Corey Stewart (politician)

Corey Stewart
Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors
Assumed office
January 2007
Preceded by Sean T. Connaughton[1]
Personal details
Born August 1, 1968
Duluth, Minnesota
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Maria
Children Isaac
Lucas
Residence Woodbridge[2]
Alma mater Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service
Occupation International Trade Attorney
Religion Roman Catholic
Website www.coreystewart.com

Corey Stewart (born August 1, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician. He is serving his fourth term as At-Large Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Prince William County, Virginia.

A Republican, Stewart has a reputation as an ultra-conservative, most notably in the context of his 2007 crackdown on illegal immigration, which drew national media attention.[3] In December 2015, Donald Trump announced that he had selected Stewart to chair his presidential campaign in Virginia.[3] On October 10, 2016, Stewart was fired as campaign chairman for refusing to shut down a pro-Trump women's demonstration protesting the Republican National Committee's lack of support for Donald Trump.[4]

Chairman of the Board of Supervisors

Elections

Stewart was first elected as Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in a November 2006 special election to replace Sean Connaughton (who resigned to take a post at the United States Maritime Administration).[5] Stewart defeated Sharon Pandak by a margin of 53%-46%.[6] Stewart was elected to a full term in 2007 with 55% of the vote,[7] re-elected in 2011, and re-elected to a third full term in 2015 with 57% of the vote.[8]

Illegal Immigration

Stewart was the architect of a policy which orders police in Prince William County to check the immigration status of anyone who breaks the law and cuts off services to illegal immigrants.[9] Stewart has credited the policy with decreasing violent crime in Prince William County by 48.7 percent,[10] a claim that fact-checking site, Politifact, determined to be "Mostly False." A more comprehensive review of the statistics, as used by the Virginia State Police, indicated a 23% reduction in violent crime, slightly outpacing a statewide reduction over the same period of time.[11]

Gun issues

Stewart led a successful effort to eliminate the county portion of the concealed-carry handgun permit fee in Prince William County, lowering it from $50 to the state minimum of $15.[12][13]

Budget

Stewart has a history of advocating for deep, sometimes controversial, cuts to social services and other county services.[14][15]

Campaign for lieutenant governor

Stewart unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in the 2013 election.[16] In a seven-person race, Stewart was eliminated in the third round of voting in the Republican convention, losing to E. W. Jackson.[17][18]

Virginia State Chairman for Donald Trump's presidential campaign

In December 2015, Republican U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump announced that he had chosen Stewart to chair his campaign in Virginia.[3] Stewart has been an outspoken proponent for Trump in national media.[19] Even as other Republican officials disavowed Trump after various controversies, Stewart steadfastly continued to support him.[20] In July 2016, Stewart blamed "liberal Democrats" and specifically Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Virginia Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam for the spree killing of police officers in Dallas, Texas.[21]

On October 10, 2016, Stewart was fired as campaign Chairman for staging a pro-Trump women's demonstration protesting the Republican National Committee's lack of support for Donald Trump.[22] It was unclear whether Stewart's disassociation from the Trump campaign would help or hinder his bid for the Republican nomination for governor in 2017.[4] Despite his release from the campaign, Stewart has remained one of Donald Trump's strongest defenders.[23]

Campaign for Governor

At the Virginia State Republican Convention on April 30, 2016, Stewart announced his intention to run for Governor of Virginia.[24] Stewart is considered at the very conservative end of the Republican candidates for Governor of Virginia in 2017.[24]

Personal life

A Minnesota native, Stewart first came to the Metro-D.C. area in 1988, transferring to Georgetown University after a year at Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.[25] He went on to get a degree from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, becoming the first member of his family to graduate from college.[25] Later, he graduated magna cum laude from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, but he ultimately decided to settle in Virginia.[25] Stewart works as an international trade attorney, and he and his family now make their home in Bel Air, a colonial-era plantation house in Woodbridge that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington visited and that later was the home of Mason Locke Weems, Washington’s first biographer and the creator of the cherry tree story.[25] He met his wife, Maria, who is from Sweden, when he spent a year teaching English in Japan between his undergraduate time and law school.[25] The couple has two sons.[25]

References

  1. ↑ Shear, Michael (November 23, 2006). "For Republicans, There's Still Cause to Be Thankful". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  2. ↑ About Corey
  3. 1 2 3 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/why-donald-trump-chose-corey-stewart-to-chair-his-virginia-campaign/2015/12/16/b37f62d2-a335-11e5-b53d-972e2751f433_story.html
  4. 1 2 Laura Vozzella, This Virginia politico was fired by the Trump team — but it could help him, Washington Post (October 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ Kunkle, Frederick (October 8, 2006). "Candidates Differ on Approach To Growth". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  6. ↑ 2006 Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Special General Election
  7. ↑ 2007 Chairman of the Board of Supervisors General Election
  8. ↑ 2015 November General
  9. ↑ http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/24/tim-kaines-radical-optimism
  10. ↑ http://watchdog.org/64990/va-county-fights-feds-for-criminal-alien-records-as-ice-program-melts-in-new-year/
  11. ↑ http://www.politifact.com/virginia/statements/2012/may/25/corey-stewart/corey-stewart-says-prince-william-county-cut-viole/
  12. ↑ Jill Palermo, Prince William supervisors slash price for concealed carry permits, Inside Nova (February 23, 2016).
  13. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/prince-william-board-reduces-concealed-handgun-permit-fees/2016/02/26/9e004dae-dbd4-11e5-925f-1d10062cc82d_story.html
  14. ↑ http://www.insidenova.com/headlines/stewart-tax-rate-plan-would-cut-funding-to-schools-police/article_ff81342a-ff2f-11e5-b0a2-fbbc924911ec.html
  15. ↑ http://www.bullrunnow.com/news/article/pwc_board_chairman_proposes_9.6_million_in_fy_14_budget_cuts_to_keep_tax_bi
  16. ↑ Antonio Olivo, Why Donald Trump chose Corey Stewart to chair his Virginia campaign, Washington Post (December 16, 2015).
  17. ↑ Jill Palermon, UPDATED: Corey Stewart eliminated as GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, Inside NoVa (May 18, 2013).
  18. ↑ Ben Pershing & Errin Whack, Va. GOP settles on Cuccinelli, Obenshain and Jackson for November ballot, Washington Post (May 18, 2013).
  19. ↑ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/cruz-forces-still-question-donald-trumps-conservative-cred/
  20. ↑ http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-virginia-gop-trump-20161008-story.html
  21. ↑ Laura Vozzella, Trump’s Virginia chairman blames Clinton, 'liberal politicians' for Dallas massacre, Washington Post (July 8, 2016).
  22. ↑ http://www.aol.com/article/news/2016/10/10/trump-virginia-campaign-chair-corey-stewart-fired-over-protest-o/21578612/
  23. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-democrats-aim-to-make-2017-governors-race-all-about-donald-trump/2016/10/25/411a7e2a-9a29-11e6-a0ed-ab0774c1eaa5_story.html
  24. 1 2 http://wvtf.org/post/virginia-gubernatorial-hopefuls-gearing-2017#stream/0
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stewart touts Trump for president, himself for governor

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Sean Connaughton		 Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors
2007 – Present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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