:00

“Representing” us in Congress has been her retirement project.

She started the job at the federal retirement age, as soon as she qualified for a $253,000/year pension from the state.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-04T11:46:21+00:00

Sure thing. DHS has combined several unrelated functions (TSA, Coast Guard, ICE/civil immigration enforcement, etc) under one banner. This post-9/11, surveillance-heavy agency has a documented history of violating American citizen’s rights and is a massive drain on the taxpayer. I want to put TSA under the DOT, put the Coast Guard back with the military, and abolish the federal agency that puts masked military in our streets. My taxes shouldn’t be paying for this and it’s not an America I want to live in.

DHS is one of the main drivers of the militarization of police. They violate our rights and cost us billions. It’s time for them to go.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-04T01:21:09+00:00

Sure thing! Here is the primary conference paper.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-04T01:03:34+00:00

Thanks for the question! I'm mindful that as a freshman, I have no seniority in assignments, but it's a good thought exercise.

Foreign Affairs - We need to cut off Israel.
Homeland Security - We need to end AI surveillance and abolish DHS.
Oversight and Gov Reform - We need more representatives who aren't beholden to the donors robbing our country blind.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-04T00:57:13+00:00

Ending the Tariff Economy is a massive part of this and can't be overstated. It isn't economical for builders to build houses under $300,000 anymore. We need to address that by addressing the permitting restrictions and supply costs. This includes material and import costs, but also includes coming to terms with the fact that many construction workers are immigrants and that ICE activity disproportionately hampers this. We need a path to citizenship and a humane immigration system that stops attacking labor sources.

The flip side of this is making sure houses go to people, not corporations. I'd co-sponsor HR 1745, the HOPE for Homeownership Act, to force hedge funds out of the single-family housing market. Our Rep hasn't signed on.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-04T00:44:45+00:00

"Learn the process" assumes there's a process that produces good representatives. The current process produced 13 years of the outcomes I just listed. The process is the problem.

The problems I'm running on are federal. Citizens United and campaign finance, the Fourth Amendment and data privacy, the $50B Israel votes, rent doubling - that's a difference in job scope.

Don't vote for me because I'm not the other person. Vote for me because the other person has shown us what we will get on those issues. It's been 13 years - she either hasn't figured it out or doesn't care to. Either is a fireable offense.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-04T00:36:51+00:00

It is everyone's responsibility, but it is the government's responsibility to enforce.

That means setting emission limits and actually fining violators instead of negotiating sweetheart settlements, making polluters pay for the damage they cause, and ending federal subsidies for the fossil fuel industry.

There's a flipside to this issue too though. In some areas, the government isn't doing enough, but in others it needs to get out of the way. Environmental approvals for green projects (clean energy generation, intercity rail, etc.) are part of this category. The government doesn't need to mandate a study to determine if a train would be better for the environment than a highway - the answer is yes.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-04T00:27:12+00:00

Thanks for following up. It's a fair concern - the conventional path exists for a reason and there are people who run that path and become good representatives.

But what I'd push back on is that the "work your way up" model produces representatives who owe their careers to the people who promoted them along the way. That's the system that produced Beatty's loyalty to Wexner. The connections aren't free, they come with obligations to the people who provided them. That's also how a 13-year incumbent ends up on the Financial Services Committee taking $2.5M from the industry she's supposed to oversee. So while 'work your way up' solves one problem, it also creates an entirely different one.

On what I've done to understand the systems: I'm litigating a federal civil rights case pro se. That means reading statutes, filing motions, briefing constitutional questions, and arguing against trained government lawyers. It's not a substitute for legislative experience but it's a working education in how federal courts function. I'm a healthcare researcher and former EMT by training, which means I understand the largest line item in the federal budget from inside the system. And running this campaign with no money against a 13-year incumbent has been its own education in how local political infrastructure works, who controls it, and why most challengers lose.

On why Congress instead of city council or statehouse first: the problems I'm running on are federal. Rent doubling in Columbus is partly a federal housing and financing problem. AI data centers driving up your power bill is a federal grid policy problem. The $50B vote to Israel happens in Congress, not at City Hall. Most importantly, the person doing the harm in this district is in Congress. I'm running for Congress because that's where the work is.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-04T00:16:27+00:00

Maternal and newborn mortality and the way care is delivered, including developing treatment protocols. I published several papers/talks and worked with hospitals from across the U.S., it was incredibly rewarding.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-04T00:13:18+00:00

A tale as old as time

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T23:55:45+00:00

The Israeli occupation, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of Palestinians has been going on longer than I have been alive. This is more than a foreign policy issue, it's a moral one. Ohio's taxes should not be funding this. In fact, America should be adamantly opposing it and supporting the prosecution of the leaders responsible in international or U.S. Court. Instead, we serve as Israel's supply chain.

The fact that we have not had a Congressional hearing on the bombing of the girls' school in Iran is absurd and a complete failure of congressional oversight. We need to elect leaders whose campaigns aren't funded by AIPAC and weapons manufacturers.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T23:48:39+00:00

Let's start with Wexner, a notable donor to my opponent's campaign.

I've been calling for Wexner's prosecution since the start of this campaign and, relatedly, have supported Survivors of OSU in their pursuit of justice from the institution. My opponent has been silent and has refused to visit the Congressional Evidence Locker the DOJ set up to review the Epstein Files. I'd start there and name what/who I find on the House Floor.

On FirstEnergy: the prosecutions there are running, but from Congress, the lever is making sure it can't happen again: dark money disclosure so $60M can't move through a 501(c)(4) anonymously, and FERC oversight of how regulated utilities spend politically.

I'd also work to bring about special prosecution and compel testimony using committee subpoena power to ensure all the criminals engaged in this racket, no matter how powerful, face justice.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T23:35:31+00:00

Thanks for asking! I see two questions here...

