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Cliff Stearns
| Cliff Stearns | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, Florida, District 6 | ||
| Retired Representative | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 1989-January 3, 2013 | ||
| Party | Republican | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | August 14, 2012 | |
| First elected | 1988 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| High school | Woodrow Wilson High School | |
| Bachelor's | George Washington University | |
| Military service | ||
| Service/branch | United States Air Force | |
| Years of service | 1963-1967 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | April 16, 1941 | |
| Place of birth | Washington, D.C. | |
| Profession | Business Owner, Consultant | |
| Religion | Presbyterian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
Due to redistricting, Stearns ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Florida's 3rd District. Stearns was defeated by Ted Yoho in the August 14, 2012 Republican Primary. Stearns still had more than $2 million in his campaign war chest at the time of the primary.[1][2]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Staerns was a "moderate Republican leader".[3]
Biography
 |
The information about this individual is current as of when they left office. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors |
Stearns was born in Washington, D.C. was educated at Woodrow Wilson High School, and later earned a degree in electrical engineering at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. He participated in U.S. Air Force ROTC at GW and was honored as the Air Force ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate. [4]
Career
- 1963-1967: United States Air Force
- 1989-2013: United States House of Representatives, Florida's 6th congressional district
- Stearns also owned a small chain of motels and restaurants in north Florida.
Committee assignments
U.S. House of Representatives
2011-2012
Stearns served on the following committees:
- United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce [4]
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Chairman)
- United States House of Representatives Committee on Veterans' Affairs [4]
- Subcommittee on Health
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Issues
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Stearns 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 one of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[5]
Elections
2012
Due to redistricting, Stearns ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Florida's 3rd District. Stearns lost to Ted Yoho in the August 14, 2012 Republican primary.[6]
Primary results
The primary took place on August 14.[7]
Republican Primary
| Florida's 3rd Congressional District Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ted Yoho |
34.4% | 22,273 |
| Clifford Stearns | 33% | 21,398 |
| Steve Oelrich | 19% | 12,329 |
| James Jett | 13.5% | 8,769 |
| Total Votes | 64,769 | |
2010
On November 2, 2010, Stearns won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Steve Schonberg (I) in the general election.[8]
| U.S. House of Representatives, Florida's 6th Congressional District, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Cliff Stearns Incumbent |
71.5% | 179,349 | |
| Democratic | Steve Schonberg | 28.5% | 71,632 | |
| Total Votes | 250,981 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
Stearns won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Stearns's campaign committee raised a total of $771,907 and spent $917,486 .[9]
| U.S. House of Representatives, Florida's 6th Congressional District, 2010 - Cliff Stearns Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $771,907 |
| Total Spent | $917,486 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $10,727 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $8,052 |
| Top contributors to Cliff Stearns's campaign committee | |
| National Cable & Telecommunications Assn | $11,000 |
| AT&T Inc | $10,000 |
| Comcast Corp | $10,000 |
| Deutsche Telekom | $10,000 |
| Honeywell International | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| TV/Movies/Music | $66,500 |
| Real Estate | $48,383 |
| Telecom Services & Equipment | $43,500 |
| Telephone Utilities | $35,000 |
| Pharmaceuticals/Health Products | $34,800 |
Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Stearns paid his congressional staff a total of $885,501 in 2011. He ranked 103rd on the list of the lowest paid Republican Representative Staff Salaries and he ranked 125th overall of the lowest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Florida ranks 36th 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 - The Center for Responsive Politics, Stearns' net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $2,018,033 and $8,897,996. That averages to $5,458,014.50, which was lower than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[11]
National Journal vote ratings
2011
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Stearns ranked 156th in the conservative rankings.[12]
Political Positions
Percentage voting with party
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Cliff Stearns voted with the Republican Party 91 of the time, which ranked 163 among the 242 House Republican members in November 2011.[13]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Cliff + Stearns + Florida + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Cliff Stearns News Feed
- For Freshmen, Vote on Repealing Obamacare a Chance to Make Mark - U.S. News & World Report
- Ander Crenshaw's a Target, but He'll Be Tougher than Cliff Stearns to Bring Down - Sunshine State News
- Special report: Finding Congress' frequent fliers - Sarasota Herald-Tribune (blog)
- Cape Wind: Justice Department Urges Swift Lawsuit Resolution Before Tax ... - Indian Country Today Media Network
- Movers & Shakers - Tampabay.com (blog)
- Read This If You're Wondering Why Charlie Rangel is Suing - Politic365
- Rick Scott Needs to Be Wary of Republican Primary Challenge - Sunshine State News
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Personal
Stearns lives with his wife Joan in Ocala, Florida; they have three adult sons. [4]
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gainsville Sun "Stearns says he will run in new 3rd Congressional District" Accessed February 13, 2012
- ↑ Politico "Cliff Stearns concedes in GOP primary," August 16, 2012
- ↑ Gov Track "Stearns" Accessed May 15, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Congressman Cliff Stearns "Biography" Accessed October 17, 2011
- ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ Florida Times Union "Cliff Stearns was outworked by challenger Ted Yoho, many say," August 15, 2012
- ↑ Florida Secretary of State, "August 2012 Primary Election," Accessed September 4, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Cliff Stearns 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed October 27, 2011
- ↑ LegiStorm "Cliff Stearns"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Stearns, (R-Fl), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Buddy MacKay |
U.S. House of Representatives - Florida District 6 1989–2013 |
Succeeded by Ron DeSantis (R) |
