William Hollis Long II[1] (born August 11, 1955)[2] is an American politician and auctioneer who served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2023. The district includes much of the southwestern quadrant of the state and is anchored in Springfield. It also includes Joplin and Branson. On December 4, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Long to serve as Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. Long has previously expressed support for simplifying the tax code and exploring tax reform proposals such as a flat tax or a consumption-based system.[3][4]
Billy Long | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Commissioner of Internal Revenue | |
Presumptive nominee | |
| Assuming office TBD | |
| President | Donald Trump (elect) |
| Succeeding | Daniel Werfel |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 7th district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Roy Blunt |
| Succeeded by | Eric Burlison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Hollis Long II August 11, 1955 Springfield, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Barbara Long (m. 1984) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Missouri (attended) |
A member of the Republican Party, Long was elected to fill the district's seat in 2010, succeeding Roy Blunt upon his election to the U.S. Senate. During his time in Congress, Long frequently voiced support for reducing federal regulations and limiting government spending.[5] He was a consistent advocate for policies aimed at fostering small business growth and economic development within his district.[6] After Blunt announced that he would not run for reelection to the Senate in 2022, Long became a candidate in the 2022 race to succeed him, but lost the Republican primary to Eric Schmitt.[7]
Early life and education
editA fourth-generation native of Missouri, Long was born in Springfield in 1955. He attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri[8] and was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity[9] before dropping out. After taking time off from school for three years, Long attended a nine-day training program at the Missouri Auction School in Kansas City.[10] He received his Certified Auctioneer designation via the National Auctioneers Association.[citation needed]
Career
editLong owned Billy Long Auctions, LLC. He was also a talk radio show host on the Springfield-based station KWTO. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors, National Auctioneers Association, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association of America, and the Greater Springfield Board of Realtors.[10]
During a September 2018 House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on alleged anti-conservative bias on social media, far-right internet personality Laura Loomer interrupted the meeting. Long began a mock auction chant pretending he was selling Loomer's mobile phone until she was escorted out.[11][12] The incident generated considerable laughter and applause from the audience.[13]
Long also participated in the World Poker Tour, participating in professional sanctioned games including the Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage and the Bellagio Cup.[citation needed]
In September 2018, in response to sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Long retweeted a Twitter post comparing the allegations to a "kiss on the forehead".[14]
U.S. House of Representatives
edit
2010
edit- Republican primary
Long joined the race for the 7th Congressional District after incumbent U.S. representative Roy Blunt chose to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Kit Bond. In the crowded seven-way Republican primary—the de facto election in the state's most Republican district—Long won with 36% of the vote.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Billy Long | 38,218 | 36.56 | |
| Republican | Jack Goodman | 30,401 | 29.08 | |
| Republican | Gary Nodler | 14,561 | 13.93 | |
| Republican | Darrell Moore | 9,312 | 8.91 | |
| Republican | Jeff Wisdom | 4,552 | 4.36 | |
| Republican | Mike Moon | 4,473 | 4.28 | |
| Republican | Steve Hunter | 2,173 | 2.08 | |
| Republican | Michael Wardell | 844 | 0.81 | |
| Total votes | 104,534 | 100.00 | ||
- General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Billy Long | 141,010 | 63.39 | |
| Democratic | Scott Eckersley | 67,545 | 30.37 | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 13,866 | 6.23 | |
| Write-In | Others | 10 | 0.00 | |
2012
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Billy Long | 203,565 | 63.87 | |
| Democratic | Jim Evans | 98,498 | 30.90 | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 16,668 | 5.23 | |
| Write-In | Others | 9 | 0.00 | |
2014
editIn the August 5 Republican primary, Long defeated Marshall Works, 62.4% to 37.6%.[15]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Billy Long | 104,054 | 63.46 | |
| Democratic | Jim Evans | 47,282 | 28.84 | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 12,584 | 7.68 | |
| Write-In | Others | 37 | 0.02 | |
2016
editIn the August 2 Republican primary, Long defeated Nathan Clay, Christopher Batsche, Matthew Evans, Lyndle Spencer, Matthew Canovi, James Nelson and Mary Byrne.[16]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Billy Long | 228,692 | 67.5 | |
| Democratic | Genevieve Williams | 92,756 | 27.4 | |
| Libertarian | Benjamin Brixey | 17,153 | 5.1 | |
| Write-In | Others | 6 | 0.0 | |
2018
