Ann Kirkpatrick
| Ann Kirkpatrick | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, Arizona, District 1 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2013-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 0 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Paul Gosar (R) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 6, 2012 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $2,349,203 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| 2008-2010 | ||
| Arizona State House of Representatives | ||
| 2004-2008 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of Arizona | |
| J.D. | University of Arizona | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | March 14, 1950 | |
| Place of birth | McNary, AZ | |
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Net worth | $1,060,008 | |
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Kirkpatrick is one of nine individuals elected to U.S. House in 2012 who have prior congressional experience, and one of five House Democrats ousted in 2010 to win back a seat two years later.[1][2] She formerly served in the 111th congress and won re-election for the 113th congress.[3]
According to a Washington Post article in December 2012, Kirkpatrick is one of the 10 most vulnerable incumbents in 2014.[4]
Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Kirkpatrick is a more moderate left of center Democratic party vote. As a result, she may break with the Democratic Party line more than her fellow members.
Biography
Kirkpatrick was brought up on White Mountain Apache Nation reservation, located in eastern Arizona, where she learned to speak Apache in addition to English. Kirkpatrick's parents - her mother taught public school and her father owned a general store - were not of Native-American descent. When she was in elementary school, the future congresswoman campaigned for her uncle, William Bourdon, a former member of the State House.
She has a bachelor's degree (1972) and a law degree (1979) from the University of Arizona. Between undergraduate and law school, Kirkpatrick worked as a teacher. After receiving her J.D., she began her legal career as a deputy county attorney for the Coconino County and Pima County Attorney’s Office, prosecuting largely drug-crimes. In 1990, Kirkpatrick segued into the position of Sedona City Attorney.[5]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Kirkpatrick's academic, professional and political career:[6]
- 1972: Graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A.
- 1979: Graduated from the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona with a J.D.
- 1980: Deputy county attorney, Coconino County, Arizona
- 2005-2007: Arizona House of Representatives
- 2009-2011: U.S Representative from Arizona
- 2013-Present: U.S Representative from Arizona
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Kirkpatrick serves on the following committees:[7]
- United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
- Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
- United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations - Ranking Member
Issues
Copper mine collaboration
Kirkpatrick teamed up with her former 2010 campaign rival, Paul Gosar, in order to pass legislation that would allow one of the world's largest undeveloped copper resources to be mined by Resolution Copper Mining Co. The Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act would give 2,400 acres of the Tonto National Forest to the company in exchange for over 5,000 acres of land the company owns throughout the state for conservation.[8]
This is a rare bi-partisan partnership in which two former campaign opponents are both representing their state in the U.S. House, and even collaborating to pass a significant bill. Kirkpatrick said the following about the partnership, "We both immediately put aside partisan politics for the needs of the people in the district. We were able to find common ground on something that should never be a partisan issue — jobs." Gosar echoed similar sentiments with his statement, "We were elected to serve our districts, and that demands putting bygones aside. That’s what leadership’s all about. You develop a thick skin. And once all the chips have been played, you make sure you’re working on behalf of Arizona."[8]
Not everyone sees the collaboration as positive. Many environmental groups and American Indian tribes raised concerns about water contamination and the destruction of recreational and religious sites.[8]
Campaign themes
2012
Kirkpatrick's campaign website listed the following issues:[9]
- 2nd Amendment
- Excerpt: "I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. The NRA has awarded me an "A" rating for my efforts to defend Second Amendment rights."
- Immigration and Border Security
- Excerpt: "Immigration and border security issues are especially urgent here in Arizona, but unfortunately we’ve seen many elected officials and candidates use these issues for their own political gain instead of actually solving the problems."
- Jobs for Arizona
- Excerpt: "It’s all about jobs. We need jobs in Greater Arizona, and we need to get folks back to work. Our middle class has been smashed by the recession and is struggling to keep up with the rising cost of basic living expenses, gasoline, college education, and health care. I am committed to making Greater Arizona home to a revived middle class by making the creation of good-paying local jobs my top priority. "
- Protecting Medicare and Social Security
- Excerpt: "Our seniors worked hard and held jobs their whole lives to earn the benefits that Medicare and Social Security provide. During this economic downturn, seniors are counting on Social Security and Medicare more than ever, and after years of hard work, they deserve the peace of mind these programs provide."
- Building Critical Infrastructure
- Excerpt: "I strongly support creating thousands of good-paying jobs in Greater Arizona and empowering our economic recovery through investments in critical infrastructure projects."
