Brad Robert Wenstrup (born June 17, 1958) is an American politician,

U.S. Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 20 ...

officer, and doctor of podiatric medicine, who has been the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for since 2013. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he upset incumbent U.S. Representative

Jean Schmidt Jeannette Mary Schmidt (née Hoffman; born November 29, 1951) is an American politician who is a state representative in Ohio's 65th district. She was a U.S. Representative for , serving from 2005 to 2013. She is a member of the Republican Part ...

to win the 2012 Republican primary election. Wenstrup is a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the U.S. Army Reserve and an

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

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. For his actions during the shooting, he was awarded the

Soldier's Medal The Soldier's Medal is an individual decoration of the United States Army. It was introduced as Section 11 of the Air Corps Act, passed by the Congress of the United States on July 2, 1926., Appendix 5, p. 126. The Army' Soldier's Medal is equiv ...

Early life, education, and medical career

Wenstrup was born and raised in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, 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. In 1976, Wenstrup graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. In 1980, he graduated

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in ...

and ''cum laude'' with a B.A. in psychology from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

, where he was a member of the

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...

fraternity. He then attended the Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine of

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFU) is a private graduate school in North Chicago, Illinois. It has more than 2,000 students in five schools: Chicago Medical School, College of Health Professions, College of Pharmacy, Dr. W ...

, where he earned an B.S. in biology and a

Doctor of Podiatric Medicine A podiatrist ( ) is a medical professional devoted to the treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. The term originated in North America but has now become the accepted term in the English-speaking world for ...

degree, graduating in 1985.

Career

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

Military service

Wenstrup joined the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...

in 1998, attaining the rank of

in March 2017. In 2005 and 2006, he served a tour in Iraq with the 344th Combat Support Hospital. He called his deployment "the worst thing that ever happened to me and the best thing I ever got to do." Wenstrup was awarded the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

and

Combat Action Badge The Combat Action Badge (CAB) is a United States military award given to soldiers of the U.S. Army of any rank and who are not members of an infantry or special forces MOS, for being "present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy, a ...

. 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.

2009 Cincinnati mayoral election

Wenstrup ran for mayor of Cincinnati against incumbent Democrat

Mark Mallory Mark Mallory (born April 2, 1962) is an American politician who served as the 68th Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first two-term Mayor under the City's new Stronger-Mayor system, the first directly elect ...

in 2009. Mallory defeated Wenstrup, 54% to 46%.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

;2012 Wenstrup ran for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in the newly redrawn

Ohio's 2nd congressional district Ohio's 2nd congressional district is a district in southern Ohio. It is currently represented by Republican Brad Wenstrup. The district includes all of Adams, Brown, Pike, Clermont, Highland, Clinton, Ross, Pickaway, Hocking, Vinton, Jac ...

, held by incumbent Republican U.S. Congresswoman

. He was endorsed by the Anderson Tea Party and the Ohio Liberty Council, a coalition of Ohio Tea Party groups. In a surprise, he defeated Schmidt in the March Republican primary, 49% to 43%. 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. In the general election, Wenstrup defeated Democratic nominee William R. Smith, 59%–41%. ;2014 Wenstrup was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Marek Tyszkiewicz 66%–34%. ;2016 Wenstrup was reelected to a third term, defeating Democratic candidates William Smith and Janet Everhard 65%–32.82%–2.17%. ;2018 Wenstrup defeated Democratic candidate Jill Schiller, 58% to 41%, to win election to a fourth term. ;2020 Wenstrup defeated Democratic candidate Jaime Castle, 61% to 39%, to win a fifth term.

Tenure

Wenstrup began his first term on January 3, 2013. During his first year in office he held an open

town hall meeting Town hall meetings, also referred to as town halls or town hall forums, are a way for local and national politicians to meet with their constituents either to hear from them on topics of interest or to discuss specific upcoming legislation or ...

in each of his congressional district's eight counties. In 2013 Wenstrup's office conducted a customer service survey. According to ''

Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of c ...

'', very few congressional offices have conducted "genuine" surveys of constituents, instead surveying with "loaded" questions designed to achieve certain results. According to the survey, 75% of respondents were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their experience with Wenstrup's office. 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.

''Texas v. Pennsylvania''

In December 2020, Wenstrup was one of 126 Republican members of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

to sign an

amicus brief An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...

in support of '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', a lawsuit filed at the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

contesting the results of the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...

, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked

standing Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an ''erect'' ("orthostatic") position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the s ...

under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Ways & Means ** Subcommittee on Oversight ** Subcommittee on Worker & Family Support *

United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), also known as the House Intelligence Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Adam Schiff. It is the primary committ ...

** Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support ** Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation

Caucus memberships

Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana. Although the prim ...

*Air Cargo Caucus

Personal life

Wenstrup is married to Monica Wenstrup (Klein), who works as a financial consultant. They have two children. They adopted a daughter in 2019. Wenstrup's niece Anne Marie Gieske was one of the two American victims of the

Seoul Halloween crowd crush On the night of 29 October 2022, a crowd crush occurred during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea. At least 158 people were killed and 196 others were injured. The victims were mostly young adults. The crow ...

References

External links

Congressman Brad Wenstrup
official U.S. House website
Brad Wenstrup for Congress
* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wenstrup, Brad 1958 births Living people 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American physicians 21st-century American politicians United States Army personnel of the Iraq War American military doctors American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American politicians of Italian descent American podiatrists Military personnel from Ohio Physicians from Ohio Recipients of the Soldier's Medal St. Xavier High School (Ohio) alumni United States Army colonels United States Army reservists Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio