December 29, 2025 • 19 mins
Kevin talks with Ohio Republican candidate for Congress Eric Conroy
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cincinnati and iHeartRadio Station Guaranteed Human, fifty five krc D
talk station, I.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Heard Radio, and now Kevin Golden filling in for Brian
Thomas on fifty five KOs the Talk station.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Eighth five in the morning on this fifth day of Christmas.
If you went to my Facebook page, and why wouldn't you,
you would know that in this hour I'm gonna be
speaking with Eric Conroy. He is an Air Force veteran,
former CIA case officer, and candidate for the Republican for
Congress in the Ohio first District. Welcome to the program, Eric,
(00:49):
certainly a pleasure talking to you.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Kenna. Thanks for having me on this very cold Monday.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Yes, a little wendy here in the Greater Cincinnati Northern
Kentucky area. We met a couple of weeks ago at
a dinner with a group of friends that you were attending,
and so I thought, you know, next time, my mom,
I'm gonna talk to this gentleman and see what's going on.
So I guess, first of all, tell us about you
and why are you running for this office?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Well, thanks again Kevin for having me on, and a
little bit about me. I'm born and raised here in Cincinnati,
a multi generation West Side family. I went to Elder
High School on the West Side, and then when I
was growing up nine to eleven, happened and I felt
the cull to serve, and I was lucky enough to
get into the Air Force Academy in Colorado and then
spent seven years in the Air Force as an intelligence officer,
(01:42):
where I lived in Asia and in DC. And then
after that I was also lucky enough to be hired
by the CIA, where I worked overseas with them in
Europe and in Middle East in the war zones. And really,
you know, my whole life has been defined by service,
and I dedicate my life to service. And really, right now,
I believe we're at a pivotal point in this country,
(02:05):
and I've grown very concerned and passionate about the economic
and social future that we're on, and I believe we
need some common sense conservative champions to take us into
the future, and hopefully I can be a part of that.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Exactly now, you come to this with certainly a different
perspective that I think than most candidates. I think the
few and far between now number of people that have
served in the military and especially in the CIA running
for office, so you have a perspective of that in
terms of how dangerous this world is around us, and
(02:40):
that this is no place to be passive, so to speak,
and that you need to be vigilant, so to speak.
About that a little bit before we get to the economy.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Sure, well, I think you know, in general, right, you know,
being able to serve overseas in different places, I really
see kind of what the rest of the world is
like and what the rest of the country is like,
gives me a very unique perspective. And I'm able to
combine that perspective with my very local perspective of being
a West Side kid, right, And I think what's what's
(03:14):
kind of beautiful about my story is being able to
combine both the local perspective and the national international perspective,
and hopefully we can use that to create some great
conservative policy here in southwest Ohio because we're just not
seeing it right. You know, my opponent, Craig Landsman, he's
tilling the line on the left, right, and he can
try to claim that he's a moderate, but he's really not.
(03:34):
And he's voted i think with Biden about ninety eight.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
But there is not a Democrat out there that can
call themselves a moderate. So let's just throw that out
there right off the bat. There is no such thing
as a moderate Democrat anymore. They are all very much
left of center, and in some cases more towards the
fanatical side of the left.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
So it didn't mean to interrupt exactly.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
They've all gone. They've all gone way too far to
the left the toe of the party line, and it's
killing this country, right, And they'll try to claim that
they are some version of a moderate, especially to ohioland
mid Western voters, and just doesn't make sense. And their
actions don't tell it either, right, And this is why
we need to change here. We have a real shot
next year to kick Greg Landsman out. The redistricting and
(04:24):
the new redrawing of Ohio District one suggests it's about
a fifty three percent Republican district. So as conservatives show up,
we have a real chance of retaking this district and
kicking out leftist Greg Landsman.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
My guess is Eric Conroy. He is a candidate for
Congress in the first district. Eric, again, you know, from
a national perspective or an international perspective, you see what
a dangerous world we live in You've experienced it, you've
lived it, and I think that cannot be understated enough.
