Stephen Thomas Knight (born December 17, 1966) is an American politician, military veteran and former police officer.

[3] After graduating from Palmdale High School, he served in the U.S. Army (1985–87) as a tracked vehicle systems mechanic in Friedberg, Germany.

[15] Due to California's blanket primary system, Knight faced fellow Republican Tony Strickland in the November 4, 2014, general election.

Knight declined to co-sign a request for an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with Representative Brad Sherman of the neighboring Congressional district.

The program gives added attention by the party to reelection campaigns in districts most likely to switch to Democratic representation in upcoming elections.

[21] In addition to Knight, two Democrats and one other Republican filed to run in the district's blanket primary, which took place on June 7, 2016.

[24] He was also endorsed by Lou Vince, an L.A. police lieutenant and Democrat who finished third (behind Knight and Bryan Caforio) in the 25th district's June 2016 primary.

[25] In October 2016, the Ventura County Star endorsed Knight's re-election, praising his "record of service to the residents" and saying that he "showed in his first term that generally he continues to tackle issues of local concern, provide local constituent services and represents the values of the majority of voters in that district.

[30] In 2018, the Los Angeles Times described Knight as fighting "to keep his place as the last GOP incumbent representing an L.A. County-based district.

[37] In May 2017, Knight became the third House Republican from California to support the appointment of a special prosecutor to probe Russian involvement in the 2016 election.

[49] When Knight responded to the 2017 Las Vegas shooting by writing online that his prayers were "with the victims and their families" and describing it as "an unfortunate reminder of the evil in our world," he was greeted with angry comments about his opposition to gun control.

Peter Marston, a professor at Cal State Northridge, defended Knight responding to the negative comments by saying it "was bad enough when there was no middle ground for people to talk about.

1162, the No Hero Left Untreated Act of 2017, which established a pilot program to implement emergent advanced technology to treat service members and veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.

[54] On May 24, 2018, the House of Representatives voted 351 - 66 to approve the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2019, which included the provisions of H.R.

5546, introduced in April by Knight to authorize the use of $20 million allocated to the National Guard's counterdrug programs to combat opioid trafficking and abuse.

"The international illegal drug trade not only peddles poison into our communities, but is also a significant threat to national security."

By deploying already-existing DOD intelligence and surveillance assets to support ongoing anti-narcotics operations, we can give law enforcement agencies a huge advantage over criminals.

[56] In April 2015, Knight voted to impose a one-year delay on new Department of Defense rules designed to shield military families from abusive terms on payday loans and other forms of expensive short-term credit.

[58][59] The House bill removes state and local tax breaks that many Californians use, such as the mortgage interest deduction.

[60] Knight stated that the new bill would "deliver tax relief to all Americans" and denied claims that the upper class would benefit more in the long-term than the middle- and lower-class.

[64] Knight's legislation was merged into a bipartisan bill named the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016.

2156, the St. Francis Dam Memorial Act, co-sponsored by Knight and Julia Brownley, unanimously passed the House Natural Resources Committee.

[70][71][72][73] Knight highlighted how he contributed to an amendment to the bill that would provide $8 billion in funding over five years to help insure those with preexisting conditions in so-called "high-risk pools".

[75] In February 2016, Knight introduced legislation that would allow the Federal Aviation Administration to continue and expand upon its research, engineering and development programs through 2019.

[79] Knight voted against an amendment, which ultimately failed narrowly, that stated that religious corporations, associations and institutions that receive federal contracts can't be discriminated against on the basis of religion.

[80][81] On February 13, 2018, three Knight-authored bills were passed in the House intended to "advance cutting edge research initiatives and improve STEM education."