Thaddeus McCotter

Thaddeus George "Thad" McCotter (born August 22, 1965) is an American politician, radio host, and a member of the Republican Party who was the U.S. Representative from Michigan's 11th congressional district from 2003 to 2012. The district at the time consisted of portions of Detroit's northwestern suburbs, such as Livonia, Westland and Novi.

From July 2 to September 21, 2011, he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for president in the 2012 election. After ending his presidential campaign, McCotter decided to run again for his seat in Congress, but he failed to qualify for the 2012 Republican primary in his congressional district after most of his petition signatures were rejected as invalid. The fallout from the ensuing scandal prompted McCotter to resign from Congress in July 2012.

Early life, education, and career

McCotter was born in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School, Redford in 1983. His mother, Georgia Joan McCotter, was the City Clerk of Livonia. He received a B.A. from the University of Detroit in 1987 and a J.D. from the same school in 1990.