Allen West ( politician ) Allen Bernard West ( born February 7 , 1961 ) is a former member of the United States House of Representatives and contributor for Fox News . He is a member of the Republican Party . After a 22 - year military career , he entered politics in 2008 , as a candidate in Florida ' s 22nd congressional district elections . He lost to Democratic incumbent Ron Klein . In a 2010 re - match , he won the seat , coinciding with significant Republican gains in the 2010 midterm elections . On January 3 , 2011 , West took office as the first African American Republican representative from Florida since Josiah T . Walls left office in 1876 . West served on the Armed Services and Small Business Committees . He was a member of the Tea Party Caucus and the Tea Party movement . Redistricting due to the 2010 census made his district more Democratic , resulting in West switching to for the 2012 House elections . But he lost by 2 , 146 votes in an expensive and contentious election to Democratic candidate Patrick Murphy . After a recount extended Murphy ' s lead , the original results were certified and West conceded to Murphy on November 20 , 2012 . In Florida ' s 22nd district , his former district , West was succeeded by Democratic Representative Lois Frankel on January 3 , 2013 . Early life and education . Allen Bernard West was born in Atlanta , Georgia , to Elizabeth ( 1931 – 1994 ) and Herman West , Sr . ( 1920 – 1986 ) on February 7 , 1961 . His father and older brother were both career military officers ; West ' s father served in World War II , and his brother served in Vietnam . His mother was a civilian employee of the United States Marine Corps . Although both of his parents were registered Democrats , West has remarked that they raised him " very conservatively . " In the tenth grade , West joined the Junior Reserve Officers ' Training Corps program and entered the United States Army in 1983 when he graduated from the University of Tennessee . West is the third of four consecutive generations in his family to serve in the US armed forces . He later received a master ' s degree in political science from Kansas State University . He also earned a master of military arts and sciences degree from the US Army Command and General Staff Officer College in political theory and military history and operations . Military career ( 1983 – 2004 ) . Overview . West entered active duty on November 1 , 1983 , at Fort Sill , Oklahoma where he completed the Field Artillery Officer ' s Basic Course . He then proceeded to airborne training at Fort Benning , Georgia where he received his Parachutist Badge . West ' s first assignment was as an airborne infantry fire support officer and platoon leader , as well as Battalion Training Officer for 4th Battalion , 325th Infantry Regiment , 82nd Airborne Division in Vicenza , Italy under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth R . Needham . In 1987 , West was promoted to captain and attended the Field Artillery Officer ' s Advanced Course . Following graduation , West took command of B Battery , 6th Field Artillery Regiment , 1st Infantry Division . He served as the battalion task force fire support officer for 2d Battalion , 16th Infantry Regiment . As a member of the 1st Infantry Division he deployed for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm . After redeployment from Kuwait , West served as an Army ROTC Instructor at Kansas State University from 1991 to 1994 , becoming the U . S . Army ROTC Instructor of the Year in 1993 . In January 1995 he was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division Support Command as the assistant operations / combat plans officer . West was promoted to major before he attended the U . S . Army Command and General Staff College in 1997 . Upon completion , he became the operations officer for the 18th Field Artillery Brigade before being assigned as executive officer of 1st Battalion , 377th Field Artillery Regiment . Afterwards , West served as an army exchange officer at the II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune from 1999 to 2002 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel . The culminating assignment of Lieutenant Colonel West ' s career was his assumption of command of the 2d Battalion , 20th Field Artillery Regiment , 4th Infantry Division on June 6 , 2002 . He deployed with his unit during the Iraq War in 2003 and continued to command his battalion until he was relieved of command by the Army following a use - of - force incident concerning an Iraqi policeman ; he subsequently retired in 2004 . Military decorations . West ' s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star ; Meritorious Service Medal ( two Oak Leaf Clusters ) ; Army Commendation Medal ( three Oak Leaf Clusters , one Valor Device ) ; Army Achievement Medal ( one Oak Leaf Cluster ) ; Valorous Unit Award ; Air Assault Badge ; and the Master Parachutist Badge . Iraq interrogation incident . While serving in Taji , Iraq , West received information from an intelligence specialist about a plot to ambush his unit . The alleged plot reportedly involved Yahya Jhodri Hamoodi , an Iraqi police officer . West had his men detain Hamoodi . Soldiers testified that in the process of detaining Hamoodi , he appeared to reach for his weapon and needed to be subdued . Hamoodi was beaten by four soldiers from the 2 / 20th Field Artillery Battalion on the head and body . West then fired his pistol near Hamoodi ' s head , after which Hamoodi provided West with names and information , which Hamoodi later described as " meaningless information induced by fear and pain . " At least one of these suspects was arrested as a result , but no plans for attacks or weapons were found . West said " At the time I had to base my decision on the intelligence I received . It ' s possible that I was wrong about Mr . Hamoodi . " West was charged with violating Articles 128 ( assault ) and 134 ( general article ) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice . During a hearing held as part of an Article 32 investigation in November 2003 , West stated , " I know the method I used was not right , but I wanted to take care of my soldiers . " The charges were ultimately referred to an Article 15 proceeding rather than court - martial , at which West was fined $ 5 , 000 . Lieutenant Colonel West accepted the judgment and retired with full benefits in the summer of 2004 . He is not considered a War Criminal . Asked if he would act differently under similar circumstances , West testified , " If it ' s about the lives of my soldiers at stake , I ' d go through hell with a gasoline can . " At his hearing , West said that there were no ambushes against American forces in Taji until he was relieved of his leadership post a month later . After West ' s retirement he received more than 2 , 000 letters and e - mails offering him moral support . A letter supporting West was signed by 95 members of Congress and sent to the Secretary of the Army . Post - military career ( 2004 – 2007 ) . After retiring from the Army , West and his family moved to Florida . He taught US history and coached track and field at Deerfield Beach High School for a year . He then spent two years working for Military Professional Resources Inc . ( MPRI ) , a defense contractor . While with MPRI , West served in Kandahar , Afghanistan as a " regional director . " In that capacity , he was an adviser to the Afghan National Army . U . S . House of Representatives . Elections . In 2006 , E . Clay Shaw , Jr . was defeated by Democrat Ron Klein in Florida ' s 22nd Congressional district , which leaned Republican since its establishment in 1993 . Allen West entered politics in 2008 to regain the lost House seat , challenging freshman incumbent Klein . West received the Republican nomination without opposition . However , he lost to Klein by a margin of 9 . 4 % of the votes . The official results were Klein with 169 , 041 votes ( 54 . 7 % ) , West with 140 , 104 votes ( 45 . 3 % ) , and write - in candidate Michael Prysner with 6 votes . West spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 20 , 2010 and was endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin . West was one of 32 African - American Republican candidates for Congress in 2010 . He said he supported the Tea Party movement and rejected the notion that the movement was motivated by racism , saying the accusation was a creation of liberal critics and the news media . West has been described as a " tea party star " became a member of the congressional Tea Party Caucus in February 2011 . West defeated incumbent Ron Klein by a margin of 8 . 8 % . West , along with newly elected Tim Scott , were the first African - American Republicans in Congress since J . C . Watts retired in 2003 . West raised $ 5 . 4 million for his campaign , while his incumbent opponent raised $ 2 . 5 million . According to West , " . . . over 97 percent of our donations have come from individual contributions . " West raised more than $ 1 . 5 million in the 2011 second quarter to support his 2012 reelection bid . The " National Journal " s Cook Political Report in 2011 named West one of the top 10 Republicans most vulnerable to redistricting in 2012 . On February 1 , 2012 , West announced that he would run for reelection from the new 18th Congressional District , which consists of a majority of the previous 16th Congressional District . This came in the wake of Representative Tom Rooney switching from the 16th Congressional District to the 17th ; a move that was considered likely to dramatically improve West ' s chances of reelection , although it was still a competitive race . He received a primary challenge from Martin County Sheriff Robert Crowder . West did not debate Crowder and said " debating an uninformed opponent would waste voters ’ time " . Incumbent West defeated Crowder in a landslide , receiving 74 . 4 % of the vote . His general election opponent was Democrat Patrick Murphy , a political newcomer and a Republican until 2011 . The campaign featured several negative ads , including one released by American Sunrise PAC that was extremely critical of West ' s policies and depicted him in violent cartoon action against several individuals . West issued a statement condemning the ad , stating that it " plays on stereotypes " with the goal of diverting Americans from more pressing matters at hand such as high unemployment . He claimed the ad was released by the family of his opponent . The campaign manager of his opponent , said the ad was from a third party and therefore held no liability for it . After primary opponent Crowder endorsed Murphy , a spokesman of the West campaign said " Crowder is a Democrat and a sore loser . I ’ m shocked he waited this long . Perhaps Crowder hopes to continue cozying up to local Democrats so he can be their nominee against Allen West in 2014 . " Initial vote counts showed Murphy defeating West by a narrow margin of 2 , 000 votes . West did not concede , citing irregularities in St . Lucie County where some early ballots may have been counted twice . Florida state election officials unofficially certified Murphy as the winner , A partial recount of early ballots cast between November 1 and 3 , 2012 in St . Lucie County slightly decreased the margin separating the candidates , and the West campaign sought further recounts . West said that if the final results show a loss , he would not cling to his title as a member of Congress , but wanted to ensure a fair election was carried out , raising the potential of a protracted legal battle . As of the November 18 state deadline , the St . Lucie County election officials had not completed a recount of all of the early ballots , and so the previously submitted vote count which showed Murphy as the winner by 2146 votes was submitted to the state election officials . The West campaign conceded the election on November 20 , 2012 . Tenure . West ' s rhetoric won him