{{Short description|American politician}} {{COI|date=November 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2018}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Steve Negron | image = Steve Negron.png | state_house = New Hampshire | district = Hillsborough 32nd | alongside = Don LeBrun, David Murotake | term_start = December 7, 2016 | term_end = December 7, 2018 | predecessor = Barry Palmer | successor = Michael Pedersen | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = Republican | spouse = Terry Negron | education = Texas Christian University (BS)<br>Western New England University (MBA) | website = {{URL|negron4congress.com|Campaign website}} | allegiance = {{flag|United States}} | branch = {{air force|USA}} | service_years = 1983–1998 | rank = {{Dodseal|USAF major|25}} Major }} '''Steve Negron''' is an American politician from Nashua, New Hampshire who served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. He was the Republican nominee for the United States Congress in {{ushr|NH|2}} in 2018 and 2020, losing both times to Democratic incumbent Annie Kuster.
==Early life== Negron received his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Texas Christian University in 1983.<ref name="VoteSmart">{{Cite web |title=The Voter's Self Defense System |url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/173033/steve-negron#.WtOf1YjwaM8 |website=Vote Smart}}</ref> Later, he received his Masters in Business Administration from Western New England College.<ref name="VoteSmart" />
Negron served in the United States Air Force for fifteen years, joining shortly after college and serving until 1998.<ref name="VoteSmart" /> While in the Air Force, he worked as an intercontinental ballistic missile combat crew member in Missouri and at Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the time of his retirement in 1998 he was the director of requirements with the Air Force Space Command.<ref name="integron">{{Cite web |last=James-Poole |first=Diane |title=Integron, LLC |url=http://www.integron.net/bio_negron.htm |website=www.integron.net}}</ref>
After retiring from the military, Negron worked for defense contractors Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics before founding his own contracting firm Integron LLC in 2005.<ref name="VoteSmart" />
==Politics== He was first elected as a Republican to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in November 2016 to represent District Hillsborough 32 for a two-year term. He came in third in the three-member district with 2,346 votes equal to 17.13% of the popular vote.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Negron - Ballotpedia |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Steve_Negron |website=ballotpedia.org}}</ref><ref name="state.nh.us">{{Cite web |title=member |url=http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/member.aspx?member=408350 |website=www.gencourt.state.nh.us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 16, 2017 |title=State Rep. Steve Negron Files to Run for Congress |work=U.S. News & World Report |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-hampshire/articles/2017-10-16/state-rep-steve-negron-files-to-run-for-congress}}</ref> Upon his election, he was named to the Election Law Committee in the legislature.<ref name="state.nh.us" /> in 2016 he hosted a house party for Carly Fiorina and was endorsed by her top supporters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-primary-source-veteran-gop-activists-david-lauren-carney-endorse-negron-for-us-house/21567203|title = NH Primary Source: Veteran GOP activists David, Lauren Carney endorse Negron for U.S. House|date = June 15, 2018}}</ref> Since being elected to the state legislature, Negron has not sponsored any legislation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of Representatives |url=http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/memberbillssponsored.aspx?member=408350 |website=www.gencourt.state.nh.us}}</ref> According to other sources, he has served as a cosponsor on other pieces of legislation, but these bills were largely vetoed or died in committee. The one successful piece of legislation sponsored by Negron involved removing the limitation on a charter schools incurring long term debt.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bill_Status |url=http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/bill_status.aspx?lsr=2160&sy=2018&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2018&txtbillnumber=HB1228 |website=gencourt.state.nh.us}}</ref>*{{note|Bills|a}}
===Congressional run=== Midway into his first term in the state legislature, Negron announced a 2018 run as a Republican candidate for Congress in New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Paul Steinhauser |date=February 10, 2018 |title=Hopkinton hops out front with early straw poll in 2nd Congressional District |work=Concord Monitor |url=http://www.concordmonitor.com/Negron-wins-Hopkinton-straw-poll-15454869}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=John DiStaso |date=February 1, 2018 |title=NH Primary Source: 'Military Families for Negron' co-chairs named |url=http://www.wmur.com/article/nh-primary-source-military-families-for-negron-co-chairs-named/15951647 |website=WMUR Chanel 9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=NHPR staff |date=October 15, 2017 |title=Nashua Rep. Steve Negron Launches Congressional Campaign |work=New Hampshire Public Radio |url=http://nhpr.org/post/nashua-rep-steve-negron-launches-congressional-campaign#stream/0}}</ref> As of February 8, 2018, Negron was one of five remaining Republican candidates vying for their party's nomination.
His campaign raised just over $12,000, but he loaned his campaign an additional $130,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Paul Steinhauser |date=February 8, 2018 |title=Jabs over fundraising as N.H. congressional races heat up |url=http://www.concordmonitor.com/Eddie-Edwards-goes-on-attack-against-Andy-Sanborn-15352796 |website=Concord Monitor}}</ref> {{As of|2017|10|16}} He had given his campaign $21,000 and loaned it an additional $95,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=John DiStasso |date=October 16, 2017 |title=Republican Negron invests $116K of own money into 2nd Congressional District campaign |url=http://www.wmur.com/article/republican-negron-invests-dollar116k-of-own-money-into-2nd-congressional-district-campaign/13030282 |website=WMUR9}}</ref>
In 2020, Negron gained the Republican nomination and in a rematch ran against Democratic representative Ann McLane Kuster.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rooney |first1=Jack |title=Negron wins NH-2 Republican primary, setting up rematch with Kuster |date=September 9, 2020 |url=https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/negron-wins-nh-2-republican-primary-setting-up-rematch-with-kuster/article_934caff3-9a9a-5ad9-a85c-d02c184d03bd.html |accessdate=3 November 2020}}</ref>
==Personal life== Negron lives in Nashua with his wife Theresa (Terry).<ref name="integron" /> They have three children.<ref name="VoteSmart" /> He remains active in the community as well as his local Catholic Church.<ref name="VoteSmart" /> He is of Mexican and Puerto Rican ancestries.
==References== {{reflist}} *{{note|Bills|a}} The information here is disputed. The website of the New Hampshire House of Representatives lists no legislation sponsored by Negron, while the website Bill Track 50 mentions at least four pieces of legislation. However, links from Bill Track 50 lead back to the New Hampshire House of Representatives website, which does not list Negron as a sponsor or cosponsor on the legislation in question.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Negron, Steve}} Category:American politicians of Cuban descent Category:Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections Category:Living people Category:Republican Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Category:People from Nashua, New Hampshire Category:Texas Christian University alumni Category:United States Air Force officers Category:Western New England University alumni Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Candidates in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections Category:21st-century members of the New Hampshire General Court