A Republican, DeGraaf represents Colorado House of Representatives District 22, which includes a portion of northeast Colorado Springs in El Paso County.

Now he works as a commercial airline pilot and lives in Colorado Springs.

He studied engineering mechanics at the United States Air Force Academy and later earned a master's degree in the same field from Columbia University, where he was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship.

[2] In the 2022 Colorado House of Representatives election, DeGraaf defeated his Democratic Party and Libertarian Party opponents, winning 57.66% of the total votes cast.

In the Republican primary election held June 25, 2024, he ran unopposed.