David Kustoff

David Frank Kustoff (/ˈkʌstɒf/; born October 8, 1966) is an American politician and attorney. He is a United States Representative from Tennessee, as a Republican representing Tennessee's 8th congressional district. The district includes the bulk of West Tennessee, but the bulk of its population is in the eastern portion of the Memphis area, including the eastern fourth of Memphis itself. He served as a United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee from 2006 until 2008.

David Kustoff
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Stephen Fincher
United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee
In office March 16, 2006[1] – May 16, 2008[2]
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Terrell Lee Harris
Succeeded by	Edward L. Stanton III
Personal details
Born	David Frank Kustoff October 8, 1966 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Roberta Kustoff
Children	2
Education	University of Memphis (BA, JD)
Website	House website

Early life, education, and career

David Frank Kustoff was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 8, 1966, and raised in Shelby County, Tennessee.[3][4] He graduated from Memphis' White Station High School in 1985.[5] Kustoff attended the University of Memphis, graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1989. He then attended the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, graduating in 1992.[6]

In 1998, Kustoff opened a law firm with Jim Strickland, whom he met at the University of Memphis. Both would become active in Tennessee politics; Strickland was elected Mayor of Memphis in 2015.[7]

Political career

Kustoff became active in politics during the 1990s, in which he was chair of the Republican Party of Shelby County. He served as George W. Bush's campaign chairman in Tennessee during the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. On August 8, 2002, he was named as campaign chairman for Lamar Alexander's 2002 Senate campaign.[8] In December 2002, he criticized Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott for his praise of Strom Thurmond for the harm that it would do to Republican outreach to minorities.[9]

In 2002, Congressman Ed Bryant announced that he would not seek reelection in Tennessee's 7th congressional district, which at the time included Kustoff's home in eastern Memphis, and would instead run in the Republican primary for the Senate election. On April 3, Kustoff announced that he would seek the Republican nomination to succeed Bryant. However, in the Republican primary, he was defeated by State Senator Marsha Blackburn who won with a plurality of 40.32%. Kustoff finished second with 20.24% of the vote and performed the best in the Memphis area, but two other Memphians split that region's vote.[10] During the primary campaign Kustoff stated that he had an A+ rating from the NRA when in actuality the NRA had never given him a rating.[11]

United States Attorney

In 2006, President Bush nominated Kustoff as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.[5][12] During his tenure in office, Kustoff prosecuted the Operation Tennessee Waltz, after which John Ford, a prominent Tennessee politician, and others were sent to prison.[13] Kustoff also worked to reduce crime in the Memphis area, joining a group of Memphis leaders and law enforcement officials called Operation Safe Community.[14]

Kustoff resigned as U.S. Attorney shortly before the 2008 election and chose to return to his private practice.[12]

U.S House of Representatives

Elections

In February 2016, Stephen Fincher announced that he would not run for re-election in Tennessee's 8th congressional district. Kustoff announced his campaign in February; eastern Memphis had been shifted from the 7th to the 8th in the 2010s round of redistricting. Kustoff began to emerge from the crowded pack when he was endorsed by former Arkansas Governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who filmed ads for Kustoff and campaigned with him.[15][12][16] He narrowly won the primary with a plurality of 27.45% with Shelby County Commissioner George Flinn behind with 23.08%. Kustoff faced Democratic nominee Rickey Hobson, a Delta Air Lines manager and Somerville, Tennessee resident. Kustoff visited all 15 counties in the district and urged skeptical Republicans to support Donald Trump for the presidency.[17] Kustoff defeated Hobson in the general election.[18] However, he had effectively assured himself of a seat in Congress with his primary victory. The addition of the Memphis suburbs had turned the 8th into one of the most Republican districts in the nation; with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+15, it was the most Republican district in the state outside of East Tennessee.

During the 2018 elections George Flinn mounted a primary challenge against Kustoff and spent millions against him, but Kustoff won with 56.00% against Flinn's 39.67%.[19]

Caucus memberships

• Republican Study Committee.[20]

Political positions

Health care

Kustoff voted for the American Health Care Act in May 2017. "[O]ur current health care system is failing Tennesseans", he said afterwards. Later that month, a woman angrily confronted him about that vote during a town hall meeting at the University of Tennessee at Martin; after the meeting ended and Kustoff along with some of his staff got into their car, she gave chase and allegedly attempted to run them off the road, then confronted them again about Kustoff's vote, reportedly banging on the windows of his car in the process. Police later arrested her on a felony charge of reckless endangerment.[21]

National security

Kustoff supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries. He stated that “I believe President Trump is putting American safety first, and I will encourage a long-term plan that is consistent with the values and compassion on which our great nation was founded.”[22]

Texas v. Pennsylvania

In December 2020, Kustoff was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[23] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[24][25][26]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Kustoff and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[27][28] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Kustoff and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[29]