And I think with peace through strength what we're seeing
(04:58):
from the Trump and Minister, that's certainly better than saying
to a country, well, you know, if it's a minor
incursion into Ukraine, that's okay, we won't get involved, as
opposed to you know, the don Roe doctrine of none
of these Chinese in our backyard and strength and Venezuela
getting that more towards a democratically elected government which has
(05:22):
already been elected. It's just that the dictator down there
has seized control and won't relinquish. So again, you mentioned economics.
Do you want to stay here for a moment or
do you want to go on to economics.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I just have one comment right on that, Ken. So,
what we've really seen here, and I think whether Trump
administration is such a breath of fresh air from a
foreign policy perspective is because we've seen a very weak
need approach to foreign policy the last the last multiple
democratic administrations where they've lit these long simmerining issues, whether
(05:56):
it's Venezuela or Ukraine or China, really grow out of hand, right,
and we need a new administration. Well, we have a
great new administration in President Trump, who was finally tackling
these issues and facing them head on and not really
appeasing these these nuisances and these foreign powers. So I
think this is a great step in the right direction
with what we're doing in Venezuela and also holding a
(06:19):
China to account as well. And I know every day,
you know, people were going about their lives, paying their
bills and doing their jobs. But you know, these bigger
issues do play a part in everyday life.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Right.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
They have at prices, they sit gas prices, So it's
something that we should all keep track of and take
note of.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Yeah, I mean when you've got you know, manufacturing moving
over to China and they're controlling the manufacture of our medicine.
As we saw during the pandemic, when all of a
sudden there were these shortages and we realized exactly how
much we bought from China and how many jobs have
been shifted overseas. That was a shock, I think to everybody,
(06:56):
and of course the result of the supply chain issues
that came out as a result of that, because they
were experiencing their own pandemic. There that they caused, so
things were not flowing right way. And so when we
realized that a lot of our stuff was from China,
bringing things back to the United States made sense. And
(07:18):
to allow them to be with their Belt and Road
initiative around the world, trying to nudge their way into
the different countries around the world for dominance. That's what
they're after and they make no bones about it, and
we can't let that happen.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
It is and I think COVID was a wake up
call to everybody on a lot of different issues, but
I think it was a wake up call on really
how small our world has become, right like, this is
a globalized world that we live in, and what seemed
to be twenty twenty six, and what happens overseas, what
happens with the trade deals has a direct impact on
(07:59):
our everyday lives in the economy, whether that's two prices,
gas prices, or other economic movements as well. So it's
very important that we keep track of how it's all connected.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Yeah, I mean, when you go Eric Conroy again, as
my guests, he's candidate for the first district here for
Congress in the first district here in Ohio, you know,
when you go from a situation of where you are
energy independent for the first time since nineteen forty nine
at the end of the Trump administration, to where we
(08:29):
became completely or not completely, but heavily independent or dependent
on foreign oil, especially you know, Saudi Arabia. He went
into off with Biden, went in an office, called them
a pariah. And then of course when he shut down
oil fields and leasing and so on, and we needed oil,
then all of a sudden he goes on hands and
knees to the Saudis, who basically told him to take
(08:52):
a hike. Then all of a sudden they go down
with Maduro, who's a communist dictator down there, and and
you know, saying we're going to put sanctions on them,
and oh, by the way, we need the royal Oh
never mind.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
We'll lift the sanctions.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
So if you don't have a steady policy, then your
energy prices, and as I've said before, energy cross can't
you can't own a business, you can't own a house,
you can't own anything that doesn't involve energy prices. And
if you don't have that controlled, you don't have anything right.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
And it all starts with energy cabin and as we
are alluding to the world's changed a lot economically in
the last twenty years, and we can talk about the
affordability crisis as well, but really the crux of all
of this is energy, right. How cheap is energy, how
affordable is energy, and how much can it be utilized
in our businesses right, and to make sure we have
(09:47):
energy friendly policies both from a tax perspective and a
regulation perspective, and making sure that energy is cheap while
also developing you know, the occasional new idea as well.
