Content warning: This Q&A contains inflammatory views about trans people, Somalis, and Islam. We publish candidate responses as they are to give voters an understanding of the candidates’ views.
The Mississippi Free Press sent the following questionnaire to U.S. House candidate Erik Kiehle, who is running as a Libertarian to represent Mississippi’s 3rd congressional district in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
We present his responses with only light edits for clarity. Candidate responses do not reflect the views of the Mississippi Free Press or its staff.
Tell us about yourself, your background and past political or professional experience.
I was born and raised (*mostly) in California. My father was trained as a pilot during his Coast Guard service, and then was an airline pilot for Pan Am and United Airlines. He flew everything from twin engine seaplanes for the Coast Guard to 727s, 767s, and 747s for the airlines. (*We lived in West Berlin for 3 years in the late 1970s when my dad flew for Pan Am, but I was only 4-7 and don’t remember much). My mother was a stay at home mom. I have two younger siblings who are twins. My brother was a career USMC for 22 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. My sister was Air Force Reserves then followed our father and became an airline pilot. I was always interested in technology, business, and real estate. I graduated with a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside. While there I created and led the UCR Macintosh Users Group to introduce and educate fellow students to personal computers. This was the era of dialup and home computers were still rare and expensive. That was the beginning of many volunteer positions I have had through the years. After graduation, I worked in the software and computer industries in California. I was a global sales and education representative for a software company in the late 1990s, traveling the USA and Europe for computer trade shows, sales and training. I bought my first tiny home in 1999. It was a HUD repo and I qualified for an FHA loan. Then in 2000 I took a position as a K-12 education Field Systems Engineer for Apple computer. In 2002 I took a position in Apple HQ as a Senior Support Engineer working and coordinating directly with the Apple engineering teams and global contact centers that provided Customer Service.
I met and married my (now ex-) wife in California. She was born and raised in Meridian/Lauderdale County and moved to California as a travel nurse. We were set up on a blind date, and eloped 30 days later. In 2005 my father passed at 67 from cancer. In 2006 we had a son, who is now 20 and a student at Meridian Community College. In 2006 I was also volunteering as a member of the City of Campbell, CA Parks and Recreation Commission, and as Secretary for our neighborhood community swimming club. We moved from California to Eugene, Oregon in October of 2006. My then-wife had accepted a nursing Director position there, and I shifted to be a stay-at-home dad to our then 9 mo son, and her son (then 6) from her previous marriage. I was everything a stay at home parent is, chauffeur, diaper changer, grocery shopper, cook, laundry, cleaner, and everything else. I also volunteered during those years in Eugene, OR as Treasurer for the Eugene Parks Foundation.
In 2010 we moved to Abilene, TX where my ex was hired to be Chief Nursing Officer of a hospital. In 2014 we were blessed with the birth of our daughter (now 11). I continued to be the at-home parent while also volunteering as co-Treasurer for the PTO/PTA, and on the technology/media team of our church. In 2016 we suffered a fire in our home in the middle of the night. Our home was damaged and required many months of repairs before we would be able to move back in. My then-wife was able to transfer to a remote position with the parent company of the hospital, and we moved in 2017 to Meridian, MS to be closer to her family. My mother passed in April of 2017. My parents had bought their California home in 1970 and when my siblings and I sold it I was able to use my portion of the estate to purchase commercial real estate in Meridian, MS. Since 2018 I’ve been working as a Property Manager for my commercial properties. Here in Lauderdale County I am honored to have joined two of our local Volunteer Fire Departments. I took the Volunteer Fire Fighter course offered by Lauderdale County and passed the exam at the MS State Fire Academy to become a fully certified MS Volunteer Firefighter. Our 20 yo son is also taking the course this year, in addition to his studies at Meridian Community College.
In 2020 my ex filed for divorce. Legally divorced in Jan 2022, we are still in an active custody and asset battle 5+ years later. I have grown very concerned over the destruction of the family, and how courts treat children, mothers, and fathers. The way divorces and custody are handled is one thing I will work to change as a Congressman.
Background Summary:
Family history of military service with the experience of a sibling going away for 7 combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Real estate owner, manager, and investor since 1999
Employment history in retail, field sales and training, and senior systems support at a Fortune 100 global tech company.
Married for 17 years, with children
Personal history of volunteer and community service over 30 years.
What does Mississippi need most from Congress? What are our most pressing issues for Congress to solve?
