Tom Stilson Files to Challenge Billy Long

Today was candidate filings for the August primaries in Missouri. A surprise entered the Missouri 7th Congressional District today. Tom Stilson, a standout for the Ozark Tigers in baseball and Stanford graduate has decided to run for Congress. To make things interesting, it appears Stilson has ties to Andrew Breitbart, whose Big Government Web site has been quite critical of Congressman Billy Long and his decisions to fund big government waste.

Here's what we know about Mr. Stilson:

Tom Stilson is a 24-year-old 2009 graduate of Stanford University with a Degree in Geological and Environmental Sciences.

Tom was born in the Colorado Rockies and raised in Sonoma County, CA, moving to the Ozarks when he was 14. Tom has traveled most of the US and Europe extensively, acting as an assistant or adviser on several geological and archaeological expeditions.

Tom graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ozark HS and pitched (and won) the Missouri State Championship baseball game for Ozark HS his junior year, making All-State. His sophomore year included placing third in State Competition for the Ozark JROTC Rifle Team. Tom played baseball as a left-handed pitcher for the Stanford Cardinal for 3 years. After several injuries, Tom left baseball to concentrate on his degree and was Editor-at-Large for the conservative Stanford Review his senior year.

In 2009, Tom went on to study Environmental Geochemistry at UC-Merced for two years. While in Merced, Tom was the VP of the UC-Merced College Republicans and served on the board of Directors for the Merced County Chamber of Commerce. Tom was instrumental in the campaign to defeat Measure C, a liberal effort at collectivizing property rights, recently on the ballot in Merced County.

Tom currently resides in rural Missouri with his two dogs, Gracie and Kimber. For now, he works at a local gun store while he is completing his Masters thesis and Missouri Geology Certification. Tom is an avid hunter and firearms enthusiast. A proud member of the NRA, he reloads his own ammunition and competitively shoots combat pistol.

Despite his student loans and limited employment opportunities, he is still maintaining personal hygiene and has no intention of camping out on Wall Street.

Mike Moon is also expected to file to challenge Congressman Billy Long.