Betty McCollum

Betty McCollum
U.S. House, Minnesota, District 4
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2001-Present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position	4
Party	Democratic
Predecessor	Bruce Vento (D)
Compensation
Base salary	$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
Last election	November 6, 2012
First elected	November 7, 2000
Next election	November 4, 2014
Campaign $	$5,571,874
Term limits	N/A
Prior offices
Minnesota House of Representatives
1992-2001
Education
Bachelor's	College of St. Catherine
Personal
Birthday	July 12, 1954
Place of birth	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Profession	Saleswoman, Teacher
Net worth	$96,006
Religion	Roman Catholic
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Betty Louise McCollum (b. July 12, 1954) is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Minnesota's 4th congressional district. McCollum was first elected to the House in 2000. She won re-election in 2012.

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, McCollum is a "far-left Democrat".

Biography

McCollum was born in 1954 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She earned her B.A. from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of McCollum's political career:

• 2001-Present: U.S. House of Representatives, Minnesota's 4th congressional district
• 1992-2001: Minnesota House of Representatives

Prior to her political career, McCollum worked as a saleswoman and schoolteacher.

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

McCollum serves on the following committees:

• Appropriations Committee
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

2011-2012

McCollum served on the following House committees:

• Appropriations Committee
  • Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
• Budget Committee

Issues

Political Positions

Housing grants

In February 2012, McCollum announced that St. Paul, Minnesota, neighborhoods had received $459,000 in house grants through a federal Affordable Housing Program. She said the funds would "benefit struggling Minnesotans in the short-term."

Redistricting

After the 2010 Census, McCollum's 4th District was the smallest by population and needed to add 48,367 people via the redistricting process. A proposal by state Democrats in November 2011 would have paired McCollum into a district with fellow incumbent Michele Bachmann (R). A five-member judicial panel is expected to release the final maps on February 21, 2012.

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

McCollum voted for 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. She was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.

Elections

2012

See also: Minnesota's 4th congressional district elections, 2012

McCollum won re-election in 2012. She defeated Diana Longrie and Brian Stalboerger in the Democratic primary. She defeated Republican challenger Tony Hernandez and independent candidate Steve Carlson in the November general election.

Betty McCollum, "Congresswoman McCollum Urges Support for Middle Class Tax Cuts"

U.S. House, Minnesota, District 4, General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Betty McCollum Incumbent	62.3%	216,685
	Republican	Tony Hernandez	31.5%	109,659
	Independence	Steve Carlson	6.1%	21,135
	NA	Write-in	0.1%	512
Total Votes				347,991
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Endorsements

McCollum was endorsed by the following organizations and individuals for the 2012 election.

• Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
• AFL-CIO
• Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association
• AFSCME Council 5
• National Association of Social Workers
• Sierra Club
• Clean Water Action
• American Nurses Association
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
• IBEW Minnesota State Council
• Stonewall DFL
• Communications Workers of America
• Citizens for Global Solutions
• Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council
• National Farmers Union Political Action Committee
• SEIU Minnesota State Council
• Alliance for Retired Americans

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Betty McCollum, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Betty McCollum won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Teresa Collett (R), Steve Carlson (I), Amber Garlan (Write-in) and Jack Shepard (Write-in) in the general election. U.S. House, Minnesota District 4 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Betty McCollum incumbent 59.1% 136,746      Republican Teresa Collett 34.6% 80,141      Independent Steve Carlson 6.1% 14,207      N/A Write-in 0.1% 283      Write-in Amber Garlan 0% 39      Write-in Jack Shepard 0% 10 Total Votes 231,426 2008 On November 4, 2008, Betty McCollum won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Ed Matthews (R) and Amber Garlan (Write-in) in the general election. U.S. House, Minnesota District 4 General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Betty McCollum incumbent 68.4% 216,267      Republican Ed Matthews 31.3% 98,936      Write-in Amber Garlan 0% 1      N/A Write-in 0.3% 814 Total Votes 316,018 2006 On November 7, 2006, Betty McCollum won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Obi Sium (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Minnesota District 4 General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Betty McCollum incumbent 69.5% 172,096      Republican Obi Sium 30.2% 74,797      N/A Write-in 0.2% 573 Total Votes 247,466 2004 On November 2, 2004, Betty McCollum won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Patrice Bataglia (R) and Peter F. Vento (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Minnesota District 4 General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Betty McCollum incumbent 57.5% 182,387      Republican Patrice Bataglia 33.2% 105,467      Independent Peter Vento 9.2% 29,099      N/A Write-in 0.1% 346 Total Votes 317,299 2002 Template:Mndis4genelecbox02 2000

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for McCollum is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, McCollum raised a total of $5,571,874 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 16, 2013.

