Alfred James Lawson Jr. (born September 23, 1948)[1] is an American businessman and politician who was the U.S. representative for Florida's 5th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. The district, which was eliminated following redistricting during the 2022 Florida legislative session, stretched across most of the border with Georgia, including most of the majority-black areas between Tallahassee and Jacksonville. Lawson challenged fellow Congressman Neal Dunn in the newly redrawn 2nd congressional district, which pitted them against each other in Lawson's home city. Lawson won the Democratic primary unopposed, and lost to Dunn in the general election.
Lawson served in the Florida legislature for 28 years, from 1982 to 2000 in the Florida House of Representatives and from 2000 to 2010 in the Florida Senate (representing the 6th district), where he was elected to serve as the Democratic leader and rose to the rank of "Dean of the Senate" before his election to Congress. After two failed campaigns for Congress, Lawson defeated incumbent Corrine Brown in the 2016 Democratic primary and won the general election.
Lawson as a state representative, 1984Lawson as a state senator, 2006
Lawson was born in Midway, Florida, and attended Havana Northside High School, where he was a standout athlete in basketball and track. He went on to be a basketball star at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science. After a brief stint as a professional basketball player with the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks,[2] Lawson returned to Tallahassee, where he landed a job at Florida State University as an assistant basketball coach and took the Seminoles to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. Lawson also earned his Master of Public Administration from Florida State University.
Lawson ran for the Democratic nomination in Florida's 2nd congressional district in 2010, challenging seven-term incumbent Allen Boyd.[4] He narrowly lost to Boyd in the Democratic primary,[5] and Boyd lost to Republican newcomer Steve Southerland in the general election by more than 12 percentage points.[6][7]
Lawson ran for the seat again, and won the Democratic nomination against Blue Dog-endorsed state representative Leonard Bembry. He lost to Southerland in the general election by less than 6 points.[8]
A lawsuit challenging the Florida congressional district map radically changed the 5th district. For the past quarter-century, the district and its predecessors had covered most of the majority-black precincts from Jacksonville to Orlando. The new map changed the district to an east–west configuration stretching across all or part of eight counties from Tallahassee to downtown Jacksonville. The redrawn district included Lawson's home in Tallahassee, and Lawson announced he would run for the 5th on December 15, 2015, setting up a battle against Corrine Brown, the only representative the district had had since its creation in 1993.[9]
The district's demographics appeared to be against Lawson. While it now included most of Tallahassee, the capital and its suburbs only accounted for 32% of the district's population, while the Jacksonville area-Brown's base-accounted for 61%.[10] But Lawson's candidacy received a significant boost in July 2016, when Brown was indicted on federal corruption charges.[11] He defeated Brown in the Democratic primary—the real contest in this heavily Democratic district—on August 30. He then defeated Republican Glo Smith in the November 8 general election with 64% of the vote.[12]
After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, Lawson expressed frustration with the lack of action on gun regulation and placed blame on lobbying organizations, saying "the stranglehold of the gun lobby has gone on long enough".[15] Lawson supports restriction on assault weapons.[16] In 2017, he voted no on the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, which would require all states to recognize concealed carry permits issued in other states.[17][18] Additionally, those with concealed carry permits would be permitted to carry concealed weapons in school zones.[19] Lawson also voted no on the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act, which would have allowed veterans who are considered "mentally incompetent" to purchase ammunition and firearms unless declared a danger by a judge.[17][20]
Yemeni civil waredit
Lawson was one of five house Democrats to vote for the U.S. to continue selling arms to Saudi Arabia and to support the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.[21] This vote was part a vote series that allowed debate and votes on the Farm Bill in 2018, which he called a necessary step to provide assistance to farmers in his largely agricultural district.
^Florida, State Library and Archives of. "U.S. Congressional candidate Al Lawson, at right, speaking with Bob Fulford at a picnic of the Democratic Club of North Florida in Tallahassee, Florida". Florida Memory.
