B.J. Lawson
Encyclopedia
William "B.J." Lawson is a Republican Party
politician who ran for the United States House of Representatives
in North Carolina
's 4th
congressional district
(seat currently held by David Price
) in both the 2008 and 2010
elections.
, Lawson attended Lakeland Senior High School in Lakeland, Florida
, where he was president of the student council. He moved to North Carolina
in 1992, where he graduated from Duke University
with a degree in biomedical and electrical engineering
and then from Duke Medical School in 2000.
During his time at Duke Medical School, Lawson became annoyed with the obscure and outdated methods doctors used to access patient data. A year into his neurosurgery residency with Duke (at Durham Regional Hospital
), Lawson left to start, with another Duke Physician, Alan Ying, a software company that would help doctors access that data in a more timely fashion, MercuryMD. The company focused on providing easier ways for physicians and nurses to access patient records through PDA
s. MercuryMD, grew to serve 200 hospitals and had 70 employees. The company was sold to Thomson Corporation, a multinational conglomerate, now known as Thomson Reuters
.
GOP chair Augustus Cho to face David Price in the general election.
supporter. Lawson gave out more than 50,000 copies of the United States Constitution during the course of his campaign. Lawson obtained 151,672 votes, about 36% of the vote, and the incumbent Price received 263,151 votes and 63% of the vote in the general election; there were no other candidates in the race.
Lawson failed to achieve a significantly greater percentage of the vote than the past two opponents.
Lawson ran television ads against Price, which Price's opponents typically do not do. National publication Reason
called Lawson "one of the most credible Republican challengers of 2008, period." Lawson raised nearly $600,000 in a district in which the previous Republican contender, Lt. Col. Steve Acuff, raised only $50,000 in 2006. Lawson ordered 50,000 pocket copies of the United States Constitution
to hand out to voters during the 2008 election cycle.
Lawson raised almost $600,000 for the campaign, helped with $170,000 in one day during a designated money bomb. His campaign headquarters was in Cary, North Carolina
.
Lawson's campaign criticized Price for his record on civil liberties and accused Price of not reading bills before he votes on them. Price ran ads against Lawson and brought in Washington, DC staffers to assist in his re-election campaign. Lawson organized a "Peace, Prosperty & Liberty" concert and forum at UNC-Chapel Hill with Jim Neal
, and Bruce Fein
. Lawson and Price also faced off in what the Carrboro Citizen newspaper called a "lively" debate at UNC.
On April 28, U.S. Representative Ron Paul
sent a letter to his mailing list endorsing Lawson in the 4th's Republican primary, and again on October 3 endorsing him in the general election.
Additional endorsements:
was an impersonator and not Freeman himself. Freeman confirmed that he was not the voice in the ad. BJ Lawson responded to the allegations by saying "This is terribly unfortunate and we apologize profusely to Morgan Freeman for what has happened. This is obviously not something we ever would want to misrepresent. Once we found out that our contracted advertisement was not narrated by Morgan Freeman, we immediately pulled our ads. Our campaign is volunteers and we were presented with an opportunity to make a great ad -- unfortunately these political mercenaries completely misrepresented their offering and contract with us to take our money."
Further investigation into the discrepancy showed that the Lawson for Congress campaign purchased the ad and its creation work from a vendor named MEI Political - a Los Angeles-based ad company. After statements were made by MEI Political's Ben Mathis claiming that 1) MEI notified the Lawson campaign of the voice double and 2) it was intended only as a robocall, the Lawson for Congress campaign released a copy of the original contract of the work, citing section 2 of the commercial production agreement: "Upon receipt of this signed contract and a final script provided by LFC [Lawson for Congress], MEI shall write and produce one Morgan Freeman radio commercial for LFC [Lawson for Congress]", leading the campaign to suspect sabotage by a political mercenary
. On November 2, 2010, Lawson for Congress released documents for public download showing both the original contract agreement and the email correspondence between Ben Mathis of MEI Political and the Lawson campaign showing Ben Mathis stating (regarding John O'Hurley) "Just let me know ASAP since I'll already have him in the studio. I'll also have Gerald McRaney, Morgan Freeman, Donald Sutherland,..." The Lawson Campaign is considering legal action against MEI Political.
On November 2, 2010, three other political campaigns across the country came forward with similar documents showing offers from MEI Political and Ben Mathis for advertising contracts with "the actor Morgan Freeman." Mathis is quoted describing Morgan Freeman as a "friend" who "does this as a favor to me."