Betty McCollum's Campaign Contribution History
Year	Office	Result	Contributions
2012	U.S. House (Minnesota, District 4)		$931,989
2010	U.S. House (Minnesota, District 4)		$844,301
2008	U.S. House (Minnesota, District 4)		$722,054
2006	U.S. House (Minnesota, District 4)		$562,752
2004	U.S. House (Minnesota, District 4)		$687,907
2002	U.S. House (Minnesota, District 4)		$657,435
2000	U.S. House (Minnesota, District 4)		$1,165,436
Grand Total Raised			$5,571,874

2012

Breakdown of the source of McCollum's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

McCollum won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012. During that election cycle, McCollum's campaign committee raised a total of $931,990 and spent $942,684.

U.S. House of Representatives, 2012 - Betty McCollum Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$931,990
Total Spent	$942,684
Total Raised by Election Runner-up	$66,697
Total Spent by Election Runner-up	$68,016
Top contributors to Betty McCollum's campaign committee
JStreetPAC	$13,950
Heartland Realty Investors	$12,200
Robins, Kaplan et al	$11,886
National Community Action Foundation	$11,000
American College of Radiology	$10,000
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee
Retired	$64,950
Casinos/Gambling	$62,850
Industrial Unions	$55,250
Health Professionals	$53,750
Lawyers/Law Firms	$51,793

2010

Breakdown of the source of McCollum's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

McCollum won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that re-election cycle, McCollum's campaign committee raised a total of $844,301 and spent $862,848.

U.S. House of Representatives, Minnesota's 4th Congressional District, 2010 - Betty McCollum Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$844,301
Total Spent	$862,848
Total Raised by General Election Opponent	$216,532
Total Spent by General Election Opponent	$211,206
Top contributors to Betty McCollum's campaign committee
Robins, Kaplan et al	$12,050
Heartland Realty Investors	$12,000
Lockridge, Grindal et al	$11,382
National Education Assn	$11,250
National Community Action Foundation	$11,000
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms	$60,943
Health Professionals	$57,400
Building Trade Unions	$48,850
Transportation Unions	$48,500
Public Sector Unions	$44,750

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, McCollum missed 232 of 8,660 roll call votes from Jan 2001 to Apr 2013, which is 2.7% of votes during that period. This is worse than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. McCollum paid her congressional staff a total of $948,570 in 2011. Overall, Minnesota ranked 26th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.

Staff bonuses

According to an analysis by CNN, McCollum is one of nearly 25% of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. McCollum's staff was given an apparent $24,650.00 in bonus money.

Net worth

See also: Net Worth of United States Senators and Representatives

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, McCollum's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $12,012 and $180,000. This averages to $96,006, which is a 0.0909% increase since 2010. This is lower than the $5,107,874 average net worth for Democratic representatives in 2011.This is lower than the $5,107,874 average net worth for Democratic representatives in 2011.

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, McCollum's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $11,011 to $165,000. This averages out to a net worth of $88,005.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democrats in 2010 of $4,465,875.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.

2012

According to the data released in 2013, McCollum was ranked the 38th most liberal representative during 2012. This is the most liberal ranking earned by a representative from Minnesota in 2012.

2011

According to the data released in 2012, Betty Mc Collum was ranked the 61st most liberal representative during 2011.

Percentage voting with party

November 2011

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Betty McCollum voted with the Democratic Party 94.7% of the time, which ranked 25 among the 192 House Democratic members in December 2011.

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Betty + McCollum + Minnesota + House

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

Betty McCollum News Feed

• Representatives Speak Out Against Food Aid Cuts - Blogcritics.org (blog)
• Bachmann sprints to TV with health care ad - Minnesota Public Radio
• Liberal House Democrats slam 'cruel and harmful' cuts to school meals for poor ... - Raw Story
• Why did GOP try repealing 'Obamacare' again? - MinnPost.com
• Online sales tax sails through US Senate - Minneapolis Star Tribune
• Minnesota Delegation Urges President to Invite Gophers to White House - Gophersports.com
• Debate circles online sales tax - Minneapolis Star Tribune
• Senate poised to pass online sales tax bill - Minnesota Public Radio
• Congressional Votes for Minnesota the Week of 05/10 - 05/16/2013 - Targeted News Service (subscription)
• Climate change causes prostitution? Rep. Barbara Lee explains - Los Angeles Times

Personal

McCollum raised her family in North St. Paul, Minnesota, and now resides in St. Paul. She is divorced.

External links

• Official House website
• Official campaign website

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• Biographies:
  • U.S. Congress
• Political profiles:
  • GovTrack
  • OpenCongress
  • Project Vote Smart
  • CongressMerge
• Financial:
  • FEC
  • OpenSecrets.org
  • LegiStorm.com
• Interest group ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions:
  • On The Issues
  • Project Vote Smart
• Public statements:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Voting record:
  • Project Vote Smart
  • Washington Post
• Media appearances:
  • C-SPAN
• Media coverage:
  • Washington Post

References

Political offices
Preceded by Bruce Vento	U.S. House of Representatives - Minnesota, District 4 2001–Present	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	Minnesota House of Representatives 1992-2001	Succeeded by '