editIn the Republican primary, Long defeated Jim Evans, Lance Norris, and Benjamin Holcomb. In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Jamie Schoolcraft, who had defeated Kenneth Hatfield, John Farmer de la Torre, and Vincent Jennings in the Democratic primary.[17]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Billy Long | 195,872 | 66.3 | |
| Democratic | Jamie Schoolcraft | 88,642 | 30 | |
| Libertarian | Benjamin Brixey | 10,833 | 3.7 | |
| Write-In | Others | 270 | 0.1 | |
2020
editIn the August 4 Republican primary, Long defeated Eric Harleman, Kevin VanStory, Steve Chetnik and Camille Lombardi-Olive.[18]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Billy Long | 254,318 | 68.9 | |
| Democratic | Teresa Montseny | 98,111 | 26.6 | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 15,573 | 4.2 | |
| Independent | Audrey Richards (write-in) | 1,279 | 0.3 | |
| Write-in | 2 | 0.0 | ||
Committee assignments
edit- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Committee on Homeland Security
- Republican Steering Committee
Caucus memberships
edit
IRS commissioner nomination
editBilly Long was announced as the nominee for IRS commissioner in 2024 by President-elect Trump.[23][24]
Political positions
editImmigration
editLong supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order banning entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries.[25]
LGBT civil rights
editIn 2015, Long condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution.[26]
Objections to the 2020 election results
editAfter Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election[27] and Donald Trump refused to concede, Long pushed Trump's false claims[28] of voter fraud in the election.[29]
In December 2020, Long supported an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the election based on allegations of fraud.[30][31]
References
edit- ^ "Obituary for William H. Long". Archived from the original on 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ "What to know about Billy Long, the ex-congressman and auctioneer Trump wants to head the IRS - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2024-12-06. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ Lobosco, Katie (2024-12-05). "What Trump's plan to replace the current IRS chief could mean for the agency | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ Slowey, Erin (December 4, 2024). "Former Representative Billy Long Picked by Trump to Lead IRS (1)". Bloomberg Tax News.
- ^ Hancock, Jason (2024-12-05). "Donald Trump picks Missouri's Billy Long to lead the IRS • New Hampshire Bulletin". New Hampshire Bulletin. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ Gomez, Henry J. (August 2, 2022). "Eric Schmitt wins GOP primary for Senate in Missouri, defeating former Gov. Greitens". NBCNews.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "About Billy Long". Billy Long for Congress. 2010-11-02. Archived from the original on 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ "Prominent Alumni". www.deltau.org. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ a b "Meet Vicky". billyforcongress.com. 2020-08-17. Archived from the original on 2020-08-17.
- ^ "Congressman drowns out protester with auction call in Twitter hearing". CBS News. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- ^ "Watch: A fast-talking auctioneer-turned-Congressman drowned out this far-right protester". PBS NewsHour. Associated Press. September 5, 2018. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- ^ Watkins, Eli (5 September 2018). "Congressman uses old auctioneer skills to drown out protester during hearing". CNN. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
- ^ Sonmez, Felicia (September 17, 2018). "Congressman retweets post mocking sexual assault allegation against Brett Kavanaugh". The Washington Post.
- ^ "2014 Missouri House Primaries Results". Politico. August 6, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ^ "Missouri's 7th Congressional District election, 2016". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "Billy Long". Ballotpedia.
- ^ "Missouri's 7th Congressional District election, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ "All Results State of Missouri - State of Missouri - General Election, November 03, 2020". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ "Members". U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ^ Fields, Ashleigh (2024-12-04). "Donald Trump names Billy Long as IRS head". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ Erb, Kelly Phillips. "Trump Picks Former Representative Billy Long As Next IRS Commissioner". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ Blake, Aaron (January 31, 2017). "Whip Count: Here's where Republicans stand on Trump's controversial travel ban". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ "Presidential Election Results 2020: Biden Wins". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Shepherd, Katie (November 6, 2020). "GOP splits over Trump's false election claims, unfounded fraud allegations". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ Huguelot, Austin (November 12, 2020). "Top Missouri Republicans embrace Trump's resistance to election results". Rolla Daily News. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020.
- ^ Court document supremecourt.gov
- ^ "We Will Object". U.S. Representative Billy Long. 31 December 2020.
External links
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