Lenny McAllister

Lenny McAllister
Lenny McAllister
Born	Leonard Francis McAllister Jr.; January 13, 1972 (age 52); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Davidson College
Occupation	Author
Political party	Republican
Website	www.lennymcallister.com

Leonard Francis McAllister Jr. (born January 13, 1972) is an American political commentator for a number of newspapers and websites, including

US Congress in Pennsylvania's 14th district after winning the primary by way of write-in votes, tripling the requirement for the nomination^{[clarification needed]}. From 2008 through 2017, his media platform including hosting shows on the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel and KDKA (AM) in Pittsburgh and WVON in Chicago as well as appearing regularly on CNN, HLN, Al Jazeera America, Radio New Zealand, and other outlets. As an African-American that is part of the Black Conservatism movement, he is often attributed to positions that mirror some civil rights activists including his positions on ending stop and frisk practices on African-Americans as a violation of the Constitution

.

Early life

McAllister was born Leonard Francis McAllister, Jr. on January 13, 1972, in

Penn Hills, a suburb outside Pittsburgh.^[1] His father was a computer technician and an electrician for a local steel mill, and his mother ran a daycare out of the family home before her death in 2006.^[1]

Education and early adulthood

McAllister attended middle school at St. Bart's School, playing football and basketball. Always undersized, McAllister quarterbacked the school's 14-and-under football team to a championship as an 11-year-old. He then attended

Central Catholic High School for a few years before leaving to take a scholarship to Shady Side Academy

. He graduated from Shady Side in 1989, earning scholarship offers to several universities.

In 1989, McAllister enrolled at Davidson College, on "the 13-year path to a four-year degree". He was slated to walk-on the Davidson basketball team as a freshman but declined after coach Bobby Hussey left Davidson after the 1988–1989 school year. He was a pitcher on the baseball team. He left school in 1992 for a sabbatical that lasted a decade. Before leaving that spring, he contributed a negative article on Black History Month to the school paper The Davidsonian, receiving numerous anonymous threats from outraged readers.

McAllister dropped out of college for a decade and became a father at age 21 with the first of his two children. In 2000, McAllister re-enrolled at Davidson College, graduating with a history degree in 2002.

Career

In 2005, McAllister ran for office in

Fox Charlotte

cast him as their political contributor during the 2008 campaign. McAllister provided live commentary during question-and-answer sessions and live editorials weekly on the "Fox News Rising" morning show, the Charlotte morning show.

McAllister attended the

Illinois's 2nd congressional district special election, but lost. In 2016, he was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for US Congress in Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district, losing to incumbent Democrat Mike Doyle

.

Writing and speaking presence

McAllister writes for several online magazines and blogs. He has also been published in the

Charlotte Post, Newsweek, and The Dallas Morning News. He usually represents the Republican point of view in his writings, but from an Afro-centric perspective and has spoken out against racism in politics and society. He was a featured speaker at several Tea Party protests across the nation throughout 2009.^{[citation needed}

]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Hankins, Melissa (June 2009). "Get Right With Lenny". Charlotte Magazine. Retrieved July 1, 2009.

External links

Appearances on C-SPAN

[AT7-1] Hankins, Melissa (June 2009). "Get Right With Lenny". Charlotte Magazine. Retrieved July 1, 2009.

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