Adam Michael Hasner (born November 25, 1969) is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010.[2] In 2012, Hasner was the Republican nominee for Florida's 22nd congressional district.
Early life and education
Hasner was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1991, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. He received his Juris Doctor from Florida State University in 1995.
Career
Hasner was selected to serve as the Deputy Majority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives by then-Speaker Marco Rubio in 2007 and promoted by Rubio to Majority Leader later that year. He was the first legislator from Palm Beach County to hold the position in more than 50 years, and the first Jewish Republican Majority Leader.
During his eight years in office, Hasner was regarded as one of the most conservative legislators in the Florida House.[3] This led to criticism from Florida Democrats, who attacked Hasner for among other things voting against additional stimulus spending in Florida.[4] Hasner was videotaped describing himself as "the most partisan Republican in Tallahassee."[5]
In 2010, Hasner led the House Republican effort demanding the United States Congress pass a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Hasner currently serves as national Co-Chairman of the citizen action group, Pass The Balanced Budget Amendment.[6]
2012 U.S. Senate election
On March 14, 2011, The Washington Post reported that Republican lawyer and conservative activist Cleta Mitchell filed the necessary paperwork on behalf of Hasner to officially begin exploring the Republican primary for the United States Senate in Florida.[7] On April 25, 2011, Hasner officially announced he was running for Senate on Mark Levin's radio show,.[8]
On September 23, Hasner won the CPAC-FL straw poll, with 34% of the vote, compared to 30% for Mike McCalister and 24% for George LeMieux.[9]
On February 1, 2012, Hasner ended his bid for U.S. Senate to instead run for U.S. House of Representatives in Florida's 22nd Congressional District.
2012 congressional election
Hasner announced on February 1, 2012, that he would end his campaign for U.S. Senate in Florida and instead run for United States House of Representatives in Florida's 22nd Congressional District, which includes many of the coastal communities of Broward and Palm Beach Counties that he represented in the Florida House of Representatives.
Hasner was endorsed by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Congressman Allen West.
Hasner lost the general election to former West Palm Beach mayor Lois Frankel.[10]
Frankel defeated Hasner by a margin of 55% to 45%.[11]
Positions
Radical Islam
Since 2007, Hasner profiled himself as a campaigner against radical Islam and Sharia. Along with activist Tom Trento, he held a screening of the film Obsession, while forming the group Florida Security Council, which later became the United West. They also invited Frank Gaffney to hold a speech. He later warned against Parvez Ahmed, a finance professor at the University of North Florida being appointed to a Human rights Commission, against the Muslim Day at the Florida capitol, and boycotted an appearance by Tampa Imam Qasim Ahmed, who delivered the opening prayer in the House chamber. He invited Geert Wilders to hold a speech while screening his film Fitna, and spoke alongside Pamela Geller.[12] He has been described as a part of the counter-jihad movement.[13]
References
- ^ "Mr. Adam Michael Hasner Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State House 087 Race - Nov 05, 2002". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ Scott, Maxwell. "Haridopolos a target within his own party". The Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 20, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ^ Jotkoff, Eric. "Hothead Hasner becomes Spokesman for Florida's Party of No; Turns Back on Stimulus Money". Florida Democratic Party. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ^ Pearce, Derek. "The most partisan Republican in Tallahassee". American Bridge. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
- ^ "Hon. Adam Hasner, National Vice-Chairman". www.passthebba.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ^ Blake, Aaron (March 14, 2011). "Hasner officially testing the waters in Florida". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ^ Catanese, David. "Florida Senate hopeful looking to follow Marco Rubio's lead". POLITICO. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- ^ "Hasner wins CPAC straw poll | Florida politics blog: The Buzz | tampabay.com & St. Petersburg Times". Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "Frankel realizes ‘dream of a lifetime’ in winning congressional seat" The Palm Beach Post, November 7, 2012
- ^ "2012 Florida Election Watch - U.S. Representative". Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ Murphy, Tim (November 3, 2011). "Running on Fear of Shariah". Mother Jones.
- ^ Lopez, Clare M.; Gaffney, Jr., Frank J. (2016). See No Sharia: 'Countering Violent Extremism' and the Disarming of America's First Line of Defense (PDF). Center for Security Policy Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-1530234332.