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Al Lawson
Al Lawson 115th Congress photo.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 5th district
In office
January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2023
Preceded by Corrine Brown
Succeeded by John Rutherford
Minority Leader of the Florida Senate
In office
2008–2010
Preceded by Steven Geller
Succeeded by Nan Rich
Member of the Florida Senate
In office
November 7, 2000 – November 2, 2010
Preceded by Pat Thomas
Succeeded by Bill Montford
Constituency 3rd district (2000–02)
6th district (2002–10)
Member of the
Florida House of Representatives
In office
November 7, 1982 – November 7, 2000
Preceded by Leonard J. Hall
Succeeded by Curtis B. Richardson
Constituency 9th district (1982–92)
8th district (1992–2000)
Personal details
Born
Alfred James Lawson Jr.

(1948-09-23) September 23, 1948 (age 76)
Midway, Florida, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse
Delores Brooks
(m. 1975)
Children 2
Education Florida A&M University (BA)
Florida State University (MPA)

Alfred James Lawson Jr., born on September 23, 1948, is an American businessman and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative for Florida's 5th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. This district covered parts of Florida along the border with Georgia, including areas between Tallahassee and Jacksonville.

After new district maps were drawn in 2022, Lawson ran in the newly shaped 2nd congressional district. He ran against fellow Congressman Neal Dunn in his hometown. Lawson won the Democratic primary election without any opponents. However, he lost to Dunn in the main election.

Before serving in the U.S. House, Lawson was a member of the Florida state legislature for 28 years. He was in the Florida House of Representatives from 1982 to 2000. Then, he served in the Florida Senate from 2000 to 2010. In the Senate, he became the Democratic leader. He was also known as the "Dean of the Senate" because he had served there for a long time. After two earlier attempts to run for Congress, Lawson won the Democratic primary in 2016. He then won the general election to become a U.S. Representative.

Early Life and Education

Representative Al Lawson dnd0611
Al Lawson as a state representative in 1984.
Alfred Lawson
Al Lawson as a state senator in 2006.

Al Lawson was born in Midway, Florida. He went to Havana Northside High School. There, he was a great athlete in basketball and track. He later became a basketball star at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from FAMU.

After college, Lawson played professional basketball for a short time. He played for teams like the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks. He then returned to Tallahassee, Florida. There, he became an assistant basketball coach at Florida State University. He helped the team reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. Lawson also earned his Master of Public Administration degree from Florida State University.

Lawson is a member of the Episcopal Church.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections for Congress

2010 Election

Lawson ran for the Democratic nomination in Florida's 2nd congressional district in 2010. He challenged Allen Boyd, who had been in office for seven terms. Lawson lost to Boyd by a small number of votes in the primary election. Boyd then lost to a new Republican candidate, Steve Southerland, in the main election.

2012 Election

Lawson ran for the same seat again in 2012. He won the Democratic nomination against state representative Leonard Bembry. However, he lost to Southerland in the general election. The difference in votes was less than 6 percent.

2016 Election

A court case changed the map for Florida's 5th congressional district. For many years, this district covered areas from Jacksonville to Orlando. The new map changed the district to go from Tallahassee to downtown Jacksonville. This new district included Lawson's home in Tallahassee.

Lawson announced he would run for the 5th district on December 15, 2015. This set up a race against Corrine Brown, who had been the representative for that district since 1993. Lawson won the Democratic primary election on August 30. This primary was the most important election in this district, as it usually votes for Democrats. He then won the general election on November 8, getting 64% of the votes.

Committee Work

Members of Congress work on different committees. These committees study specific topics and create new laws. Al Lawson was part of these committees:

Caucus Groups

Lawson was also a member of different groups called caucuses. These groups are made up of members of Congress who share similar interests or backgrounds.

Political Views

Gun Safety

After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, Lawson spoke about the need for new gun laws. He said that groups that support guns had too much power. Lawson supports rules that would limit assault weapons. In 2017, he voted against a law that would make all states recognize concealed carry permits from other states. This law would also allow people with these permits to carry hidden weapons near schools. Lawson also voted against a law that would let veterans buy guns even if they were considered "mentally incompetent," unless a judge said they were dangerous.

Supporting Farmers

Lawson voted on important bills like the Farm Bill in 2018. He said this bill was important to help farmers in his district, which has a lot of agriculture.

See Also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Al Lawson para niños

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