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Charles Bass
| Charles Bass | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, New Hampshire, District 2 | ||
| Retired Representative | ||
| In office | ||
| 1995-2007, January 3, 2011-2013 | ||
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | Paul Hodes | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 2, 2010 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| New Hampshire Senate from District 11 | ||
| 1988–1992 | ||
| New Hampshire General Court | ||
| 1982-1988 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Dartmouth College | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | January 8, 1952 | |
| Place of birth | Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Profession | Politician, staffer | |
| Net worth | $6,987,517 | |
| Religion | Episcopalian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
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The information about this individual is current as of when his or her last campaign ended. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors |
According to a March 2012 article in Roll Call, Bass was one of the top 10 most vulnerable incumbents.[2]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Bass was a "centrist Republican".[3]
Biography
Bass was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated with a B.A. from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.[4]
Career
Bass graduated and joined the staff of United States Representative William S. Cohen of Maine in 1974, and served on the staff of United States Representative David F. Emery of Maine from 1975-1979. He was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination to the Ninety-seventh Congress in 1980 and delegate to New Hampshire constitutional convention in 1984, joining the New Hampshire general court in 1982.[5]
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Bass served on the following committees:[6]
- Energy and Commerce Committee
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
Issues
Presidential preference
2012
Charles Bass endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [7]
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Bass 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 85 Republicans 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
2012
Bass ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing New Hampshire's 2nd District. He defeated Gerard Beloin, Will Dean, Miroslaw Dziedzic, and Dennis Lamare in the Republican primary and moved on to the general election on November 6, 2012.[9][10]
The Washington Post listed the House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire in 2012 as one of the states that could determine whether Democrats retake the House or Republican holds its majority in 2013.[11] New Hampshire ranked 10th on the list.[11] Bass is considered a vulnerable incumbent.[12]
On September 26, one of Bass' staffers took a video of Kuster in which the staffer pesters Kuster until she takes the camera from him and refuses to return it. She returned the camera moments later, and the video was published by the conservative NH Journal on September 27.[13] She responded by accusing Bass, and Republicans in general, of "political bullying".[14]
| U.S. House, New Hampshire, District 2 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Charles Bass Incumbent | 45.4% | 152,977 | |
| Democratic |  Ann McLane Kuster |
50.2% | 169,275 | |
| Libertarian | Hardy Macia | 4.4% | 14,936 | |
| Total Votes | 337,188 | |||
| Source: New Hampshire Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Primary results
| New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Charles Bass |
81.8% | 39,605 |
| Dennis Lamare | 8.8% | 4,263 |
| Will Dean | 4.4% | 2,129 |
| Miroslaw Dziedzic | 2.7% | 1,310 |
| Gerard Beloin | 2.3% | 1,127 |
| Total Votes | 48,434 | |
2010
On November 2, 2010, Bass was elected to the United States House for a fifth non-consecutive term. He defeated Ann McLane Kuster (D), Tim vanBlommesteyn (Independent), and Howard L. Wilson (Libertarian).[15]
| United States House, New Hampshire General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Charles Bass |
48.3% | 108,610 | |
| Democratic | Ann McLane Kuster | 46.8% | 105,060 | |
| Independent | Tim vanBlommesteyn | 2.8% | 6,197 | |
| Libertarian | Howard L. Wilson | 2.1% | 4,796 | |
| Total Votes | 224,663 | |||
Campaign donors
2012
Bass was defeated by Ann McLane Kuster in 2012. During that election cycle, Bass' campaign committee raised a total of $2,066,088 and spent $2,072,141.[16]
| U.S. House of Representatives, New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District, 2012 - Charles Bass Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $2,066,088 |
| Total Spent | $2,072,141 |
| Total Raised by Election Winner | $3,161,004 |
| Total Spent by Election Winner | $3,173,921 |
| Top contributors to Charles Bass's campaign committee | |
| Environmental Defense Fund | $27,003 |
| New Pioneers PAC | $18,000 |
| Blue Cross/Blue Shield | $14,500 |
| Comcast Corp | $13,000 |
| Old Mountain Co | $13,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Leadership PACs | $231,049 |
| Retired | $124,496 |
| Pharmaceuticals/Health Products | $72,750 |
| Health Professionals | $70,750 |
| Insurance | $70,650 |
2010
