Curt Clawson


Curtis Jay Clawson 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.

Education and career

Clawson attended Batesville High School in Batesville, Indiana. A high school basketball star, he was recruited by Gene Keady. 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. At Purdue, he was a 2x All-Academic Big Ten selection. He was a team captain for the 1983–84 Big Ten Champions, was a member of 2x NCAA teams and an NIT Finalist team. He graduated in 1984 with a BA in Spanish and a BS from the Krannert School of Management. He was named a "Purdue Old Master" in 2010 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014
In 1990, he earned an MBA from Harvard University.
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. 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%. Clawson was endorsed in the primary by the Tea Party Express. 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.
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.
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.
Clawson is a member of the Congressional Constitution Caucus.

Electoral history

2014 (special)

2014