, Lawson has taken "strong stands on civil liberties
protections" and against legislation such as the USA PATRIOT Act
, citing concerns over rushing legislation through Congress without ample time for representatives to read it. Lawson is also against the death penalty.
Lawson spoke in opposition to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility
which was proposed to be located in Butner, North Carolina
. Lawson stated that various rare diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever
, and Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
, would be studied at the laboratory and could pose hazards for North Carolina citizens located near the facility. His general election opponent David Price lobbied the federal government for the facility to be located in Butner.
Lawson is against the Iraq War.
Lawson has spoken against government borrowing and debt, saying "talk of an additional 'stimulus plan' that results in still more government borrowing simply pushes our economic crisis further onto our children and grandchildren." He believes money from entitlement trust funds should not be spent for other purposes. He did not support the Wall Street bailout bill
, calling it the "No Bank Left Behind Act" and saying: "In our economy, the bailout plan assumes we need to fight a necessary reduction in debt with yet more debt. To use a medical analogy, debt is like amphetamines. It takes from the future to stimulate you today, and too much of it can kill you. We've become addicted to debt – why do we need more debt-fueled growth, and how much more can we tolerate? We need sustainable, long-term growth fueled by people saving and creating value in their communities – not artificial growth fueled by still more government debt that creates additional burdens for the future."
Lawson has said that he would attempt to eliminate the Congressional pension
plan, calling it "an insult to the American worker"; he says if elected, he will not participate in the pension plan. He is also against subsidies for oil companies and believes getting rid of them would help foster alternative energy sources. Lawson has said that alternatives to a federal income tax should be looked into, including a carbon tax: "We want more jobs, productivity, and income – so it doesn't make sense to tax jobs, productivity, and income."
Lawson opposes a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage and "unrelenting globalism driven by corporate interests." He has a "disdain" for giving corporation
s the same legal rights as individuals.
For health care, Lawson is a proponent of health savings account
s and catastrophic insurance coverage. The Independent Weekly
wrote: "Lawson is right in that insurance companies and bureaucracies
are taking health care out of the hands of doctors and patients."
while he went to Duke. JoLynn Lawson is a former public school teacher in Durham, North Carolina
. They have three children.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician who ran for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
's 4th
North Carolina's 4th congressional district
The Fourth Congressional district of North Carolina is located in the central region of the state and contains most of the area commonly known as The Triangle. It includes all of Durham and Orange counties, part of Wake County and a small section of Chatham County...
congressional district
Congressional district
A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...
(seat currently held by David Price
David Price (American politician)
David Eugene Price is a professor and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997 and previously from 1987 to 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
) in both the 2008 and 2010
United States House of Representatives elections, 2010
The 2010 United States House of Representatives elections, also known as the 2010 midterm elections, were held on November 2, 2010, at the midpoint of President Barack Obama's first term in office. Voters of the 50 U.S. states chose 435 U.S. Representatives. Voters of the U.S...
elections.
Background
Born in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Lawson attended Lakeland Senior High School in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, where he was president of the student council. He moved to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1992, where he graduated from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
with a degree in biomedical and electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and then from Duke Medical School in 2000.
During his time at Duke Medical School, Lawson became annoyed with the obscure and outdated methods doctors used to access patient data. A year into his neurosurgery residency with Duke (at Durham Regional Hospital
Durham Regional Hospital
Durham Regional Hospital , located in northern Durham, North Carolina is a general-services hospital that has been part of the Duke University Health System since 1998...
), Lawson left to start, with another Duke Physician, Alan Ying, a software company that would help doctors access that data in a more timely fashion, MercuryMD. The company focused on providing easier ways for physicians and nurses to access patient records through PDA
PDA
A PDA is most commonly a Personal digital assistant, also known as a Personal data assistant, a mobile electronic device.PDA may also refer to:In science, medicine and technology:...
s. MercuryMD, grew to serve 200 hospitals and had 70 employees. The company was sold to Thomson Corporation, a multinational conglomerate, now known as Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters Corporation is a provider of information for the world's businesses and professionals and is created by the Thomson Corporation's purchase of Reuters Group on 17 April 2008. Thomson Reuters is headquartered at 3 Times Square, New York City, USA...
.
2008 Congressional campaign
Lawson said that his time as an entrepreneur led him to begin seeking answers to questions about the healthcare system and national debt, which led to his campaign for office.Primary election
Lawson's primary campaign focused on issues such as the higher cost of food and the overspending of the federal government. Lawson defeated former Orange CountyOrange County, North Carolina
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,801. Its county seat is Hillsborough...
