Jake Merrick

Jake Merrick earned a B.S. in Biblical studies and art from Dallas Baptist University in 2003 and a graduate degree in Biblical languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2006.[1][2] Merrick's career experience includes owning Merrick Fence Company, founding and working as the president of Paraklete, Inc., and founding True Cross Training.[1]

Jake Merrick did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Jake Merrick did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Jake Merrick did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Before all things, I am a follower of Jesus. I am a proud husband to an amazing woman and the father of two incredible girls. I list these first because all other things in my life may change, but these things will always remain.

I am also a business owner who believes in the free market and the entrepreneur spirit which is indelibly connected to freedom. I believe governments role is to provide for the common defense and ensure infrastructures are sound. Beyond this, it is the job of the individual to seize the opportunity provided and run toward success.

I am a coach, a pastor, and a teacher, and I believe in the potential of free men to rise and be all they were created to be. My greatest joy is helping people realize, understand, and walk out their destiny.

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?

Ensure Proper Role of Government - Limited Power. Protection of Inidividual Rights to Life, Liberty, and Property.Ensure Government Serves to Protect the Innocent and the Vulnerable Ensure Government is Balanced and Prosperous

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ensure Proper Role of Government:

- We must ensure our government remains strong, yet limited in power. Support for an alternate form of government - socialism - grows. Yet, I believe our original form - a capitalistic republic - remains the greatest and most necessary to ensure true freedom is guaranteed for us and our children. Individual rights and individual potential must be protected and promoted.

- I will fight for our freedom to gather for worship, freedom to decide what is best for ourselves and our family (Including vaccination choice), and freedom to arm ourselves to ensure tyranny and violence is kept at bay.

Protect the Innocent and Vulnerable:

- I will fight to end abortion immediately and absolutely. Life begins at conception and must be protected.

- Along with abortion, human trafficking is an evil that must be opposed and ended.

- I will fight for our seniors to ensure social security medicare remains funded.

- Our veterans deserve the greatest respect and honor. More needs to be done to see that they receive the best medical care

and treatment for mental illness.

Ensure Government is Balanced and Prosperous:

- I will continue to insist on a balanced budget.

- Strong businesses create a strong economy. We need a strong American manufacturing infrastructure

- Tax Reform must happen. I will fight to see the end of the IRS and the institution of the Fair Tax.

- Healthcare Reform will contribute to a balanced budget

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

The supreme example is Jesus. He is alive, and leads me in the way that is right. I follow him on a daily basis because he has transformed me from the inside out, and it is His plan that will ultimately succeed over all others.

In addition, I look up to others who also recognize Him are willing to follow Him regardless of how unorthodox or unpopular it may appear. These include: King David, Joan of Arc, John Q. Adams, Frederick Douglass, Harriett Tubman, and Donald J. Trump.

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

The Bible - It explains the origin of the inalienable rights mentions in our Constitution.

The Law by Frederic Bastiat

Plato's Republic

Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle

Ethics by Thomas Aquinas

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

Humility - the ability to serve and place the will and benefit of the people above his/her own.

Integrity - the determination to follow through and keep one's word long after the promise is made and the election is over.

Faith - An understanding that there is a greater power from whom we all proceed, for whom we ultimately exist, and to whom we are all accountable.

Understanding - A knowledge of the fundamental principles on which and for which our Constitution was written.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a servant leader. I know how to listen and relate to people, and I have a great interest in helping people improve, develop, and succeed.

I have great faith, and I know and understand those eternal principles, where they came from, and how they are supposed to be the foundation for all decisions.

I have great endurance because "quit" is not in my vocabulary.

I understand what it means to give all for a cause, and I am not afraid to face giants. In fact, the bigger the challenge, the more motivated I become.

I am patient and know how to work with people of differing opinion/beliefs while maintaining a firm position in what I believe is right and true.

I have a clear understanding of where we came from as a nation, and I understand what it takes to ensure we remain the greatest nation on earth.

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

To empower the voice of the people, to guarantee the rights of people, and to limit the power of government.

I like what Frederic Bastiat said, "Life, liberty, and property do no exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place."

It is important to remember that government is a consequential and necessary response to that which preceded it. And if something precedes something, then it is by nature greater than that thing. The rights of men existed before government. Government does not exist to give men rights. Government exists to ensure those rights given by God are protected.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to be known as one who inspired people to be great. I want to be remembered as one who united people under a greater cause - the cause of freedom.

I would like to be known for doing what others said was impossible. I want to solve the big problems and fight big fights.

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

The first historical even that made an impact on me was the Murrah bombing in 1995. I was 14 years old at the time. I remember hearing about it as I was on the school bus home, and when we got home my parents told me more of what happened. This was the first time I had sensed the vulnerability resulting from terrorism, and it awakened an awareness that there were truly evil men out to destroy the innocent.