U.S. House Rep. Michael Guest ran unopposed in 2024. That should never happen. It’s not a democracy if we voters don’t have any choices on the ballot. I’m running in 2026 because We The People need real change in Washington, D.C. As a Libertarian Party candidate, I offer voters something new and different, a complete shift away from the corrupt two-party system that has dominated American politics for decades. Too often Republicans cry about a third party “splitting the vote.”Republicans feel entitled to the votes of the people, but that’s not how it works. Every eligible voter owns their own vote, and they will grant that to the candidate whom they feel will best represent them. Republican incumbent Michael Guest is going to have to fight for the votes of the people, because I think I’m the better candidate who will take the MS-03 seat from him.
Mississippi and the rest of America need what voters clearly demanded in 2024, a government focused on America-First. Voters want an end to the Ukraine conflict spending, to end corrupt and wasteful spending, secure elections, and a government where transparency and accountability happen every day.
As Congressman for MS-03, I will vote against all spending bills that add to the federal deficit and contain earmarks. Yes, I do intend to always vote NO until we can get clean bills that balance spending with income. I will vote to end any and all financial or military aid to Ukraine, Israel, or any other foreign nation. America First means AMERICA FIRST. We can’t be robbing taxpayers through the income tax to turn around and gift that money to foreign nations. I will vote to impeach AG Pam Bondi, FBI Director Patel, and everyone else responsible for redacting the names of the guilty in the Epstein Files. This is a national security threat that must be addressed for the future of America. As of today, Rep. Guest, U.S. Sen. Wicker, and U.S. Sen. Hyde-Smith have scrubbed any and all mentions of Jeffrey Epstein from their websites and social media. The Republican White House, House, Senate, DOJ, and FBI are all covering up for those who committed horrendous crimes. Each and every one of those criminals is a blackmail target by hostile powers. The Epstein pedophile and blackmail scandal is the biggest National Security risk we face today.
What are your views on immigration and ICE, particularly in light of the Trump administration’s nationwide immigration enforcement actions and the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti?
I lived in California and saw the impact of legal and illegal immigration reshape the cities and state. In 1994 I joined with 59% of Californians voting FOR Proposition 187 which would prevent funding from going to illegals. (Fed court injunction and subsequent Democratic governor killed the will of the voters and 187 was never implemented). In America we are literally paying to incentivize foreigners to invade our country illegally by offering welfare, free medical care, free schooling, and other programs which take away from Americans and legal immigrants. In 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed an amnesty for illegals present at that time. It was supposed to be part of a deal with Congress for border security and immigration reform, but that part of the bargain never happened. Now, FORTY YEARS LATER, illegal immigration is a national crisis. In the 4 years of the Biden/Harris administration it’s estimated more than 10 million foreigners invaded our borders. Add onto that the “legal” “refugee” programs during the Biden term, and it’s estimated 15-20 million foreigners came to our country in just 4 years. We really have no idea how many illegals are here. Estimates are between 20-80 million. Since the 1986 amnesty, I believe it’s 50 million. These are not the legal immigrants who have followed our nation’s laws and procedures. These are people who broke into our country, overstayed visas, or had refugee claims processed and denied but then refused to leave. Approximately 16 million Americans fought in World War 2. That means just during the Biden administration we had the entirety of the American WW2 forces enter our country. More than triple that since 1986. Some of these people are seeking a better life, but they have broken our laws and need to be returned to their home countries. Many more are criminals, and urgently need to be tracked down and removed. CPB is offering free airfare and $2,600 for people to self-deport. For the rest, ICE/CPB is doing the absolutely critical job of enforcing US law. The Constitution delegates the power over immigration to the federal government. States and cities that harbor illegals under so-called “sanctuary” policies are endangering our communities and country. Walz and Frey should have gotten the same treatment as Maduro and been arrested for their actions which violate federal law.
Illegal immigrants also negatively distort the housing, job, and education systems. All those 50 million illegals compete for homes, jobs, and space at schools, unfairly disadvantageing American students and workers. Throughout human history illegal invaders were shot or killed when they invaded a foreign land. Today we round them up with CPB/ICE/DHS, make sure their needs are covered while in custody, and then put them on a plane back to their home country. Deportation is the moderate solution. ALL the illegals need to be sent home.
That’s my position on illegal immigrants.
“Legal” immigrants such as “refugees” (anyone crossing the border utters “asylum” and are counted as “legal” “refugees”) are an additional problem. The Somalian community committed billions of dollars in fraud and is stealing taxpayer’s money, even sending it overseas to criminal organizations. It’s literally the looting of America, and it must be stopped. All asylum and refugee programs must be halted until we can process the years of backlogged cases and ensure full assimilation of the immigrants already here.
