A year ago Curt Clawson was a political unknown. Now he is assuming more of a role on the national stage.
Clawson will be in the limelight on Tuesday night, offering the Tea Party Expresss response to Barack Obamas seventh State of the Union address. He has some pretty big shoes to fill. The four Republicans who offered the tea party response before -- Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rand Paul, Mike Lee -- were all much better known than Clawson when they replied to Obama.
Still, Clawson has an interesting story. A former star basketball player at Purdue, Clawson went into business and did well for himself, becoming automotive supplier of Hayes Lemmerz. When Trey Radel resigned after being busted with cocaine, Clawson ran for the open seat. Clawson claimed the right and stressed his outsider credentials, over Lizbeth Benacquisto and Paige Kreegel, no pushovers by any means, and won the Republican primary.
Clawson has had his missteps on the national stage, including confusing two administration officials, including Nisha Desai Biswal who is an assistant secretary of state for representatives from India. But, on the whole, despite being a political novice, Clawson has done well, far better than Radel did during his brief time in Congress.
That doesnt mean Clawson is merely going along to get along in Congress. A staunch conservative, Clawson broke with most Republicans and voted against John Boehner as speaker, instead casting his vote for Rand Paul. Few Republicans have been as critical of the GOP leadership for working with the Obama White House than Clawson has.
Clawsons been getting more of the national spotlight in recent weeks, appearing on cable television and other media outlets as he expressed his opposition to Boehner. Now, offering the Tea Party Express response to Obama, Clawson has a far greater opportunity to raise his stature.
Holding a secure seat for Republicans, Clawson should be able to hold his Southwest Florida congressional seat for as long as he wants, especially if, unlike Radel, he keeps his nose clean. Only in his first full term, Clawson could have a tough time going too much further. Already 55, Clawson will find there are plenty of other Republicans in Florida looking to move up the political ladder. Of course, that did not stop Clawson before and Florida Republicans have no problems voting for candidates they consider political outsiders -- just ask Rick Scott, Pam Bondi and Ted Yoho.
To be sure, Clawson is a bit of an outsider, especially when compared to other Florida Republicans: a tea partier who is far closer to the Pauls than the Bushes. Itll be interesting to see how Clawson uses his time in the spotlight.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis piece exclusively for Sunshine State News.