both support and condemnation from differing groups along the American political spectrum . Members of the conservative movement viewed him as a " torch bearer " and " conservative icon , " with Sarah Palin and Ted Nugent both suggesting him for vice president , and Glenn Beck supporting him for president . In January 2013 , U . S . Representatives Paul Broun ( R - Georgia ) and Louie Gohmert ( R - Texas ) both voted for West as Speaker of the House , even though he was no longer a member of Congress . Some of his statements include calling President Barack Obama " an abject failure " , ordering both pro - Palestinian demonstrators and the views of " chicken men " Democrats to " get the hell out " of the United States , opining that drivers with Obama bumper stickers are " a threat to the gene pool " , and pronouncing that African American Democrats are trying to keep African Americans " on the plantation " , while casting himself as the " modern - day Harriet Tubman " ferrying them to rescue . In a critical summation of West ' s style , " Mother Jones " opined that " [ for West ] every sentence is a proxy war in the larger struggle between patriots and the ' people in this world that just have to have their butts kicked . ' " In January 2011 , West joined House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Ileana Ros - Lehtinen ( R - FL ) in condemning the official flying of a Palestine Liberation Organization flag in Washington D . C . West said that the raising of the flag is " an attempt to legitimize an organization with a known history of terrorist actions " . In February , West described Michael Ledeen as one of his " foreign policy heroes " , and implored his followers to read Saul Alinsky ' s " Rules for Radicals " to " understand what they ' re up against . " Other authors West has cited in helping him shape his worldview include philosopher John Stuart Mill and Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman , known for the proclamation that " war is hell " . West attempted to cast his work overseas in historical terms , theorizing that America is following in the footsteps of Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours , or the 300 Spartan Hoplite s at the Battle of Thermopylae , in defending Western civilization against Muslim threats from the Middle East . In speaking on what he believed to be Islam ' s proclivity for violence , West remarked that " Something happened when Mohammed enacted the Hijra and he left Mecca and he went out to Medina , it became violence . " In lieu of this view , in February 2011 , West cited the threat of " radical Islamic terrorists " as his motivation for voting to extend provisions of the Patriot Act ; He voted against another extension in May 2011 . When asked during an interview with " The Shalom Show " how he would work with others " like Keith Ellison , who supports Islam , " West stated that Ellison , a Minnesota representative and practicing Muslim , represents the " antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established . " West later argued that his initial comment was misconstrued . He said the comments were " not about his Islamic faith , but about his continued support of the Council on American - Islamic Relations ( CAIR ) . " In a Boynton Beach Town Hall meeting , West told the Miami leader of CAIR that " I will always defend your right to practice a free religion under the First Amendment , but what you must understand , if I am speaking the truth , I am not going to stop speaking the truth . The truth is not subjective . " On July 19 , 2011 , West sent an email to Democratic representative and Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in response to comments directed at him in a speech the congresswoman made on the floor of the House of Representatives after West had departed the chamber . West ' s email , which he copied to members of House Democratic and Republican leadership , characterized Wasserman as " the most vile , unprofessional , and despicable member of the US House of Representatives " , said that she was " not a lady " and asked that she focus , instead , on her own congressional district . This is a long - standing dispute that West says " dates back to the disgusting protest you ordered at my campaign headquarters , October 2010 in Deerfield Beach . " At town hall meeting in Palm City , Florida on April 11 , 2012 , West was asked by a man in the audience , " What percentage of the American legislature do you think are card carrying Marxists or International Socialists ? " West responded that he believed " there ' s about 78 to 81 members of the Democrat Party that are members of the Communist Party . " When asked to name them , he replied " It ' s called the Congressional Progressive Caucus . " Committee assignments . West was appointed to the House Armed Services Committee and the Small Business Committee . Caucus memberships . When West joined the Congressional Black Caucus ( CBC ) on January 5 , 2011 , he became the first Republican to join the CBC since former Congressman Gary Franks of Connecticut retired in 1997 . Work with Fox News . On May 16 , 2013 , Fox News announced it had hired former Florida Representative Allen West as a contributor to offer political commentary during the network ' s daytime and prime time shows . In a statement , Executive Vice President of Programming Bill Shine said , " Representative West ’ s congressional and military experience along with his fearless approach to voicing key issues will provide a valuable point of view to the FOX News lineup . " Personal life . West married Angela M . Graham on December 24 , 1989 . She holds a Ph . D . in education from Kansas State University , and received a gubernatorial appointment to the board of trustees of Florida Atlantic University . They have two teenage daughters and reside in Palm Beach Gardens , Florida . He is a certified master scuba diver and motorcycle enthusiast . He was a co - host for Troopathon 2013 .