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

My first job was working as a ranch hand for day wages on the Y Ranch in Texas. This experience was unforgettable and invaluable. I learned how to rise early, work until the job was done, and appreciate every moment. It was hard and unforgiving, but it laid a foundation of discipline, patience, and strength that I have been able to build on.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The conflict within the Count that moved him to develop elaborate plots to exact revenge on his enemies is not only extremely entertaining, but it points to the twisted nature of man when he takes on the responsibility of being God.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Rewrite the Stars" by Zac Efron and Zendaya (from the movie The Greatest Showman)

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have struggled with how to do what is great while attending to what is necessary. I've wrestled with how to balance the desire to immerse myself in the pursuit of knowledge and eternal priorities while attending to daily responsibilities to provide for my family. This struggle has helped me see the greatness in what some would consider common or mundane. There is beauty in the struggle, and there is a connection between what is temporary and what is greater. This struggle has created a resolve in me to always hold the eternal and ideal close, and to enjoy the demands of the daily schedule knowing they are intimately connected.

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

I love what James Madison said about the House of Representatives. He said it was a legislative body with

"an immediate dependence on, and intimate sympathy with, the people." Representatives are those elected officials who represent the popular will of the people. They should be the most connected with the people they represent. The fact that they are elected every two years is meant to ensure they stay in tune with the voice and desires of the people.

The House has the sole right of impeachment. We have been witness over the last year how vital it is we have representatives with integrity, morals, and common sense because of this very important responsibility. This power was abused in 2019, and we need to ensure it will not be abused again.

The House also has the unique power to originate revenue bills. Again, this is critical in this time when we are seeing massive spending and a relenting increase in our national debt. We need to ensure we have representative who can prioritize spending.

The House shares lawmaking responsibility with the Senate.

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

I do believe this can help in understanding the legislative "system" and the process involved working with committees, formulating bills, debating on the floor, and passing laws. However, there is also a benefit to those who may not have previous experience in that they come fresh eagerness to engage in the process with a hope to change things instead of "falling in line" and succumbing to political pressure to conform.

Trump has set a new precedent for having no prior political experience. We are seeing one of the greatest Presidents in our history rise and do things others with political experience have failed to do. Trump is setting a new standard and opening a new door of opportunity for those who want to contribute and fight for real change in America whether they have former political experience or not.

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

Emphasizing and inculcating fundamental values once again into our children. Yes, we have tremendous national debt. Yes, we need border security, tax reform, healthcare reform, and social security reform. We need Voter ID, a stronger American infrastructure, and protection of the 2nd Amendment. But, I ask the question: if the next generation drifts from a fundamental understanding of the origin and the power of individual freedom and choose to fight for a socialist system in the next ten years, what good will any of the aforementioned issues be? THE most urgent issue today should be a re-visitation and emphasis on the origin and foundation of our country by men who believed in God and involved God in every process. We need an accurate teaching and telling of our history.

Values and morals connected to an awareness of a Higher Power will be the only long-term solution to save our country. Protecting innocent life does not make sense where there is a misunderstanding of life. Life can only be sacred if it comes from a source outside of nature. We have journeyed down a God-less path for far too long, and the America we see today is the result. We need prayer back in schools. We need Intelligent Design taught to our children.

Generation after generation is drifting further and further from common sense. We cannot command common sense. Common sense comes from a fundamental understanding of origin. Our unalienable rights came from the Creator. To deny the Creator is to dismiss that which comes from him.

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

I have interest in the following committees. However, I am willing to serve on any committee where I could be most useful and contribute the most for the good of the country.

Ethics

Agriculture

Education and the Workforce

Homeland Security

Science, Space, and Technology

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

I do. The House is supposed to be branch most in touch with the will of the people. Being up for re-election every two years ensures they remain a true representative of the people. If they prove to fail to represent their district accurately, the people have the opportunity to elect someone who they feel better represents them.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe we need term limits to weed out career politicians and ensure those who are in places of governmental authority are there to serve rather than advance a personal agenda.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

Yes, I would be interested in a leadership position in any of the committees listed above, especially the Ethics committee.

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

I appreciate the bold leadership of Jim Jordan, Dan Crenshaw, and Louie Gohmert are three that immediately come to mind. They are bold, clear, and steadfast in their position as a voice for their conservative constituents.

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?

In Asher Oklahoma I walked up to a shack that was barely standing with no front door. The only reason I assumed someone lived there was because of the dog barking on the front porch. I waited at the locked gate for a moment and was about to walk away when I saw a man's shadow darken the doorway. He was an elderly gentleman and did not appear thrilled about my presence. I told him I was running for Congress in his district and I was wondering if there was anything he would like for his representative to know.

He promptly stepped off his porch step, shirtless and scowling, locking eyes with me the whole way across his yard. He didn't hesitate, "I'm going to tell you one thing and then I want you to go because I'm going to get furious just talking about it. You're probably just like all the rest of them who make big promises but never do anything. But here's my question: Why doesn't the government care about old folks in this nation who are barely able to make it. Why don't they do something for the vets like me instead of sending all the money overseas to help other people who ain't even American! If you get elected, just DO SOMETHING FOR AMERICA!"

Then he turned and stormed back into his shack. I heard the inaudible slam of the invisible door, and I felt the blood leave my face. I was hearing from a true American - a veteran - who felt voiceless and ignored.

I couldn't speak during his abrupt rant, but as I processed his words at his gate, I finally replied - partly to him, and mostly to myself - "I will." And then I prayed, "God help me always remember this man."