There's been a lot of more talk of nuclear as
of way too. These are good things, right, and we
need more energy friendly policies that we need new ideas
(10:08):
because energy is going to be at the heart of
everything in the future, whether it's from a tech perspective,
needing energy for AI and other facilities, or for the
more traditional industries as well, like manufacturing. So but I
think what the really great thing about these new policies
coming out is is that the Democrats aren't doing this
(10:28):
right and the Republican Party is back to being the
party of ideas and initiative, and we have so many
new issues to tackle that's very refreshing to have President
Trump and a Republican government who's actually interested in tackling
these big issues and affect their everyday life because we
just haven't seen it the Democrats or my opponent Grade
(10:48):
Landsman at all.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Exactly, we need to step out for a quick break here,
and when we come back and want to let's get
into the economy, Let's talk about what you're saying, what
you're hearing from the people as you're campaigning, and kind
of give it your perspective on a couple of other
issues before we have to get out here. Okay, again,
my guest is Eric Conroy. He is an Air Force veteran,
(11:12):
former CIA case officer, Republican candidate for Congress in Ohio's
first district. I'm Kevin Gordon in for Brian Thomas fifty
five KRC, The.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Talk Station, fifty five KRC, Kate nineteen in the morning.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Kevin Gordon in for Brian Thomas, fifty five KRC, The
Talk Station. My guest, Eric Conroy, air Force veteran, former
CIA case officer, and Republican candidate for Congress in Ohio's
first district. Before we get to the economy, Eric, I
want to go down a couple kind of rapid fire.
Get your responses on a couple of these issues, kind
(11:50):
of like a one word or you know, just brief
description your stand on the Second Amendment?
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Bro Okay, Israel.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Pro taxes, anti I think we need more tax cuts,
putting money back into the pockets of.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Families, all right, illegal immigration.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Very anti illegal immigration. We need to find ways to
do immigration and a responsible manner. And what the Biden
administration has promoted has been chaos over the last several years.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
Okay, pro choice, pro life, pro life. Okay.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Now, Bard raised Catholic and went to other high school.
Pro life, for sure.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I probably knew that just by the background, but I
had to ask. So, let's get to the economy. Where
do you see the economy of people? You're talking to, family, friends, cousins,
all that sort of stuff. Where are you seeing this economy?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Well?
Speaker 3 (12:48):
I think right now we need to tackle the affordability crisis, right,
and I think President Trump's big beautiful bill that was
pastor this year is a great start, right. And the
great start is that he's found ways to put money
back into families, right, And whether that's no taxes on
tips and over time that's a great start. I also
(13:10):
think we need to refocus more on the trades, right,
you know, the last couple of decades we've all been
preaching college, college, college, but really I think we just
start talking about the trades again as well. And there's
been some great new incentives for that, like in for example,
in the Big Beautiful Bill, there is now an exception
that pelgramts can be used on trade schools, which is great.
(13:31):
So I think there's a lot of little things we
can do like we just mentioned, but also incentivizing different
paths as well.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And what is in terms of have you seen or
the big talk has been housing affordability, And I think
what I don't mean to preach to people, but I
think what people are forgetting is that what we had
(14:01):
during the pandemic, when people moved or started working from home,
they had some of the stimulus money, they improved their
homes they were working from homes, or they actually bought
a different home because both people were working from home
and needed office space and so on. And what we've
seen is that in certain areas, in certain markets, the
(14:24):
cost of homes have gone up twenty five, thirty forty percent,
and even though some housing markets, the prices that come
down a little bit, we still have those high interest rates,
which should come down if we had somebody in the
FED that wasn't lying to us all the time. So
I think, you know, that is an area that can
(14:45):
be done. What are your thoughts on the housing market
and how to make those more affordable.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, I think the housing market and the affordability of
houses is of course issue, and there are many ways
I think hopefully we can solve it. Part of it,
you know, inflation does need to come down, and there
needs to be lower interest rates. I think also how
we utilize real estate as well, which take a really
hard look at, you know, whether you're if you prefer
(15:14):
if you're urban living or country living or even urban living.
