Gerdes was a senior advisor for the United States Department of Energy, serving under Rick Perry.[2][when?]
[3] In December 2021, he was a candidate in the Republican primary election for the 17th district of the Texas House of Representatives.
[2] In May 2022, Gerdes defeated Paul Pape in the Republican primary election.
[4] In August 2022, he filed a lawsuit to remove Linda Curtis from the general election ballot.
[5] In November 2022, he defeated Madeline Eden and Curtis in the general election, winning 64 percent of the votes.