Allen Bernard West (born February 7, 1961) is an American politician and retired military officer. A member of the Republican Party, West represented in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013 and served as the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 2020 to 2021. He was the chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party from 2024 to April 2026.
West was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and began his military career in 1983 after graduating from the University of Tennessee. He was deployed to Kuwait in 1991 and Iraq in 2003. In 2003, West was charged in an incident that involved the beating and mock execution of an Iraqi policeman, with West firing a gun near the Iraqi man's head during an interrogation. After an Article 32 hearing was held, West accepted non-judicial punishment, was fined $5,000, and allowed to retire as a lieutenant colonel. After leaving the army, West moved to Florida, where he taught at a high school for a year and worked for a defense contractor, part of this time spent in Afghanistan as a civilian adviser to the Afghan National Army.
West entered politics in 2008 as the Republican nominee for Florida's 22nd congressional district, losing to Democratic incumbent Ron Klein. In a rematch in 2010, he won the seat, coinciding with significant Republican gains in that year's midterm elections. West took office in January 2011 as the first African-American Republican member of Congress from Florida since Josiah T. Walls left office in 1876 near the end of Reconstruction. In Congress, West was a high-profile member of the Tea Party Caucus and the Tea Party movement. Widely described as a "firebrand conservative", West stirred controversy during his time in Congress for incendiary comments about Islam, descriptions of President Barack Obama as a "low-level Socialist agitator", and unfounded accusations that 81 Democratic members of Congress were members of the Communist Party. Redistricting due to the 2010 census resulted in West switching to for the 2012 House elections. He narrowly lost to Democratic nominee Patrick Murphy in what was the most expensive congressional House race that year.
West ran for the chairmanship of the Republican Party of Texas in 2020. West became the new state chairman after he defeated the incumbent chairman, James Dickey, on July 20, 2020.Waltens, Brandon. Allen West Declares Victory in Race to Lead Texas GOP , Texas Scorecard, July 20, 2020. On June 4, 2021, West announced his resignation as GOP chair, fueling speculation that he would challenge Governor Greg Abbott in the 2022 gubernatorial primary. On July 4, 2021, West announced his run for governor of Texas from his church in Carrollton, Texas. His resignation was effective July 11, when the State Republican Executive Committee met to select his successor. On the way out, West has received criticism within the Texas GOP for having a conflict of interest; it has been alleged that he should not have served as Texas GOP chair and campaigned for governor at the same time. He was defeated by Abbott in the primary.
Early life and education Allen Bernard West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Elizabeth (Thomas; 1931–1994) West and Herman West, Sr. (1920–1986) on February 7, 1961. His father and older brother were both career military officers; West's father served in World War II, and his brother served in Vietnam. His mother was a civilian employee of the United States Marine Corps. Although both of his parents were registered Democrats, West has remarked that they raised him "very conservatively".Murphy, Tim. "Allen West's Rise From the Florida Fever Swamps: A Short, Strange Trip into the Belly of the Anti-Shariah Beast" , Mother Jones, July/August 2012.
In the tenth grade of high school, West joined the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. After graduation from high school, he attended the University of Tennessee, where he joined the Army ROTC program. Upon graduation from the University of Tennessee in 1983, he was commissioned as an officer in the Field Artillery branch and entered active duty in the U.S. Army. West is the third of four consecutive generations in his family to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. He later received a master's degree in political science from Kansas State University. He also earned a master of military arts and sciences degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Officer College in political theory and military history and operations.
Military career (1983–2004, 2019–present)
Overview West entered active duty on November 1, 1983,Speakers Who Embody American Values Retrieved March 6th, 2015. Written By Blair Hersch. at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he completed the Field Artillery Officer's Basic Course (FAOBC). He then proceeded to airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he received his Parachutist Badge. His first assignment was as an airborne infantry fire support officer and platoon leader, as well as battalion training officer for the 4th BCT(Battalion Combat Team), 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, SETAF (Southern European Task Force) under the command of LTC Thomas R. Needham at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy. In 1987, West was promoted to captain and attended the Field Artillery Officer's Advanced Course. Following graduation, West took command of B Battery, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. He served as the battalion task force fire support officer for 2d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment. As a member of the 1st Infantry Division he deployed for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
After returning from Kuwait, West served as an Army ROTC instructor at Kansas State University from 1991 to 1994, becoming the U.S. Army ROTC Instructor of the Year in 1993.Association of the United States Army, Once a Soldier... Always a Soldier: Soldiers in the 112th Congress , 2011, p. 120 In January 1995 he was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division Support Command as the assistant operations/combat plans officer. West was promoted to major before he attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 1997. Upon completion, he became the operations officer for the 18th Field Artillery Brigade before being assigned as executive officer of 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment. Afterward, West served as an Army exchange officer at the II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune from 1999 to 2002 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
The culminating assignment of West's career was his assumption of command of the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division on June 6, 2002. During the Iraq War in 2003, he deployed with his battalion until he was relieved of command by the Army following a use-of-force incident concerning an Iraqi policeman. At his Article 32 hearing, West admitted violating Army rules by holding the policeman captive, punching him in the face, conducting a mock execution and by dry-firing an unloaded pistol held against the Iraqi's head. West was subsequently allowed to retire in 2004.