| U.S. House, New Hampshire, 2010 - Charles Bass Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,242,838 |
| Total Spent | $1,249,005 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $2,506,615 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $2,486,894 |
| Top contributors to Charles Bass's campaign committee | |
| HiLLCrest Management | $19,200 |
| Liberty Media | $13,400 |
| Aetna Inc | $10,000 |
| Altria Group | $10,000 |
| BAE Systems | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Leadership PACs | $161,408 |
| Retired | $104,952 |
| Securities & Investment | $66,450 |
| Candidate Committees | $41,000 |
| Insurance | $40,200 |
Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Bass paid his congressional staff a total of $885,486 in 2011. Overall, New Hampshire ranks 44th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[18]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Bass' net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $3,439,035 to $10,536,000. That averages to $6,987,517, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican House members in 2011 of $7,859,232.[19]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Bass' net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $3,164,021 to $9,712,000. Averaging to a net worth of $6,438,010.50 which is lower than the average net worth of Republicans in 2010 of $7,561,133.[20]
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. Bass tied with one other member of the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking 209th in the conservative rankings among members of the U.S. House.[21]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Bass ranked 233rd in the conservative rankings among members of the U.S. House.[22]
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, Charles Bass voted with the Republican Party 83.2% of the time, which ranked 234th among the 242 House Republican members in November 2011.[23]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Charles + Bass + New Hampshire + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Charles Bass News Feed
- No Defense: It's time to liberate America from marriage inequality - ithaca.com
- Arts Top 10 There ARE plenty of possibilities - Monadnock Ledger Transcript
- Shaheen raking in the dough - The Keene Sentinel
- John DiStaso's Granite Status: Equipment manufacturers hire prominent NH ... - The Union Leader
- Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry Found: Frantic 911 Call Leads To 3 Missing ... - Huffington Post
- Senate Republicans set to dismantle work of House Democrats - Nashua Telegraph
- Shaheen, Collins bank big dollars for 2014 re-election bids - Seacoastonline.com
- 'Nightmare is over': 3 missing Ohio women rescued - Marion Star
- The week ahead: Music - Boston Globe
- PAYT program starts July 1 - Wicked Local Plymouth
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Personal
Bass lives in Peterborough with his wife Lisa and their two children, Lucy and Jonathan. He enjoys skiing, hiking, rebuilding old cars in his barn, and spending time with his family.[24]
External links
- Congressman Charles Bass official U.S. House site
- Bass for Congress official campaign site
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Politico "2012 House Race Results"
- ↑ Roll Call "Top 10 Vulnerable: Targets on Their Backs," March 16, 2012
- ↑ Gov Track "Bass" Accessed May 14, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "BASS, Charles Foster, (1952 - )"
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "BASS, Charles Foster, (1952 - )"
- ↑ Congressman Charles Bass, Proudly Serving New Hampshire's 2nd District "Committees & Caucuses"
- ↑ Politico, "Charlie Bass joins Kelly Ayotte in Mitt Romney camp," November 21, 2011
- ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ WMUR "Primary Results"
- ↑ http://sos.nh.gov/2012ConRepPrim.aspx?id=26277
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Washington Post "The 10 states that will determine control of the House in 2012" Accessed April 25, 2012
- ↑ New York Times "House Ratings" Accessed October 3
- ↑ NH Journal "Kuster Video"
- ↑ Union Leader "Kuster's response to video"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Charles Bass 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed March 21, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Charles Bass 2010 Election Data," Accessed November 26, 2011
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Charles Bass," Accessed October 8, 2012
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org "Charles Bass (R-NH), 2011," accessed February 14, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Charles Bass (R-NH), 2010," Accessed October 8, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," March 6, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ Congressman Charles Bass, Proudly Serving New Hampshire's 2nd District "Biography"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul Hodes |
U.S. House of Representatives - New Hampshire District 2 2011-2013 |
Succeeded by Ann McLane Kuster (D) |
| Preceded by Richard Swett |
U.S. House of Representatives - New Hampshire District 2 1995-2007 |
Succeeded by Paul Hodes |
| Preceded by Jean White |
New Hampshire Senate - District 11 1982-1988 |
Succeeded by David Wheeler |
| Preceded by ' |
New Hampshire General Court 1982-1988 |
Succeeded by ' |
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