There's different things that we can maybe try to incentivize
to you know, for example, convert unused office spaces to
apartments right in a downtown area, or making sure that
we're making the best use of real estate and other
parts of the area. And I think also having different
(15:35):
policies that help address those issues can help bring down
prices naturally as well. So I think there's a lot
of different things we can try. Obviously, the real estate
market is very tricky, so to be very careful in anything.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
We propose, Yeah, for sure, And I think anterest rates
is a big killer. I was talking to a person
earlier in the program interest rates in Europe. Mortgage rates
in Europe are in the three to four percent range,
with us being the six point twenty five percent range.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
That's a big difference.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
I mean, you look at a house that is at
three percent rate as opposed to a six percent rate,
the average monthly payment is dramatically different. And as part
of that, because you're paying more for that mortgage, you
can afford less home. So the difference in mortgage prices
in terms of affordability that way is a big key
(16:27):
and a big component in terms of the interest rate.
So that all needs to be looked at as well
and actually brought down.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Yeah, I would agree. It's going to change a lot
depending on the economies and even local economies. An interest
rate and a type of square footage in one city
is going to very a lot compared to a different
city as well. So there's a lot of things we
can maybe try and explore. I think the administration is
trying to do that, but I think we also need
to think about the law of unintended consequences with the
(16:59):
real estate mark too. You start tinkering with a couple
of things and something else happens that you weren't expecting.
So something to think about as well.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Yeah, and I think more than anything else, being open
to the ideas and at least talk about these things
as opposed to just saying affordability or that that you know,
this the tariffs cause inflation. You know that we want
to talk down the economy. Well, none of that has happened.
(17:29):
As a matter of fact, It's been good for the economy.
And when you start paying down the debt, there's less
interest it has to be paid, and so then that
creates a better incentive. And I think as you as
you mentioned it, go ahead, I'm sorry, and.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
I think this is why it's a great time to
be a Republican, right is this is back to being
the party of action. It's back to being the party
of ideas. And what we've seen on the Democratic side
is a lack of ideas and a lack of initiative
and a focus on more fringe social issues like transgenderism,
instead of focusing on what matters in people's daily lives
like housing. So the fact that we're even talking about
(18:05):
this and exploring this and exploring solutions, I think is
a positive for everyone.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Very good.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Well, I'll tell you what we're up against the clock
here and Eric spent a great time speaking with you
and Ken. I'm talking with Eric Conroy. He is Air
Force veteran and former CIA case officer, Republican candidate for
Congress in Ohio's first district. Any closing, Well, I guess
you better talk about how how people can get in
touch with you, how they can contact you, your campaign
(18:33):
and so on.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Yeah, of course, Well please I encourage everyone to visit
my website, Ericconroy dot com. You can do more about
my story and positions there. We've got a May primary
and then a November general election. Would love your support
and your help. I hope to see on the campaign
trail and answering your issues. And please stay to another campaign.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
And hopefully when I'm on I have you on again,
because these mid term elections are extremely important. To get
out to vote is important, folks. It's your duty, it's
your obligation to get out and vote. Don't let you
know if you're not going to vote, then I don't
want to hear you complain. And when I see the
lack of what was it the center the mayor race
(19:15):
in Cincinnati, what is it thirty thousand people voted, I
mean or less? I mean, that's ridiculous that you need
to get out and support the candidates that you choose
and hopefully the right candidates. Eric's been great talking to you.
I certainly appreciate your time and they can.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Get Hey, thank you so much, and they can go.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
To your website, which is.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Ericconroy dot com.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Very easy to know Ericconroy dot com. Eric, thanks so
much for spending time with us. Certainly appreciate it. I'm
Kevin Gordon in for Brian Thomas fifty five KRC.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
The talk station fifty five KRC. You don't think about it.
