Allen B. West

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Allen B. West
Allen West.jpg
U.S. House, Florida, District 22
Retired Representative
In office
January 3, 2011-January 3, 2013
PartyRepublican
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 6, 2012
First electedNovember 2, 2010
Term limitsN/A
Education
Bachelor'sUniversity of Tennessee
Master'sKansas State University, U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer College
Military service
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1982-2004
CitationsBronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal
Personal
BirthdayFebruary 7, 1961
Place of birthAtlanta, Georgia
ProfessionSoldier
ReligionChristian
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Contents

Allen Bernard West (b. February 7, 1961) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. West was elected by voters from Florida's 22nd congressional district in 2010. He lost his bid for re-election in 2012 to Democrat Patrick Murphy.

West ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Florida's 18th District. He won the nomination on the Republican ticket.[1] Primary elections were held on on August 14, 2012. West defeated Robert Crowder in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012.[2] West was defeated by challenger Patrick Murphy in a race that was too close to call for more than one week after the November 6, 2012 general election.[3][4]

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, West was a "moderate Republican follower".[5]

Biography

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Allen West was born in Atlanta,Georgia. West joined the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program in the tenth grade and entered the United States Army in 1983 after he graduated from the University of Tennessee. West was a member of the third of four consecutive generations in his family to serve in the United States armed forces.[6]

West received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Tennessee and his master's degree in political science from Kansas State University. He also earned a master of military arts and sciences degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer College in political theory and military history and operations.[7]

Career

Committee assignments

U.S. House of Representatives

2011-2012

West served on the following committees:[8]

Issues

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "No" West voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[10]

Elections

2012

See also: Florida's 18th congressional district elections, 2012

West ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Florida's 18th District. West won the nomination on the Republican ticket.[11] The signature filing deadline was June 8, 2012, with the primary taking place on August 14, 2012. West defeated Robert Crowder in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012.[2] West was defeated by challenger Patrick Murphy (D) in the November 6, 2012 general election.[12]

U.S. House, Florida, District 18 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark.jpgPatrick Murphy 50.3% 166,257
     Republican Allan West 49.7% 164,353
     Write-In Marilyn Davis Holloman 0% 55
Total Votes 330,665
Source: Florida Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010

On November 2, 2010, West won election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Ron Klein (D) in the general election.[13]

U.S. House of Representatives, Florida's 22nd Congressional District, General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark.jpgAllen West 54.4% 118,890
     Democratic Ron Klein 45.6% 99,804
Total Votes 218,694

Polls

2012

Patrick Murphy V. Allen West
Response Frederick Polls
(October 17, 2012)
Public Policy Polling
(October 25-26, 2012)
Average
Patrick Murphy 47%48% 47.5%
Allen West 47%47% 47%
Undecided 6%5% 5.5%
Number polled 333631 482
Margin of error +/-5.3+/-3.7% 4.5%
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Campaign donors

2012

Breakdown of the source of West's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

West lost election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, West's campaign committee raised a total of $19,359,331 and spent $18,471,216.[14]


West announced that he raised over $4 million during the 3rd quarter of the year, leaving him with over $3 million cash on hand. He has raised over $14.5 million over the course of the election cycle. His opponent Patrick Murphy raised $1.1 million in the 3rd quarter, leaving himself with around $400,000 on hand for the rest of the race.[15]

2010

Breakdown of the source of West's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

West won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that election cycle, West's campaign committee raised a total of $6,542,738 and spent $6,519,713 .[16]

Analysis

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. West paid his congressional staff a total of $765,425 in 2011. He ranked 33rd on the list of the lowest paid Republican Representative Staff Salaries and he ranked 37th overall of the lowest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Florida ranks 36th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[17]

Net worth

See also: Net Worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, West's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $-102,992 and $454,998. That averages to $176,003, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[18]

National Journal vote ratings

2011

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. West ranked 174th in the conservative rankings.[19]

Political Positions

Percentage voting with party

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Allen B. West voted with the Republican Party 92 of the time, which ranked 135 among the 242 House Republican members in November 2011.[20]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Allen + West + Florida + House

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

Allen West News Feed


Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found


Personal

West married Dr. Angela M. Graham on Christmas Eve in 1989. His wife, Angela, holds an MBA and PhD. and works as a financial planner. His oldest daughter, Aubrey, attends Archbishop McCarthy High School and his youngest daughter, Austen, attends Cooper City Christian Academy.[21] They currently reside in Plantation, Florida with their two daughters. [22]

External links

References

  1. Washington Post "Rep. Allen West to seek reelection in new district" Accessed February 14, 2012
  2. 2.0 2.1 AP Results "U.S. House Results" Accessed August 14, 2012
  3. ABC News "2012 General Election Results"
  4. Politico "Allen West falls further behind," November 18, 2012
  5. Gov Track "Allen West" Accessed April 12, 2012
  6. Broward Politics "Allen West: from controversy to Congress" Accessed October 20, 2011
  7. Allen West for Congress "About Allen West" Accessed October 20, 2011
  8. Congressman Allen West, Representing the 22nd District of Florida "Committees & Legislation"
  9. Armed Services Committee "Emerging Threats and Capabilities"
  10. U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  11. Washington Post "Rep. Allen West to seek reelection in new district" Accessed February 14, 2012
  12. Yahoo News "After a Recount, Allen West Loses Even Harder," November 19, 2012
  13. U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  14. OpenSecrets "2012 Election" Accessed March 18, 2013
  15. National Journal, "West Raises Big, Spends Big," October 2, 2012
  16. http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cycle=2010&type=I&cid=N00029131&newMem=N Open Secrets "Allen West 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed October 27, 2011]
  17. LegiStorm "Allen West"
  18. OpenSecrets.org, "West, (R-Florida), 2010"
  19. National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
  20. Open Congress "Voting With Party"
  21. Congressman Allen West "Biography" Accessed October 20, 2011
  22. Allen West for President 2012 "Allen West's Final Wrap Up For 2010" Accessed October 20, 2011
Political offices
Preceded by
Ron Klein
U.S. House of Representatives - Florida, District 22
2011–2013
Succeeded by
Lois Frankel (D)
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