GOP chair Augustus Cho to face David Price in the general election.
General election
Lawson was described as a "hybrid candidate," able to gather the support of Democrats discontent with incumbent 4th District representative David Price's record on various issues; at least one of Lawson's county organizers is a lifelong Democrat and a Hillary Clinton and Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
supporter. Lawson gave out more than 50,000 copies of the United States Constitution during the course of his campaign. Lawson obtained 151,672 votes, about 36% of the vote, and the incumbent Price received 263,151 votes and 63% of the vote in the general election; there were no other candidates in the race.
Lawson failed to achieve a significantly greater percentage of the vote than the past two opponents.
Lawson ran television ads against Price, which Price's opponents typically do not do. National publication Reason
Reason (magazine)
Reason is a libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 60,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the Chicago Tribune.- History :...
called Lawson "one of the most credible Republican challengers of 2008, period." Lawson raised nearly $600,000 in a district in which the previous Republican contender, Lt. Col. Steve Acuff, raised only $50,000 in 2006. Lawson ordered 50,000 pocket copies of the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
to hand out to voters during the 2008 election cycle.
Lawson raised almost $600,000 for the campaign, helped with $170,000 in one day during a designated money bomb. His campaign headquarters was in Cary, North Carolina
Cary, North Carolina
Cary is a large town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham...
.
Lawson's campaign criticized Price for his record on civil liberties and accused Price of not reading bills before he votes on them. Price ran ads against Lawson and brought in Washington, DC staffers to assist in his re-election campaign. Lawson organized a "Peace, Prosperty & Liberty" concert and forum at UNC-Chapel Hill with Jim Neal
Jim Neal
James Weatherly "Jim" Neal, Jr. is a North Carolina Democrat and a business executive and investment banker who was a candidate in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in 2008...
, and Bruce Fein
Bruce Fein
Bruce Fein is a lawyer in the United States who specializes in constitutional and international law. Fein has written numerous articles on constitutional issues for The Washington Times, Slate.com, The New York Times, Legal Times, and is active on the issues of civil liberties...
. Lawson and Price also faced off in what the Carrboro Citizen newspaper called a "lively" debate at UNC.
On April 28, U.S. Representative Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
sent a letter to his mailing list endorsing Lawson in the 4th's Republican primary, and again on October 3 endorsing him in the general election.
Additional endorsements:
- Col. Steve Acuff, (USAFUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, Ret.) 2006 Republican candidate - Tom Roberg, 1996 Republican candidate
- Republican Liberty CaucusRepublican Liberty CaucusThe Republican Liberty Caucus is a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual liberty, limited government and free market economics within the Republican Party in the United States. It is part of the libertarian wing of the Republican Party...
- Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
College Republicans - Grassroots North Carolina Forum-Political Victory Forum;
- Democrats for Lawson
- Radley BalkoRadley BalkoRadley Balko is an American libertarian journalist, blogger, and speaker.- Education :Balko earned a B.A. in journalism and political science in 1997 from Indiana University.- Employment and publications :...
, nationally known journalist
2010 Congressional campaign
On February 10, 2010, Lawson announced that he would run again for US House of Representatives for district 4 of North Carolina. On May 4 Lawson was nominated as the Republican Candidate with 45% of the vote.Morgan Freeman ad controversy
On November 1, 2010, the Lawson for Congress campaign quickly pulled a specific campaign ad after allegations surfaced that the voice in the ad, claimed to be actor Morgan FreemanMorgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
was an impersonator and not Freeman himself. Freeman confirmed that he was not the voice in the ad. BJ Lawson responded to the allegations by saying "This is terribly unfortunate and we apologize profusely to Morgan Freeman for what has happened. This is obviously not something we ever would want to misrepresent. Once we found out that our contracted advertisement was not narrated by Morgan Freeman, we immediately pulled our ads. Our campaign is volunteers and we were presented with an opportunity to make a great ad -- unfortunately these political mercenaries completely misrepresented their offering and contract with us to take our money."