Cincinnati and iHeartRadio Station Guaranteed Human, fifty five krc D
talk station, I.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Heard Radio, and now Kevin Golden filling in for Brian
Thomas on fifty five KOs the Talk station.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Eighth five in the morning on this fifth day of Christmas.
If you went to my Facebook page, and why wouldn't you,
you would know that in this hour I'm gonna be
speaking with Eric Conroy. He is an Air Force veteran,
former CIA case officer, and candidate for the Republican for
Congress in the Ohio first District. Welcome to the program, Eric,
(00:49):
certainly a pleasure talking to you.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Kenna. Thanks for having me on this very cold Monday.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Yes, a little wendy here in the Greater Cincinnati Northern
Kentucky area. We met a couple of weeks ago at
a dinner with a group of friends that you were attending,
and so I thought, you know, next time, my mom,
I'm gonna talk to this gentleman and see what's going on.
So I guess, first of all, tell us about you
and why are you running for this office?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Well, thanks again Kevin for having me on, and a
little bit about me. I'm born and raised here in Cincinnati,
a multi generation West Side family. I went to Elder
High School on the West Side, and then when I
was growing up nine to eleven, happened and I felt
the cull to serve, and I was lucky enough to
get into the Air Force Academy in Colorado and then
spent seven years in the Air Force as an intelligence officer,
(01:42):
where I lived in Asia and in DC. And then
after that I was also lucky enough to be hired
by the CIA, where I worked overseas with them in
Europe and in Middle East in the war zones. And really,
you know, my whole life has been defined by service,
and I dedicate my life to service. And really, right now,
I believe we're at a pivotal point in this country,
(02:05):
and I've grown very concerned and passionate about the economic
and social future that we're on, and I believe we
need some common sense conservative champions to take us into
the future, and hopefully I can be a part of that.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Exactly now, you come to this with certainly a different
perspective that I think than most candidates. I think the
few and far between now number of people that have
served in the military and especially in the CIA running
for office, so you have a perspective of that in
terms of how dangerous this world is around us, and
(02:40):
that this is no place to be passive, so to speak,
and that you need to be vigilant, so to speak.
About that a little bit before we get to the economy.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Sure, well, I think you know, in general, right, you know,
being able to serve overseas in different places, I really
see kind of what the rest of the world is
like and what the rest of the country is like,
gives me a very unique perspective. And I'm able to
combine that perspective with my very local perspective of being
a West Side kid, right, And I think what's what's
(03:14):
kind of beautiful about my story is being able to
combine both the local perspective and the national international perspective,
and hopefully we can use that to create some great
conservative policy here in southwest Ohio because we're just not
seeing it right. You know, my opponent, Craig Landsman, he's
tilling the line on the left, right, and he can
try to claim that he's a moderate, but he's really not.
(03:34):
And he's voted i think with Biden about ninety eight.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
But there is not a Democrat out there that can
call themselves a moderate. So let's just throw that out
there right off the bat. There is no such thing
as a moderate Democrat anymore. They are all very much
left of center, and in some cases more towards the
fanatical side of the left.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
So it didn't mean to interrupt exactly.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
They've all gone. They've all gone way too far to
the left the toe of the party line, and it's
killing this country, right, And they'll try to claim that
they are some version of a moderate, especially to ohioland
mid Western voters, and just doesn't make sense. And their
actions don't tell it either, right, And this is why
we need to change here. We have a real shot
next year to kick Greg Landsman out. The redistricting and
(04:24):
the new redrawing of Ohio District one suggests it's about
a fifty three percent Republican district. So as conservatives show up,
we have a real chance of retaking this district and
kicking out leftist Greg Landsman.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
My guess is Eric Conroy. He is a candidate for
Congress in the first district. Eric, again, you know, from
a national perspective or an international perspective, you see what
a dangerous world we live in You've experienced it, you've
lived it, and I think that cannot be understated enough.
