David Vitter
| David Vitter | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, Louisiana | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2005-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2017 | ||
| Years in position | 8 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | John B. Breaux (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | November 2, 2004 | |
| Next election | November 8, 2016 | |
| Campaign $ | $23,290,537 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| 1999-2005 | ||
| Louisiana State House of Representatives | ||
| 1992-1999 | ||
| Education | ||
| High school | De La Salle High School | |
| Bachelor's | Harvard University | |
| J.D. | Tulane Law School | |
| Other | Rhodes Scholar | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | May 3, 1961 | |
| Place of birth | New Orleans, LA | |
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Net worth | $1,640,030 | |
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Vitter is a "far-right Republican".[1]
Biography
Vitter was born in 1961 in New Orleans, LA. He obtained his A.B. from Harvard University in 1983 and a B.A. from Oxford University (as a Rhodes Scholar) in 1985. Vitter went on to receive his J.D. from Tulane Law School in 1988.[2]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Vitter's political career[2]:
- Louisiana State House of Representatives, 1992-1999
- U.S. House of Representatives, 1999-2005
- U.S. Senate, 2005-Present
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2013-2014
Vitter serves on the following Senate committees[3]:
- Armed Services Committee
- Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
- Subcommittee on SeaPower
- Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment
- Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection Members
- Subcommittee on Economic Policy
- Environment and Public Works Committee
- Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee
2011-2012
Vitter served on the following Senate committees[4]:
- Environment and Public Works Committee
- Armed Services Committee
- Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee
Issues
Fiscal cliff
Vitter 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. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89/8 vote on January 1, 2013.[5]
Drones filibuster
On March 6, 2013, Senator Rand Paul (R) led a 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan. Paul started the filibuster in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's drone policies. In particular, Paul said he was concerned about whether a drone could be used to kill an American citizen within the United States border, without any due process involved. Paul and other civil liberties activists have been critical that President Obama did not offer a clear response to the question. A total of 14 senators joined Paul in the filibuster -- 13 Republicans and one Democrat.[6][7][8]
According to the website Breitbart, Vitter was one of 30 Republican senators who did not support the filibuster.[9][10]
The day after the filibuster, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Paul, responding to the filibuster. Holder wrote, "Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil? The answer to that is no."[11]
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Vitter is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, Vitter raised a total of $23,290,537 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 1, 2013.[12]
| David Vitter's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2010 | U.S. Senate (Louisiana) |  |
$12,560,392 | |
| 2004 | U.S. Senate (Louisiana) | |
$7,192,566 | |
| 2002 | U.S. House (Louisiana, District 1) | |
$1,397,268 | |
| 2000 | U.S. House (Louisiana, District 1) | |
$2,140,311 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $23,290,537 | |||
Elections
2010
On November 2, 2010, Vitter won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Charlie Melancon (D), Michael Karlton Brown (I), R. A. "Skip" Galan (I), Milton Gordon (I), Sam Houston Melton, Jr. (I), Randall Todd Hayes (L), William R. McShan (Reform), Michael Lane "Mike" Spears (I), Ernest D. Woolon (I), William Robert "Bob" Lang, Jr. (I), and Thomas G. "Tommy" LaFarge (I) in the general election.[13]
| U.S. Senate General Election, Louisiana, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  David Vitter Incumbent |
56.6% | 715,415 | |
| Democratic | Charlie Melancon | 37.7% | 476,572 | |
| Independent | Michael Karlton Brown | 0.8% | 9,973 | |
| Independent | R. A. "Skip" Galan | 0.6% | 7,474 | |
| Independent | Milton Gordon | 0.4% | 4,810 | |
| Independent | Sam Houston Melton, Jr. | 0.3% | 3,780 | |
| Libertarian | Randall Todd Hayes | 1.1% | 13,957 | |
| Reform | William R. McShan | 0.5% | 5,879 | |
| Independent | Michael Lane "Mike" Spears | 0.7% | 9,190 | |
| Independent | Ernest D. Woolon | 0.6% | 8,167 | |
| Independent | William Robert "Bob" Lang, Jr. | 0.5% | 5,734 | |
| Independent | Thomas G. "Tommy" LaFarge | 0.3% | 4,043 | |
| Total Votes | 1,264,994 | |||
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for David Vitter, click [show] to expand the section. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Vitter paid his congressional staff a total of $2,396,031 in 2011. He ranked 20th on the list of the lowest paid Republican Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranked 27th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Louisiana ranked 27th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[15]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Vitter's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $801,061 and $2,479,000. That averages to $1,640,030, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2011 of $6,358,668. His average net worth decreased by $500 from 2010.[16]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Vitter's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $801,061 and $2,480,000. That averages to $1,640,530.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[17]
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, Vitter was ranked the 6th most conservative senator during 2012.[18]
2011
According to the data released in 2012, David Vitter was ranked the 6th most conservative senator during 2011.[19]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term David + Vitter + Louisiana + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
David Vitter News Feed
- David Vitter ends GOP boycott, letting Senate committee advance EPA nomination - NOLA.com
- EPA nominee advances as David Vitter ends boycott of confirmation vote - NOLA.com
- Vitter: EPA FOIA scandal 'no different than the IRS disaster' - Daily Caller
- Senate rejects effort to expand gun background checks; Vitter votes no ... - NOLA.com
- David Vitter leads boycott of EPA nominee - Shreveport Times
- Sen. David Vitter finding 'lots of amnesty' in Gang of 8?s immigration bill - Twitchy
- Senate approves water bill - Shreveport Times
- Sen. Vitter aims to eliminate government phone program - KPLC-TV
- Sen. Vitter wants to end free cell phone program - KSLA-TV
- David Vitter ends boycott of confirmation vote on EPA nominee - Bayoubuzz.com - Bayoubuzz
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Personal
Vitter lives in Metairie, LA, with his wife, Wendy. They have four children.[20]
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "David Vitter," Accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress "David Vitter," Accessed October 22, 2011
- ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 22, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Senate Official Website "Committee Assignments," Accessed October 22, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Senate "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ CNN "Rand Paul says he's heard from White House after filibuster," March 7, 2013
- ↑ USA Today "Rand Paul filibuster ranks among Senate's longest," March 7, 2013
- ↑ ABC News "Rand Paul Wins Applause From GOP and Liberals," March 7, 2013
- ↑ Breitbart "AWOL: Meet The GOP Senators Who Refused to Stand With Rand," March 7, 2013
- ↑ Politico "Rand Paul filibuster blasted by Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham," March 7, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post "Eric Holder responds to Rand Paul with ‘no’," March 7, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "David Vitter" Accessed May 1, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 20010"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004"
- ↑ LegiStorm "David Vitter"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "David Vitter (R-La), 2011"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Vitter, (R-Louisiana), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 26, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Official Website of Senator David Vitter "Biography," Accessed October 22, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John B. Breaux |
U.S. Senate - Louisiana 2005-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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