Allen West (politician)

Allen West (politician)

Allen Bernard West (born February 7, 1961) is a former United States politician. He joined the United States Army in 1982, a year before receiving a B.A. in political science. In 1986, West earned an M.A. in political science at Kansas State University. He married Angela M. Graham on December 24, 1989 and they later had two children. As part of Operation Desert Storm, West was deployed to Kuwait in 1991, before returning to Kansas State University later that year, when he was an Army ROTC instructor until 1994. West also attended United States Army Command and General Staff College and received a Master of Military Arts and Sciences in political theory, military history and operations in 1997. While serving as an exchange officer at Camp Lejeune between 1999 and 2002, he was promoted to Lieutenant colonel. Deployed for the Iraq War in 2003, West was involved in a controversial interrogation incident, which led to his retirement in 2004.

After retiring, West moved to Florida and taught American History and track and field for a year at Deerfield Beach High School. He was briefly sent to Afghanistan as a civilian adviser to the Afghan National Army. West entered politics in 2008, when he ran for U.S. Representative from Florida's 22nd congressional district as a Republican, but lost against Democratic incumbent Ron Klein. In a re-match against Klein in 2010, West won the seat, coinciding with historic Republican gains in the 2010 midterm elections. On January 3, 2011, West took office as the first black Republican Congressman from Florida since Josiah T. Walls left office in 1876. In his brief congressional career, West served on the Armed Services and Small Business Committees. He was also a member of the Tea Party Caucus and has been referred to as one of the champions of the Tea Party movement. Redistricting due to the 2010 census made his district more Democratic, resulting in West switching to Florida's 18th congressional district for the 2012 House elections. However, he lost by 2,429 votes in a very expensive and competitive election against newcomer Patrick Murphy. After a recount failed, the original results were certified, and West conceded to Murphy on November 20, 2012. In Florida's 22nd district, West was succeeded by Democrat Lois Frankel on January 3, 2013.