Tom Weiler is one of three Republicans who have announced their candidacy for the Congressional seat in the 3rd Congressional District.  We will cover all three prior to the CD3 endorsing convention on April 23

Tom Weiler has retired from the Navy, but his passion to serve his country remains strong.  He said that he has seen countries that don’t have our system of government, and it has reinforced his drive to serve and defend our nation.  He wants to ensure his children, and all other American children, have the opportunity to achieve their American dream.

Tom grew up and went to high school in Eden Prairie. Many of the friends he made while playing baseball and football have gone on to enjoy what he considers “very successful lives”:  solid careers, happy marriages, great families.  He is proud and thankful to have grown up with classical Midwestern values, where parents instilled the importance of service to community and country.
 
Weiler’s proudest memory while growing up occurred during a trip his family took to Washington DC his junior year.  While there, they encountered a March for Life.  With a mix of curiosity and passion, Tom skipped the museum and monument tours that his family had planned to join the march. He remembers it vividly because he stood up for his beliefs.
 
Tom was drawn to the University of Notre Dame because of football and faith – and a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corp scholarship. He graduated in 2000 with a degree in Civil Engineering and a commission in the US Navy.
 
For much of the next 20 years, Weiler’s Navy career was literally underwater, as a submarine officer.  He started out focused on the nuclear propulsion systems and worked his way up through the levels of responsibility in preparation to take command of a submarine.  His superior performance on front line submarines conducting missions vital to national security led to his selections for Submarine Command early, to be an aide to the Commander of the Pacific Fleet, and many other competitive assignments. 

Among Tom’s accomplishments on shore tours:

• Worked contingency planning in the Joint US European Command headquarters in Europe, including planning force protection measures in response to the Avian Flu pandemic.
• Served as a Legislative Defense Fellow assigned to Congressman Rob Wittman (R, VA), the ranking Republican on the House Armed Service Committee.
• Successfully completed the very demanding United Kingdom Submarine Commander Course. 
• Identified as the top-rated Executive Officer in his submarine squadron.
• Selected for a sought-after slot in the Political & Military Masters Program at Harvard and was accepted into Harvard’s Masters Program in Public Administration.
• Served as the Executive Assistant in the Office of Legislative Affairs in the Pentagon. 
• Served in the role of Strategic Communications for the Admiral for Undersea Warfare.

It was as Weiler was awaiting a return to sea duty and to take command of a submarine that he learned of the diagnosis of Early Onset Parkinson’s Disease.  It began as a twitch in his left thumb.  The progression of the disease has been slow, taking almost five years to progress to the tremor in his left hand.  In the last 18 months, the tremor has leveled off and not advanced.
 
The disease clearly does not impact Weiler's ability to excel in stressful jobs, as he continued to take on significant operational and academic challenges after he was diagnosed.

• Simultaneously completed his Harvard studies and his Masters in Public Administration in one year. 
• Attended the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University, where he studied strategic resourcing, focusing on the US energy infrastructure and critical resource planning and vulnerabilities, including pipelines and liquid natural gas transport.
• Completed a high profile, demanding job as a Military Assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
• Completed a tour as the Battle Watch Commander on the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, including a 8 month deployment to the Middle East.  

As a Candidate for Congress, his key concerns are crime, public safety and security, inflation and the economy, and the divisiveness in our country.  He feels that Dean Phillips has shown a lack of leadership in the US House.  Phillips’ voting record does not reflect the values of the voters in the 3rd Congressional District.  Weiler particularly cites Phillips’ support of the George Floyd Policing Act, with its negative impact on attracting and retaining police officers as violent crime has grown. 
 
Weiler is looking forward to bringing his knowledge of critical infrastructure and energy resources, his experience as a Department of Defense Military Aide, his insights from his tour as a Congressional staffer, and his 20 years of leadership and operational experience in the Submarine Force to campaign for the 3rd Congressional seat.

Tom Weiler is married and lives in Plymouth. For more information on Tom Weiler, please visit his campaign website at Tom Weiler for Congress.