Further investigation into the discrepancy showed that the Lawson for Congress campaign purchased the ad and its creation work from a vendor named MEI Political - a Los Angeles-based ad company. After statements were made by MEI Political's Ben Mathis claiming that 1) MEI notified the Lawson campaign of the voice double and 2) it was intended only as a robocall, the Lawson for Congress campaign released a copy of the original contract of the work, citing section 2 of the commercial production agreement: "Upon receipt of this signed contract and a final script provided by LFC [Lawson for Congress], MEI shall write and produce one Morgan Freeman radio commercial for LFC [Lawson for Congress]", leading the campaign to suspect sabotage by a political mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
. On November 2, 2010, Lawson for Congress released documents for public download showing both the original contract agreement and the email correspondence between Ben Mathis of MEI Political and the Lawson campaign showing Ben Mathis stating (regarding John O'Hurley) "Just let me know ASAP since I'll already have him in the studio. I'll also have Gerald McRaney, Morgan Freeman, Donald Sutherland,..." The Lawson Campaign is considering legal action against MEI Political.
On November 2, 2010, three other political campaigns across the country came forward with similar documents showing offers from MEI Political and Ben Mathis for advertising contracts with "the actor Morgan Freeman." Mathis is quoted describing Morgan Freeman as a "friend" who "does this as a favor to me."
Political positions
Taking positions that are conservative and libertarianLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
, Lawson has taken "strong stands on civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
protections" and against legislation such as the USA PATRIOT Act
USA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001...
, citing concerns over rushing legislation through Congress without ample time for representatives to read it. Lawson is also against the death penalty.
Lawson spoke in opposition to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility
National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility
The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility is a planned United States government-run research facility that will replace the 1950s-era Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York, which is "nearing the end of its lifecycle and is too small to meet the nation’s research needs." The NBAF will be...
which was proposed to be located in Butner, North Carolina
Butner, North Carolina
Butner is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,591 at the 2010 census]. Butner was managed by the state of North Carolina from 1947 through 2007. A bill passed by the North Carolina General Assembly incorporating the town was signed by Gov. Mike Easley on...
. Lawson stated that various rare diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever
Classical swine fever
Classical swine fever or hog cholera is a highly contagious disease of pigs and wild boar.-Clinical Signs:...
, and Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia , is a contagious bacterial disease that afflicts the lungs of cattle, buffalo, zebu, and yaks....
, would be studied at the laboratory and could pose hazards for North Carolina citizens located near the facility. His general election opponent David Price lobbied the federal government for the facility to be located in Butner.
Lawson is against the Iraq War.
Lawson has spoken against government borrowing and debt, saying "talk of an additional 'stimulus plan' that results in still more government borrowing simply pushes our economic crisis further onto our children and grandchildren." He believes money from entitlement trust funds should not be spent for other purposes. He did not support the Wall Street bailout bill
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of , commonly referred to as a bailout of the U.S. financial system, is a law enacted in response to the subprime mortgage crisis...
, calling it the "No Bank Left Behind Act" and saying: "In our economy, the bailout plan assumes we need to fight a necessary reduction in debt with yet more debt. To use a medical analogy, debt is like amphetamines. It takes from the future to stimulate you today, and too much of it can kill you. We've become addicted to debt – why do we need more debt-fueled growth, and how much more can we tolerate? We need sustainable, long-term growth fueled by people saving and creating value in their communities – not artificial growth fueled by still more government debt that creates additional burdens for the future."
Lawson has said that he would attempt to eliminate the Congressional pension
Congressional pension
Congressional pension is a pension made available to members of the United States Congress. Members who participated in the congressional pension system are vested after five years of service. A full pension is available to Members 62 years of age with 5 years of service; 50 years or older with 20...
plan, calling it "an insult to the American worker"; he says if elected, he will not participate in the pension plan. He is also against subsidies for oil companies and believes getting rid of them would help foster alternative energy sources. Lawson has said that alternatives to a federal income tax should be looked into, including a carbon tax: "We want more jobs, productivity, and income – so it doesn't make sense to tax jobs, productivity, and income."
Lawson opposes a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage and "unrelenting globalism driven by corporate interests." He has a "disdain" for giving corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s the same legal rights as individuals.
For health care, Lawson is a proponent of health savings account
Health savings account
A health savings account is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States who are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan . The funds contributed to an account are not subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. Unlike a flexible spending account...
s and catastrophic insurance coverage. The Independent Weekly
Independent Weekly
The Independent Weekly is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States and distributed throughout the Research Triangle area and counties .The Independent is a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and has a...
wrote: "Lawson is right in that insurance companies and bureaucracies
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
are taking health care out of the hands of doctors and patients."
Honors
Congressman Walter B. Jones, Jr. of North Carolina presented Lawson with the Walter B. Jones Campus Defender of Freedom award at Duke University in April 2009.Personal life
Lawson married his high school sweetheart, JoLynn, who attended college in South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
while he went to Duke. JoLynn Lawson is a former public school teacher in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
. They have three children.