Charles Wilson

Charlie Wilson, a Democrat, represented the Sixth Congressional District of Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011.

Enviornmental Issues
Mr. Wilson has not taken a firm stance on enviornmental issues but rather a moderate conservative stance. "In 2003 Ohio League of Conservation Voters gave Representative Wilson a rating of 0" but one year later "Representative Wilson supported the interests of the Ohio League of Conservation Voters 80 percent in 2004". He "Voted YES on $9.7B for Amtrak improvements and operation thru 2013". (Jun 2008) and in addition, he vied for Inter-state compact for Great Lakes water resources(Jul 2008), Strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting (Jan 2007). .

Abortion
Mr. Wilson has taken a very conservative stance on abortion but has avoided voting on any bills or realeasing many statements in regard to abortion. He recieved a grade of 0 from NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2007 and "Representative Wilson supported the interests of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association 0 percent in 2005-2006". His stance on abortion signifies his position as a moderate democrat.

Civil Liberties and Rights
Mr. Wilson has worked for the rights of women in a large way. He voted yes for the Unequal Pay Bill which helped give women more equal pay in the work place. Mr. Wilson also "Re-introduce the Equal Rights Amendment". Although he has been strong on equal rights he has lacked the support for human rights, recieving only a grade of 55 in 07-08 Human Rights Campaign. Through Civil rights we see Mr. Wilson's democratic side showing through his moderateness.

Biography
Wilson was born in 1943 in Bridgeport, Ohio. He graduated from Ohio University and the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. He is the owner of both Wilson Funeral and Furniture Company and Wilson Realty Company. He has four sons and eight grandchildren. 

In 1996, Wilson was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. In 2004, he was elected to the State Senate.

2006 elections
Ohio State Law requires that a candidate for Congress submit 50 valid signatures from constituents in his district to qualify for a place on the primary ballot. When Wilson's signatures were verified by the Columbiana County Board of Elections, he was found to have insufficient verifiable signatures. As such, during the Democratic Primary Election in Ohio on May 2, 2006, Charlie Wilson's name did not appear on the ballot.

Wilson's campaign launched a massive write in campaign, aided by the national party and organized. The movement was successful, with Wilson winning 66.75% of the Democratic primary vote. 

In the general election, Wilson defeated Republican Chuck Blasdell to replace Rep. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio), who ran for governor.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
 * Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
 * House Committee on Science and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation

Resources

 * Charlie Wilson for Congress, official campaign site.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Psychobilly Democrat
 * As Ohio Goes
 * Writes Like She Talks
 * Buckeye State Blog

Articles

 * Jonathan E. Kaplan, "GOP wages expensive gambits to weaken Dem opponents," The Hill, May 2, 2006.
 * Sabrina Eaton, "Hard write-in campaign works for Democrat Wilson," Plain Dealer (Cleveland), May 3, 2006.