And I think with peace through strength what we're seeing
(04:58):
from the Trump and Minister, that's certainly better than saying
to a country, well, you know, if it's a minor
incursion into Ukraine, that's okay, we won't get involved, as
opposed to you know, the don Roe doctrine of none
of these Chinese in our backyard and strength and Venezuela
getting that more towards a democratically elected government which has
(05:22):
already been elected. It's just that the dictator down there
has seized control and won't relinquish. So again, you mentioned economics.
Do you want to stay here for a moment or
do you want to go on to economics.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
I just have one comment right on that, Ken. So,
what we've really seen here, and I think whether Trump
administration is such a breath of fresh air from a
foreign policy perspective is because we've seen a very weak
need approach to foreign policy the last the last multiple
democratic administrations where they've lit these long simmerining issues, whether
(05:56):
it's Venezuela or Ukraine or China, really grow out of hand, right,
and we need a new administration. Well, we have a
great new administration in President Trump, who was finally tackling
these issues and facing them head on and not really
appeasing these these nuisances and these foreign powers. So I
think this is a great step in the right direction
with what we're doing in Venezuela and also holding a
(06:19):
China to account as well. And I know every day,
you know, people were going about their lives, paying their
bills and doing their jobs. But you know, these bigger
issues do play a part in everyday life.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Right.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
They have at prices, they sit gas prices, So it's
something that we should all keep track of and take
note of.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Yeah, I mean when you've got you know, manufacturing moving
over to China and they're controlling the manufacture of our medicine.
As we saw during the pandemic, when all of a
sudden there were these shortages and we realized exactly how
much we bought from China and how many jobs have
been shifted overseas. That was a shock, I think to everybody,
(06:56):
and of course the result of the supply chain issues
that came out as a result of that, because they
were experiencing their own pandemic. There that they caused, so
things were not flowing right way. And so when we
realized that a lot of our stuff was from China,
bringing things back to the United States made sense. And
(07:18):
to allow them to be with their Belt and Road
initiative around the world, trying to nudge their way into
the different countries around the world for dominance. That's what
they're after and they make no bones about it, and
we can't let that happen.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
It is and I think COVID was a wake up
call to everybody on a lot of different issues, but
I think it was a wake up call on really
how small our world has become, right like, this is
a globalized world that we live in, and what seemed
to be twenty twenty six, and what happens overseas, what
happens with the trade deals has a direct impact on
(07:59):
our everyday lives in the economy, whether that's two prices,
gas prices, or other economic movements as well. So it's
very important that we keep track of how it's all connected.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Yeah, I mean, when you go Eric Conroy again, as
my guests, he's candidate for the first district here for
Congress in the first district here in Ohio, you know,
when you go from a situation of where you are
energy independent for the first time since nineteen forty nine
at the end of the Trump administration, to where we
(08:29):
became completely or not completely, but heavily independent or dependent
on foreign oil, especially you know, Saudi Arabia. He went
into off with Biden, went in an office, called them
a pariah. And then of course when he shut down
oil fields and leasing and so on, and we needed oil,
then all of a sudden he goes on hands and
knees to the Saudis, who basically told him to take
(08:52):
a hike. Then all of a sudden they go down
with Maduro, who's a communist dictator down there, and and
you know, saying we're going to put sanctions on them,
and oh, by the way, we need the royal Oh
never mind.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
We'll lift the sanctions.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
So if you don't have a steady policy, then your
energy prices, and as I've said before, energy cross can't
you can't own a business, you can't own a house,
you can't own anything that doesn't involve energy prices. And
if you don't have that controlled, you don't have anything right.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
And it all starts with energy cabin and as we
are alluding to the world's changed a lot economically in
the last twenty years, and we can talk about the
affordability crisis as well, but really the crux of all
of this is energy, right. How cheap is energy, how
affordable is energy, and how much can it be utilized
in our businesses right, and to make sure we have
(09:47):
energy friendly policies both from a tax perspective and a
regulation perspective, and making sure that energy is cheap while
also developing you know, the occasional new idea as well.
There's been a lot of more talk of nuclear as
of way too. These are good things, right, and we
need more energy friendly policies that we need new ideas
(10:08):
because energy is going to be at the heart of
everything in the future, whether it's from a tech perspective,
needing energy for AI and other facilities, or for the
more traditional industries as well, like manufacturing. So but I
think what the really great thing about these new policies
coming out is is that the Democrats aren't doing this
(10:28):
right and the Republican Party is back to being the
party of ideas and initiative, and we have so many
new issues to tackle that's very refreshing to have President
Trump and a Republican government who's actually interested in tackling
these big issues and affect their everyday life because we
just haven't seen it the Democrats or my opponent Grade
(10:48):
Landsman at all.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Exactly, we need to step out for a quick break here,
and when we come back and want to let's get
into the economy, Let's talk about what you're saying, what
you're hearing from the people as you're campaigning, and kind
of give it your perspective on a couple of other
issues before we have to get out here. Okay, again,
my guest is Eric Conroy. He is an Air Force veteran,
(11:12):
former CIA case officer, Republican candidate for Congress in Ohio's
first district. I'm Kevin Gordon in for Brian Thomas fifty
five KRC, The.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Talk Station, fifty five KRC, Kate nineteen in the morning.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Kevin Gordon in for Brian Thomas, fifty five KRC, The
Talk Station. My guest, Eric Conroy, air Force veteran, former
CIA case officer, and Republican candidate for Congress in Ohio's
first district. Before we get to the economy, Eric, I
want to go down a couple kind of rapid fire.
Get your responses on a couple of these issues, kind
(11:50):
of like a one word or you know, just brief
description your stand on the Second Amendment?
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Bro Okay, Israel.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Pro taxes, anti I think we need more tax cuts,
putting money back into the pockets of.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Families, all right, illegal immigration.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Very anti illegal immigration. We need to find ways to
do immigration and a responsible manner. And what the Biden
administration has promoted has been chaos over the last several years.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
Okay, pro choice, pro life, pro life. Okay.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Now, Bard raised Catholic and went to other high school.
Pro life, for sure.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I probably knew that just by the background, but I
had to ask. So, let's get to the economy. Where
do you see the economy of people? You're talking to, family, friends, cousins,
all that sort of stuff. Where are you seeing this economy?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Well?
Speaker 3 (12:48):
I think right now we need to tackle the affordability crisis, right,
and I think President Trump's big beautiful bill that was
pastor this year is a great start, right. And the
great start is that he's found ways to put money
back into families, right, And whether that's no taxes on
tips and over time that's a great start. I also
(13:10):
think we need to refocus more on the trades, right,
you know, the last couple of decades we've all been
preaching college, college, college, but really I think we just
start talking about the trades again as well. And there's
been some great new incentives for that, like in for example,
in the Big Beautiful Bill, there is now an exception
that pelgramts can be used on trade schools, which is great.
(13:31):
So I think there's a lot of little things we
can do like we just mentioned, but also incentivizing different
paths as well.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And what is in terms of have you seen or
the big talk has been housing affordability, And I think
what I don't mean to preach to people, but I
think what people are forgetting is that what we had
(14:01):
during the pandemic, when people moved or started working from home,
they had some of the stimulus money, they improved their
homes they were working from homes, or they actually bought
a different home because both people were working from home
and needed office space and so on. And what we've
seen is that in certain areas, in certain markets, the
(14:24):
cost of homes have gone up twenty five, thirty forty percent,
and even though some housing markets, the prices that come
down a little bit, we still have those high interest rates,
which should come down if we had somebody in the
FED that wasn't lying to us all the time. So
I think, you know, that is an area that can
(14:45):
be done. What are your thoughts on the housing market
and how to make those more affordable.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, I think the housing market and the affordability of
houses is of course issue, and there are many ways
I think hopefully we can solve it. Part of it,
you know, inflation does need to come down, and there
needs to be lower interest rates. I think also how
we utilize real estate as well, which take a really
hard look at, you know, whether you're if you prefer
(15:14):
if you're urban living or country living or even urban living.
