David Agema

Early life and education

Agema was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on February 11, 1949, in an American family of Dutch origin. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Calvin College in 1971 and an M.B.A. from Central Michigan University in 1975. He served as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War era, but never served overseas during the conflict. In 1978, he joined the Air National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Agema then worked for American Airlines and later as a business consultant.

Political involvement

Agema is a pro-life Republican, who is actively vocal in his opposition to same-sex marriage and civil unions.

Agema served three terms (the constitutional limit) in the Michigan House of Representatives, from 2007 to 2013, representing parts of the Grand Rapids area. He was elected at the 2012 Michigan Republican State Convention to the Republican National Committee, defeating incumbent Saul Anuzis.

Political controversies

In 2013, he faced calls to resign from the Republican National Committee by only 11 members of Chairman Priebus's executive committee after he posted extracts from an article written by a doctor entitled "Everyone Should Know These Statistics On Homosexuals" which said that homosexuals lived a "filthy lifestyle", were responsible for 50 percent of U.S. murders in certain cities as stated by a magistrate that year and that many are pedophiles. Agema was rebuked by RNC chairman Reince Priebus, who drew a distinction between Republican policies on gay rights and the language used in Agema's post, adding "all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect." The republican platform opposes gay marriage.

Later that year, Agema was condemned by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder after saying that homosexuals were in favor of healthcare reform because "some are dying between 30 and 44 years old." Again, this was a doctors statement from an 80s study. Agema posted several statistics on his web page from newer sources confirming earlier death.

In addition to his comments about homosexuals, Agema quoted an article written by another in response to Obama's statement that Muslim have a rich fabric in our nations history, "Have you ever seen a Muslim do anything that contributes positively to the American way of life?" This was in reference to the lack of historical record of Obama's statement. Muslim Republicans took offense to this and cited contribution from their families and friends. Additionally, his bill to ban foreign law and Sharia Law was seen as an attempt to engender paranoia against Muslims. Agema's comments on Muslims, "styled as an open missive to President Obama", led to the resignation in 2015 of a Maine private-academy lacrosse coach who had re-posted them on Facebook.

On December 31, 2014, Agema reposted an article former Congressman Col. West posted in his news letter. West stated he had personally observed some of this and that it would seem racists but needed to be addressed. The article was written pseudonymously that ran in the white nationalist magazine American Renaissance, which included sentences by a public defender concerning certain felons he had to defend stating "[B]lacks are different by almost any measure to all other people. They cannot reason as well ( referring to these felons). They cannot communicate as well. They cannot control their impulses as well. They are a threat to all who cross their paths, black and non-black alike." Chairman Reince Priebus subsequently called on him to resign his RNC position. He did not resign and was not allowed to face his accusers at Priebus's executive committee meeting.

Personal life

He has been married for more than forty five years to his wife Barb. They have three children and ten grandchildren.