Brandon Monhollen

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Brandon Monhollen

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 19, 2026

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1989 - 2017

Personal

Birthplace

Seattle, WA

Religion

Christian

Profession

Self-employed (construction)

Contact

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Brandon Monhollen (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Kentucky's 5th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on May 19, 2026.

Biography

Brandon Monhollen was born in Seattle, Washington. He served in the U.S. Army from 1989 to 2017. His career experience includes working self-employed in construction and with General Electric in management. Monhollen is affiliated with Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion, and AMVETS.

Elections

2026

See also: Kentucky's 5th Congressional District election, 2026

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Republican primary)

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 5

Incumbent Hal Rogers (R), Ned Pillersdorf (D), Gerardo Serrano (Independent), Mikel Wein (Independent), and Billy Ray Wilson (Independent) are running in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 5 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Hal Rogers (R)
		Ned Pillersdorf (D)
		Gerardo Serrano  (Independent)
		Mikel Wein  (Independent)
		Billy Ray Wilson (Independent) (Write-in)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for May 19, 2026, was canceled. Ned Pillersdorf (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 5 without appearing on the ballot.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 5

Incumbent Hal Rogers (R) defeated Kevin Smith (R), Benjamin Hurley (R), Brandon Monhollen (R), and Jerry Shelton (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 5 on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hal Rogers	77.4	81,554
		Kevin Smith	11.7	12,312
		Benjamin Hurley	5.3	5,537
		Brandon Monhollen	3.3	3,458
	Submit photo	Jerry Shelton	2.3	2,464

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 105,325
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jacob Trimble (R)

Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements and voter guide recommendations. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: Kentucky's 5th Congressional District election, 2024

Kentucky's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 5

Incumbent Hal Rogers won election in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 5 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hal Rogers (R)	100.0	261,407

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 261,407
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 5

Incumbent Hal Rogers defeated Dana Edwards, Brandon Monhollen, and David Kraftchak in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 5 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hal Rogers	81.8	39,423
		Dana Edwards	10.6	5,112
		Brandon Monhollen	5.5	2,673
		David Kraftchak	2.1	997

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,205
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Stephan Mazur (R)

Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements or voter guide recommendations for Monhollen in this election.

2022

See also: Kentucky's 5th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Kentucky District 5

Incumbent Hal Rogers defeated Conor Halbleib and Stephan Mazur in the general election for U.S. House Kentucky District 5 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hal Rogers (R)	82.2	177,712
		Conor Halbleib (D)	17.8	38,549
		Stephan Mazur (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	9

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 216,270
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Conor Halbleib advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 5.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 5

Incumbent Hal Rogers defeated Gerardo Serrano, Jeannette Andrews, Brandon Monhollen, and Richard Van Dam in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kentucky District 5 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Hal Rogers	82.6	77,050
		Gerardo Serrano	5.9	5,460
	Submit photo	Jeannette Andrews	4.5	4,160
		Brandon Monhollen	4.1	3,831
		Richard Van Dam	3.0	2,784

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 93,285
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brandon Monhollen did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brandon Monhollen did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brandon Monhollen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Monhollen's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Brandon Monhollen and I am running for the 5th district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. First and foremost I am a husband to my loving wife. I am a father and a step-father. I have 6 grandchildren and they are 6 of the reasons that I am running for congress. I am conservative and a Christian. I am a true believer in the Constitution and in protecting our rights and freedoms. I place the highest value in the Bill of Rights, the American Flag, our National Anthem, and the Pledge of Allegiance. I believe in liberty, fairness, equality, and justice for all. I’m Pro-Life, Pro-Gun, Pro-Law Enforcement, Pro-Border Security and Pro-Term Limits to name a few. I think Congress was originally meant to be a job and never to be a career. I’m against government mandates. I am a retired Army Veteran with a career that spanned almost 28 years. My time in the Army taught me things like Discipline, Integrity, Leadership, Selfless Service, and many other lifelong values. I am ready to serve both Kentuckians and out great nation again. I’m running a simple grassroots campaign. To date I have collected zero dollars in campaign donations because I am not soliciting or excepting donations of any kind. When I am elected I will be starting off with a clean slate and I will not owe anyone a favor of any kind. My only debt will be to my constituents and that’s the way I feel it should be. To truly get the country back on track we need a change in leadership. I am that Change!

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?

