113th Congress: Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla. (1st District)

By Stacey Skotzko, CQ Staff

Jim Bridenstine, a political newcomer, brings with him many professional experiences, namely nearly a decade of service as a Navy pilot, defense consulting work and two years as the director for the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium, where he lobbied for the placement of a retiring NASA space shuttle.

Socially and fiscally conservative, Bridenstine was supported by the tea party movement in his primary victory over incumbent John Sullivan and is expected to align well with the more conservative edge of the Republican Party. He wants to repeal the 2010 health care law, is critical of Federal Reserve quantitative easing and wants to see members of Congress spend less time in D.C. and be subject to term limits.

He will likely be used for his experience on homeland security matters — Bridenstine, currently in the Navy Reserve, has flown on counter-narcotics missions in Central and South America, in addition to serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. He wants a more secure border with Mexico and a greater federal effort to stop the drug trade.

Bridenstine moved to Tulsa when he was in his teens and was a prolific swimmer, winning a scholarship to Rice University. After almost 10 years in the Navy, he worked for Wyle Laboratories and Deloitte on network-centric warfare and Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye consulting.

In his spare time, has also owned a team in the rocket racing league.