Allen West (politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Allen West
Chair of the Texas Republican Party
In office July 20, 2020 – July 11, 2021
Preceded by	James Dickey
Succeeded by	Matt Rinaldi
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 22nd district
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Ron Klein
Succeeded by	Lois Frankel
Personal details
Born	Allen Bernard West (1961-02-07) February 7, 1961 (age 64) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Angela Graham ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	2
Education	University of Tennessee (BA) Kansas State University (MA) United States Army Command and General Staff College (MMAS)
Military service
Allegiance	United States  Texas
Branch/service	United States Army Texas State Guard
Years of service	1983–2004 (U.S. Army) 2019–present (Texas State Guard)
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Commands	2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment
Battles/wars	Gulf War Iraq War
Awards	Bronze Star Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal

Allen Bernard West (born February 7, 1961) is an American politician and a retired military officer. He is a member of the Republican Party. West represented Florida's 22nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. He also served as the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 2020 to 2021. Since 2024, he has been the chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party.

West was born and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He started his military career in 1983 after finishing college. He served in Kuwait in 1991 and Iraq in 2003. After leaving the army, West moved to Florida. There, he taught at a high school and worked as an adviser in Afghanistan.

West began his political career in 2008. He ran for Congress in Florida's 22nd district but lost. In 2010, he ran again and won the seat. This made him the first African-American Republican from Florida in Congress since 1876. In Congress, West was a well-known member of the Tea Party Caucus. He was known for his strong conservative views. After changes to district maps, West ran in a different district in 2012. He lost that election by a small number of votes.

In 2020, West became the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He resigned from this role in 2021. He then ran for governor of Texas in 2022 but was not elected.

Early Life and Education

Allen Bernard West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 7, 1961. His parents were Elizabeth and Herman West, Sr. His father and older brother were both military officers. His mother worked for the United States Marine Corps. Even though his parents were Democrats, West said they raised him with conservative ideas.

In high school, West joined the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. After high school, he went to the University of Tennessee. There, he joined the Army ROTC program. In 1983, he became an officer in the U.S. Army. West is the third generation in his family to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. He later earned a master's degree in political science from Kansas State University. He also got another master's degree in military history and operations.

Military Career (1983–2004, 2019–Present)

Overview of Service

West started active duty on November 1, 1983, at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He completed officer training there. Then, he went to airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia. His first job was in Italy. In 1987, West became a captain. He then commanded a unit in the 1st Infantry Division. He served in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait.

After returning from Kuwait, West taught Army ROTC at Kansas State University. He was named the U.S. Army ROTC Instructor of the Year in 1993. In 1995, he worked with the 2nd Infantry Division. West was promoted to major before attending the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 1997. He later became an executive officer. From 1999 to 2002, he worked with the II Marine Expeditionary Force. During this time, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

West's last assignment was commanding the 2d Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment. He deployed with his battalion to Iraq in 2003. He was later relieved of command by the Army. This happened after an incident involving an Iraqi policeman. West admitted to violating Army rules during an interrogation. He was fined $5,000 and allowed to retire in 2004.

West received several awards for his military service. These include the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal. He also earned the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal.

Texas State Guard Service

On August 29, 2019, West joined the Texas State Guard. The ceremony took place at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. He kept the same rank he had in the federal military, lieutenant colonel.

Life After Active Military Duty (2004–2007)

After retiring from the Army, West and his family moved to Florida. He taught U.S. history and coached track and field at Deerfield Beach High School for one year. Then, he worked for two years for a company called Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI). During this time, West was in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He advised the Afghan National Army.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections for Congress

2008 Election

In 2006, the Republican representative for Florida's 22nd Congressional District lost his seat to Democrat Ron Klein. This district was in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Allen West decided to run for this seat in 2008. He wanted to win it back for the Republican Party. West became the Republican candidate without anyone running against him. However, he lost to Ron Klein. Klein received 54.7% of the votes, and West received 45.3%.

2010 Election

West ran against Ron Klein again in 2010. He spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin supported him. West was one of 32 African-American Republican candidates for Congress that year. He supported the Tea Party movement. He said that claims of racism in the movement were false. He was called a "tea party star" and joined the congressional Tea Party Caucus.

In September 2010, a flyer from the Florida Democratic Party accidentally showed West's Social Security number. The party called it a mistake and offered to pay for identity theft protection. West strongly criticized the flyer.

West defeated Klein in the 2010 election. He won by 8.8%. West and Tim Scott were the first African-American Republicans in Congress since 2003. West raised $5.4 million for his campaign. Most of his donations came from individuals.

2012 Election

West speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C.

West raised over $1.5 million in 2011 for his 2012 reelection campaign. Experts said West was one of the Republicans most likely to be affected by new district maps.

