Lt. Col. Alan West, the former congressman from Florida and firebrand of conservative politics in America, is in San Angelo today in advance of speaking at tonight’s Reagan Dinner for the Tom Green County Republican Party.
West said that this is not his first time in San Angelo. He was last in town two years ago on a stopover on a cross-country motorcycle ride.
West greeted members of the Republican Party this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the Republican Party Headquarters just off W. Beauregard Ave. He had just finished with a tour of Goodfellow AFB.
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In a short speech, West noted that 73 percent of all counties in the U.S. voted for Romney in the 2012 presidential race, yet President Obama won with 303 of the 270 electoral votes needed to be re-elected. “Where are those electoral votes coming from? The urban areas like Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso,” he said.
West made a call to action for Tom Green County Republicans to share their values with the cities to prevent Texas from becoming a blue state for the Democrats.
Above: Allen B. West and Steve Kim. Kim is a foreign exchange student from S. Korea attending Angelo State University. He is also an intern for Gov. Greg Abbott's campaign. (LIVE! Photo/Joe Hyde)
West grew up in Atlanta and joined the U.S Army, culminating his career as a battalion commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom. After leaving the service, West became an outspoken critic of leftist politics, eventually winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 22nd Congressional District of Florida in 2010. He was one of 32 African American congressmen in the 2010 class. After redistricting, West lost his seat in a hard-fought re-election battle. Since then, West has been a frequent commentator and analyst on Fox News.
West published a book in 2014, the autobiographical Guardian of the Republic: An American Ronin's Journey to Faith, Family and Freedom.
Tom Green County Chairman Jeff Betty said that the $125 tickets to tonight’s dinner at the San Angelo County Club are sold out.
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