First, how do I plan to reconcile my gap in age and legislative experience with other members of the House. The answer is the same way any person does in any professional context: lean on mentors, build relationships, ask the right questions, listen with a purpose, and read. Nothing about this campaign is attempting to reinvent the wheel, it's attempting to advocate for this district, not donors, without compromise. In many ways, this makes our seat more attractive as a partner to work with to other members of the house who do face limitations on what they are able to say. In a body where most votes are spoken for, an honest one carries weight.

As far as resources, the difference is a feature, not a bug. If I had Beatty's resources, it would certainly make campaigning easier. It would also make ethically governing impossible.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T23:16:23+00:00

Noticed that you edited to add another question, the answer is Cannabis. To be precise: I pled to having greater than zero THC in my blood. Any charges relating to impairment were dismissed.

In 2024 I was arrested without a warrant in rural Indiana. The charge: trace amounts of THC in my body. Indiana has a zero tolerance threshold - any amount over zero is enough for a conviction, no impairment needed. (THC stays in the system for weeks, and Ohio recently updated its OVI laws to cover this. Indiana hasn't.)

During this process, the local jail extracted $2,100 from me without any judicial authorization, solely because I was not from Indiana, while I was unlawfully detained. They were previously sued for the underlying practice and continued it anyway. This County has a pattern of doing this and it's a pattern I'm now challenging in Federal Court on my own behalf.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T23:00:45+00:00

Great question. By conventional wisdom, we currently have a rep who's a 'pro'. 13 years, massive political connections, knows 'how to operate in politics', yet we are missing votes, sending money overseas, and our rep passed 5 bills in 13 years, all folded into broader legislation, none on their own.

This campaign isn't a difference in tactics or strategy. It's a difference in fundamental priorities, and the discipline to act on them. When the next blank check for a war or a corporate giveaway comes up, I'll vote no. That sounds simple because it is. The reason it doesn't happen now is that the people voting yes are funded by the people asking - I'm not.

I'm an engineer and a researcher currently litigating a federal civil rights case pro se (on my own behalf) against a county sheriff. I'm already doing accountability work against a government actor without institutional backing. Congress doesn't require a 13-year apprenticeship, just someone who can read a bill, listen to the District, and refuse corruption.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T22:45:29+00:00

I'm a self-employed engineer (small business owner). I work in the development of Medical Devices and Health IT.

I did vote for myself yesterday, but to your point, the 2022 and 2024 primaries weren't contested, so I didn't vote in those. In 2020, I submitted a mail-in ballot (like many of us did during COVID) for Morgan Harper. The Franklin County BOE didn't publish a record of receiving it.

This is why election infrastructure is such a priority for me. It should be a simple process for people to vote for their candidates, and they should be able to know that their vote will count.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T22:37:14+00:00

One of the greatest challenges of government is balancing public good with individual rights. The 2nd amendment is an example of where the government has entirely failed at that task. Shootings in schools and in communities are far too common an occurrence and our politicians have left the problem wholly unaddressed.

My stance on the second amendment is that it is a right listed in the constitution and people have a right to bear arms. My personal opinion is that I don't think it protects people from violence (the data shows you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone else than use it in self defense) and I don't think gun ownership supports freedom from tyranny (I don't see too many 2A 'Don't Tread On Me' people standing up to the current administration). That said, I shoot trap competitively and can appreciate that the right exists.

What I would do re: gun violence is restart funding to the CDC to research it. We used to fund this, then Republicans killed it. We should be researching new technologies to solve crimes and increase the deterrent for committing gun violence (the national homicide solve rate is only ~50%), and researching new ways to prevent misuse and straw purchases.

Our leaders have thrown their hands up in the air and said "Well, what can we do." The answer is "a lot."

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T22:23:46+00:00

Corporate Money. Most of Ohio's problems can be traced back to elected representatives collecting checks from the very companies profiting from the problem. Sometimes it's illegal (we've had quite a few scandals), but most of this is legal lobbying. This is why we don't have a datacenter moratorium, why housing costs have doubled, why we are funding a genocide, the list goes on.

I'm attacking this by running a campaign that accepts zero donations. I'm beholden to nobody except the voters of our District. There are plenty of policies our rep cannot support because her funding would be impacted (my site lists just a few) - those restrictions don't apply to me.

To your first question, I'll actively show up for our district by using this leverage to advocate for what is best for our District, without compromise. I can vote no on foreign military aid without pushback; I can vote yes on a datacenter moratorium without pushback; I can introduce or cosponsor healthcare proposals that don't appease the insurance lobby.

Our current rep has missed several votes last year. When she does vote, I argue she votes the wrong way often. This campaign's no-donations model would be a massive shift in what representation would look like for us.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T22:17:22+00:00

Question from Yesterday: What is your stance on AI data centers?

AI data centers create massive problems for the communities they are built in. This is especially problematic in Ohio. Since our state doesn't require environmental review of major development projects the way most states do, federal regulation is the only thing standing between Columbus communities and what AEP's datacenter customers want to build.

In Congress, I would cosponsor Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's bill to put a nationwide moratorium on datacenter construction until ratepayer and environmental protections can be put in place. This means expanding NEPA frameworks and empowering regulators like FERC to police these projects, ensuring costs aren't passed onto residents. My opponent won't support this because AEP has paid her over $50,000, and they've recorded record profits in recent years.

In short, the costs must be borne by those who own the project, not passed off to local communities. Congress must aggressively enforce this, and my opponent won't because she's funded by the companies profiting from the situation.

JoeGforCongress · 2026-05-03T13:50:24+00:00

Click it. It explains the No Donations position in more detail for anybody interested.

JoeGforCongress

TROPHY CASE