ARLINGTON, Va. — The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has announced that member Randy Weber of Pearland, Texas, was elected to Congress last night. Weber will represent the 14th Congressional District after beating former Congressman Nick Lampson in the race to succeed retiring Republican Ron Paul.

Congressman-elect Weber tallied nearly 54 percent of the vote in one of the most watched races nationwide. While the recently redrawn district may lean Republican, Weber had to overcome an opponent who enjoyed a decided name recognition and fundraising advantage.

“This is a significant milestone for ACCA and small business HVACR contractors,” said Paul T. Stalknecht, ACCA president and CEO. “It doesn’t matter where you live — even if you’re far away from Randy’s district — electing an ACCA member to Congress means one of our own has a voice in every debate in the U.S. House of Representatives. Special recognition goes to all those ACCA members who helped get Randy Weber elected. ACCA-PAC, the only political action committee funded with the voluntary contributions of HVACR contractors, supported him and other pro-small businesses candidates.”

When he goes to Washington in January, Randy Weber will join an expanding “HVAC & Plumbing Contractor Caucus” in Congress. In Oklahoma, Republican plumbing contractor Markwayne Mullin was elected to Congress from the 2nd Congressional District, earning just over 57 percent of the vote. And in Florida, incumbent Republican Daniel Webster of Orlando, whose family HVAC business featured prominently in his campaign, was re-elected by a 52-48 percent margin over Democratic challenger Val Demings.

Publication date: 11/05/2012