• One top priority is to focus on is improving education on all levels throughout my district. So many other issues can be improved upon through education. We must ensure our children are properly prepared. Not only preparing them to join the work force to boost our local economies but to also prepare them for the day to day obstacles and challenges that we all face throughout our lives.
• We have to boost our local economies and through education, technology, and collaboration, we can bring in outside businesses and companies. We also need reinvest in small business of all aspects. A key ingredient to this is to maximize the number of dollars that stay in out local communities and not in the pockets of the corporate giant.
• The health and happiness of people is very important. Statistically the residents of Eastern Kentucky as a whole are some of, if not the most, unhealth populaces in the United States. We have to get creative and innovative and tackle this issue head on. It's nice to have great healthcare but imagine if we could just become a little healthier in general to the point that we might not need as much healthcare to begin with.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm passionate about protecting our rights and our children. I think they go hand-in-hand. We must continue to battle the woke, liberal, socialist, progressives at all times. Their insane agenda are having adverse and negative affects on our children and could also affect our future generations. We must stay strong and persevere. I typically have a philosophy of "To each their own" or "You be you" but I draw the line when that isn't enough for some and their ultimate goal is to push their beliefs upon others through methods of indoctrination. In the United States of America we are afforded the freedoms to be whomever we want to be and whatever we want to do for the most part. Do that and be happy and leave others alone. One of the greatest documents in the world is The Constitution of The United States of America. A lot of countries around the world have used it as a template for their own constitutions which is an indication of it's value in regard to democracy. At all costs we must protect our rights and freedoms.

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

I would have to say my Grandpa Russ and Grandma Elaine. Although they are no longer with us they always set the best example for their children, grandchildren, and all those that they came in contact with.

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

Disciple, Integrity, Fiscal Responsibility, Selfless Service, Trustworthiness to name a few.

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

I'm disciplined to get the job dob done. I have integrity to complete the job properly. I am a good communicator and great at multitasking. I am a family man and a humble person. I can relate to everyday average Kentuckians. I am honest and trustworthy. My name and my word mean everything to me. I am a leader and I lead from the front.

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

It's all about the people. Equally representing all constituents as a whole and not just certain individuals.

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

I would have to say it was in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan and others were shot. I would have been 9 years old at the time.

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

Besides agriculture jobs like bucking hay, picking spinach or picking raspberries as a young teenager my first official job was an egg collector at a chicken farm. I worked on weekends and throughout the summer for about a year.

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

Don't Fear the Reaper by B.O.C.

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

The House of Representatives is known as "The People's House" because through the election process regular people like myself have the opportunity to serve our communities, states, and our great nation. It's uniqueness is that it directly and most of the time equally represents the citizen of our country.

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

Sure. Experience comes in many forms and from many different places.

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

Our greatest challenge is going to be fixing everything the Biden administration has screwed up. Economy, relationship with other governments, our national pride and dignity, border security, opioid and fentanyl crisis, inflation............need I go on?

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

Armed Services, Veterans' Affairs, Intelligence, Joint Committee on Taxation

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

Yes

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I am for term limits. Congress should be a job and not a career. A person would be eligible to serve in both the House and the Senate if their constituents deemed them worthy. After both limits were met they could run for President, start a different career, or simply retire and enjoy the rest of their days on this earth with their family and friends.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Depends on the policy. Sometime compromise is necessary but other times we need to dig in and hold our ground.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

I think the ultimate goal of Congress to be to figure out how to "Balance the Budget". That term seems an impossibility these days. I think Congress needs to be more fiscally responsible with the people's money. Maybe if waste was eliminated in government we wouldn't struggle so badly with raising revenue.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Brandon Monhollen campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Kentucky District 5	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2024	U.S. House Kentucky District 5	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2022	U.S. House Kentucky District 5	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? Kentucky U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. CongressState executivesState legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal governmentList of school districts in Kentucky

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External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Kentucky District 5

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Footnotes

[show]

Kentucky's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mitch McConnell (R)

Rand Paul (R)

Representatives

District 1

James Comer (R)

District 2

Brett Guthrie (R)

District 3

Morgan McGarvey (D)

District 4

Thomas Massie (R)

District 5

Hal Rogers (R)

District 6

Andy Barr (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (1)

Capital: Frankfort

Kentucky

Elections

What's on my ballot? • Elections in 2026 • How to vote • How to run for office • Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? • U.S. President • U.S. Congress • Federal courts • State executives • State legislature • State and local courts • Counties • Cities • School districts • Public policy