The new district maps made his old district more Democratic. West decided to run in the neighboring 18th District instead. This district was previously represented by Republican Tom Rooney. Rooney chose to run in a different district, which helped West's chances.

In the new district, West faced a challenge from Robert Crowder in the primary election. West did not debate Crowder. West won the primary election by a large margin, getting 74.4% of the votes.

His opponent in the general election was Patrick Murphy, a Democrat who was new to politics. The campaign had many negative ads. One ad criticized West's policies. West said the ad was unfair and played on stereotypes. He claimed it was from his opponent's family. Murphy's campaign manager said the ad was from a third party.

Initial vote counts showed Murphy winning by about 2,000 votes. West did not accept the results right away. He pointed to problems in St. Lucie County where some votes might have been counted twice. Florida election officials officially said Murphy was the winner. A partial recount slightly changed the vote difference. West's campaign asked for more recounts. West said he wanted to make sure the election was fair. On November 20, 2012, West's campaign accepted the election results.

Time in Congress

West's strong way of speaking earned him both support and criticism. Many conservatives saw him as a leader. Some even suggested him for vice president or president. In January 2013, two U.S. Representatives voted for West to be Speaker of the House, even though he was no longer in Congress.

West often used strong words. He called President Barack Obama "an abject failure." He also said that people who hate America should leave. He described African American Democrats as trying to keep African Americans "on the plantation." He saw himself as a "modern-day Harriet Tubman" helping them.

In January 2011, West joined a group condemning the flying of a Palestine Liberation Organization flag in Washington D.C. West said it was an attempt to make a group with a history of terrorist actions seem legitimate. In February, West said Michael Ledeen was one of his "foreign policy heroes." He also told his followers to read Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals to understand their opponents. Other writers who influenced West include philosopher John Stuart Mill and General William Tecumseh Sherman.

On June 2, 2011, Allen West wrote a letter to President Obama. He asked Obama to release Jonathan Pollard from prison. West said Pollard's health was getting worse after 26 years. He compared it to the release of a terrorist from prison due to health concerns. Pollard was released in November 2015.

Committee Assignments

West was part of important committees in the House of Representatives.

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
• Committee on Small Business
  • Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations

Caucus Memberships

West was a member of several groups in Congress:

• Republican Study Committee
• Tea Party Caucus
• Congressional Black Caucus

When West joined the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on January 5, 2011, he was the first Republican to join it since 1997.

Life After Congress (2013–Present)

Allen West at the National Pachyderm Convention in Galveston, Texas on September 7, 2019.

In January 2013, West started working for Next Generation.TV. In May 2013, Fox News hired West as a contributor. He provided political comments on their shows.

In September 2015, West was nominated to the Sunset Advisory Commission in Texas. This group checks if Texas state agencies are still needed.

West is a member of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). In May 2016, he was elected to the NRA Board of Directors for three years.

West was an Executive Director of the National Center for Policy Analysis. This was a research group focused on public policy. He worked there from July 2016 until it closed in mid-2017.

Chairman of the Texas Republican Party

In July 2019, West announced he would run for Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He challenged the current chairman, James Dickey. West said he wanted to "strengthen our families," "stand up for life," and secure the U.S.–Mexico border. He was supported by former state party leaders. He was elected chairman on July 20, 2020. West won 22 out of 31 Senate district groups at the Texas state Republican convention.

After West was elected, the party adopted the slogan "We are the storm." On December 11, 2020, after the Supreme Court of the United States rejected a lawsuit about election results, West made a statement. He said "Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the Constitution." Some people thought this meant he was suggesting states leave the United States.

On June 4, 2021, he announced he would resign. His resignation became effective on July 11, 2021.

Texas Gubernatorial Campaign

On July 4, 2021, West announced he would run for Governor of Texas. He challenged the current governor, Greg Abbott. West was defeated in the Republican primary election on March 1, 2022.

Chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party

On March 5, 2024, West was elected as the chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party. He won against the current chairman with over 70% of the votes. Since becoming chairman, he has tried to get an audit of the Dallas County election process. He has also suggested increasing surveillance at polling places in the county.

Personal Life

West married Angela M. Graham on December 24, 1989. Angela has a Ph.D. in education. She was appointed to the board of trustees of Florida Atlantic University. They have two daughters. West and his family moved to Garland, Texas in January 2015. West is a Christian.

West is a certified master scuba diver. He also enjoys motorcycles. He is an honorary member of the Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club.

On May 23, 2020, West was in a motorcycle crash near Waco, Texas. This happened while he was at a protest. He was taken to the hospital by helicopter. His team announced he was in "stable condition."

In October 2021, West was diagnosed with COVID-19. An x-ray showed he had pneumonia. West was not vaccinated against COVID-19. He was hospitalized and received monoclonal antibody injections. He was later released from the hospital.

Images for kids

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  Texas State Guard Flag

See also

In Spanish: Allen West (político) para niños