Curt Clawson
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| 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 (1959-09-28) September 28, 1959 (age 64) Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education |
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| Basketball career | |
| No. 33 – Purdue Boilermakers | |
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
| League | Big Ten Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Batesville High School, Indiana |
| College |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Curtis Jay Clawson (born September 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as 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]
Clawson attended Batesville High SchoolinBatesville, Indiana. A high school basketball star, he was recruited by Gene Keady.[3] At Purdue, he was a 2× 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 2× NCAA teams (1982–83 and 1983–84) and an NIT Finalist team (1981–82).[4] 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]
Clawson was the Republican Party nominee in a special election to fill the seat being vacated by Trey Radel.[5] 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%.[5] Clawson was endorsed in the primary by the Tea Party Express.[4] 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.[4]
Clawson won a full term in November 2014 with 64 percent of the vote.
Clawson delivered the Tea Party response to President Obama's State of the Union Address in 2015.[6][7]
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.[8]
Clawson was a member of the Congressional Constitution Caucus.[9]
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 19th congressional district 2014–2017 |
Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by as Former US Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative |
Succeeded by as Former US Representative |
