Lamar Alexander
| Lamar Alexander | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, Tennessee | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2003-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 10 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | Fred Thompson (R) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 4, 2008 | |
| First elected | November 5, 2002 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Secretary, Department of Education | ||
| 1991-1993 | ||
| Governor of Tennessee | ||
| 1979-1987 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Vanderbilt University, 1962 | |
| J.D. | New York University Law School, 1965 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | July 3, 1940 | |
| Place of birth | Maryville, TN | |
| Net worth | $12,415,524 | |
| Religion | Presbyterian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Alexander is a "rank-and-file Republican".[1]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Alexander's academic, professional and political career:[2]
- 1962: Received his B.A. from Vanderbilt University
- 1965: Received his J.D. from New York University Law School
- 1979-1987: Served as governor of Tennessee
- 1985-1986: Held a position as chairman of the National Governors Association
- 1991-1993: Served as U.S. secretary of education
- 2003-Present: U.S Senator from Tennessee
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2013-2014
Alexander serves on the following Senate committees[3]:
- United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Department of Defense
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
- Subcommittee on National Parks
- Subcommittee on Energy
- United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety Ex Officio
- Subcommittee on Children and Families Ex Officio
- United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
2011-2012
- Appropriations
- Environment and Public Works
- Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
- Rules and Administration
Issues
Presidential preference
2012
Lamar Alexander endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [4]
Fiscal Cliff
Alexander 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, Alexander 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]
Elections
2008
On November 4, 2008, Alexander won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Robert D. Tuke, Edward L. Buck, Christopher G. Fenner, Daniel Towers Lewis, Chris Lugo, Ed Lawhorn, and David Gatchell in the general election.[12]
| U.S. Senate, Tennessee General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Lamar Alexander Incumbent |
65.1% | 1,579,477 | |
| Democratic | Robert D. Tuke | 31.6% | 767,236 | |
| Independent | Edward L. Buck | 1.3% | 31,631 | |
| Independent | Christopher G. Fenner | 0.5% | 11,073 | |
| Independent | Daniel Towers Lewis | 0.4% | 9,367 | |
| Independent | Chris Lugo | 0.4% | 9,170 | |
| Independent | Ed Lawhorn | 0.4% | 8,986 | |
| Independent | David Gatchell | 0.3% | 7,645 | |
| Total Votes | 2,424,585 | |||
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Alexander is available dating back to 2002. Based on available campaign finance records, Alexander raised a total of $14,416,657 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 25, 2013.[13]
| Lamar Alexander's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2008 | U.S. Senate (Tennessee) |  |
$8,309,683 | |
| 2002 | U.S. Senate (Tennessee) | |
$6,106,974 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $14,416,657 | |||
2008
Alexander won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2008. During that re-election cycle, Alexander's campaign committee raised a total of $8,309,683 and spent $6,520,264.[14]
| U.S. Senate, Tennessee General Election, 2008 - Lamar Alexander Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $8,309,683 |
| Total Spent | $6,520,264 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $759,199 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $758,944 |
| Top contributors to Lamar Alexander's campaign committee | |
| Pilot Corp | $40,900 |
| Baker, Donelson et al | $38,850 |
| National HealthCare Corp | $38,500 |
| UBS AG | $37,800 |
| Corrections Corp of America | $35,700 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $516,550 |
| Retired | $444,416 |
| Real Estate | $419,950 |
| Leadership PACs | $313,250 |
| Securities & Investment | $307,949 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Alexander missed 85 of 3,253 roll call votes from January 2003 to April 2013. This amounts to 2.6%, which is worse than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of April 2013.[15]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Alexander paid his congressional staff a total of $2,662,905 in 2011. He ranks 11 on the list of the highest paid Republican Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranks 61st overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Tennessee ranks 23rd in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[16]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Alexander's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between -$6,198,948 and $31,029,996. That averages to $12,415,524, which is higher than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2011 of $6,358,668. His average net worth decreased by 44.91% from 2010.[17]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Alexander's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $9,651,050 and $35,424,999. That averages to $22,538,024.50, which is higher than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[18]
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. Alexander ranked 39th in the conservative rankings in 2012.[19]
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. Alexander ranked 38th in the conservative rankings.[20]
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, Lamar Alexander voted with the Republican Party 91.9 of the time, which ranked 19 among the 47 Senate Republican members in November 2011.[21]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Lamar + Alexander + Tennessee + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Lamar Alexander News Feed
- WWE wrestler 'Kane' considering challenge to Sen. Alexander - The Hill (blog)
- BEAT LAMAR to Lamar Alexander: If It's War You Want, It's War You'll Get - ConservativeHQ
- Lamar Alexander says idea to see TVA has already cost $500 million - WBIR-TV
- Fundraising ceaseless for TN officials in D.C. - The Tennessean
- Sen. Lamar Alexander may hold up Corps budget requests if fishing restrictions ... - The Tennessean
- Political Notebook: Will Nancy Pelosi be next to laud Sen. Alexander? - The Tennessean
- Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander presses for online sales tax - Chattanooga Times Free Press
- Sen. Lamar Alexander out on limb by advocating an Internet sales tax in ... - Chattanooga Times Free Press
- Lamar Alexander slams Sebelius over Iran-Contra-style health care scandal - Daily Caller
- Lamar Alexander says US Senate vote next week could help restart work at ... - Chattanooga Times Free Press
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Personal
Alexander and his wife, Honey, have four children.
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Fact-checking:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Lamar Alexander," Accessed May 2, 2013
- ↑ Biographical Director of the United States Congress "Lamar Alexander," Accessed November 4, 2011
- ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 22, 2013
- ↑ Nooga.com, "Alexander endorses Mitt Romney for president," February 27, 2012
- ↑ 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
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Donor history for Lamar Alexander" Accessed April 25, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Lamar Alexander 2008 Election Cycle," Accessed November 4, 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Alexander," Accessed April 11, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm "Lamar Alexander"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Alexander, (R-Tennessee), 2011"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Alexander, (R-TN), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 28, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jon Kyl |
U.S. Senate - Tennessee 2007-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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