Tinsley has been a supporter of former [[U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]], who appointed him to the board of the scenic Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico.<ref name=bio/> In 2002, Tinsley ran unsuccessfully for the Republican congressional nomination to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the late [[Republican Party|GOP]] Representative Joseph R. Skeen. Instead, the party choice and the [[general election]] victory went to intra-party rival [[Steve Pearce]],<ref name=bio/>who ran unsuccessfully for [[governor]] in 2018. | Tinsley has been a supporter of former [[U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]], who appointed him to the board of the scenic Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico.<ref name=bio/> In 2002, Tinsley ran unsuccessfully for the Republican congressional nomination to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the late [[Republican Party|GOP]] Representative Joseph R. Skeen. Instead, the party choice and the [[general election]] victory went to intra-party rival [[Steve Pearce]],<ref name=bio/>who ran unsuccessfully for [[governor]] in 2018. |