Charlie Wilson (Ohio politician)

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Charlie Wilson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 6th district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byTed Strickland
Succeeded byBill Johnson
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 30th district
In office
January 3, 2005 – December 31, 2006
Preceded byGreg DiDonato
Succeeded byJason Wilson
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 96th district
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005
Preceded byNancy Hollister
Succeeded byAllan Sayre
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 99th district
In office
January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003
Preceded byJack Cera
Succeeded byGeorge Distel
Personal details
Born(1943-01-18)January 18, 1943
Martins Ferry, Ohio, U.S.
DiedApril 14, 2013(2013-04-14) (aged 70)
Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Clara Wilson
​
​
(m. 1963; div. 1990)​
Children4 including Jason
Residence(s)St. Clairsville, Ohio, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupation

Charles A. Wilson Jr.[1] (January 18, 1943 – April 14, 2013) was an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative for Ohio's 6th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives.

Early life, education, and business career[edit]

Wilson was born on January 18, 1943, in either Martins Ferry, Ohio[2] or Dillonvale, Ohio.[3] He was a graduate of Ohio University and the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science class of 1967. He was a small business owner and was president of Wilson Funeral Homes and Wilson Furniture Store.[citation needed]

Ohio legislature[edit]

Wilson ran for Ohio's 99th House District in 1996. He defeated William L. Thomas in the Democratic primary 54%–46%.[4] He won the general election and re-election in 1998 (50%),[5] 2000 (68%),[6] and 2002 (62%).[7]

In 2004, he ran for the Ohio Senate when incumbent Democrat Greg DiDonato of the 30th District decided to retire after redistricting. In the Democratic primary, he defeated former State Representative Jerry Krupinski 67%–33%.[8] He won the general election with 67% of the vote.[9] When he decided to retire to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, his son Jason Wilson replaced him.[10]

U.S. House of Representatives[edit]

Wilson had offices in: Canfield, Wellsville, Marietta, Bridgeport and Ironton, Ohio.[11]

Elections[edit]

2006
See also: 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 6

In 2006, incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Ted Strickland decided to retire to run for Governor of Ohio. Wilson decided to run for the open seat in Ohio's 6th congressional district. Ohio state law requires that a candidate for Congress submit 50 valid signatures from constituents in his district to qualify for a place on the primary ballot. When Wilson's signatures were verified by the Columbiana County Board of Elections, only 46 of the 93 signatures submitted could be verified as legal residents of the 6th district.[12]

As such, for the Democratic primary on May 2, 2006, Charlie Wilson's name did not appear on the ballot. Wilson's campaign launched a massive effort, aided by the national party and organized labor, to 'write-in' Charlie Wilson's name in the primary. The campaign was successful, with Wilson winning 66% of the Democratic vote against two opponents.[13] Wilson defeated Republican State Representative Chuck Blasdel 62–38%.[14]

2008
See also: 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 6

Wilson defeated Republican Richard Stobbs 62%–33%.[15]

2010
See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 6

Wilson was defeated by Republican U.S. Air Force veteran Bill Johnson 50–45%.[16]

Following the 2010 campaign, Wilson was criticized for giving his staff large bonuses with taxpayer money as he was ending his term. Congressman Wilson's staff payroll increased by 49.7% from the previous payroll quarter, indicating that his staff did indeed receive hefty taxpayer funded bonuses.[17]

2012
See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 6

In November 2011, Wilson filed to run a rematch against Johnson in the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District.[18]

The race for Ohio's 6th Congressional District was listed as one of the most competitive in the country. It was one of the 24 toss-up races in the New York Times 2012 House Race Ratings.[19] Some of the major issues in the race were jobs and the economy, health care, and energy.[20] On the issue of coal, Wilson told NPR that "We don't need to fire Obama and we don't need to stop the war on coal", in an interview on September 28, 2012.[21]

His spokesman said the candidate was being sarcastic, calling the comments "the farthest thing from the truth. Charlie has fought against both administrations, both the Bush administration and the Obama administration in the battle for coal."[22]

When asked about the Supreme Court ruling on President Obama's health care law, Wilson said he viewed the tax as a way of encouraging people to buy insurance and was quoted saying: "I look at it as a way of directing people into what would be a good decision for them,"[23]

On November 6, 2012, Wilson was defeated by Johnson 53% to 47% in the rematch of their 2010 race in a slightly more Republican-leaning district, drawn after the 2010 census.[24] To date, this is the last time a Democrat has managed even 40 percent of the vote in the 6th.

Tenure[edit]

Blue Dog Coalition

After entering office, Wilson joined the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and conservative congressional Democrats.[25] Wilson was named Blue Dog of the Week on April 2, 2007.[26] Wilson voted "Yes" on the Senate version of the health care bill.[27]

Medicaid tamper-resistant prescription pads

Along with Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR) and Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), Wilson introduced H.R.3090 in July 2007 to counteract a provision tucked away in the Iraq Spending Bill. The provision required that all Medicaid prescriptions be written on "tamper-resistant pads" effective October 1, 2007. The provision was put in place to combat Medicaid prescription fraud, but it may have unintended consequences. For example, the pads may not be widely available, nor is there a good definition of what they are. If pharmacists fill prescriptions that are not written on the special pads they risk not getting reimbursed through Medicaid.

