Braxton Mitchell: Difference between revisions
m Dating maintenance tags: {{By who?}} |
"By whom" ? Unnecessary addition to make mitchell look bad. 501C3 non profit group in not "a hard right youth movement..." Tag: Reverted |
||
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
==Political positions== |
==Political positions== |
||
Mitchell |
Mitchell has served as an ambassador for [[Turning Point USA]], a right-wing organization that advocates conservative narratives on high school, college, and university campuses.<ref name="KULR">{{cite web |last1=Drake |first1=Phil |title=Montana Human Rights Network raises concerns about Turning Point USA |url=https://www.kulr8.com/news/state/montana-human-rights-network-raises-concerns-about-turning-point-usa/article_e1f9dbc5-3f26-5d4d-8a6d-f0504ef3c988.html |website=KULR-8 Local News |access-date=8 May 2021 |language=en |date=24 April 2021}}</ref> |
||
===High school transgender athletes=== |
===High school transgender athletes=== |
||
Revision as of 23:50, 8 July 2021
Braxton Mitchell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 3rd district | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Debo Powers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2000 (age 23–24) Columbia Falls, Montana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Flathead Valley Community College |
Braxton Mitchell (born 2000) is an American politician serving as a Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 3rd district. Elected in 2020, he assumed office on January 4, 2021.[1][2]
Early life and education
Mitchell was born in Columbia Falls, Montana.[3] While in high school, he organized pro-gun marches.[4]
He attended Flathead Valley Community College for two years.[3][5] As of September 2020, he was working at his family business, Vandevanter Meats, also known as the Montana Jerky Company.[5]
Career
Mitchell's involvement in politics began in 2017 during a special election for Montana's lone congressional district, where Republican Greg Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist. Mitchell saw many of his own beliefs reflected in Gianforte, and helped with his campaign as a high school student.[6]
In 2020, he ran for the 3rd district of the Montana House of Representatives. Mitchell did not face an opponent in the Republican primary and defeated incumbent Democrat Debo Powers in the November general election by 20 points.[6] Upon assuming office on January 4, 2021, Mitchell became one of the youngest members of the Montana House of Representatives.[7][8]
After Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Mitchell called for members of Congress to reject electors "from disputed states."[9]
Mitchell serves as a member on the House Taxation Committee, the House Education Committee, and the House Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Committee.[10]
Domestic terror resolution
In February 2021, Mitchell introduced a resolution designating antifa as a domestic terrorism group.[11][12] Antifa-affiliated groups are not known to be active in Montana, and there were no riots in Montana during the George Floyd protests of 2020.[11] Mitchell stated "I just don’t want to go into a future where political violence becomes the norm, and I hope as a country, we can start moving away from political violence on both sides."[13]
Mitchell was asked by Montana Democrats to also designate other groups including that which stormed the United States Capitol in January 2021, but Mitchell stated that the resolution was aimed at offenses committed by antifa.[13] The resolution originally had 53 co-sponsors, but following his refusal to add additional groups to the resolution, 31 Republicans removed their names.[13] The resolution did not pass out of the House.[14]
Political positions
Mitchell has served as an ambassador for Turning Point USA, a right-wing organization that advocates conservative narratives on high school, college, and university campuses.[4]
High school transgender athletes
Mitchell supported a bill in the Montana Legislature that sought to ban transgender athletes from competing on teams that do not align with their sex at birth. He stated that "Someone can wake up one morning and say, ‘I’m a man today,’ or ‘I’m a woman today,’ as a tactic to win in sports."[15] The bill was signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Gianforte on May 7, 2021.[16]
Coal power
Mitchell sponsored a measure that would have made it more difficult for a private utility company in Montana to shutter a power plant, a move aimed at blocking the closing of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant in eastern Montana.[17] The measure was tabled in March of 2021.[17][18] The Colstrip plant's owners, Puget Sound Energy, closed two of the four units at the plant in January 2021, and announced that the remaining two units would close within five years.[19]
Affordable housing
Mitchell believes the private sector should be responsible for affordable housing rather than the government.[20]
Tuition
Mitchell supports state-funded financial aid availability for lower and middle-class students.[20]
Electoral history
2020 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Braxton Mitchell | 3,586 | 60.0 | |
| Democratic | Debo Powers | 2,393 | 40.0 | |
| Total votes | 5,979 | 100 | ||
References
- ^ "Copper Book: Lawmakers of Montana, Legislative Session of 2021". Montana State Legislature. Montana Legislative Services Division. p. 52. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ https://ballotpedia.org/Braxton_Mitchell
- ^ a b "Braxton Mitchell". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- ^ a b Drake, Phil (24 April 2021). "Montana Human Rights Network raises concerns about Turning Point USA". KULR-8 Local News. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Election 2020: Braxton Mitchell House District 3". Hungry Horse News. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ a b Amestoy, Austin (25 January 2021). "Montana's youngest legislators: Under 25, diverse, Republican with 'a libertarian streak'". Missoula Current. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "Flathead Memo: Rep-Elect Braxton Mitchell wants Montana's primaries to be closed and all its ballots hand counted". www.flatheadmemo.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- ^ "House District 3 candidate Q&A: Braxton Mitchell". missoulian.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- ^ Weill, Kelly (2 March 2021). "20-Year-Old MAGA Politician's War on Antifa Backfires Horribly". news.yahoo.com. Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
Unlike some of his older peers in the Montana House, Mitchell comes from a hard-right youth movement.
- ^ "House of Representatives Committees 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Montana bill would designate antifa as domestic terrorism". AP NEWS. 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ Mitchell, Braxton. "House Joint Resolution No. 11" (PDF). Montana Legislature. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ a b c McFall, Caitlin (19 February 2021). "Make Antifa a domestic terror group, Montana GOP state lawmaker, 20, says". Fox News. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ Murray, David (16 June 2021). "Cascade County sheriff switches parties, calls out Democrats for supporting 'terrorist' groups". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Loose, Cindy (15 February 2021). "Flurry of bills aim to limit accommodating transgender athletes in public schools". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ Samuels, Iris (7 May 2021). "Montana governor signs bill targeting transgender athletes". apnews.com. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ a b Wade, Will (29 March 2021). "Coal Country Races to Shield Itself From Biden's Climate Plan". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "Montana HB314 - Regular Session". LegiScan. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ Gordon, Phillip (2020-01-06). "US 2020 coal closures start with a bang with two units closed in Montana". Smart Energy International. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
- ^ a b "House District 3 candidate Q&A: Braxton Mitchell". missoulian.com. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ "Braxton Mitchell". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 14 March 2021.