In 2014, Brinkman defeated incumbent Peter Stautberg in the Republican primary election to retake his former seat in the Ohio House of Representatives.

A resident of the Mount Lookout section of Cincinnati, Brinkman graduated from St. Xavier High School and received a B.A.

Brinkman worked for several Republicans' successful campaigns for Cincinnati City Council: Phil Heimlich, Steve Chabot, Charles Winburn, and Pat DeWine.

In his Congressional campaign he declared: Brinkman defeated the candidate endorsed by the Republican party in the GOP primary in 2000 for the 37th District seat in the Ohio House, which was Anderson Township, the Hyde Park and Mount Lookout sections of Cincinnati, and the city of Norwood [1].

He faced no opposition in the May 7 primary and was opposed in the November 5 general election by Democrat David Schaff, a twenty-four-year-old assistant to Hamilton County commissioner Todd Portune.

"[1] Schaff was endorsed by The Cincinnati Post, which wrote Tom Brinkman's opposition to almost everything undercuts his credibility, and does a disservice to both the district and the region.

His reflexive opposition to much government spending, his willingness to tolerate a tattered social services safety net, his advocacy of an entirely unregulated concealed carry gun permit system, we submit, are out of step even with such a thoroughly Republican constituency.That year Brinkman called on Republican voters to cast their ballots for Democrat Tim Hagan over Republican Governor Bob Taft in his reelection bid because of Taft's selection of Jennette Bradley as his running mate; many conservatives felt she was too liberal for the party.

When University of Cincinnati law students in 2003 persuaded the General Assembly to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment, which a post-Civil War-era legislature had rejected, only one member voted against ratification: Brinkman.

[3] Brinkman told The Enquirer his vote was because of how the amendment has been misused: It's misapplied constantly by the country to get states to do things they don't want to do.

Brinkman said the ordinance "send[s] the message that you openly approve of homosexuality," citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church [4].

Brinkman prided himself on his perfect attendance and for coming home to Cincinnati every night from Columbus, but when Columbus Monthly in late 2003 did a survey of legislators, lobbyists, and others working in the State House asking them to rate the members of the Ohio General Assembly, Brinkman was rated the single worst legislator in the 132-member General Assembly.

In the general election on November 2 he faced Democrat Glenn Miller of Anderson Township, a former history teacher who worked in job training.

He called "stupid" the policy of the state regulators to deny prisoners who had taken prison-administered barber classes a license upon their release.

Brinkman in 2004 criticized state spending for Cincinnati's bid to win the 2012 Olympic Games[11] and against legislation in 2004 to give hospitals more money for breast cancer examinations [12].

[citation needed] Brinkman ran for Congress in 2005 to replace Portman, announcing his candidacy outside the post office in Anderson Township on April 14 [16].

Brinkman told the press "When I first went to Columbus, I promised my constituents that I would fight for lower taxes, limited government, and to end abortion.

One mailing from DeWine had a large, ominous photograph of a man in a ski mask pointing a gun directly at the viewer.

The caption was "Tom Brinkman opposes the death penalty, even for child murderers, cop killers and terrorists who kill Americans."

The mailing also stated "Tom Brinkman says he's a conservative but when it comes to the safety of our families, he doesn't stand with us" and that murderers "will get off easy if he casts the deciding vote."

"He seems to have no problems riding his father's coattails when it comes to raising money and getting name recognition; he's willing to take all the good from it and none of the bad."

[19] In one mailing to voters Brinkman did not mince words: I am sick and tired of watching politicians promise to cut taxes in October—then raise them in March.

I will not tolerate ideologically bent liberals trying to shift our educational focus from English and math to 'safe sex' and homosexual acceptance.

Brinkman is faithful 100% ... 100% Against Higher Taxes ... 100% Committed to Limited Government ... 100% Pro-life ... 100% Pro-Second Amendment ... 100% Attendance Record," the latter referring to his never missing a roll call vote in the Ohio House.

Brinkman was endorsed by the Ohio Taxpayers Association, the Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund, and was the National Right to Work Committee's 2005 state legislator of the year.