Allen West (politician) facts for kids

Allen Bernard West, born on February 7, 1961, is an American politician and a former military officer. He is a member of the Republican Party. West served in the United States House of Representatives for Florida from 2011 to 2013. He was also the leader of the Republican Party of Texas from 2020 to 2021. Since 2024, he has been the leader of the Dallas County Republican Party.

West 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 for a year. He also worked as an adviser to the Afghan National Army in Afghanistan.

West began his political career in 2008. He ran for Congress in Florida but did not win that year. In 2010, he ran again and won the election. He became 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 new district maps were drawn, West ran for a different district in 2012 but lost.

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 career military officers. His mother worked for the United States Marine Corps. West has said his parents raised him with strong conservative values.

In high school, West joined the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program. After high school, he went to the University of Tennessee. There, he joined the Army ROTC program. In 1983, he graduated and became an officer in the U.S. Army. West is the third of four generations in his family to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. He later earned master's degrees from Kansas State University and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Military Career (1983–2004, 2019–present)

Joining the Army

West started active duty in the Army on November 1, 1983. He completed officer training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He then went to airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia. There, he earned his Parachutist Badge. His first job was as an officer in Italy. In 1987, West became a captain. He led a battery in the 6th Field Artillery Regiment. He served in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait.

After returning from Kuwait, West taught Army ROTC at Kansas State University from 1991 to 1994. He was named the U.S. Army ROTC Instructor of the Year in 1993. In 1995, he joined 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 a lieutenant colonel.

Service in Iraq

In 2002, West took command of the 2d Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment. He deployed with his battalion during the Iraq War in 2003. An incident occurred during an interrogation. West faced charges related to this event. He accepted a penalty and retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel in 2004.

West received several awards for his military service. These include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. He also earned the Air Assault Badge and the Master Parachutist Badge.

Texas State Guard Service

On August 29, 2019, West joined the Texas State Guard. This ceremony took place at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. He holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Texas State Guard.

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 a private military company called Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI). While with MPRI, West was in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He advised the Afghan National Army there.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2008 Election

In 2006, the Republican representative for Florida's 22nd Congressional District lost to a Democrat. This district included parts of Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach. Allen West entered politics in 2008 to try and win this seat back. He ran as the Republican candidate. However, he lost the election to the Democratic candidate, Ron Klein.

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 the movement was not about racism. He was called a "tea party star" and joined the congressional Tea Party Caucus.

In September 2010, a flyer was sent out that showed West's Social Security number. West strongly criticized this, saying it put his family at risk.

West defeated Klein in the election. He and Tim Scott were the first African-American Republicans in Congress since 2003. West raised a lot of money for his campaign, mostly from individual donations.

2012 Election

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

West raised over $1.5 million for his 2012 reelection campaign. Due to new district maps, West decided to run in the neighboring 18th District. This was a competitive race.

In the new district, West faced a challenge from Robert Crowder in the primary election. 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. The campaign had some negative ads. One ad was very critical of West's policies. West said the ad played on stereotypes.

Initial vote counts showed Murphy winning by a small number of votes. West did not immediately accept the results. He pointed to some issues with ballots in St. Lucie County. Florida election officials officially said Murphy was the winner. West's campaign accepted the election results on November 20, 2012.

Time in Congress

West's strong way of speaking gained him both support and criticism. Some conservatives saw him as a "torch bearer" and "conservative icon." Others criticized his comments. For example, he called President Barack Obama "an abject failure."

In January 2011, West spoke out against the official flying of a Palestine Liberation Organization flag in Washington D.C. He said it tried to make a group with a history of terrorism seem normal. West also said that Michael Ledeen was one of his "foreign policy heroes." He encouraged people to read Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky.

On June 2, 2011, Allen West asked President Obama to release Jonathan Pollard. Pollard was later released in 2015.

West often spoke about defending Western civilization. He compared it to historical battles against threats. In February 2011, West voted to extend parts of the Patriot Act because of the threat of "radical Islamic terrorists." He later voted against another extension.

In July 2011, West sent an email to Democratic representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz. He called her "the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member" of the House. He asked her to focus on her own district.

At a town hall meeting in April 2012, West claimed that "about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party are members of the Communist Party." He said this group was the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Committees and Groups

West was a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Small Business Committee.

• 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

West was also part of several groups in Congress:

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

When West joined the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in January 2011, he was the first Republican to join 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 became a director for Next Generation.TV. In May 2013, Fox News hired him as a contributor. He offered political comments on their shows.

In September 2015, West was chosen to be a public member of 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.

In December 2016, a post on West's Facebook page caused controversy. It said that James Mattis was chosen as Secretary of Defense to "exterminate Muslims." The editor of West's website removed the post and apologized. She said West had no part in it.

West was an Executive Director of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a research group, from 2016 to 2017.

Chairman of the Texas Republican Party

In July 2019, West announced he would run for Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He wanted to "strengthen our families," "stand up for life," and secure the U.S.–Mexico border. He was elected chairman on July 20, 2020.

After West's election, the party used the slogan "We are the storm." West said this was from a poem. In December 2020, after a court decision about election results, West said that "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 from his position as chairman. His resignation was effective on July 11, 2021.

Texas Governor Campaign

On July 4, 2021, West announced he would run for Governor of Texas in 2022. 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 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 more monitoring at voting places in the county.

Personal Life

West married Angela M. Graham on December 24, 1989. She has a Ph.D. in education. They have two daughters. West and his family moved to Garland, Texas in 2015. West is a Christian.

West enjoys scuba diving and 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. He was protesting lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was taken to the hospital and was in stable condition.

In October 2021, West was diagnosed with COVID-19. He had pneumonia. West, who was not vaccinated, was hospitalized and received treatment. He later left the hospital and continued to share his views on COVID-19 vaccination programs.

Electoral History

See Also

In Spanish: Allen West (político) para niños

• List of African-American Republicans
• List of African-American United States representatives

Images for kids

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  Official portrait of Allen West