^Gangitano, Alex (March 22, 2017). . Roll Call. CQ Roll Call. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
^"Religious affiliation of members of 117th Congress" (PDF). PEW Research Center. January 24, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
^Kam, Dara (February 5, 2009). "Palm Beach Post Blogs: Area news, sports, entertainment, business & more". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
^Isenstadt, Alex (August 25, 2010). "Rep. Allen Boyd holds on in Florida". Politico. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
^Helgoth, Ali (November 3, 2010). . The News Herald. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
^. Florida Division of Elections. November 3, 2010. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
^"November 6, 2012 General Election, Official Results". Florida Division of Elections. November 6, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
^Caputo, Marc (December 15, 2015). "Lawson announces run for Congress". Politico.
^"Daily Kos Elections congressional district redistribution analysis (post-2010 census)". Google Docs.
^Kelly, Nora (July 8, 2016). "Representative Corrine Brown Indicted on Federal Charges". The Atlantic.
^Gardner, Lynnsey; Moyer, Crystal (August 30, 2016). "After 12 terms in Congress, Corrine Brown defeated". WJXT. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
^"Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
^. New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
^Leary, Alex (February 15, 2018). "Florida Democrats say school massacre a call for gun control". Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay, Florida. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
^Patterson, Steve (November 7, 2016). "Al Lawson wins North Florida seat in Congress, replacing U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown". Jacksonville.com. Jacksonville, Florida. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
^ ab"Al Lawson, Jr.'s Voting Records on Issue". ISPY. Vote Smart. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
^Mosendz, Polly (November 29, 2017). "Get Ready for Concealed Guns in All 50 States". Bloomberg. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
^Kruzel, John (December 7, 2017). "Concealed carry bill lets states regulate guns in schools". Politifact. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
^Caplan, Andrew (February 21, 2018). "Your leaders: 4-1 against stricter gun laws". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, Florida. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
^Fuller, Matt; Ahmed, Akbar Shahid (December 12, 2018). "5 Democrats Bail Out Paul Ryan And Protect Saudi Arabia". Huffington Post.
lawson, other, people, named, alfred, lawson, alfred, lawson, disambiguation, alfred, james, lawson, born, september, 1948, american, businessman, politician, representative, florida, congressional, district, from, 2017, 2023, district, which, eliminated, foll. For other people named Alfred Lawson see Alfred Lawson disambiguation Alfred James Lawson Jr born September 23 1948 1 is an American businessman and politician who was the U S representative for Florida s 5th congressional district from 2017 to 2023 The district which was eliminated following redistricting during the 2022 Florida legislative session stretched across most of the border with Georgia including most of the majority black areas between Tallahassee and Jacksonville Lawson challenged fellow Congressman Neal Dunn in the newly redrawn 2nd congressional district which pitted them against each other in Lawson s home city Lawson won the Democratic primary unopposed and lost to Dunn in the general election Al LawsonMember of the U S House of Representatives from Florida s 5th districtIn office January 3 2017 January 3 2023Preceded byCorrine BrownSucceeded byJohn RutherfordMinority Leader of the Florida SenateIn office 2008 2010Preceded bySteven GellerSucceeded byNan RichMember of the Florida SenateIn office November 7 2000 November 2 2010Preceded byPat ThomasSucceeded byBill MontfordConstituency3rd district 2000 02 6th district 2002 10 Member of theFlorida House of RepresentativesIn office November 7 1982 November 7 2000Preceded byLeonard J HallSucceeded byCurtis B RichardsonConstituency9th district 1982 92 8th district 1992 2000 Personal detailsBornAlfred James Lawson Jr 1948 09 23 September 23 1948 age 75 Midway Florida U S Political partyDemocraticSpouseDelores Brooks m 1975 wbr Children2EducationFlorida A amp M University BA Florida State University MPA WebsiteHouse website Lawson served in the Florida legislature for 28 years from 1982 to 