Van Hilleary

Hilleary obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee and a law degree from Samford University. He served for two years in the U.S. Air Force and for 11 years in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He worked as business executive and an attorney in private practice. Hilleary served as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.).[1]

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Campaign websiteHilleary's campaign website stated the following:Public SafetyPresident Trump promised to restore order in this country. Van is going to Congress to make sure that promise is kept. Every single day.Safe communities aren’t a luxury or a talking point – they’re the foundation that everything else is built on. When that foundation cracks, families move, businesses close, and neighborhoods hollow out. Van has watched too many communities go through exactly that, and he’s tired of politicians treating it like an abstract debate.Safe communities aren’t a luxury or a talking point, they’re the foundation that everything else is built on. When that foundation cracks, families move, businesses close, and neighborhoods hollow out. President Trump has been clear about what it takes: back law enforcement, secure the border, hold criminals accountable. No excuses. No exceptions. Van has watched too many communities deteriorate while politicians debated. He’s done watching.President Trump set the course on public safety. Van’s going to hold the line. No deals, no drift, no excuses. The revolving door closes. The border closes. That’s the mission.Policy PositionsStand with President Trump: fully fund and support local law enforcementHold violent repeat offenders accountable — back the President’s zero-tolerance agendaFinish the wall, secure the border — complete what President Trump startedProtect Second Amendment rights — fight any attempt to roll back what the President has defendedAffordabilityHard work used to mean getting ahead. Now it just means keeping up – if you’re lucky. That’s not acceptable. Van will work with President Trump to put money back in Tennessee families’ pockets.Groceries, gas, rent, insurance, healthcare – every single line on the family budget has gotten worse.Washington has spent recklessly, regulated relentlessly, and then acted surprised when prices blew up. Van saw the seeds of this dysfunction planted over years of bad priorities and runaway spending. The cure isn’t more government – that’s what caused the disease. Real affordability means getting government out of the way: cutting red tape, unleashing American energy, and ending the spending addiction that quietly taxes every family in this country.Policy PositionsSupport President Trump’s spending cuts – vote to end the waste, every timeSlash job-killing regulations driving up costs for small businesses and familiesBack President Trump’s energy agenda to release American EnergyOppose any tax hikesFreedomFreedom isn’t a talking point for Van Hilleary – it’s what he served to protect and what he’s going back to defend.Freedom is not just the absence of tyranny – it’s the presence of real opportunity. The ability to start a business, raise your kids according to your values, speak your mind without being canceled, and live your life without a bureaucrat second-guessing every decision you make. President Trump has made the restoration of that freedom the defining mission of his presidency. Van has believed this his entire career and he’s going back to Washington to be the fighter the President needs beside him.Policy PositionsFight with President Trump against censorship and the weaponization of governmentPush back hard on federal agency interference in local schools, businesses, and communitiesChampion parents’ rights and support President Trump’s education freedom agenda at every turnProtect the Sanctity of LifeAmerican EnergyWe are sitting on an ocean of energy and paying enemies to drill it for us. That’s not a policy – that’s a navigational failure. And Van knows how to correct course.America has more energy resources than almost any nation on Earth – coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear capacity, and more. We could be energy dominant: cheaper power at home, stronger leverage abroad, good-paying jobs for American workers. Instead, Washington spent years kneecapping domestic production in the name of ideology while families and factories paid the price at the meter and the pump.A C-130 navigator doesn’t abandon the aircraft because the instruments are reading wrong – he corrects the heading and gets back on course. That’s what Van intends to do with American energy policy. An all-of-the-above strategy that keeps the lights on today, builds honestly toward tomorrow, and makes sure the communities that have powered this country for generations aren’t left behind in the process.Policy PositionsBack President Trump’s full energy dominance agendaReverse every Biden-era energy restriction that killed jobs and drove up pricesFight for true American energy independence and stop funding adversaries who want us weakProtect Tennessee energy workers— Van Hilleary's campaign website (May 29, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.