Georgia Rep.-elect Andrew Clyde arrived in the nation’s capital with the unique distinction of already having a federal law named after him.
The gun store owner gained prominence for fighting back when the IRS suddenly seized nearly $1 million from his bank account in 2013.
Not only did Clyde win his civil asset forfeiture case against the IRS, but he got Congress to pass a law last year so the IRS could never do it again.
“That entire ordeal really showed me that one person who is persistent and tenacious and just doesn’t give up can actually make a difference,” Clyde, 57, told Fox News in an interview.
Clyde, a Navy combat veteran and gun rights advocate, never intended to run for Congress, but his experience showed him there’s a thin line between “we the people” running the government and the government running the people.
In the 9th District, he beat eight Republicans – including seasoned politicians – in the primary to succeed Republican Rep. Doug Collins, who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate. Clyde, a political novice, won in the red northeast Georgia district because his story of standing up to government overreach struck a chord.
“It was this battle with the Internal Revenue Service that resonated with the people in the district, and they saw me as a fighter, and I am,” said Clyde, who lives in Athens. “I’m a fighter. And our campaign was ‘fight and win.'”