Jerrod Sessler | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 26, 1969 Prosser, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Highline College Kennedy Western University (BA) |
| NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series | |
| Years active | 1998–2002 |
Jerrod Sessler (born August 26, 1969) is an American far-right [1] [2] [3] [4] political candidate and former NASCAR driver. He drove the #4 Ford Taurus in the Whelen All-American Series and the now-defunct NASCAR Northwest Series, [5] [6] which also had Greg Biffle and Kevin Hamlin as drivers.
From 1987 to 1989, Sessler was a Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class on the USS Constellation (CV-64). [7] [8] He is a Stage IV cancer survivor [9] who maintains a vegan, raw foods diet. [10]
He moved to Burien, Washington in 1974 and was recognized as Burien's 1st Gold Member by Discover Burien in 2015. [11]
He is the founder of HomeTask.com. [12] One subsidiary, Yellow Van Handyman, was recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a "Franchise 500" firm in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013. [13]
Sessler lived in King County until he ran for public office in 2022, promptly buying a ranch in Yakima. After losing the primary, he moved back to King County. In 2024, he moved back to Yakima to run for office. [14]
Sessler was in Washington, D.C. when the attack on the Capitol occurred, and subsequently stated that he did not breach the Capitol. Sessler has made unsubstantiated claims that the riot was a "setup" perpetrated by paid "agitators" and the FBI meant to discredit Donald Trump and his supporters. [15] He has made false and discredited claims of election fraud in regard to the 2020 presidential election, including claims that Trump won. [16]
Sessler has made Anti-Islam comments, including his belief that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in Congress. [17] On an X post, he doubled down on these claims, responding that "[w]hat I said is true...it is nonsensical for people who love and appreciate all that it is to be American to vote for a Muslim, especially a radical one. Just because it is legal doesn’t mean it is helpful to the country, to our kids or to our future." [18]
Sessler supports implementing a federal 30% sales tax nationwide on all goods in an effort to contribute to reducing the deficit and paying down the national debt. [19] This was previously a major part of Sessler's platform, however after receiving criticism over his support of such a policy, all mentions of have now been deleted from his campaign website, although he has not explicitly retracted his support from the policy. [19]
In 2022, The Tri-City Herald newspaper reported that taxes were past due on Sessler's Benton County property. [20]
In 2022, Sessler was accused of making threats towards a Benton County code enforcement officer when he visited Sessler's property to investigate a claim that someone on his property was living in a house under construction. As reported by the Tri-City Herald, Sessler told the officer that he would get his gun and "deal with him" if the officer returned to the property. [21]
Sessler ran for the United States House of Representatives in 2022 as a member of the Republican Party in Washington's 4th congressional district against incumbent Dan Newhouse, but lost in the primary. [22] [23]
Sessler announced a second bid for Washington's 4th congressional district in 2024, once again challenging Newhouse. His campaign received the endorsement of former president Trump. [24] [25] In the blanket primary on August 6, Sessler came in first and advanced to the general election against Newhouse. Sessler announced a series of seven debates against Newhouse, whose campaign had not agreed to participate on those specific dates. [26]
In January 2025, Sessler announced a third bid for Congress in Washington D.C. while at a rally supporting the January 6 rioters. [27]