2000 in the Florida House of Representatives and from 2000 to 2010 in the Florida Senate representing the 6th district where he was elected to serve as the Democratic leader and rose to the rank of Dean of the Senate before his election to Congress After two failed campaigns for Congress Lawson defeated incumbent Corrine Brown in the 2016 Democratic primary and won the general election Contents 1 Early life and education 2 U S House of Representatives 2 1 Elections 2 1 1 2010 2 1 2 2012 2 1 3 2016 2 2 Committee assignments 2 3 Caucus memberships 3 Political positions 3 1 Gun policy 3 2 Yemeni civil war 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksEarly life and education edit nbsp Lawson as a state representative 1984 nbsp Lawson as a state senator 2006 Lawson was born in Midway Florida and attended Havana Northside High School where he was a standout athlete in basketball and track He went on to be a basketball star at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University FAMU where he earned a bachelor s degree in political science After a brief stint as a professional basketball player with the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks 2 Lawson returned to Tallahassee where he landed a job at Florida State University as an assistant basketball coach and took the Seminoles to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament Lawson also earned his Master of Public Administration from Florida State University Lawson is an Episcopalian 3 U S House of Representatives editElections edit 2010 edit Main article 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida District 2 Lawson ran for the Democratic nomination in Florida s 2nd congressional district in 2010 challenging seven term incumbent Allen Boyd 4 He narrowly lost to Boyd in the Democratic primary 5 and Boyd lost to Republican newcomer Steve Southerland in the general election by more than 12 percentage points 6 7 2012 edit Main article 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida District 2 Lawson ran for the seat again and won the Democratic nomination against Blue Dog endorsed state representative Leonard Bembry He lost to Southerland in the general election by less than 6 points 8 2016 edit Main article 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida District 5 A lawsuit challenging the Florida congressional district map radically changed the 5th district For the past quarter century the district and its predecessors had covered most of the majority black precincts from Jacksonville to Orlando The new map changed the district to an east west configuration stretching across all or part of eight counties from Tallahassee to downtown Jacksonville The redrawn district included Lawson s home in Tallahassee and Lawson announced he would run for the 5th on December 15 2015 setting up a battle against Corrine Brown the only representative the district had had since its creation in 1993 9 The district s demographics appeared to be against Lawson While it now included most of Tallahassee the capital and its suburbs only accounted for 32 of the district s population while the Jacksonville area Brown s base accounted for 61 10 But Lawson s candidacy received a significant boost in July 2016 when Brown was indicted on federal corruption charges 11 He defeated Brown in the Democratic primary the real contest in this heavily Democratic district on August 30 He then defeated Republican Glo Smith in the November 8 general election with 64 of the vote 12 Committee assignments edit Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management United States House Committee on Financial Services Diversity and Inclusion Housing Community Development and Insurance Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Caucus memberships edit Congressional Black Caucus 13 New Democrat Coalition 14 Political positions editGun policy edit After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland Florida Lawson expressed frustration with the lack of action on gun regulation and placed blame on lobbying organizations saying the stranglehold of the gun lobby has gone on long enough 15 Lawson supports restriction on assault weapons 16 In 2017 he voted no on the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 which would require all states to recognize concealed carry permits issued in other states 17 18 Additionally those with concealed carry permits would be permitted to carry concealed weapons in school zones 19 Lawson also voted no on the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act which would have allowed veterans who are considered mentally incompetent to