Elections
2014
According to a Washington Post article in December 2012, Kirkpatrick is one of the 10 most vulnerable incumbents in 2014.[10]
The National Republican Congressional Committee listed Kirkpatrick's seat as one of seven early targets in the 2014 congressional elections.[11] The seven targets align perfectly with the seven most Republican districts currently held by Democrats, according to FairVote's partisanship index. Kirkpatrick's district ranks as the 6th most Republican (45% D).[12]
Kirkpatrick is a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program is designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents heading into the 2014 election.[13]
2012
Kirkpatrick won the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Arizona's 1st District. She defeated Wenona Benally Baldenegro in the Democratic primary on August 28, 2012. She defeated Jonathan Paton (R) and Kim Allen (L) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[14][15]
According to the website Daily Kos, this race was one of nine top-ballot 2012 races that contained a Libertarian candidate who received more total votes than was the difference between the Democratic winner and the GOP runner-up. In this case, Kim Allen took in over 6,500 more votes than the number that separated Kirkpatrick and Paton.[16]
| U.S. House, Arizona, District 1 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ann Kirkpatrick |
48.8% | 122,774 | |
| Republican | Jonathon Paton | 45.1% | 113,594 | |
| Libertarian | Kim Allen | 6.1% | 15,227 | |
| Total Votes | 251,595 | |||
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
| U.S. House, Arizona District 1 Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Ann Kirkpatrick |
63.7% | 33,831 |
| Wenona Benally Baldenegro | 36.3% | 19,247 |
| Total Votes | 53,078 | |
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Kirkpatrick is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Kirkpatrick raised a total of $2,349,203 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 22, 2013.[17]
| Ann Kirkpatrick's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | US House (Arizona, District 1) |  |
$2,349,203 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $2,349,203 | |||
2012
Kirkpatrick won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Kirkpatrick's campaign committee raised a total of $2,349,203 and spent $2,355,342.[18]
| U.S. House, Arizona District 1, 2012 - Ann Kirkpatrick Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $2,349,203 |
| Total Spent | $2,355,342 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $1,477,836 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $1,489,294 |
| Top contributors to Ann Kirkpatrick's campaign committee | |
| EMILY's List | $110,505 |
| Pinnacle West Capital | $16,900 |
| Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte | $15,680 |
| Salt River Project | $10,742 |
| American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees | $10,200 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Women's Issues | $220,855 |
| Retired | $182,690 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $136,878 |
| Leadership PACs | $107,000 |
| Public Sector Unions | $71,200 |
Analysis
Ideology and leadership
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Kirkpatrick is a "centrist Democrat" as of June 4, 2013.[19]
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Kirkpatrick missed 73 of 1,744 roll call votes from January 2009 to March 2013. This amounts to 4.2%, which is worse than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[20]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Kirkpatrick's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $609,016 and $1,511,000. That averages to $1,060,008, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2011 of $5,107,874.[21]
Voting with party
2013
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Kirkpatrick has voted with the Democratic Party 90.7% of the time. This ranked 172nd among the 201 House Democrats as of June 2013.[22]
Personal
Kirkpatrick and her husband, Roger, have two children.[23]
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ The New York Times, "Election brings seasoned politicians to congress," December 8, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Political comeback kids to take seats again in the House," November 18, 2012
- ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map"
- ↑ Washington Post "House Democrats Face Long Odds in 2014," December 7, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "Kirkpatrick, Arizona 1st House District," November 7, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Director of the United States Congress "Ann Kirkpatrick," Accessed June 11, 2011
- ↑ CQ.com - Roll Call, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress," accessed January 18, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Azcentral.com, "Job creation at copper plant credited for Gosar-Kirkpatrick alliance," February 17, 2013
- ↑ Campaign website, Issues
- ↑ Washington Post "House Democrats Face Long Odds in 2014," December 7, 2012
- ↑ The Hill, "NRCC, promising to 'stay on offense,' targets seven Dems," January 16, 2013
- ↑ FairVote "NRCC Targets Foreshadow Power of Partisanship in 2014 Elections," January 18, 2013
- ↑ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "DCCC Chairman Steve Israel Announces 2013-2014 Frontline Members," March 5, 2013
- ↑ Official primary candidate list
- ↑ Associated Press primary results
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Libertarians provided the margin for Democrats and at least nine elections," November 15, 2012
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Ann Kirkpatrick," Accessed March 22, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Ann Kirkpatrick 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed February 19, 2013
- ↑ Gov Track "Ann Kirkpatrick," Accessed June 4, 2013
- ↑ GovTrack, "Ann Kirkpatrick," Accessed April 2, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Kirkpatrick, (D-Arizona), 2011"
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party," Accessed June 4, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart biography
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul Gosar |
U.S. House, Arizona, District 1 January 3, 2013-Present |
Succeeded by ' |
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