Brad Wenstrup

Brad Wenstrup
U.S. House, Ohio, District 2
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2013-Present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position	0
Party	Republican
Predecessor	Jean Schmidt (R)
Compensation
Base salary	$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
First elected	November 6, 2012
Next election	November 4, 2014
Campaign $	$998,233
Term limits	N/A
Education
High school	St. Xavier High School
Bachelor's	University of Cincinnati
Other	William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
Military service
Service/branch	U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps
Years of service	1998 - 2011
Personal
Birthday	June 17, 1958
Place of birth	Cincinnati, Ohio
Profession	Doctor
Net worth	$2,558,015
Religion	Catholic
Websites
Office website
Campaign website
Brad Wenstrup campaign logo

Brad Wenstrup is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Ohio. Wenstrup represents Ohio's 2nd congressional district and was first elected in 2012.

Biography

After earning a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, Wenstrup went on to establish a private practice in the Cincinnati area. In 1998, he accepted an officer's commission in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps. He deployed for a year of active duty in Iraq in 2005, where he served as a combat surgeon. Wenstrup continues to serve in the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Wenstrup's academic, professional and political career:

• 1999-Present: Physician, Wellington Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine
• 1998-2011: Army Reserve Officer
• 2005-2006: Combat surgeon, Iraq
• 1986-1999: Private practice Doctor
• 1980-1985: Attended William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, earned a B.S. & D.P.M.
• 1976-1980: Attended University of Cincinnati, earned a B.A.

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Wenstrup serves on the following committees:

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
  • Subcommittee on Military Personnel
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
  • Subcommittee on Health

Issues

Political positions

On his campaign website, Wenstrup listed six issues that are his top priorities:

Jobs and the Economy

Wenstrup has said that people in Ohio's 2nd district are struggling and need more jobs, but government intervention and regulation prevent job creation. He says that government strangles small businesses.

Excerpt: "The people who live here want to work – they are willing and able. They want leaders who will advance policies that will attract more businesses – and the jobs that come with them – to Southwest Ohio."

National Security

Wenstrup, who was a Combat Surgeon in Iraq, applauds the killing of Osama Bin Laden. But, he advocates remaining active in combating terrorism to keep the U.S. safe. Wenstrup also supports securing the borders.

Excerpt: "Whether it’s Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or other places around the world – there are still far too many havens for terrorists who want to kill Americans. Starting with securing our borders and continuing with increased emphasis on intelligence gathering and expanded use of Special Forces teams like Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets, we must remain active and vigilant to ensure our nation remains safe and free."

Gun Rights

Wenstrup is a proud gun owner who promises to work to ensure the rights for law-abiding citizens to have guns if elected. Wenstrup also says he will be vigilant in ensuring Congress and the courts to infringe on gun rights.

Excerpt: "Like so many other Ohioans, I’m frustrated that our constitutional right to keep and bear arms continues to be under attack by liberals and anti-gun zealots. Unfortunately, even the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision reaffirming that the Second Amendment guarantees the individual’s right to keep and bear arms was upheld only by a single vote."

Good Government

Citing Congress' record-low approval rating, and frustration over partisan fighting and ethics violations, Wenstrup says that if elected, he will lead in Washington.

Excerpt: "And I won’t go to Washington and fade into the background – I’ll stand up and speak out. It’s time we elected leaders with courage to face our problems. Too many people we elect go to Washington and become one of “them.” If you send me to Washington, I’ll remind them that they are one of 'us.'"

Abortion

Wenstrup is strongly pro-life and believes that life begins in conception. He also supports Family First and Right to Life. Wenstrup also promises to fight federal funding for abortion.

Excerpt: "One of the dangers inherent in Obamacare is that federal funding for abortion will be codified. In Congress, I’ll support efforts to ensure that doesn’t happen. Further, I’ll work to make sure our nation isn’t supporting a culture of abortion around the world by rejecting funding for the UN’s controversial Population Fund."

Health Care

Wenstrup opposes President Obama's health care bill. He believes the bill hurts patients and doctors, and will fight to repeal it in Congress.

Excerpt: "We must all work to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with patient-centered solutions such as the ability to keep insurance between jobs and states. We need to encourage more Health Savings Accounts for routine office visits and minor medical expenses. And we must adopt additional lawsuit abuse reform to make sure good doctors can afford to treat patients."

Campaign Attacks

In February 2012, Wenstrup's campaign spokesperson, Brian Shrive, accused Schmidt of using campaign funds to pay off attorney fees from her legal battles against Democratic challenger David Krikorian. Shrive pointed to a line in Schmidt's finance report showing the congresswoman repaid herself $20,000 from a campaign loan in 2005, then around the same time, used funds from her personal bank account to pay more than $40,000 in legal debt.

