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Justin Amash

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Justin Amash
Justin Amash.jpg
U.S. House, Michigan, District 3
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2011-Present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position 2
PartyRepublican
PredecessorVern Ehlers (R)
Compensation
Base salary$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 6, 2012
First electedNovember 2, 2010
Next electionNovember 4, 2014
Campaign $$2,417,315
Term limitsN/A
Prior offices
Michigan House of Representatives
2008-2010
Education
High schoolGrand Rapids Christian High School
Bachelor'sUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor
J.D.University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Personal
BirthdayApril 18, 1980
Place of birthGrand Rapids, Michigan
ProfessionAttorney
Net worth$1,013,512
ReligionOrthodox Christian
Websites
Office website
Campaign website
Justin Amash campaign logo

Contents

Justin Amash (b. April 18, 1980) is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Michigan's 3rd congressional district. Amash was first elected to the House in 2010. He won re-election in 2012.

Biography

Amash was born in 1980 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from Grand Rapids Christian High School, Amash went on to earn his A.B. and J.D. at the University of Michigan in 2002 and 2005, respectively. Prior to his political career, Amash worked as an attorney.[1]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Amash's political career[1]:

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Amash serves on the following committees:[2]

Joint Economic Committee

2011-2012

Amash served on the following House committees:[3]

In March 2012, Amash was one of two Republicans who voted against Paul Ryan's budget plan in the House Budget Committee. Amash and Tim Huelskamp both said they felt the plan did not cut the budget fast enough. In December 2012 it was revealed that both representatives would not serve on the House Budget Committee in the 113th Congress.[4][5]

Issues

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Justin Amash endorsed Ron Paul in the 2012 presidential election.

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "No" Amash 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.[6]

Paul Ryan Budget Proposal

Voted "No" In March 2013 the Republican controlled House passed the budget proposal set out by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan (R) for the third straight year.[7] However, not all Republican representatives voted in favor of the proposal.[7] Amash was one of the 10 Republican Representatives who voted against Ryan's budget proposal.[7]

The proposal was killed after being voted down in the U.S. Senate with a 40-59 vote.[8]

The proposal would have cut about $5 trillion over the next decade and aimed to balance the budget by the end of the 10-year period.[7] The 2013 bill had opposition from 10 Republicans — the same number that voted against it in 2012. In 2011 only four Republicans cast a vote in opposition.[7] Democrats have unanimously voted against the bill every year.[7]

Conservative Fight Club

According to the conservative website RedState, Amash is one of 16 U.S. House members in the "Conservative Fight Club", a designation meant to describe the gold standard of conservatives, as outlined by RedState. They are the 16 Republicans who voted against the continuing appropriations resolution to avoid the impending government shutdown in March. This type of resolution is used to fund government agencies when a formal federal budget has not been approved.[9]

Campaign themes

2012

The following were several issues highlighted on Amash's campaign website.[10]

  • Accountability & Transparency

Excerpt: "I am the first-ever Member of Congress to explain every vote I take on the House floor, which I do on my official congressional Facebook Page. In addition, I have never missed a vote as a state legislator or Member of Congress."

  • Economy & Regulations

Excerpt: "Government can best help the economy by making regulations predictable and uncomplicated, simplifying the tax code, and letting businesses stand or fail on their own merit."

  • Education

Excerpt: "The right of parents to educate their children as they see fit, including the right of homeschooling, should not be infringed. Government-mandated curriculums and teaching methods do not properly account for different learning styles, leaving many children confused and falling short of their potential."

  • Environment

Excerpt: "The best way to protect the environment is through strong enforcement of property rights and pursuit of sound economic policy."

  • Health Care

Excerpt: "As a Member of Congress, I have voted to repeal the President’s plan to force families and individuals to purchase government-approved health insurance... We need reforms that will reduce the real costs of health care, not force participation in a government system."

  • Immigration

Excerpt: "The United States has always welcomed individuals who legally seek to enter our country to work or become citizens, but Congress and the President must make every effort to secure our borders."

  • Life, Faith & Family

Excerpt: "The proper function of government is to protect individual rights—life, liberty, and property. I believe that life begins at conception, and it is unconscionable that government would sanction the taking of the helpless and innocent."

  • National Defense & Civil Liberties

Excerpt: "I have led the fight against big-government initiatives like the Patriot Act, SOPA, CISPA, and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2012."

  • Second Amendment

Excerpt: "Congress must halt the unconstitutional practice of restricting a person’s ability to purchase, transport, store, or possess arms on public lands or on that individual’s private property under the guise of regulating interstate commerce."

  • Social Security & Medicare

Excerpt: "We must keep our promises to seniors and not change benefits for those who are currently receiving or soon will receive Social Security or Medicare... We must begin to phase in significant reforms for the benefit of future generations."

  • State Sovereignty & Individual Rights

Excerpt: "The federal government should not improperly apply the General Welfare Clause, the Commerce Clause, or the Necessary and Proper Clause to justify regulating activities that are not within its authority."