Please understand that as fervently as I’m against illegal immigrants and fake “legal” “refugees,” I’m also for good legal immigration. My father’s family emigrated in the mid-1800s. My mother’s grandfather came in the early 1900s. My cousin is married to an immigrant. My girlfriend is a first-generation American born to legal immigrants. All of those immigrants came legally, by following American laws and procedures. As a nation we can benefit by having the best and brightest move to America, but they MUST follow our laws and the process.
Renee Good and Alex Pretti were out demonstrating and interfering with lawful ICE operations on behalf of foreign invaders.
Renee Good used her vehicle to create a roadblock. That’s not protesting, that’s interfering. She then refused orders to exit her vehicle and operated it in a way that endangered law enforcement. She should not have created a roadblock. She should not have refused to exit her vehicle. She should not have operated her vehicle in a way that endangered others. It shouldn’t have happened. She wasted her life in support of dangerous foreign invaders. She should have stayed home or protested on the sidewalk or other safe and appropriate places.
Alex Pretti was shown in videos to have interfered and harassed ICE on multiple occasions. In the beginning of the viral video he was seen in the middle of the road obstructing traffic and acting in an irrational manner. He went armed, then there was confusion as to whether he was still armed when he was resisting arrest. It shouldn’t have happened. He shouldn’t have wasted his life on behalf of dangerous foreign invaders. He should have stayed home or protested on the sidewalk or other safe and appropriate places.
People must be reminded to keep protests out of the road. That simple of a thing would have kept Renee and probably Alex alive.
I’ve gone to protests. I protested as a student at UC Riverside. I protested in downtown San Francisco against the 2003 Iraq war. Protesting is a 1st Amendment right. Owning and bearing arms is a 2nd Amendment right. Obstructing traffic, creating roadblocks, interfering with law enforcement, and resisting arrests are not protesting, they’re criminal acts. I’ve been arrested more than once over the years. (All charges or cases dropped, arrests expunged.) I never resisted arrest because of the reality of the situation. Police have a badge, a gun, handcuffs, and the backing of the government. Right or wrong, if they decide to arrest you, they WILL arrest you, and will use ANY force to conduct that arrest. Take the arrest and fight for yourself in court, not against an arresting officer.
What are your views on abortion, IVF, birth control and reproductive care?
Abortion is not a federal matter. The 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling clarified abortion policy is a matter for the individual States. The U.S. Government should not fund abortion. Personal, charity, or other sources can fund it for those who choose it.
IVF and reproductive care are immensely personal matters. My ex and I had trouble conceiving. We used a fertility clinic and IUI trying to get pregnant with our daughter. It was a long, emotional, and expensive process. Miscarriages happen, and those are emotionally devastating. These are matters best left to the families involved, their medical insurance, and perhaps the States to set policy. The U.S. Government should not fund it, or prevent it.
Birth Control has been in use forever. Whether tracking fertility cycles, use of condoms, physical barriers, or chemical means, birth control is available at low or no cost to anyone. The U.S. Government should neither fund, promote, or inhibit people from using birth control.
What are your views on transgender issues and bans or restrictions on gender-affirming care, bathroom use, sports participation and military service?
LGB rights have been established law for decades. You can see my 2008 comment on legalization of gay marriage in California here: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Should-same-sex-couples-be-allowed-to-marry-in-3282806.php
In 2015 the SCOTUS ruled that all states must allow and recognize same sex marriages. LGB have all the same rights and responsibilities under the Constitution, federal laws and State laws as heterosexual couples.
Trans people need psychiatric care. We are born with XX or XY chromosomes. People should use the appropriate bathrooms and participate in sports or the military according to their XX or XY biological reality. It is my view that parents, schools, and teachers who support or encourage gender confusion or ambiguity among minors are committing child abuse.
What are your policy views on improving health-care access?
The health care experience for individuals and families has been in decline since the 1980s. The federal government should repeal the failed Obamacare law and repeal all other federal laws regarding health care. Health care insurance is not an enumerated power of the Constitution. Therefore in accordance with the 10th Amendment healthcare policy should be set by the individual States as residents of those states may decide. Frankly most are too young now to remember before health insurance was commonplace and family medical doctors billed families directly for services. The insurance industry has grown like a cancer to consume vast amounts of money which acts as a barrier between patients and doctors.
What are your views on artificial intelligence and AI regulation?
AI is bleeding edge technology. Most in D.C. have no concept of what it is, or may become. There is a lot of potential. The policy area that is important for the U.S. government to act upon is ensuring the electrical supply and reliability of America’s aging power networks. America has tapped most of the hydro resources. Wind, solar, coal, natural gas, and nuclear power generation need to be encouraged to meet America’s growing energy needs. There are 3 electrical grids on the continental U.S. (West, East, and Texas). They are interconnected and function reasonably well. We need to retire nuclear plants that have outlived their original duration plans and build new power plants of all types, while ensuring only the minimum regulations are in force to ensure safe operations.