Schmidt's spokesperson, Barrett Brunsman, responded, calling the charge "innuendo and lies." Brunsman then accused Wenstrip of working with Krikorian, noting that the Democrat's attorney, Christopher Finney, recently held a fundraiser for Wenstrup

Wenstrup has also questioned Schmidt's trustworthiness, and has cited Schmit's past ethics controversies to suggest the Congresswoman has lost the support of her constituents. In a meeting with the Cincinnati Enquirer editorial board, Wenstrup pointed to when Schmidt unknowingly allowed the Turkish American Coalition to pay her legal fees. Wenstrup: "How can [Schmidt] sit on a foreign affairs committee when she owes $500,000 to a special interest group?" Schmidt's spokesperson responded saying, "Voters know Jean Schmidt well, and she has earned their trust by focusing on actual issues."

Media

In February 2012, Wenstrup did an interview with WLWT News Channel 5.

Wenstrup media interview (February 24, 2012).

Elections

2012

See also: Ohio's 2nd congressional district elections, 2012

Wenstrup won the election. Wenstrup ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Ohio's 2nd District. Wenstrup defeated incumbent Rep. Jean Schmidt, businessman Tony Brush, businessman Joe Green, and Air Force veteran Fred Kundrata in the March 6, 2012 primary.

The Washington Post listed the House of Representatives elections in Ohio in 2012 as one of the states that could determine whether Democrats retake the House or Republican holds its majority in 2013. Ohio tied with Pennsylvania for 9th on the list.

U.S. House, Ohio, District 2 General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	William R. Smith	41.4%	137,077
	Republican	Brad Wenstrup	58.6%	194,296
Total Votes				331,373
Source: Ohio Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

U.S. House, Ohio's 2nd Congressional District Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Brad Wenstrup	48.7%	42,482
Jean Schmidt Incumbent	42.9%	37,383
Fred Kundrata	3.4%	2,999
Tony Brush	4.9%	4,275
Joe Green	0%	29
Total Votes		87,168

Ads

In February 2012, Wenstrup released his first radio ad. In it, he attacks Schmidt for being too close to President Barack Obama.

2009

In 2009, Wenstrup ran for Mayor of Cincinnati, challenging incumbent Mayor Mark Mallory (D). Wenstrup lost in the general election, however, with 46 percent of the vote.

Endorsements

Wenstrup has received endorsements from the following:

• Ohio Veterans United
• Combat Veterans for Congress PAC.
• Anderson Tea Party
• Clermont Liberty PAC
• Ohio Liberty Council

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Wenstrup is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Wenstrup raised a total of $998,233 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 25, 2013.

Brad Wenstrup's Campaign Contribution History
Year	Office	Result	Contributions
2012	U.S. House of Representatives (Ohio District 2)		$998,233
Grand Total Raised			$998,233

2012

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

Wenstrup won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Wenstrup's campaign committee raised a total of $998,233 and spent $892,990.

U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio's 2nd Congressional District, 2012 - Brad Wenstrup Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$998,233
Total Spent	$892,990
Total Raised by Election Runner-up	$0
Total Spent by Election Runner-up	$0
Top contributors to Brad Wenstrup's campaign committee
American Financial Group	$20,500
North American Properties	$10,800
American Podiatric Medical Assn	$10,000
Credit Union National Assn	$10,000
Freedom Project	$10,000
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee
Health Professionals	$125,043
Retired	$41,450
Real Estate	$37,850
Leadership PACs	$37,749
Misc Manufacturing & Distributing	$36,755

According to FindTheData, in the fourth quarter of 2011, Wenstrup raised $151,290. By the end of 2011, his campaign had spent $68,885, and he started 2012 with $97,404 cash on hand. Ninety-eight percent, or $148,790 of the money Wenstrup raised came from individual contributions.

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Wenstrup missed 0 of 108 roll call votes from Jan 2013 to Apr 2013, which is 0.0% of votes during that period. This is better than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving.

Net worth

See also: Net Worth of United States Senators and Representatives

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Wenstrup's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $2,291,018 to $2,825,012. That averages to $2,558,015, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican House members in 2011 of $7,859,232.

Personal

Wenstrup is single, and lives in Columbia Tusculum.

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Brad + Wenstrup + Ohio + Congress + House

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

Brad Wenstrup News Feed

• Lawmakers want to save Delta Queen - Cincinnati.com
• Wenstrup works to improve VA claims process - Cincinnati.com
• Wenstrup asks for input in IRS scandal - Portsmouth Daily Times
• Wenstrup votes to repeal Obamacare - Portsmouth Daily Times
• IRS Targeted Justin Binik-Thomas in Query to Ohio Tea Party Group - United Liberty
• GEVS bus driver is honored - Georgetown News Democrat
• Rep. Barr Introduces Bill to Provide Health Plans Made Through Exchanges to ... - Targeted News Service (subscription)
• I-Team: House members' budgets cut by sequester, too - kypost.com
• Military Actions: Ohioan seeks to add 74 names to Vietnam Wall - Lima Ohio
• Democrats' votes on 'comp time' bill show they side with working families - Canton Repository

External links

• Official campaign website
• Official U.S. House website

• Summary, biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at CongressMerge.com
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Profile at Facebook
• Profile at Twitter
• Profile at Wikipedia

References

Political offices
Preceded by Jean Schmidt (R)	U.S. House of Representatives - Ohio, District 2 2013-Present	Succeeded by '