Rob Woodall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's7th district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | John Linder |
| Succeeded by | Carolyn Bourdeaux |
| Chair of theRepublican Study Committee | |
| In office August 1, 2014 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Scalise |
| Succeeded by | Bill Flores |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Robert Woodall III (1970-02-11)February 11, 1970 (age 55) Athens,Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Furman University (BA) University of Georgia (JD) |
William Robert Woodall III[1] (/ˈwʊdɔːl/WUUD-awl; born February 11, 1970)[2] is an American attorney and politician who was theU.S. representative forGeorgia's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2021. The district included most ofGwinnett County, a suburban county northeast ofAtlanta. ARepublican, Woodall prior to being elected to Congress, worked for his predecessor,John Linder from 1994 to 2010, eventually becoming Linder's chief of staff. Woodall announced in February 2019 that he would not seek reelection to a sixth term in Congress.[3]
Woodall was born inAthens, Georgia.[4] He attended both public and private grade schools, graduating fromMarist School in 1988. He received a B.A. fromFurman University followed by law school at theUniversity of Georgia School of Law.[5] While attending law school, he spent summers working in aWashington, D.C. law firm. He left law school after the summer of 1994 to work for his hometownU.S. Representative,John Linder,[4] where he began working as a legislative correspondent and eventually served as Linder's chief of staff in 2000.[6] Woodall received hisJ.D. degree from theUniversity of Georgia School of Law in 1998.[7] Woodall is a member of the Methodist Church.[8]
2010 election
Woodall won the Republican primary with about 56% of the vote againstJody Hice.[9] He faced Democrat Doug Heckman in the 2010 General Election.[10] On November 2, 2010, Woodall defeated Heckman to win the general election.[11]
The top donors to Woodall's campaign were theCredit Union National Association, theSouthern Company, theAmerican Dental Association, and the Vision for Tomorrow Fund.[12]
Woodall addressed the U.S. House on October 26, 2011, calling for reduced regulations on businesses.[13]
2012 election
In 2012, Woodall won the election with 62.16% of the 252,066 votes cast, against Steve Reilly (D).[14]
2014 election
In 2014, Woodall won the election with 65.39% of the 173,669 votes cast, against Thomas D. Wight (D).[15]
2016 election
In 2016, Woodall won the election with 60.38% of the 288,301 votes cast, against Rashid Malik (D).[16]
2018 election
In 2018, Woodall faced Democratic challenger Carolyn Bourdeaux.[17] Woodall was supported by theGreat America Committee, apolitical action committee registered byVice PresidentMike Pence.[18] The race proved to be unexpectedly competitive, and Woodall defeated Bourdeaux by only 433 votes after a recount. The race was the closest of the2018 House elections.[19][20] It was the closest that a Democrat has come to winning this district since its creation in 1993 (it was numbered as the 4th District from 1993 to 1997, the 11th from 1997 to 2003, and has been the 7th since 2003).
Woodall took office as part of the112th United States Congress in January 2011. In July 2014, Woodall was elected chairman of theRepublican Study Committee,[21] a group of conservative Republican lawmakers, succeedingSteve Scalise.[22] Woodall was replaced as chairman in November 2014 byBill Flores (TX-17).
Woodall had a 66 percent rating from conservative policy advocacy organizationHeritage Action for his voting record.[23]
Woodall had a "B" rating from marijuana legalization advocacy organization theNational Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) for his voting history regardingcannabis-related causes.[24]
Woodall supportedtax reform andFairTax.[25]
He voted in favor of theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[26] After the passage of the bill, Woodall stated that it "marks tremendous progress and is the fulfillment of a commitment made to the American people."[25]
Woodall was one of only six House Republicans in the112th Congress who did not signGrover Norquist's "Taxpayer Protection Pledge," stating that "my commitment to theFair Tax and a common-sense tax overhaul makes it impossible for me to support the second component of the Pledge, which states that I must 'oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.'"[27][28]
Woodall opposed theAffordable Care Act, voting to repeal it.[29]
Woodall co-sponsored theSanctity of Human Life Act.[30] In October 2011, Woodall voted for legislation to restrict how private insurance companies listed on a public insurance exchange may offer abortion coverage.[31]
Upon the legalization ofsame-sex marriage in the U.S., Woodall disagreed with the Supreme Court's approach to deciding the issue for the entire nation, rather than allowing states to make the decision individually.[32]
Woodall was one of only six Republicans who opposed legislation that would require all states to honor the concealed weapons permits of other states, arguing that the bill was unnecessary because theSecond Amendment to the United States Constitution already gives Americans the right to bear arms.[33]
In 2013, Woodall voted against RepresentativeJustin Amash's (R-Michigan) amendment to HR 2397 which would have ended theNational Security Agency's ability to collect and store data on the phone calls of American's without a warrant.[34][failed verification]
Woodall stated in June 2019 that he had not read theMueller report about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.[35][36]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's 7th congressional district 2011–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican Study Committee 2014–2015 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former US Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative | Succeeded byas Former US Representative |
