Representation in Democracy – Congressional Representatives

Representation in Democracy – Congressional Representatives

Introduction

In the United States today, elections allow voters to exercise democratic rights. This electoral process is significant to every American who is concerned about the selection of leaders that can transform the lives of general members of this great country. At the state and national level, various representatives occupy top seats, through which they are expected to fulfil democratic responsibilities to the voters. Such leaders include governors, district representatives, senior and junior senators, among others. District representatives, for example, are essential for introducing bills, making recommendations about possible amendments, and serve in various committees to find solutions. Thus, it is crucial to focus on one of these congressmen and women, precisely from the state of Georgia. The objective is to understand the background of the individual, occupations, political experience and the policies initiated by the subject legislator.

Georgia’s present-day representatives

The state of Georgia has many famous politicians that stand for the interest of the voters. These legislators include the current senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, as well as the congressman, Mr Rob Woodall. Rob is the district representative from Georgia and will be the subject legislator for this work. This individual has been a vocal member of the house and holds a crucial post. Notably, since he suggested that he won’t be running for the same job again in 2020, it is essential to understand his position and interest in the current regime.

Rob Woodall’s Biography: family and education

Rob Woodall is a politician serving in the current House of the United States, which includes senators and district representatives. He became Georgia’s 7^th district representative since 2011 after winning the 2010 general election. Regarding the early life of Rob, he is a native of Athens, Georgia. It is in this consolidated city that he was born and brought up by his parents. This legislator spent much of his early life in Marist School, a private Catholic institution located in Brookhaven, Georgia. Later on, Rob joined the Furman University where he received a Bachelor of Arts. After graduating from that college, Woodall pursued a law degree from the University of Georgia. He graduated from the higher learning institution in 1998, a period when he was working in one of the legislative offices in Georgia.

Previous occupation

Before his election into the House of Representatives, Rob Woodall worked for the former congressman and former district leader, John Linder. Linder appointed Rob when he was still in school at the University of Georgia. From 1994 to the year 2000, Rob was serving as a legislative correspondent. Eventually, John Linder promoted him to become the chief of staff, a position he held until the general elections held in 2010. In a narration about a fair tax rally, Boortz, Linder and Woodall (2008) confirm a scenario where police officers turned many people away, and one of those who couldn’t access the venue was Linder’s chief of staff, Rob Woodall. Hayes (2018) adds that Rob is also a nice man who was a supportive member when Linder and Boortz were publishing the Fair Tax Book in 2005. Therefore, Woodall established and developed his career in the legislative sector until his election into Congress in 2010. No records exist that would show his participation in the private sector since much of his professional life was in the office of the former representative, John Linder.

Political Experience

Rob Woodall political journey started as early as 1994 when Elmer Linder appointed him to become the legislative consultant. One finds that his professional life prepared him for the political career because he was an influential employee in John’s office, an attribute which led to his eventual promotion in early 2000. After becoming the chief of staff, Rob sharpened his political skills and was convinced that he would be the ideal replacement of Elmer, once his term was over. In the 2010 general election, Woodall would run on the Republican ticket. He defeated Jody Hice in the party’s primary elections to become the primary contestant in the upcoming polls during that time (Swanepoel, 2010). He had 56% of the total votes cast in that preliminary poll. This win meant that he would face off against the Democratic candidate Doug Heckman in the general elections that would occur later that year. Bynum (2010) asserts that Rob Woodall of Lawrenceville won defeated Doug Heckman of Norcross. His hard work under the leadership of John Linder paid off as he would replace him as the new representative of Georgia’s 7^th district. Later on in 2012, he retained the seat by winning against Steve Reilly. In 2014, 2016, and 2018 he emerged victorious defeating all the three Democratic challengers. Although the 2018 race was tightly contested, he received support from the vice president and the Great American Committee, which influenced the defeat of the opponent, Carolyn Bourdeaux (Singer, 2019). All this time he was running on a Republican ticket and the challengers contested through the Democratic Party. Notably, he also served as chairperson of the Republican Study Committee in 2014, but held the position for a while, being replaced later on that year.  Although his legislative tenure was exclusive, Woodall announced that he would not be running for the same seat in the upcoming 2020 general elections (Hallerman, 2019). Overall, it is clear that Rob has had a successful political journey, mainly for his ability to retain a seat eyed by many in every general election. In summary, this man is an influential Republican politician that has several bills to his name.

Rob’s win in the 2018 general election

Woodall political journey was quite smooth, especially from the success he had in four consecutive elections. Although he retained his position in 2018, reports show that Carolyn Bourdeaux was a tough rival. If Woodall didn’t have enough support from the Republican counterparts, there was a possibility she would win. Hallerman (2019) claims that Rob had a thin margin, 433 votes, which separated him from the newbie after a recount. This race had the closest congressional margin in 2018, which made many Republicans complain about the poorly managed campaign (Hallerman, 2019). The opponent was quite strategic, beating him in fundraising and sponsorship. Nonetheless, Woodall came out victorious in that poll.

Policy issues

Rob Woodall has had interests in various concepts, such as healthcare, gun laws, and foreign policy, among others. For example, he was vocal about the Affordable Care Act and gun rights. In 2011, Woodall sponsored a bill, the Sanctity of Human Life Act, which would prohibit the use of taxpayer’s money to fund abortions. The law would focus on the interests of citizens against abortion, who Rob and Hice believed should not support this procedure. Importantly, Rob was against the concealed weapons policy, thereby stating that Americans had rights to bear arms under the Second Amendment. The legislator’s position in these two issues indicates his conservative nature, which is often characterized by restrictions based on American traditions and religious foundations. Consequently, it is clear that Rob stands firmly for gun rights and believes stricter measures to control firearm holders would be a violation of civilian freedoms.