Brad Wenstrup

"Wenstrup" redirects here. For the Alaskan politician, see Mike Wenstrup.

Monica Klein

​

(m. 2012)​

Brad Wenstrup
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from Ohio's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Children	2
Education	University of Cincinnati (BA) Rosalind Franklin University (BS, DPM)
Website	House website
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army Army Reserve
Rank	Colonel
Unit	344th Combat Support Hospital
Battles/wars	Iraq War
Awards	Soldier's Medal Bronze Star

Brad Robert Wenstrup (born June 17, 1958) ^[1] is an American politician, U.S. Army Reserve officer, ^[2] and doctor of podiatric medicine, who has been the U.S. representative for Ohio's 2nd congressional district since 2013. A Republican, he upset incumbent U.S. representative Jean Schmidt to win the 2012 Republican primary election. In November 2023, he announced he would not seek re-election in 2024.

Wenstrup is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve ^[3] and an Iraq War veteran. After the shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise on June 14, 2017, Wenstrup attended to Scalise until he was transported to MedStar Washington Hospital Center. ^[4] For his actions during the shooting, he was awarded the Soldier's Medal. ^[5]

Early life, education, and medical career

Wenstrup was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Joan (née Carletti) and Frank John "Jack" Wenstrup. His father was of German, Irish, and English descent, and his mother was of Italian ancestry. He has a sister, Amy Castellini. ^[6]

In 1976, Wenstrup graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. ^[7] In 1980, he graduated Omicron Delta Kappa and cum laude with a B.A. in psychology from the University of Cincinnati, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He then attended the Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, where he earned a B.S. in biology and a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree, graduating in 1985.

Career

Wenstrup practiced podiatric medicine in Cincinnati for more than 24 years ^[8] before being elected to Congress.

Military service

Wenstrup joined the United States Army Reserve in 1998, attaining the rank of colonel in March 2017. ^[9] In 2005 and 2006, he served a tour in Iraq with the 344th Combat Support Hospital. ^[10] He called his deployment "the worst thing that ever happened to me and the best thing I ever got to do." ^[11] Wenstrup was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Action Badge. ^[9]

During Wenstrup's tour of duty in Iraq, his sister asked what she could send him. He told her, "I wear the same clothes everyday, we're fed, and most days I'm not leaving the base. But the people here have nothing. They were under an oppressed regime and have had nothing for so long." His sister helped organize donations of toys, school supplies, and hygiene supplies donated by local companies, and Wenstrup worked with the base chaplain to distribute the donations to the locals. ^[12]

2009 Cincinnati mayoral election

Main article: 2009 Cincinnati mayoral election

Wenstrup ran for mayor of Cincinnati against incumbent Democrat Mark Mallory in 2009. Mallory defeated Wenstrup, 54% to 46%. ^[13]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2012

See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 2

Wenstrup ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in the newly redrawn Ohio's 2nd congressional district, held by incumbent Republican U.S. congresswoman Jean Schmidt. He was endorsed by the Anderson Tea Party and the Ohio Liberty Council, a coalition of Ohio Tea Party groups. ^[14] In a surprise, he defeated Schmidt in the March Republican primary, 49% to 43%. ^[15] She carried six counties (all in the district's eastern part), while Wenstrup won the two most populous counties (both in the western part): Hamilton County and Clermont County. ^[16]

In the general election, Wenstrup defeated Democratic nominee William R. Smith, 59%–41%. ^{[17] [18]}

2014

See also: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 2

Wenstrup was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Marek Tyszkiewicz 66%–34%. ^[19]

2016

See also: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 2

Wenstrup was reelected to a third term, defeating Democratic candidates William Smith and Janet Everhard 65%–32.82%–2.17%. ^[20]

2018

See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 2

Wenstrup defeated Democratic candidate Jill Schiller, 58% to 41%, to win election to a fourth term.

2020

See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio

Wenstrup defeated Democratic candidate Jaime Castle, 61% to 39%, to win a fifth term. ^[21]

Tenure

In 2013 Wenstrup's office conducted a customer service survey. ^[22] According to Roll Call , very few congressional offices have conducted "genuine" surveys of constituents, instead surveying with "loaded" questions designed to achieve certain results. ^[23] According to the survey, 75% of respondents were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their experience with Wenstrup's office. ^[22]

In 2016 Wenstrup with Representative Mike Pompeo and Representative Ken Calvert led a joint task force which faulted the military intelligence of the United States Central Command in its overly positive assessment of units it was training to fight ISIL. ^[24]

Wenstrup receiving his Soldier's Medal

Wenstrup was an original co-sponsor of H.R. 3949, the VA Prescription Data Accountability Act 2017, which became law during the 115th Congress, in 2017. The bill helps protect veterans receiving prescription medications and prevents misuse of such medications. ^[23]

On November 9, 2023, Wenstrup announced he would not run for re-election in 2024. ^[25] Through his work on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, he intends to make a full report on the pandemic's origins and appropriate public health measures to diminish the impact of future pandemics prior to his departure. ^[26]

Texas v. Pennsylvania

In December 2020, Wenstrup was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania , a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated ^[27] incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state. ^{[28] [29] [30]}

Committee assignments

• Committee on Ways & Means
  • Subcommittee on Oversight
  • Subcommittee on Worker & Family Support
• United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
  • Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support
  • Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation
• United States House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic ^[31]