Wilson's bill would have required that only Class II narcotics prescriptions, like OxyContin, be written on tamper-resistant pads. "This will prevent the most dangerous fraud without preventing those in need from receiving their everyday medications," Wilson said.[28]

While the above action in pending action by the Subcommittee on Health, a six-month delay in the effective date was passed as part of H.R. 3668.[28][29]

Committee assignments[edit]

Caucus memberships[edit]

Congressman Wilson was a member of the Rural Caucus, Sportsmen's Caucus, and the Steel Caucus. He assumed a leadership position in the Steel Caucus, serving as a member of the executive board.[citation needed]

Electoral history[edit]

Ohio's 6th congressional district: 2006-2012 results[30]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2006 Charles A. Wilson, Jr. 135,628 62% Chuck Blasdel 82,848 38%
2008 Charles A. Wilson, Jr. 172,037 62% Richard Stobbs 90,632 33%
2010 Charles A. Wilson, Jr. 92,823 45% Bill Johnson 103,170 50%
2012 Charles A. Wilson, Jr. 144,444 47% Bill Johnson 164,536 53%

Personal life[edit]

Wilson had four sons and nine grandchildren.[31] His son, Jason, served in the Ohio Senate.

On February 21, 2013, Wilson suffered a stroke while vacationing in West Palm Beach, Florida, and was put into a medically induced coma. In early March, he entered a rehabilitation facility in Florida and had been "doing much better".[32] On April 13, Wilson was admitted to a hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida after feeling ill. He died on April 14 of complications from the earlier stroke. He was 70.[33][34]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "NOMINEES FOR THE OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SENATOR AND FOR THE OFFICE OF UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE IN THE ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS". US House of Representatives. October 31, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  2. ^ "WILSON, Charlie – Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  3. ^ Cahn, Emily (April 14, 2013). "Ex-Rep. Charlie Wilson of Ohio Dies at 70". Roll Call. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  4. ^ "Democratic Ohio House of Representatives: March 19, 1996". Sos.state.oh.us. March 19, 1996. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  5. ^ "OH State House 99 Race - Nov 03, 1998". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  6. ^ "OH State House 99 Race - Nov 07, 2000". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  7. ^ "OH State House 96 Race - Nov 05, 2002". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  8. ^ "OH State Senate 30 D Primary Race - Mar 02, 2004". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  9. ^ "OH State Senate 30 Race - Nov 02, 2004". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  10. ^ "OH State Senate 30 Race - Nov 04, 2008". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  11. ^ "Charlie Wilson: Biography". House.Gov. Archived from the original on May 14, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  12. ^ Cillizza, Chris (April 18, 2006). "Ohio: Republicans' Machiavellian Maneuver in the 6th". Washington Post. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  13. ^ "Democratic U.S. House of Representatives: May 2, 2006". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  14. ^ "OH - District 06 Race". Our Campaigns. November 7, 2006. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  15. ^ "OH - District 06 Race". Our Campaigns. November 4, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  16. ^ "OH - District 06 Race". Our Campaigns. November 2, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  17. ^ "News, Sports, Jobs - Morning Journal". Morningjournalnews.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  18. ^ "Former Rep. Charlie Wilson will seek rematch in Ohio". TheHill. November 30, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  19. ^ "House Ratings - Election 2012 - NYTimes.com". Elections.nytimes.com. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  20. ^ "News, Sports, Jobs". The Intelligencer. June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  21. ^ "Obama, Romney Mine For Swing Voters In Ohio". Npr.org. September 28, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  22. ^ Weigel, Dave (September 28, 2012). "I never said we were FactCheck". Slate. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  23. ^ "Health Care Ruling Reactions Divided". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  24. ^ Harris, Linda (November 7, 2012). "Johnson gets second term in 6th congressional district". hsconnect.com. Steubenville Herald-Star. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  25. ^ "Blue Dogs Expose Unknown Administration Budget Report; Call for Honesty, Accountability, and Transparency in Budget". The Blue Dog Coalition. March 2, 2006. Archived from the original on December 28, 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  26. ^ "PRESS RELEASE: Wilson Named "Blue Dog Of The Week"". House.Gov. April 2, 2007. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  27. ^ Olka. "Updating The Health Care Whip Count – Hotline On Call". Hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  28. ^ a b "PRESS RELEASE: Wilson Introduces Patient And Pharmacists Protection Act Of 2007". House.Gov. July 19, 2007. Archived from the original on December 7, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  29. ^ H.R.3668 Archived November 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, thomas.loc.gov; retrieved June 22, 2017.
  30. ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Archived from the original on July 25, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  31. ^ Gardner, Ralph (March 14, 2014). "Social Planner". Nymag.com. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  32. ^ Skolnik, David (April 10, 2013). "Ex-congressman Wilson continues recovery in rehab". Youngstown, OH: Vindy.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  33. ^ AP (April 15, 2013). "Former Ohio congressman Charlie Wilson dies at 70". Usatoday.com. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  34. ^ "Former Congressman Charlie Wilson Dies". The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register. April 14, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 6th congressional district
2007–2011 		Succeeded by
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