Benjamin Quayle
Benjamin Eugene "Ben" Quayle was a Republican member of the U.S. House representing Arizona's 3rd Congressional District from 2011 to 2013.
Due to redistricting, Quayle sought re-election in the Arizona's 6th District. He was defeated by fellow GOP incumbent David Schweikert in the primary on August 28, 2012.[1]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Quayle was a "rank-and-file Republican."[2]
Biography
Quayle was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He earned a B.A. from Duke University in 1998 and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University in 2002.[3]
Career
Outside of public life, Quayle worked as a business owner and an attorney in private practice.
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Quayle served on the following committees:[4]
- Homeland Security Committee
- Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, Vice Chair
- Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
- Judiciary Committee
- Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet
- Science, Space, and Technology Committee
- Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
- Subcommittee on Research and Science Education
- Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Chair
Campaign themes
2012
Quayle's campaign website listed the following issues:[5]
- Life
- Excerpt: "I believe in the sanctity of life and am a defender of the Rule of Law, believing that judges should interpret the law and not legislate from the bench. I am a cosponsor of H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act and have supported legislation to defund Planned Parenthood."
- Second Amendment
- Excerpt: "Our Constitution is the cornerstone of our democracy. The right to bear arms is a constitutionally protected individual right. As a gun-owner, I do not support imposing criminal penalties on law-abiding citizens. I will always defend a person’s right to bear arms. Ben is a gun owner and card carrying NRA member."
- Environment
- Excerpt: "We need a responsible environmental policy that balances our need to conserve our environment for future generations and doesn’t hamper our economy with overreaching regulations. We need to have a rational environmental policy, not one that is arbitrary or based on emotion."
- Card Check
- Excerpt: "I oppose card check. Workers should have the right to a secret ballot and that right should be protected. I strongly oppose the Obama Administration’s lawsuit against Arizona’s constitutional amendment protecting workers’ secret ballot rights and support legislation to prohibit funding of this lawsuit."
- Education
- Excerpt: "Every child in America should have the opportunity to receive a quality education. Education is how America sustains its leadership position in the world. Instead of creating more federal programs, we should encourage more state and local control. I am a strong supporter of charter schools and the use of new innovations in education."
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Quayle voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[6]
Elections
2012
Due to redistricting, Quayle sought re-election in Arizona's 6th District. He was defeated by fellow GOP incumbent David Schweikert in the Republican primary on August 28, 2012.[7]
According to the fiscal watchdog organization Club for Growth, the primary race between incumbents Quayle and Schweikert was the "most watched Republican congressional primary race in the country." Quayle appeared to be the favorite of Republican leadership, while Schweikert stood as a Tea Party favorite. Both representatives were new to the House and were running for re-election to their 2nd term in 2012.[8]
2010
On November 2, 2010, Quayle won election to the United States House. He defeated Jon Hulburd (D), Michael Shoen (Libertarian), and Leonard Clark (Green) in the general election.[9]
| U.S. House, Arizona District 3 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Benjamin Quayle |
52.2% | 108,689 | |
| Democratic | Jon Hulburd | 41.1% | 85,610 | |
| Libertarian | Michael Shoen | 5% | 10,478 | |
| Green | Leonard Clark | 1.6% | 3,294 | |
| Total Votes | 208,071 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Quayle paid his congressional staff a total of $789,033 in 2011. He ranked 44th on the list of the lowest paid Republican representative staff salaries and ranked 49th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Arizona ranked 47th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[10]
Net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Quayle's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $138,089 and $1,554,999. That averages to $846,544, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[11]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Quayle ranked 20th in the conservative rankings in 2012.[12]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Quayle was 1 of 10 members of congress who ranked 1st in the conservative rankings in 2011.[13]
Political positions
Voting with party
The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Quayle voted with the Republican Party 92.4% of the time. This ranks 117th among the 242 Senate Republicans in 2011.[14]
Endorsements
2012
Quayle was endorsed by John McCain in his primary battle with David Schweikert.[15]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Quayle has a wife, Tiffany.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Benjamin + Quayle + Arizona + House
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ AZ Central, "Quayle announces run for new CD6 seat," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ GovTrack, "Ben Quayle," accessed April 16, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "QUAYLE, Ben, (1976 - )"
- ↑ Congressman Ben Quayle, 3rd District of Arizona, "Congressman Quayle's Committees
- ↑ Campaign website, Issues
- ↑ U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press, "Primary results," August 28, 2012
- ↑ Enterstageright.com, "The hottest Republican congressional primary race in the country," May 21, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Ben Quayle"
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Quayle, (R-Arizona), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 21, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," October 30, 2011
- ↑ National Journal, "McCain For Quayle," July 13, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Shadegg |
U.S. House of Representatives - Arizona, District 3 2011-2013 |
Succeeded by David Schweikert |