Elections

2012

See also: Michigan's 3rd congressional district elections, 2012

Amash won re-election.[11] Amash was running in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Michigan's 3rd District. He ran unopposed in the August 7 Republican primary. He defeated Steve Pestka (D) and Bill Gelineau (L) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[12]

U.S. House, Michigan, District 3 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Steve Pestka 44.2% 144,108
     Republican Green check mark.jpgJustin Amash Incumbent 52.6% 171,675
     Libertarian Bill Gelineau 3.2% 10,498
Total Votes 326,281
Source: Michigan Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Polls

Steve Pestka vs. Justin Amash
Response (August 18-21, 2012)Average
Steve Pestka 50% 50%
Justin Amash 42% 42%
Number polled 501 501
Margin of error +/-4.4 4.4%
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Full history


Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Amash is available dating back to 2010. Based on available campaign finance records, Amash raised a total of $2,417,315 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 16, 2013.[14]

Justin Amash's Campaign Contribution History
Year Office Result Contributions
2012 US House (Michigan, District 3) Won $1,313,802
2010 US House (Michigan, District 3) Won $1,103,513
Grand Total Raised $2,417,315

2012

Breakdown of funds according to source.

Amash won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012. During that election cycle, Amash's campaign committee raised a total of $1,313,803 and spent $1,193,611.[15]

2010

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

Amash won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that election cycle, Amash's campaign committee raised a total of $1,103,513 and spent $1,093,007.[16]

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

2013

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Amash is a "centrist Republican".[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, Amash was ranked the 185th most liberal representative during 2012.[18]

2011

According to the data released in 2012, Justin Amash was ranked the 192nd most liberal representative during 2011.[19]

Voting with party

2011

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Justin Amash voted with the Republican Party 77.7% of the time, which ranked 240 among the 242 House Republican members in November 2011.[20]

Lifetime missed votes

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

According to the website GovTrack, Amash missed 0 of 1,695 roll call votes from Jan 2011 to Mar 2013, which is 0.0% of votes during that period. This is better than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving.[21]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Amash paid his congressional staff a total of $792,266 in 2011. He ranked 45th on the list of the lowest paid Republican Representative Staff Salaries and he ranked 50th overall of the lowest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Michigan ranked 13th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[22]

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, Amash's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $477,026 and $1,549,998. This averages to $1,013,512, which is a 0.7843% increase since 2010. This is lower than the $7,859,232 average net worth for Republican representatives in 2011.[23]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Amash's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $-23,982 and $1,159,997. That averages to $568,007.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[24]

Personal

Amash lives in Cascade Charter Township with his wife, Kara, and their three children.[25]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Justin + Amash + Michigan + House

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

Justin Amash News Feed


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External links


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress "Justin Amash" Accessed December 21, 2011
  2. ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress"
  3. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "House of Representatives Committee Assignments" Accessed December 21, 2011
  4. ↑ Slate "," December 3, 2012
  5. ↑ [http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/217503-ryan-budget-passes-committee-by-single-vote The Hill " Ryan budget passes committee by one vote," March 21, 2012]
  6. ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Washington Post "10 House Republicans Vote Against Ryan Budget" Accessed March 22, 2013
  8. ↑ CBS News "Senate Rejects Paul Ryan Budget" Accessed March 22, 2013
  9. ↑ RedState, "Fight Club," March 6, 2013
  10. ↑ Amash's Campaign Website, Issues (Accessed: October 5, 2012)
  11. ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map, Michigan"
  12. ↑ Associated Press primary results
  13. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  14. ↑ 'Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Justin Amash," Accessed May 16, 2013
  15. ↑ Open Secrets " 2012 Re-Election Cycle," Accessed February 15, 2013
  16. ↑ Open Secrets "Justin Amash 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed December 21, 2011
  17. ↑ Gov Track "Justin Amash," Accessed May 9, 2013
  18. ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 26, 2013
  19. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
  20. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
  21. ↑ GovTrack, "Justin Amash" Accessed April 2013
  22. ↑ LegiStorm "Justin Amash"
  23. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Amash, (R-Michigan), 2011"
  24. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Amash, (R-Michigan), 2010"
  25. ↑ Official House Site "Biography," Accessed December 21, 2011
Political offices
Preceded by
Vern Ehlers 		U.S. House of Representatives - Michigan, District 3
2011–Present 		Succeeded by
'
Preceded by
' 		Michigan House of Representatives
2008-2010 		Succeeded by
'
v • d • e
Michigan's current delegation to the United States Congress
SenatorsCongressLogo.png
Representatives
Bill Huizenga (R) • Candice Miller (R) • Dan Kildee (D) • Dan Benishek (R) • Dave Camp (R) • Fred Upton (R) • Gary Peters (D) • John Conyers, Jr. (D) • John D. Dingell, Jr. (D) • Justin Amash (R) • Mike Rogers (R) • Sandy Levin (D) • Kerry Bentivolio (R) • Tim Walberg (R)
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