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Bruce Braley

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Bruce Braley
Bruce Braley.jpg
U.S. House, Iowa, District 1
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2007-Present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position 6
PartyDemocratic
PredecessorJim Nussle (R)
Compensation
Base salary$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 6, 2012
First electedNovember 7, 2006
Next electionNovember 4, 2014
Campaign $$8,421,503
Term limitsN/A
Education
High schoolB.G.M. High School, Brooklyn, Iowa
Bachelor'sIowa State University
J.D.University of Iowa
Personal
BirthdayOctober 30, 1957
Place of birthGrinnell, Iowa
ProfessionAttorney
Net worth$496,009
ReligionPresbyterian
Websites
Office website
Campaign website
Bruce Braley campaign logo

Contents

Bruce Braley (b. October 30, 1957) is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Iowa's 1st congressional district. Braley was elected to the House in 2006. Braley was unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 5, 2012 and was re-elected in November 2012.[1] Braley is not running for re-election to the U.S. House in 2014.

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Braley is a "rank-and-file Democrat".[2]

Biography

Braley was born in 1957 in Grinnell, Iowa, and raised in Brooklyn, Iowa. He earned his B.A. from Iowa State University in 1980 and his J.D. from University of Iowa Law School in 1983. Prior to his political career, Braley was a practicing attorney.[3] In 1983, Bradley married Carolyn Kalb and moved to Waterloo, Iowa.[4]

Career

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Braley serves on the following committees:[6]

2011-2012

Braley served on the following committees[7]

Issues

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "Yes" Braley 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. He 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.[8]

Elections

2014

See also: United States Senate elections in Iowa, 2014

Braley plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by veteran Sen. Tom Harkin. Harkin will retire at the end of his current term, leaving the seat open for the 2014 election.[9][10]

Endorsements

Retiring Sen. Tom Harkin formally endorsed Braley as his replacement.[11] In a statement on April 20, 2013, Harkin endorsed the Representative, saying "Braley has fought for working people and the struggling middle class."[11]

Other endorsements include Democrats Iowa Rep. Dave Loebsack, former congressman Leonard Boswell, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald.[11]

2012

See also: Iowa's 1st congressional district elections, 2012

Braley ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Iowa's 1st District. Braley won the nomination on the Democratic ticket.[12] Braley ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. He defeated Ben Lange in the general election, who defeated Rod Blum in the Republican Primary.[13] Candidates wishing to run were required to file by the signature filing deadline of March 16, 2012. The primary elections took place on June 5, 2012.


Results

U.S. House, Iowa, District 1 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark.jpgBruce Braley Incumbent 56.9% 222,422
     Republican Ben Lange 41.6% 162,465
     Independent Gregory Hughes 1.2% 4,772
     Independent George Todd Krail II 0.2% 931
Total Votes 390,590
Source: Iowa Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"


Race Background

Braley defeated 2012 challenger Ben Lange in 2010 general election. Braley won by approximately 2% of the vote.[14]

Issues

Braley has been very vocal in his support of a wind energy tax credit in Iowa that is set to expire in 2013.[15] A full list of Braley's policy positions can be found at his campaign website.[16]

On August 1st Ben Lange filed an ethics complaint against Braley, on the ground that he had used government resources to aid his campaign by inviting voters to "Deficit Workshops." John Davis, Bradley's Chief of Staff, described the claim as "without merit."[17]

Media

The following is a political TV ad launched by Bruce Braley's campaign.


