Brian Woodworth

Brian Woodworth

Republican Party

Education

Bachelor's

Olivet Nazarene University, 1996

Graduate

Olivet Nazarene University

Law

Western Michigan University, Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 1999

Brian Woodworth was a 2012 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 2nd Congressional District of Illinois. Woodworth lost to Jesse Jackson Jr. in the November election.^[1] Woodworth defeated James H. Taylor, Sr. in the Republican primary on March 20, 2012.^[2]

Biography[edit]

Education:^[3]

• 1999: Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Juris Doctor
• 1996: Olivet Nazarene University, Bachelor of Science in geology and environmental science
• Olivet Nazarene University, Master of Arts in philosophy of history

Career[edit]

Woodworth has worked as a lawyer and as a professor at Olivet Nazarene University.^[4]

Campaign themes[edit]

2012[edit]

Woodworth had 3 main campaign themes. They were:

• Economy & Jobs: Excerpt: "Our nation’s job market and economy have been weakened by the uncertainty created from the ineffective policies of Washington insiders. American businesses want to expand and hire more hard-working Americans, but their desires for growth are often obstructed by unnecessary federal regulations, out-of-touch politicians, and unresponsive federal bureaucracies. The American people need fresh leaders who will listen to their concerns and give them a voice in Congress. Small businesses are the backbone of our local communities: they invest in the future of our communities, and they employ our friends and family members. They sponsor the youth sports leagues in which our children play, and they donate to the local charities that provide relief and comfort to our neighbors. In return for all that these businesses contribute to our communities, our political leaders should do all they can to provide small businesses with certainty, empower their growth, and encourage more investment into the futures of our communities. We must work to create an environment in which businesses and entrepreneurs will feel confident that their investments will not be thwarted by unresponsive federal agencies and a disengaged Washington."

• American Energy: Excerpt: "American families are in desperate need of real energy solutions, and our country deserves leaders who are seriously committed to developing America’s true energy potential. Despite bipartisan support in both the House and Senate for the Keystone XL project, President Obama stated that he would block legislation on this issue until after the November election. In response to Obama’s threat reject a bill on Keystone, Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D – CA.) told Politico, “I think the president’s wrong on this.” Like many other Americans, I was disappointed by President Obama’s decision to ignore the advice of his own Jobs Council and delay a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline proposal until after the November 2012 election. For unemployed American workers and families who suffer from high energy prices, November is too long of a wait. While our nation’s portfolio of alternative sources of energy has plenty of room to grow, we cannot deny that our nation and its economy run on traditional sources of energy, and it will continue to do so for years to come. The American people deserve to have representatives in Washington who will plan for the nation’s future without abandoning its present concerns. The answer lies in stronger leadership in Washington. We need leaders who will support projects that create private sector jobs for out-of-work Americans, and contribute to our nation’s energy security."

• Healthcare: Excerpt "President Obama’s signature legislation on healthcare, or Obamacare, has failed to achieve what should be the primary objective of health care reform—to make healthcare more affordable for hardworking Americans. Instead of reducing healthcare costs, Obamacare has increased healthcare costs for some businesses, including those businesses with more than 50 employees. It should not be forgotten that when President Obama signed the bill into law on March 23, 2010, over 50 percent of the public was opposed to Obamacare. While opposition to the bill has remained close to 50 percent, as of January 22, 2012, support has declined to less than 38 percent.^[5] It’s clear that Washington did not, and has not, listened to the voice of the people on this issue. What Americans both need and deserve is the opportunity to hit “reset” on healthcare reform. Doing so would allow us to create sensible and easy-to-understand healthcare reform that is driven by the will of the American people and free-market solutions, rather than have it be dictated to us by the desires of out-of-touch bureaucrats in Washington, D.C."

Elections[edit]

2012[edit]

See also: Illinois' 2nd Congressional District elections, 2012

Woodworth ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 2nd District. Woodworth defeated James H. Taylor, Sr. (R) in the Republican primary.^[6]

Incumbent Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. defeated challenger Debbie Halvorson in the Democratic primary on March 20, 2012.^[2] Jackson then defeated Woodworth in the general election on November 6, 2012.^[2]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jesse Jackson Jr. Incumbent	63.3%	188,303
	Republican	Brian Woodworth	23.2%	69,115
	Independent	Marcus Lewis	13.5%	40,006
Total Votes				297,424
Source: Illinois Board of Elections "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals"

U.S. House, Illinois' 2nd Congressional District Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Brian Woodworth	63.7%	11,123
James Taylor Sr.	36.3%	6,347
Total Votes		17,470

Polls[edit]

Campaign donors[edit]

2012[edit]

Breakdown of the source of Woodworth's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Woodworth lost election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Woodworth's campaign committee raised a total of $19,266 and spent $628.^[7]

External links[edit]

• Brian Woodworth Campaign Page (dead link)
• Woodworth Facebook Page
• Chicago Tribune Questionnaire
• Chicago Tribune Endorsement
• Brian Woodworth Twitter Page

Suggest a link

Footnotes[edit]

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