In 1992, Bradley S. Leavitt left the small town of Porterville, California to enter into the United States Navy. His training at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command guided his service as an electrician in the Navy. While on active duty, he was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Independence and the flagship USS Blue Ridge. Both ships were forward deployed in Yokosuka, Japan.

Bradley Leavitt’s service allowed him to visit many parts of Asia, Australia, and the Middle East he would not have experienced otherwise. Some of these ports included Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Indonesia. In visiting these areas, he learned to appreciate the diverse cultures in the world while truly understanding what a great country the United States is. Bradley Leavitt was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1997, but served in the U.S. Navy reserve as a Seabee in 1998. Employment and education responsibilities at State Tech at Memphis forced him to end his reserve service.

Bradley Leavitt’s training and experience in the military has been a foundation for his career. He began working at Birmingham Steel in Memphis, TN in 1998 as a startup team member for the Greenfield site. Unfortunately, despite the employees’ hard work and determination, the flooding of foreign imports and very competitive market forced Birmingham Steel to shut down its Memphis facility and lay off the employees in 2000. Birmingham steel was one of many U.S. steel companies to declare bankruptcy in the years to come.

North Star BHP Steel in Delta, Ohio recruited Bradley Leavitt at the onset of the layoffs in Memphis. Bradley Leavitt moved to Toledo, Ohio and began work the Monday following his layoff. He is proud of the fact that he works at one of the safest steel mills in the world, and that the company’s commitment to quality and safety earns them awards every year. He also began attending the University of Toledo the semester following his relocation, in pursuit of a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

Bradley Leavitt made the decision to run for 9th District Representative during the 2004 presidential election and ran in 2006. The personal desire for forward progress in our nation, and the hope of being a part of this progress continues to solidify his need to obtain this congressional position.

The Leavitt family experienced a turbulent year in 2007. Bradley married Jenelle Ann Rush on May 19 in celebration with family and friends. Four weeks later, on June 17, the couple had an auto accident in which Jenelle was severely injured. While in the emergency room, they found out that they were two weeks pregnant. The remainder of the year was focused on Jenelle’s recovery and the constant monitoring of a developing baby. Jenelle has made a full recovery, and on February 7, Bradley and Jenelle celebrated the birth of their son, Oliver James Leavitt.

Bradley Leavitt lives in the Toledo area with his wife, Jenelle, and their son, Oliver. They also have two dogs, a Boston terrier named Senshi and a rottweiler named Kuma.