Caucus memberships

• Republican Study Committee ^[32]
• Air Cargo Caucus
• GOP Doctors Caucus

Personal life

Wenstrup is Roman Catholic. ^[33] Wenstrup is married to Monica Wenstrup (Klein), who works as a financial consultant. ^[34] They have two children; ^[2] they adopted a daughter in 2019. ^[35]

Wenstrup's niece Anne Marie Gieske was one of the two American victims of the Seoul Halloween crowd crush. ^[36]

Electoral history

Ohio's 2nd congressional district (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Wenstrup	194,296	58.6
	Democratic	William Smith	137,077	41.4
Total votes			331,373	100.0
	Republican hold

Ohio's 2nd congressional district (2014)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Wenstrup (incumbent)	132,658	66.0
	Democratic	Marek Tyszkiewicz	68,453	34.0
Total votes			201,111	100.0
	Republican hold

Ohio's 2nd congressional district (2016)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Wenstrup (incumbent)	221,193	65.0
	Democratic	William R. Smith	111,694	32.8
	Independent	Janet Everhard (write-in)	7,392	2.2
Total votes			340,279	100.0
	Republican hold

Ohio's 2nd congressional district (2018)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Wenstrup (incumbent)	166,714	57.6
	Democratic	Jill Schiller	119,333	41.2
	Green	Jim Condit Jr.	3,606	1.2
	Independent	David Baker (write-in)	8	0.0
Total votes			289,661	100.0
	Republican hold

Ohio's 2nd congressional district (2020)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Wenstrup (incumbent)	230,430	61.1
	Democratic	Jaime Castle	146,781	38.9
	Write-in		37	0.0
Total votes			377,248	100.0
	Republican hold

Ohio's 2nd congressional district (2022)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Wenstrup (incumbent)	192,117	74.5
	Democratic	Samantha Meadows	65,745	25.5
Total votes			257,862	100.0
	Republican hold

References

1. "Brad Wenstrup". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
2. "Biography - U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup". wenstrup.house.gov. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
3. Wentling, Nikki. "About Brad – U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup". house.gov. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
4. Wentling, Nikki (June 14, 2017). "'Like I was back in Iraq': Congressman, combat doc tended to shot Scalise". Stars and Strips. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
5. Shane, Leo (April 27, 2018). "Congressman awarded Soldier's Medal for heroism in last year's baseball team shooting". Army Times. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
6. "Ancestry of Brad Wenstrup". ancestry.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
7. "Brad Wenstrup" . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
8. "Wenstrup for Congress". Usabrad.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
9. Wehrman, Jessica (March 4, 2017). "With House colleagues watching, U.S. Rep. Wenstrup receives military promotion". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
10. "My Story | U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup". wenstrup.house.gov. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
11. Neff, Blake (July 29, 2013). "Iraq War vet takes his fight to Capitol Hill". The Hill. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
12. Hughes, Amanda (May 2009). "Hero and Healer". University of Cincinnati - UC Magazine. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
13. "Cincinnati Mayor Race – Nov 03, 2009". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
14. "Wenstrup upsets Schmidt for 2nd Congressional District nomination". Wcpo.com. March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
15. "2012 Ohio District 2 Primary". Politico. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
16. "OH District 2 – R Primary Race – Mar 06, 2012". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
17. "Ohio Congressional District 2 election results". msnbc.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
18. "2014 Elections Results". ohio.gov. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
19. "Ohio Election Results 2014: House Map by District, Live Midterm Voting Updates". POLITICO. November 15, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
20. "2016 Official Elections Results". www.sos.state.oh.us. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
21. "Ohio Election Results: Second Congressional District". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 12, 2020.
22. "How to Conduct a Congressional Customer Service Survey - Commentary". Roll Call. February 3, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
23. Ann, Kuster (November 21, 2017). "Cosponsors - H.R.1545 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): VA Prescription Data Accountability Act 2017". www.congress.gov. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
24. Bertuca, Tony. “GOP Task Force Says CENTCOM Manipulated Intelligence Reports on ISIL.” Inside the Pentagon, vol. 32, no. 33, 2016, pp. 3–4. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/insipent.32.33.08. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.
25. "The GOP congressman who leads the House's probe of COVID-19's origins says he won't seek reelection". AP News . Retrieved February 21, 2024.
26. Jessica Wehrman. (9 November 2023). "Rep. Brad Wenstrup to retire". Roll Call website Retrieved 13 November 2023.
27. Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News . Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
28. Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
29. "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
30. Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN . Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
31. "Wenstrup: The Biden Administration Tried to Hide CDC Director Walensky's Testimony from the American People". house.gov . Retrieved August 31, 2023.
32. "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
33. Y Jeff Diamant (January 3, 2023). "Faith on the Hill" (PDF). PEW Research Center. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
34. Shesgreen, Deirdre (July 3, 2012). "Wenstrup has to plan for nuptials and November campaign". Politics Extra. Cincinnati: Gannett Company. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
35. "That's So Cincinnati: How a dying AIDS patient helped shape Cincinnati Republican's view on serving others". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
36. Wenstrup, Brad (October 31, 2022). "Rep. Wenstrup Statement on Death of Niece Anne Marie Gieske". United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.

External links

• Congressman Brad Wenstrup official U.S. House website
• Brad Wenstrup for Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Jean Schmidt	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 2nd congressional district 2013–present	Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Randy Weber	United States representatives by seniority 144th	Succeeded by Roger Williams