By Paul Bonnette
Chairman of the Bay County Republican Party, former Deputy Communications Director for the House Financial Services Committee and Bay County native, Tho Bishop has had an interest in politics and economics from a young age. The Arnold High School graduate has gone on to not only a political career in Washington but also worked as a political columnist with articles featured in The Washington Times, The Federalist, the Daily Caller, Business Insider and on The Rush Limbaugh Show.
“I came into it from a very political family,” explains Bishop. “My father, Buddy Bishop was the communications director for the National Republican Party in the 1970s and so I grew up being involved in campaigns from a very early age. From that experience, I became very interested in learning more about the substance of politics and economics. In 2011, I was given an opportunity in Washington DC for the House Financial Services Committee, under Chairman Spencer Bachus. From there I became the Deputy Communications Director where we worked on questions dealing with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after the great recession and the housing bubble. I moved back down to Panama City in 2013 and have been active in local politics ever since.”
After moving back to Bay County, Bishop became the Chairman of the Bay County Republican Party, an experience that according to Bishop is one that he wouldn’t trade for anything.
“It’s been great, mainly because the people who want to get involved, they aren’t doing so for social clout. The people who get involved are very passionate about the real issues that the country is facing. One of our big priorities is to identify some of those most important issues whether it is defending health freedom, standing up for election integrity, opposing tax increases and most importantly, getting people active within local races and local politics.”
For Bishop, helping to spread the word about the importance of getting out and voting to make their voices heard is an issue that he plans on fighting for.
“I think that the stakes of the election is something everyone feels. The economic situation is so prevalent… That’s where having as many fun, accessible events like doing our boat parade so that people see the Republican Party actively where they are, rather than forcing people to come to us, so making sure that we maximize our vote count here in this important election.”
One of the most popular events that Bay County Republican Party holds is the Boat Parade which is an event that Bishop looks forward to.
“One of our big staples every year has been a big Boat Parade, where we have hundreds of boats and people that do the boat parade through the Bay and then we have a big beach rally at Shell Island. Part of that is making average citizens feel engaged and to be part of it.”
Today, Tho Bishop continues to encourage Bay County residents to be informed on the issues that are important both to the country and their community.
“My interest and activity in politics is motivated by concerns of what is going on in our country. My passion is economics. My passion is trying to help on the education side of things so that the younger generations feel that they can have better opportunities.”