purchase ammunition and firearms unless declared a danger by a judge 17 20 Yemeni civil war edit Lawson was one of five house Democrats to vote for the U S to continue selling arms to Saudi Arabia and to support the Saudi Arabian led intervention in Yemen 21 This vote was part a vote series that allowed debate and votes on the Farm Bill in 2018 which he called a necessary step to provide assistance to farmers in his largely agricultural district See also editList of African American United States representativesReferences edit Florida State Library and Archives of U S Congressional candidate Al Lawson at right speaking with Bob Fulford at a picnic of the Democratic Club of North Florida in Tallahassee Florida Florida Memory Gangitano Alex March 22 2017 Florida Democrat talks about his American Basketball Association career Roll Call CQ Roll Call Archived from the original on June 14 2018 Retrieved March 6 2018 Religious affiliation of members of 117th Congress PDF PEW Research Center January 24 2021 Retrieved April 14 2023 Kam Dara February 5 2009 Palm Beach Post Blogs Area news sports entertainment business amp more The Palm Beach Post Retrieved July 11 2010 Isenstadt Alex August 25 2010 Rep Allen Boyd holds on in Florida Politico Retrieved June 16 2011 Helgoth Ali November 3 2010 Southerland defeats Boyd The News Herald Archived from the original on December 8 2010 Retrieved June 16 2011 2010 General Election Results Florida Division of Elections November 3 2010 Archived from the original on July 27 2011 Retrieved June 16 2011 November 6 2012 General Election Official Results Florida Division of Elections November 6 2012 Retrieved May 13 2016 Caputo Marc December 15 2015 Lawson announces run for Congress Politico Daily Kos Elections congressional district redistribution analysis post 2010 census Google Docs Kelly Nora July 8 2016 Representative Corrine Brown Indicted on Federal Charges The Atlantic Gardner Lynnsey Moyer Crystal August 30 2016 After 12 terms in Congress Corrine Brown defeated WJXT Retrieved August 30 2016 Membership Congressional Black Caucus Retrieved March 7 2018 Members New Democrat Coalition Archived from the original on February 8 2018 Retrieved February 5 2018 Leary Alex February 15 2018 Florida Democrats say school massacre a call for gun control Tampa Bay Times Tampa Bay Florida Retrieved February 23 2018 Patterson Steve November 7 2016 Al Lawson wins North Florida seat in Congress replacing U S Rep Corrine Brown Jacksonville com Jacksonville Florida Retrieved February 23 2018 a b Al Lawson Jr s Voting Records on Issue ISPY Vote Smart Retrieved February 23 2018 Mosendz Polly November 29 2017 Get Ready for Concealed Guns in All 50 States Bloomberg Retrieved December 4 2017 Kruzel John December 7 2017 Concealed carry bill lets states regulate guns in schools Politifact Retrieved December 8 2017 Caplan Andrew February 21 2018 Your leaders 4 1 against stricter gun laws The Gainesville Sun Gainesville Florida Retrieved February 22 2018 Fuller Matt Ahmed Akbar Shahid December 12 2018 5 Democrats Bail Out Paul Ryan And Protect Saudi Arabia Huffington Post External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al Lawson Congressman Al Lawson official U S House website Campaign website Al Lawson at Curlie Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Financial information federal office at the Federal Election Commission Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress Profile at Vote Smart Appearances on C SPAN Florida House of Representatives Preceded byLeonard J Hall Member of the Florida House of Representativesfrom the 9th district1982 1992 Succeeded byHurley Rudd Preceded byRobert Trammell Member of the Florida House of Representativesfrom the 8th district1992 2000 Succeeded byCurtis B Richardson Florida Senate Preceded byPat Thomas Member of the Florida Senatefrom the 3rd district2000 2002 Succeeded byNancy Argenziano Preceded byStephen R Wise Member of the Florida Senatefrom the 6th district2002 2010 Succeeded byBill Montford Preceded bySteven Geller Minority Leader of the Florida Senate2008 2010 Succeeded byNan Rich U S House of Representatives Preceded byCorrine Brown Member of the U S House of Representativesfrom Florida s 5th congressional district2017 2023 Succeeded byJohn Rutherford U S order of precedence ceremonial Preceded byVal Demingsas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United Statesas Former US Representative Succeeded byStephanie Murphyas Former US Representative Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Al Lawson amp oldid 1207869047, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
