Brad Ashford

Brad Ashford (2015)

John Bradley "Brad" Ashford (born November 10, 1949 in Omaha , Nebraska ) is an American politician . From 2015 to 2017 he represented Omaha and suburbs in the US House of Representatives for the Democratic Party . In 2018 he failed in the party primary for his previous seat.

Career

In 1967, Brad Ashford graduated from Westside High School in Omaha. He then studied at Colgate University in Hamilton , New York State, until 1971 . After completing a law degree at Creighton University in Omaha and being admitted to the bar, he began working in this profession. Over the years he worked for several government agencies in his state. In 1974 and 1975 he represented the interests of the Federal Highway Administration . Between 1984 and 1986 he was a judge on the Court of Industrial Relations . Bradley also did business with various companies outside of the judiciary. He has been President of Bugeaters, Incorporated since 1993 . He has also been a co-owner of the Nebraska Clothing Company since 1993 . He is also a member of numerous organizations and associations.

Politically, Ashford changed his party affiliation several times. He was a Republican between 1967 and 1983 and again from 1989 to 2011 ; from 1984 to 1988 he was a member of the Democratic Party , to which he has belonged again since 2013. From 2011 to 2013 he was non-party. He served in the Nebraska Legislature from 1987 to 1994 and again from 2006 to 2014 . He was also head of the Housing Authority in his state from 1998 to 2003 .

In the 2014 election , Ashford was elected to the US House of Representatives in Nebraska’s second congressional electoral district in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Republican Lee Terry on January 3, 2015 , whom he defeated in the election. This made him one of only three Democratic candidates who could prevail in districts previously represented by Republicans. The other two were Gwen Graham from Florida and Pete Aguilar from California . Ashford's constituency includes the metropolitan region of Omaha, so it includes a few suburbs in addition to the city and, despite slight republican advantages ( Cook Partisan Voting Index : R + 4), it is the most democratic in the conservative “red state” of Nebraska.

In the November 2016 election , Ashford just lost 4,000 votes to Republican Don Bacon . Therefore, he left the Congress on January 3, 2017.

In the Democratic primary in 2018 , he reapplied for the nomination for his previous seat, but was defeated by left activist Kara Eastman with 49 to 51 percent despite financial advantages and support from the federal party . Observers saw this as a sign that resistance to Donald Trump's presidency may have reached party politics.

Web links

• Brad Ashford in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Ashford on Vote Smart

supporting documents

1. ^ Grant Schulte: Eastman wins Democratic primary for Nebraska's 2nd District. In: Reuters , May 16, 2018; House Race Ratings. In: Cook Political Report.
2. ↑ Nathaniel Rakich: The #Resistance Had A Very Good Night. In: FiveThirtyEight , May 16, 2018.