Personal life

David Kustoff is an Orthodox Jew and he is married to Roberta Kustoff, who is also a lawyer at the Kustoff and Strickland Firm. The couple has two children.[30] He and Lee Zeldin are the only two Republican Jewish members of the House of Representatives.[31]

Kustoff served on the board of directors of BankTennessee and served as a member of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.[32][33]

Electoral history

David Kustoff electoral history

2002 Tennessee Seventh Congressional District Republican Primary[34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Marsha Blackburn	36,633	40.32%
	Republican	David Kustoff	18,392	20.24%
	Republican	Brent Taylor	14,139	15.56%
	Republican	Mark Norris	13,104	14.42%
	Republican	Forrest Shoaf	7,319	8.06%
	Republican	Sonny Carlota	642	0.71%
	Republican	Randy Starkey	628	0.69%
	Republican	Other	9	0.01%
Total votes			'90,866'	'100.00%'

2016 Tennessee Second Congressional District Republican Primary[35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	David Kustoff	16,889	27.45%
	Republican	George Flinn	14,200	23.08%
	Republican	Mark Luttrell	10,878	17.68%
	Republican	Brian Kelsey	7,942	12.91%
	Republican	Brad Greer	6,819	11.08%
	Republican	Tom Leatherwood	2,620	4.26%
	Republican	Hunter Baker	1,014	1.65%
	Republican	Ken Atkins	410	0.67%
	Republican	Raymond Honeycutt	231	0.38%
	Republican	George B. Howell	211	0.34%
	Republican	David Wharton	131	0.21%
	Republican	Dave Bault	109	0.18%
	Republican	David J. Maldonado	76	0.12%
Total votes			'61,530'	'100.00%'

See also

• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress

References

1. https://www.congress.gov/nomination/109th-congress/1343
2. https://www.memphisflyer.com/TheDailyBuzz/archives/2008/03/11/david-kustoff-resigning-as-united-states-attorney
3. "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). Roll Call. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
4. 1987 OUTSTANDING YOUNG MEN OF AMERICA. April 4, 1987. ISBN 9789997310811. Retrieved April 4, 2018 – via Google Books.
5. Ashby, Andrew (April 6, 2006). "Kustoff Puts Leadership Skills to the Test As Lead Prosecutor for West Tennessee". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
6. Dedrick, Blair. "Leading by example". The University of Memphis Magazine. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
7. Poe, Ryan (August 14, 2015). "Profile: Strickland runs on humor, faith". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
8. "David Kustoff named campaign chairman for Lamar Alexander". The Leaf-Chronicle. August 9, 2002. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Frist denounces Lott remarks, says words aren't values of GOP". The Jackson Sun. December 13, 2013. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Attorneys from Nashville, Memphis enter campaign to replace Bryant in House". The Tennessean. April 4, 2002. p. 18. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Candidate's claims stir debate". The Tennessean. July 23, 2002. p. 62. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Huckabee campaigns for David Kustoff, adding celebrity power in crowded race for Congressional seat". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
13. Baird, Woody (August 28, 2007). "Ex-senator sentenced in Tennessee Waltz". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
14. "Crimetracker: Joe Birch sits down with U.S. Attorney David Kustoff". wmcactionnews5.com. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
15. "Congressional candidate update". The Jackson Sun. February 12, 2016. p. B1. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Kustoff Victory Caps TV, Outsider Heavy Congressional Campaign". Memphis Daily News. August 8, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
17. "David Kustoff Launches General Election "Kick-Off Tour" in Tennessee's 8th District – David Kustoff for Congress". Catch Digital Strategy. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
18. "Kustoff wins District 8 seat". Retrieved April 4, 2018.
19. "Flinn's willingness to spend his own millions makes for competitive race vs. Kustoff in District 8". July 25, 2018.
20. "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
21. Nashrulla, Tasneem (May 14, 2017). "A Woman Allegedly Tried To Run A Republican Congressman Off The Road Over His Vote To Repeal Obamacare". Buzzfeed. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
22. Blake, Aaron. "Coffman, Gardner join Republicans against President Trump's travel ban; here's where the rest stand". Denver Post. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
23. Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
24. Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
25. "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
26. Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
27. Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
28. "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
29. Williams, Jordan (December 11, 2020). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
30. Rebekah Hearn (April 30, 2009). "Married Attorneys: Working Together A Bonus for Clients". Memphis Daily News.
31. "Jewish Members of the 114th Congress". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
32. Our Board of Directors Archived November 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, BankTennessee (accessed September 14, 2016).
33. "Haslam Makes Appointments to State Boards and Commissions" (Press release). Office of the Governor of Tennessee. October 16, 2015. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
34. "TN District 7 - R Primary 2002". September 5, 2011.
35. "TN District 2 - R Primary 2016". October 8, 2016.

External links

• Official U.S. House website
• Official campaign website
• David Kustoff at Curlie

• 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
• Appearances on C-SPAN