About Andy
Small Farm Owner
Andy lives on a small farm in Decatur, TX with his wife, Amanda, and their three sons. The family left suburban life in Denton in 2010 to pursue their dream of living in the country. They had a rough start while trying to figure out how to corral Limousin cattle, but eventually got the hang of the farming thing. The farm currently has a pecan orchard, fruit orchards, large gardens, laying hens, and seasonally is home to pastured chickens and turkeys. The family has also bred and raised Nubian dairy goats and Barbados Blackbelly sheep. Raising sheep taught them to prefer cows.
Member of the Texas State Guard*
Andy joined the Texas State Guard in 2014 as a way to serve Texas. He is currently a Warrant Officer assigned to T6 in the TXSG HQ in Camp Mabry in Austin. Andy uses his background as a software engineer to develop recruiting, retention, and readiness management software currently in use by the Texas State Guard. The T6 Software/Cyber Team has won three consecutive Best of Texas awards (2017, 2018, 2019).
Andy’s oldest son, CPL Grant Hopper, serves the Texas State Guard in T6 Radio Communications and his middle son, PV1 Sam Hopper, also serves in T6 at Camp Mabry in Austin.
Engineer
Andy graduated from the University of North Texas in 2000 with a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and a minor in History. He has taught as an adjunct professor for UNT and holds a US patent. Andy has worked in both the private sector and the defense industry as a software engineer for the last twenty-three years.
Activist
In August 2020, Texas Senator Pat Fallon (District 30) resigned his position to run for Congressional District 4, and Andy was the first to file in the fast-paced special election spanning fourteen counties. In just under a month, Andy and his family knocked on over 4,000 doors in Wise, Parker, and Denton counties.
Following the campaign, Andy and Amanda joined a number of like-minded families in Wise County to found Wise County Conservatives, which quickly became one of the fastest-growing and most active grassroots organizations in North Texas.
Faith
The Hopper family attends Rise Church in Decatur, Texas. As non-denominational Christians, they believe that the bible is inerrant and God-breathed. The family’s homeschool curriculum is founded on God and His creation.
Fun Facts:
A Family of Ham Radio Operators
- Andy K5BU
- Amanda KD5BKD
- Grant N5HUF
- Sam KG5UQG
The youngest son, Ian, will be joining the club shortly since the family rule is that no child gets a cell phone until they become a HAM. It’s a good incentive.
Homeschoolers
The Hopper children were enrolled in Denton ISD until 2009 and Decatur ISD until 2012 when the family began to explore other schooling options. Their oldest son, Grant, graduated their homeschool in 2018 and is now a Mechanical Engineering major at Texas Tech University. Their middle son, Sam, graduated in 2021 and is currently working full time for a political campaign. Their youngest son, Ian, is a sophomore in high school and does all the digital art/media for Wise County Conservatives. Andy and Amanda feel lucky to have survived homeschooling 3 teenage boys while keeping most of their hair.
High School Sweethearts
Andy and Amanda met in high school chemistry class. They married when they were twenty-years-old, on the same day that Andy graduated with his BS in Computer Science. Andy skipped the graduation since Hillary Clinton was the key-note speaker.
*The political views and opinions of this candidate in no way reflect the views and opinions of the Texas Military Department.