Curt Clawson

Curtis Jay Clawson (born September 28, 1959) is an American politician who was 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]

Curt Clawson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 19th district
In office June 25, 2014 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Trey Radel
Succeeded by	Francis Rooney
Personal details
Born	Curtis Jay Clawson September 28, 1959 Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Residence	Bonita Springs, Florida
Alma mater	Purdue University Harvard Business School
Website	House website

Education and career

Clawson attended Batesville High School in Batesville, Indiana. A high school basketball star, he was recruited by Gene Keady.[3] After attending the University of Utah for one year and serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Clawson transferred to Purdue University.[4] At Purdue, he was a 2x 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 2x NCAA teams (1982–83 and 1983–84) and an NIT Finalist team (1981–82).[5] 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]

Before his election to Congress, Clawson spent a quarter-century as an executive with several industrial firms, working at AlliedSignal, American National Can and Hayes Lemmerz.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2014 special

Clawson was the Republican Party nominee in a special election to fill the seat being vacated by Trey Radel.[6] 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%.[6] Clawson was endorsed in the primary by the Tea Party Express.[5] 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.[5]

2014 general

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

Tenure

Clawson delivered the Tea Party response to President Obama's State of the Union Address in 2015.[7][8]

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.[9]

Clawson was a member of the Congressional Constitution Caucus.[10]

Electoral history

2014 (special)

Republican primary results[11]

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[12]

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

Florida's 19th Congressional District Election (2014)[13]

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

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: New York Times Company. April 22, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
3. Curtis J. Clawson : College of Liberal Arts : Purdue University Archived April 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
4. "Curt Clawson: Businessman's life has been series of turnarounds". News-press.com. March 29, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
5. 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.
6. Sullivan, Sean. Curt Clawson wins Republican nomination in Florida special election, Washington Post, April 23, 2014.
7. Topaz, Jonathan (January 20, 2015) – "Tea Party Response to Obama Hits Soft Tones". POLITICO. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
8. 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.
9. King, Ledyard (May 20, 2016). "U.S. Rep. Curt Clawson won't seek re-election". The News-Press. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
10. "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
11. "Florida – County Vote Results". Associated Press. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
12. "Florida Department of State – Election Results: June 24, 2014 Special General Congressional 19". Florida Department of State Department of Elections. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
13. "Florida Department of State – Election Results: November 4, 2014 General Election". Florida Department of State Department of Elections. Retrieved June 18, 2016.

External links

• Curt Clawson at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress