Mark Pryor
| Mark Pryor | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, Arkansas | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2003-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 10 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Timothy Hutchinson (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 | |
| Campaign $ | $4,456,340 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Attorney General, State of Arkansas | ||
| 1999-2003 | ||
| Arkansas State House of Representatives | ||
| 1990-1994 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of Arkansas, 1985 | |
| J.D. | University of Arkansas, 1988 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | January 10, 1963 | |
| Place of birth | Fayetteville, AR | |
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Net worth | $40,501 | |
| Religion | Christian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Pryor's academic, professional and political career:[1]
- 1985: Graduated from University of Arkansas with B.A.
- 1988: Graduated from University of Arkansas with J.D.
- 1991-1994: Arkansas House of Representatives
- 1992-2002: Arkansas Attorney General
- 2003-Present: U.S. Senator from Arkansas
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2013-2014
Pryor serves on the following committee[2]:
- Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Department of Defense
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Commerce, Science and Transportation
- Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
- Subcommittee on Science and Space
- Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance
- Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
- Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
- Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Subcommittee on Emergency Management, Intergovernmental Relations, and the District of Columbia
- Subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce
- Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight
- Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
- Rules and Administration
- Ethics (Select)
- Small Business and Entrepreneurship
2011-2012
- Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Commerce, Science and Transportation
- Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
- Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
- Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance, Chair
- Subcommittee on Science and Space
- Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
- Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Subcommittee on Investigations
- Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight
- Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs, Chair
- Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security
- Rules and Administration
- Ethics (Select)
- Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Issues
Political Positions
Gay Marriage
Sen. Mark Pryor did not support gay marriage and has not changed his position on this issue. Pryor is one of only three remaining Democratic Senators who have not voiced support for same-sex marriage, as of April 2013. Pryor has most recently stated that he is in the "undecided category."[3]
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Pryor 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.[4]
2013 Senate Budget Proposal
On March 23, after an all-night debate that ended just before 5 a.m., by a 50 to 49 vote the Democratically controlled Senate approved its first budget in four years.[5] No Republicans voted for the Senate plan, and four Democrats opposed it. All four are from red states and are up for re-election in 2014.[5] Pryor was one of the four Democrats who voted against the budget proposal.
The approved plan is a $3.7 trillion budget for 2014 and would provide a fast track for passage of tax increases, trim spending modestly and leave the government still deeply in the red for the next decade.[5]
The approval of a budget in the Senate began the process of setting up contentious, and potentially fruitless, negotiations with the Republican-controlled House starting in April to reconcile two vastly different plans for dealing with the nation’s economic and budgetary problems.
The House plan brings the government’s taxes and spending into balance by 2023 with cuts to domestic spending even below the levels of automatic across-the-board cuts for federal programs now, and it orders up dramatic and controversial changes to Medicare and the tax code.[5]
The Senate plan differs greatly, and includes $100 billion in upfront infrastructure spending to bolster the economy and calls for special fast-track rules to overhaul the tax code and raise $975 billion over 10 years in legislation that could not be filibustered. Even with that tax increase and prescribed spending cuts, the plan approved by the Senate would leave the government with a $566 billion annual deficit in 10 years, and $5.2 trillion in additional debt over that window.[5]
Expanded background checks on gun sales
On April 17, 2013 the U.S. Senate took a vote on and defeated a measure that would have expanded federal background checks for firearms purchases.[6] The vote was 54-46, with supporters falling six votes short of the required 60-vote threshold.[7] Pryor was one of the 4 Democratic Senators who voted against the amendment.[8]
As a result of the vote, Pryor was targeted by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group funded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The group is running ads in Alaska, Arkansas, and North Dakota, three of the states with Democratic senators who voted against the bill on expanded background checks for gun sales.[9]
Elections
2014
The FiscalTimes compiled a list of the seven most vulnerable Senate seats up for election in 2014. The seven included in the list are: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Going into the 2014 election, all seven seats are held by Democrats.[10]
According to an April 2013 Politico report, Pryor had already raised $1.9 million and had $3.4 million cash on hand.[11]
Pryor likely faces some competition from Lt. Gov. Mark Darr (R) who appears likely to jump into the race after ruling out a gubernatorial bid.[10] However, some speculation still exists among Republicans that Rep. Tom Cotton will be the Republican challenger instead.[10]
Full history
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Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Pryor is available dating back to 2002. Based on available campaign finance records, Pryor raised a total of $4,456,340 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 25, 2013.[14]
| Mark Pryor's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2002 | US Senate (Arkansas) |  |
$4,456,340 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $4,456,340 | |||
2008
Pryor won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2008. During that re-election cycle, Pryor's campaign committee raised a total of $5,943,688 and spent $3,799,989.[15]
His top 5 contributors between 2003-2008 were:
| U.S. Senate election, Arkansas, 2008 - Mark Pryor Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $5,943,688 |
| Total Spent | $3,799,989 |
| Total Raised by Opponent | $0 (Unopposed) |
| Total Spent by Opponent | $0 |
| Top contributors to Mark Pryor's campaign committee | |
| Murphy Oil | $31,350 |
| Simmons Cooper LLC | $28,600 |
| Patton Boggs LLP | $28,500 |
| Alltel Corp | $25,800 |
| Merrill Lynch | $24,900 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $801,451 |
| Securities & Investment | $260,900 |
| Lobbyists | $226,944 |
| Real Estate | $185,300 |
| Leadership PACs | $178,600 |
Analysis
Ideology and leadership
2013
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Pryor is a "centrist Democrat".[16]
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. Pryor ranked 51st in the liberal rankings among U.S. Senators in 2012.[17]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Pryor ranked 52nd in the liberal rankings among U.S. Senators.[18]
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, Pryor votes with the Democratic Party 87.6% of the time. This ranks 46th among the 51 Senate Democrats in 2011.[19]
Lifetime missed votes
According to the website GovTrack, Pryor missed 18 of 3,251 roll call votes from January 2003 to March 2013. This amounts to 0.6%, which is better than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of March 2013.[20]
Congressional staff salaries
2011
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Pryor paid his congressional staff a total of $2,530,611 in 2011. He ranks 15th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranks 44th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Arkansas ranks 36th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[21]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Pryor's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $16,002 and $65,000. That averages to $40,501, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2011 of $20,795,450. His average net worth increased by 376.48% from 2010.[22]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Pryor's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $1,001 and $16,000. That averages to $8,500, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[23]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Mark + Pryor + Arkansas + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Mark Pryor News Feed
- Mayors Against Illegal Guns Mulling Campaign Against Mark Pryor - Huffington Post
- Arkansas Senator Pryor's Troubles Continue to Mount - The New American - The New American
- Mark Pryor Shamed On Facebook For Controversial Gun Vote - Huffington Post - Huffington Post
- AR senators to participate in online forum - KAIT
- Sen. Mark Pryor to give UAPB spring commencement address - THV 11
- Sen. Mark Pryor: Fighting for Arkansas troops and their families - Newton County Times (subscription)
- US Sen. Mark Pryor hosting Twitter 'town hall' on farm bill, other agriculture ... - The Republic
- Father of Newtown victim travels to see Sen. Mark Pryor - Live5News.com ... - Live 5 News
- Republicans hit Pryor on IRS union contribution - Arkansas Times (blog)
- Why the rural vote still matters in key Senate races - High Plains Journal - High Plains Journal
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Personal
Pryor and his wife, Jill, have two children.
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Biographical Director of the United States Congress "Mark Pryor," Accessed October 20, 2011
- ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 18, 2013
- ↑ On Top, "Sen. Mark Pryor Says He's 'In The Undecided Category' On Gay Marriage," April 6, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Senate "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 New York Times "Senate Passes $3.7 Trillion Budget, Setting Up Contentious Negotiations" Accessed March 25, 2013
- ↑ NPR "Senate Rejects Expanded Background Checks For Gun Sales" Accessed April 19, 2013
- ↑ Fox News "Background check plan defeated in Senate, Obama rips gun bill opponents" Accessed April 19, 2013
- ↑ NPR "Historically Speaking, No Surprise In Senate Gun Control Vote" Accessed April 19, 2013
- ↑ Politico, " Gun control ads have Democrats worrying," May 7, 2013
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Fiscal Times " 7 Senate Seats Most at Risk—Hint: They’re All Blue" Accessed February 15, 2013
- ↑ Politico "Red-state Democrats raise millions" Accessed April 18, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Mark Pryor," Accessed March 25, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Mark Pryor 2008 Election Cycle," Accessed October 22 2011
- ↑ Gov Track "Mark Pryor," Accessed May 8, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 21, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party," Accessed October 19, 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Mark Pryor," Accessed April 2, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm "Dean Heller"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Pryor, (D-AK), 2011"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Pryor, (D-AK), 2010"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tim Hutchinson |
U.S. Senate - Arkansas 2003-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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