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Matthew Wittlief

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Matthew Wittlief
Image of Matthew Wittlief
Elections and appointments
Last election

November 8, 2016

Education

Bachelor's

Concordia University

Graduate

Purdue University

Contact

Matthew Wittlief was a 2016 Libertarian candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 5th Congressional District of Indiana.[1]

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Wittlief received his B.A. in mathematics from Concordia University and his M.S. in applied mathematics from Purdue University.[1]

Elections

2016

See also: Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Susan Brooks (R) defeated Angela Demaree (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Brooks withdrew from the race on July 15, 2016, in order to run for governor of Indiana following a ballot vacancy. Brooks was not chosen to fill that vacancy, prompting her to once again seek re-election to her House seat. Republican committee members decided on August 13 to reinstate Brooks on the ballot.[2] Brooks defeated Mike Campbell and Stephen MacKenzie in the Republican primary, while Demaree defeated Allen Davidson to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on May 3, 2016.[3][4][5]

U.S. House, Indiana District 5 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSusan Brooks Incumbent 61.5% 221,957
     Democratic Angela Demaree 34.3% 123,849
     Libertarian Matthew Wittlief 4.2% 15,329
Total Votes 361,135
Source: Indiana Division of Elections


U.S. House, Indiana District 5 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngSusan Brooks Incumbent 69.5% 95,209
Stephen MacKenzie 15.7% 21,575
Mike Campbell 14.7% 20,202
Total Votes 136,986
Source: Indiana Secretary of State
U.S. House, Indiana District 5 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngAngela Demaree 74.9% 52,530
Allen Davidson 25.1% 17,587
Total Votes 70,117
Source: Indiana Secretary of State

Campaign themes

2016

The following issues were listed on Wittlief's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

  • Budget: Our federal budget now exceeds $3.5T. The size and scope of the federal government has expanded far beyond its Constitutional intent. I will fight to reduce the size of government and the budget in order to eliminate budget deficits which burden our children and grandchildren with unsustainable debt and broken entitlement programs.
  • Crime: We need criminal justice reform in this country. The War on Drugs has led us to the world’s largest prison population full of our fellow citizens who committed victimless crimes. This “war” has also created an underground economy leading to unnecessary violent crime. I support full legalization of marijuana and a shift of focus from criminalization to rehabilitation for other drugs.
  • Economy: We live in an amazing era of technological innovation which leads to new industries, new jobs, and a better way of life. Government regulations, often designed by well-connected corporate lobbyists, stifle innovation and hurt small businesses. I believe strongly in the free market and will fight for small business, entrepreneurship, and innovation that will stimulate economic growth.
  • National Security: Our military and related support agencies have grown to enormous proportions in our quest to be the policemen of the world. This is not, and should not be our role. We have military bases and troops all over the world, engage in destructive nation-building, and routinely violate the privacy of our own citizens in a quest for intelligence. It is expensive, counter-productive, and violates the civil liberties of our citizens. We must scale back our bloated national security apparatus.
  • Guns: The Second Amendment provides us the individual right to bear arms which is necessary for self-defense against all threats. This includes the protection of citizens against their own government. We have a gun culture in the United States that is spurred by the underground economy, militarization of police, and our foreign policy.

[6]

—Matthew Wittlief's campaign website, http://www.wittliefforcongress.com/issues/

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Matthew Wittlief Indiana Congress. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on May 28, 2016
  2. KLTV, "The Latest: Pence praises GOP replacement choice," July 26, 2016
  3. Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election," accessed February 8, 2016
  4. The New York Times, "Indiana Primary Results," May 3, 2016
  5. WBAA, "Brooks, Rokita Back On Congressional Ballots Following Weekend Caucuses," August 14, 2016
  6. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.


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