West's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star; Meritorious Service Medal (two Oak Leaf Clusters); Army Commendation Medal (three Oak Leaf Clusters, one Valor Device); Army Achievement Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster); Valorous Unit Award; Air Assault Badge; and the Master Parachutist Badge.
Iraq torture incident While serving in Taji, Iraq, West received information from an intelligence specialist about a plot to ambush his unit. The alleged plot involved Yahya Jhodri Hamoodi, an Iraqi police officer. West had his men detain Hamoodi. Soldiers testified that in the process of detaining Hamoodi, he appeared to reach for his weapon and needed to be subdued. Hamoodi was beaten by four soldiers from the 2/20th Field Artillery Battalion on the head and body. West then fired his pistol near Hamoodi's head, after which Hamoodi provided West with names and information, which Hamoodi later described as "meaningless information induced by fear and pain". At least one of these suspects was arrested as a result, but no plans for attacks or weapons were found. West said "At the time I had to base my decision on the intelligence I received. It's possible that I was wrong about Mr. Hamoodi."
West was charged with violating Articles 128 (assault) and 134 (general article) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. During a hearing held as part of an Article 32 investigation in November 2003, West stated, "I know the method I used was not right, but I wanted to take care of my soldiers." The charges were ultimately referred to an Article 15 proceeding rather than court-martial, at which West was fined $5,000. West accepted the judgment and retired with full benefits as a lieutenant colonel in the summer of 2004. Asked if he would act differently under similar circumstances, West testified, "If it's about the lives of my soldiers at stake, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can." At his hearing, West said that there were no ambushes against American forces in Taji until he was relieved of his leadership post a month later. After West's retirement he received more than 2,000 letters and e-mails offering him moral support. A letter supporting West was signed by 95 members of the U.S. Congress and sent to the Secretary of the Army.
Texas State Guard
On August 29, 2019, West was sworn into the Texas State Guard. The ceremony took place at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas as part of the festivities of a Texas Rangers–Seattle Mariners baseball game. As per the policies of the Texas Military Department, West retained the same rank he held while in federal military service, lieutenant colonel.West, Allen. Profile , The Old School Patriot.Press Release. Pre-game Texas State Guard Swearing In Ceremony for Lt. Colonel (Ret) Allen West , Major League Baseball, August 28, 2019.
Post-active duty military career (2004–2007) After retiring from the Army, West and his family moved to Florida. He taught U.S. history and coached track and field at Deerfield Beach High School for a year. He then spent two years working for Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), a private military company. While with MPRI, West was positioned in Kandahar, Afghanistan. In that capacity, he was an adviser to the Afghan National Army.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections 2008
In 2006, 25-year incumbent Republican E. Clay Shaw, Jr. was defeated by Democrat Ron Klein in Florida's 22nd Congressional District. The district was located in Broward and Palm Beach counties, and included parts of Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Palm Beach. Allen West entered politics in 2008 to regain the lost House seat, challenging freshman incumbent Klein. West received the Republican nomination without opposition. However, he lost to Klein by a margin of 9.4% of the votes. The official results were Klein with 169,041 votes (54.7%), and West with 140,104 votes (45.3%).
2010
West ran in a rematch with Klein. He spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 20, 2010, and was endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. West was one of 32 African-American Republican candidates for Congress in 2010. He said he supported the Tea Party movement and rejected the notion that the movement was motivated by racism, saying the accusation was a creation of liberal critics and the news media. He was described as a "tea party star" became a member of the congressional Tea Party Caucus in February 2011.
In September 2010, the Florida Democratic Party produced a flyer that contained West's unredacted Social Security number. While the party called it an "oversight" and offered to pay for identity theft protection, West harshly condemned the flyer for exposing his family to identity theft.