Glen Casada

Glen Casada
Born August 2, 1959
Alma mater Western Kentucky University
Occupation Politician
Political party Republican Party
Spouse(s) Jill Casada
Children 4

Glen Casada (born August 2, 1959) is a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, where he represents District 63 (Williamson County, Tennessee). He is the Republican Majority Leader. His opposition to Syrian refugees attracted national attention in the media in 2015.

Early life

Glen Casada was born on August 2, 1959.[1] He graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.S. in Agriculture and Education in 1982.[1]

Career

Casada is a member of the Williamson County chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and the Chambers of Commerce of Williamson County, Franklin, Brentwood, Nolensville, and Spring Hill.[1]

In 2009, Casada was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit in federal court, Captain Pamela Barnett v. Barack Hussein Obama, which claimed that Barack Obama was not an American citizen and therefore ineligible to be President of the United States. Judge David O. Carter ruled that Casada and other state legislators did not have standing to sue, since the supposed harm they feared was "highly speculative and conjectural."[2]

In April 2011, Casada tried to repeal a workplace non-discrimination bill for sexual orientation and gender identity in Nashville.[3][4] In an interview, he explained he was trying to "create a uniform environment across the state, similar to what the interstate commerce clause does for our country."[5] The bill was supported by David Fowler's socially conservative Family Action Council of Tennessee, and the Log Cabin Republicans were opposed to it.[5]

In the summer of 2011, Casada traveled with other Tennessee legislators on a trip to China paid for in part by the Hanban.[6]

In November 2015, Casada said he wanted to stop admitting Syrian refugees in Tennessee.[7] He also wanted to return those who were already in the state to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.[7][8][9]

In October 2016, Casada ran for re-elected against Democratic candidate Courtenay Rogers.[10] The campaign centered on the cost of public schools and roads.[10] Casada won the election.[11] In February 2017, he was selected as the Republican Majority leader.[12]

Casada voted for Ted Cruz in the Republican primary of the 2016 presidential election, and he voted for Donald Trump in the general election, despite saying he was "not convinced he's an intellectual conservative."[13][14] On March 4, 2017, Casada was one of the main speakers at a rally ion Legislative Plaza in Downtown Nashville called "The Spirit of America Rally" to celebrate the policies of President Trump, when he said, "I am convinced that we will look back four years and see this as a crossroads in our country that we saved our country yet for one more generation."[15][16]

Personal life

Casada has a wife, Jill, and four children.[1] He attends the Brentwood Baptist Church.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Representatives – TN General Assembly". tn.gov. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Order by Judge David O. Carter, United States District Court for the Central District of California
  3. ↑ Woods, Jeff (April 12, 2011). "Committee adopts legislation to nullify Metro's anti-bias bill". The City Paper. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Statewide legislation could kill anti-gay bias bill". Out & About Newspaper. April 12, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Stepien, Victor (May 1, 2011). "CAN-DO bill: A flawed Republican rationale". Out & About Newspaper. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ Humphrey, Tom (August 30, 2011). "Tennessee Legislators Make Summer Trip to China". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  7. 1 2 Terkel, Amanda (November 17, 2015). "Tennessee GOP Lawmaker Wants To Round Up All Recent Syrian Refugees In The State". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  8. ↑ Boucher, Dave (November 17, 2015). "Tennessee GOP leader: Round up Syrian refugees, remove from state". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Tennessee Lawmaker Calls For National Guard To Round Up Syrian Refugees". NPR. November 19, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Howze, Ray (October 11, 2016). "Glen Casada faces new challenger in District 63 race". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  11. ↑ Howze, Ray (November 8, 2016). "Election 2016: Glen Casada retains District 63 seat over Courtenay Rogers". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  12. ↑ Cothren, Whitt; Klein, Raymond (February 28, 2017). "Tennessee House Republican Caucus Announces Staff Additions, Promotions". Nashville Public Radio. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  13. ↑ Gienapp, Emmett (May 5, 2016). "Tennessee lawmakers throw support behind Donald Trump". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  14. ↑ Ebert, Joel; Garrison, Joey (May 3, 2016). "Tennessee GOP leaders will back Trump after Cruz exit". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  15. ↑ "President Trump supporters gather in downtown Nashville for rally". WKRN. March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  16. ↑ Marshall, Brandon (March 4, 2017). "Groups Clash At President Trump Rally, 2 Arrested". Channel News 5. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
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