Ben Lange, "Brooklyn, Iowa"[18]

Full history


Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Braley is available dating back to 2006. Based on available campaign finance records, Braley raised a total of $8,421,503 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 17, 2013.[22]

Bruce Braley's Campaign Contribution History
Year Office Result Contributions
2012 US House (Iowa, District 1) Won $2,687,007
2010 US House (Iowa, District 1) Won $2,098,471
2008 US House (Iowa, District 1) Won $1,150,967
2006 US House (Iowa, District 1) Won $2,485,058
Grand Total Raised $8,421,503

2012

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

Braley won re-election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Braley's campaign committee raised a total of $2,687,007 and spent $2,664,440.[23]

2010

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

Braley won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Braley's campaign committee raised a total of $2,098,471 and spent $2,357,364.[24]

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

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

According to the website GovTrack, Braley missed 286 of 5,226 roll call votes from Jan 2007 to Mar 2013. This amounts to 5.5%, which is worse than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[25]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Braley paid his congressional staff a total of $1,068,191 in 2011. He ranked 73rd on the list of the highest paid Democratic Representative Staff Salaries and he ranked 94th overall of the highest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Iowa ranked 16th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[26]

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, Braley's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $222,019 and $770,000. That averages to $496,009, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2011 of $5,107,874. His average net worth increased by 13.89% from 2010.[27]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Braley's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $206,016 and $665,000. That averages to $435,508, which was lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[28]

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. Braley ranked 102nd in the liberal rankings in 2012.[29]

2011

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Braley ranked 87th in the liberal rankings.[30]

Political Positions

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, Bruce Braley voted with the Democratic Party 92.5% of the time, which ranked 101 among the 192 House Democratic members in November 2011.[31]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Bruce + Braley + Iowa + House

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

Bruce Braley News Feed


Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found


Personal

Braley and his wife Carolyn (nee Kalb) have been married since 1983. They have three children and live in Waterloo, Iowa.[32]

External links


References

  1. ↑ Politico "2012 House Race Results"
  2. ↑ Gov Track "Braley" Accessed Sept. 10, 2012
  3. ↑ Biographical Guide to Members of Congress "Bruce Braley" Accessed November 5, 2011
  4. ↑ Biography "Bruce Braley" Accessed November 5, 2011
  5. ↑ U.S. House "Official Biography" Accessed January 2013
  6. ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress"
  7. ↑ :U.S. Congress House Clerk "House of Representatives Committee Assignments" Accessed November 5, 2011
  8. ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ 'Desmoines Register, "Register Exclusive: Bruce Braley weighs bid for governor," January 13, 2013
  10. ↑ The Des Moines Register, "Vilsack will not seek U.S. Senate seat in 2014," February 15, 2013
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 WCF Courier "Harkin endorses Braley for Iowa US Senate seat" Accessed April 25, 2013
  12. ↑ The Iowa Republican "Ben Lange Prepares to make another run at Braley" December 16, 2011
  13. ↑ KCCI "Iowa Primary Results"
  14. ↑ WCF Courier "Lange wins GOP nomination and rematch with Braley"
  15. ↑ THOnline.com "Iowa delegation reacts harshly to Siemens layoffs"
  16. ↑ Campaign Website
  17. ↑ Des Moines Register "1st District challenger Ben Lange announces complaint against incumbent Bruce Braley"
  18. ↑ YouTube channel
  19. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  20. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  21. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
  22. ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Bruce Braley," Accessed March 10, 2013
  23. ↑ Open Secrets "Bruce Braley 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed February 20, 2013
  24. ↑ Open Secrets "Bruce Braley 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 5, 2011
  25. ↑ GovTrack, "Bruce Braley," Accessed April 1, 2013
  26. ↑ LegiStorm "Bruce Braley"
  27. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Braley (D-Iowa), 2011"
  28. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Braley, (D-Iowa), 2010"
  29. ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 28, 2013
  30. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
  31. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
  32. ↑ Official House Site "Bruce at a Glance," Accessed November 5, 2011
Political offices
Preceded by
Jim Nussle 		U.S. House of Representatives - Iowa District 1
2007–present 		Succeeded by
-
v • d • e
Iowa's current delegation to the United States Congress
SenatorsCongressLogo.png
Representatives
Bruce Braley (D) • Dave Loebsack (D) • Steve King (R) • Tom Latham (R)
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