What are your views on climate change and the role the government should play?
When I was in high school, we were all going to die of acid rain. Then we were supposed to be entering a new ice age or global cooling period. Then that was flipped to global warming. Then they couldn’t really decide what would happen, so they just changed to call it “Climate Change”. The Earth is resilient. It’s been here for billions of years before we humans came along. It had periods with much, much higher and much, much lower global temperatures. That big ball of gas in the sky is the biggest influence on Earth’s climate. Every day the sun warms us 10-40 degrees from the lows to the highs. I have asthma, so air pollution is something I’ve experienced in my daily life. The improvements in internal combustion engines and particulate pollution has noticeably improved since the 80s. I lived in southern California where the full moon appeared to be a medium brown because of the air pollution. It has benefited all of us to remove airborne particulates, and we have safe breathable air today in the USA. Carbon dioxide is plant food. Someday we may move beyond oil and natural gas as energy, but for now they’re what has made modern life possible. Without oil and gas, there could not be 8 billion humans on Earth. Governmental policies to artificially limit or reduce energy cause destruction of the manufacturing and industrial sectors, jobs, and GDP. Europe has provided a modern example. Just since implementing sanctions on Russian energy since 2022 Europe has watched their energy costs skyrocket, industries close and leave, jobs lost, all contributing to social and economic decay.
What are your views on foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel?
We should end all foreign aid to other nations until we have a balanced budget in the USA. Borrowing money through deficit spending in order to give money to other countries is a betrayal of the American people. Voters clearly want an end to America’s involvement in and funding of the Ukraine conflict.
Israel is a first world nation with universal cheap basic health care and heavily subsidized college education. Americans don’t have these things. We shouldn’t be giving American taxpayer dollars to support a better lifestyle for Israelis. They can pay for their own bills with their own money.
What are your views on President Trump’s military actions in Venezuela?
Our U.S. armed forces showed themselves to be amazingly capable professionals in their capture of Maduro. Military action against a foreign nation is an act of war. Trump was wrong to utilize military forces to overthrow the government of Venezuela without authorization from Congress. Congress is at fault as well, having delegated much of the Constitutional role to the Executive branch through AUMFs and similar open-ended authorizations in the past. I would push legislation to sunset those AUMFs and other transfers of Legislative branch authority. Congress alone should declare war, as specified in the Constitution.
Are there any other domestic or foreign policy views you’d like to highlight?
Though the Libertarian Party platform is opposed to capital punishment, I believe capital punishment and exile have existed throughout history for good and valid reasons. I believe foreign illegals who commit rape, attempted murder, and murder against Americans should be publicly hanged. I believe anyone who abused children on Epstein’s island or through those connections should be publicly hanged. Some crimes are too heinous to allow for the potential that the offender will attack others in the future. Americans should be safe in public. For too long the courts have returned dangerous offenders back into the public and innocent people like Iryna Zarutska suffer and die. We don’t have to live like this. The death penalty is an appropriate and underutilized punishment for those who are convicted at fair trial of the worst crimes. I also want to see exile as an optional sentence or plea bargain for some less serious offenses. Many of the Somali scammers who have defrauded the USA and stolen millions and billions in Minnesota and Maine are citizens or legal permanent residents. We need to make it easier to denaturalize foreigners who commit crimes against America and Americans. This can be done either through legislation making such punishments allowable for certain crimes, or at least allow prosecutors to offer plea deals that include deportation and exile.
Other things:
– English should be the official language of the United States.
– Voting should only be conducted in English.
– Driver tests should only be conducted in English.
– Registering to vote should require proof of citizenship.
– Voting in person or requesting an absentee ballot should require photo ID.
– Islam is incompatible with western civilization. It’s not a religion, it’s a political ideology and legal system that commands followers to lie in furtherance of, and domination by Islam. There are too many examples of countries that have been forcefully converted to Islam. America and Europe are facing this challenge now. No Muslims should be granted long-term work/student visas, permanent residence, or citizenship. Only temporary tourist or business trip visas should be issued.
– Abolish the Department of Education
– Abolish the Department of Commerce
– Greenland would be a good addition to the USA if it can be acquired by friendly means like when America conducted the Louisiana Purchase and purchase of Alaska.
– NATO should have been disbanded in 1991 when the Soviet Union disbanded. Today it is just a sales channel for the MIC, and acts as a belligerent in global affairs, not a defensive alliance as it once was. End NATO immediately.
