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Curt Clawson

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Curt Clawson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 19th district
In office
June 25, 2014 – January 3, 2017
Preceded byTrey Radel
Succeeded byFrancis Rooney
Personal details
Born
Curtis Jay Clawson

(1959-09-28) September 28, 1959 (age 65)
Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Education
Basketball career
No. 33 – Purdue Boilermakers
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Career information
High schoolBatesville High School, Indiana
College
Career highlights and awards

Curtis Jay Clawson (born September 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as the United States representative for Florida's 19th congressional district from 2014 to 2017. He is the former chief executive of Hayes Lemmerz, a Michigan-based automobile wheel and brakes supplier.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Clawson attended Batesville High School in Batesville, Indiana. A high school basketball star, he was recruited by Gene Keady.[3] At Purdue, he was a 2× All-Academic Big Ten selection (1982–83 and 1983–84). He was a team captain for the 1983–84 Big Ten Champions, was a member of 2× NCAA teams (1982–83 and 1983–84) and an NIT Finalist team (1981–82).[4] He graduated in 1984 with a BA in Spanish and a BS from the Krannert School of Management.[3] He was named a "Purdue Old Master" in 2010 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014.[3]

In 1990, he earned an MBA from Harvard University.[3]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2014 special

Clawson was the Republican Party nominee in a special election to fill the seat being vacated by Trey Radel.[5] and won the election on June 24, 2014. In the April 22, 2014 Republican primary—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—Clawson defeated State Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto and former State Representative Paige Kreegel with 38% of the vote to Benacquisto's 26% and Kreegel's 25%.[5] Clawson was endorsed in the primary by the Tea Party Express.[4] He spent $2 million on advertising and in one of his ads he challenged U.S. President Barack Obama to a game of one on one basketball.[4]

2014 general

Clawson won a full term in November 2014 with 64 percent of the vote.

Tenure

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Clawson delivered the Tea Party response to President Obama's State of the Union Address in 2015.[6][7]

In May 2016, Clawson announced that he would not seek re-election that year, citing his desire to support his father in the aftermath of his mother's death the previous year.[8]

Clawson was a member of the Congressional Constitution Caucus.[9]

Electoral history

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2014 (special)

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Republican primary results[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Curt Clawson 26,857 38
Republican Lizbeth Benacquisto 18,032 26
Republican Paige Kreegel 17,762 25
Republican Michael Dreikorn 7,560 11
Total votes 70,211 100
Florida's 19th Congressional District special election, 2014[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Curt Clawson 66,922 66.9
Democratic April Freeman 29,314 29.3
Libertarian Ray Netherwood 3,729 3.7
Write-In Timothy J. Rossano 24 0.0
Total votes 99,989 100.0

2014

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Florida's 19th Congressional District Election (2014)[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Curt Clawson* 159,354 64.6
Democratic April Freeman 80,824 32.7
Libertarian Ray Netherwood 6,671 2.7
Write-In Timothy J. Rossano 12 0.0
Total votes 246,861 100.0

References

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  1. ^ "NDN exclusive: Curt Clawson touts business acumen, but record is marred". Naples Daily News. March 12, 2014. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  2. ^ "Ex-C.E.O. Wins Florida Primary for House Seat". New York Times. New York City. April 22, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "Curtis J. Clawson : College of Liberal Arts : Purdue University". Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Leary, Alex (April 22, 2014). "Tea party candidate Curt Clawson wins Republican primary to replace former Rep. Trey Radel". Tampa Bay Times. Tampa: Times Publishing Company. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Sullivan, Sean. Curt Clawson wins Republican nomination in Florida special election, Washington Post, April 23, 2014.
  6. ^ Topaz, Jonathan (January 20, 2015) – "Tea Party Response to Obama Hits Soft Tones". POLITICO. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  7. ^ Bondioli, Sara (January 20, 2015). "Curt Clawson Pushes Personal Liberty, Teamwork In Tea Party Response To State Of The Union". HuffPost. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  8. ^ King, Ledyard (May 20, 2016). "U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson won't seek re-election". The News-Press. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  9. ^ "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  10. ^ "Florida – County Vote Results". Associated Press. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  11. ^ "Florida Department of State – Election Results: June 24, 2014 Special General Congressional 19". Florida Department of State Department of Elections. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  12. ^ "Florida Department of State – Election Results: November 4, 2014 General Election". Florida Department of State Department of Elections. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 19th congressional district

2014–2017
Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative
Succeeded byas Former US Representative