There's different things that we can maybe try to incentivize
to you know, for example, convert unused office spaces to
apartments right in a downtown area, or making sure that
we're making the best use of real estate and other
parts of the area. And I think also having different
(15:35):
policies that help address those issues can help bring down
prices naturally as well. So I think there's a lot
of different things we can try. Obviously, the real estate
market is very tricky, so to be very careful in anything.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
We propose, Yeah, for sure, And I think anterest rates
is a big killer. I was talking to a person
earlier in the program interest rates in Europe. Mortgage rates
in Europe are in the three to four percent range,
with us being the six point twenty five percent range.
Speaker 4 (16:05):
That's a big difference.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
I mean, you look at a house that is at
three percent rate as opposed to a six percent rate,
the average monthly payment is dramatically different. And as part
of that, because you're paying more for that mortgage, you
can afford less home. So the difference in mortgage prices
in terms of affordability that way is a big key
(16:27):
and a big component in terms of the interest rate.
So that all needs to be looked at as well
and actually brought down.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Yeah, I would agree. It's going to change a lot
depending on the economies and even local economies. An interest
rate and a type of square footage in one city
is going to very a lot compared to a different
city as well. So there's a lot of things we
can maybe try and explore. I think the administration is
trying to do that, but I think we also need
to think about the law of unintended consequences with the
(16:59):
real estate mark too. You start tinkering with a couple
of things and something else happens that you weren't expecting.
So something to think about as well.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Yeah, and I think more than anything else, being open
to the ideas and at least talk about these things
as opposed to just saying affordability or that that you know,
this the tariffs cause inflation. You know that we want
to talk down the economy. Well, none of that has happened.
(17:29):
As a matter of fact, It's been good for the economy.
And when you start paying down the debt, there's less
interest it has to be paid, and so then that
creates a better incentive. And I think as you as
you mentioned it, go ahead, I'm sorry, and.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
I think this is why it's a great time to
be a Republican, right is this is back to being
the party of action. It's back to being the party
of ideas. And what we've seen on the Democratic side
is a lack of ideas and a lack of initiative
and a focus on more fringe social issues like transgenderism,
instead of focusing on what matters in people's daily lives
like housing. So the fact that we're even talking about
(18:05):
this and exploring this and exploring solutions, I think is
a positive for everyone.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Very good.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Well, I'll tell you what we're up against the clock
here and Eric spent a great time speaking with you
and Ken. I'm talking with Eric Conroy. He is Air
Force veteran and former CIA case officer, Republican candidate for
Congress in Ohio's first district. Any closing, Well, I guess
you better talk about how how people can get in
touch with you, how they can contact you, your campaign
(18:33):
and so on.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Yeah, of course, Well please I encourage everyone to visit
my website, Ericconroy dot com. You can do more about
my story and positions there. We've got a May primary
and then a November general election. Would love your support
and your help. I hope to see on the campaign
trail and answering your issues. And please stay to another campaign.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
And hopefully when I'm on I have you on again,
because these mid term elections are extremely important. To get
out to vote is important, folks. It's your duty, it's
your obligation to get out and vote. Don't let you
know if you're not going to vote, then I don't
want to hear you complain. And when I see the
lack of what was it the center the mayor race
(19:15):
in Cincinnati, what is it thirty thousand people voted, I
mean or less? I mean, that's ridiculous that you need
to get out and support the candidates that you choose
and hopefully the right candidates. Eric's been great talking to you.
I certainly appreciate your time and they can.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Get Hey, thank you so much, and they can go.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
To your website, which is.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Ericconroy dot com.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Very easy to know Ericconroy dot com. Eric, thanks so
much for spending time with us. Certainly appreciate it. I'm
Kevin Gordon in for Brian Thomas fifty five KRC.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
The talk station fifty five KRC. You don't think about it.
Brian Thomas News
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