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Olympia Snowe
| Olympia Snowe | ||
| U.S. Senate, Maine | ||
| Retired Senator | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 1995-2013 | ||
| Party | Republican | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 7, 2006 | |
| First elected | November 8, 1994 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| 1979-1995 | ||
| Education | ||
| High school | Edward Little High School | |
| Bachelor's | University of Maine | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | September 8, 1941 | |
| Place of birth | Augusta, ME | |
| Religion | Greek Orthodox | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Snowe was a "centrist Republican leader".[1]
Snowe did not seek re-election in 2012.[2] Snowe pointed to the increasingly partisan divide in Congress, stating she was tired of "'my way or the highway' ideologies."[3] Independent Angus King won the election to succeed Snowe.
Biography
| The information about this individual is current as of when his or her last campaign ended. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors |
Snowe was born in 1947 in Augusta, Maine. After graduating from Edward Little High School in 1965, Snowe went on to earn her B.A. at the University of Maine in 1969. Prior to her political career, Snowe worked as a businesswoman.[4]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Snowe's political career[4]:
- Maine State House of Representatives, 1973-1976
- Maine State Senate, 1976-1978
- U.S. House of Representatives, 1979-1995
- U.S. Senate, 1995-Present
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2011-2012
Snowe served on the following Senate committees[5]:
- Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Ranking Member
- Select Committee on Intelligence
- Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Finance Committee
Issues
Fiscal Cliff
Snowe 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.[6]
Elections
2012
Snowe did not seek re-election in 2012.[2] Angus King (I) defeated Cynthia Dill (D), Charles Summers (R), Andrew Ian Dodge (L), Danny Francis Dalton (I), and Stephen Woods (I) in the November 6, 2012, general election.
2006
On November 7, 2006, Snowe won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Jean M. Hay Bright (D) and William H. Slavick (I) in the general election.[7]
Campaign donors
2006
Snowe won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2006. During that re-election cycle, Snowe's campaign committee raised a total of $3,788,139 and spent $3,157,047.[8]
| U.S. Senate, Maine, 2006 - Olympia Snowe Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $3,788,139 |
| Total Spent | $3,157,047 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $2,072,027 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $2,005,358 |
| Top contributors to Olympia Snowe's campaign committee | |
| Aetna Inc | $29,550 |
| O'Hara Corp | $29,400 |
| New York Life Insurance | $28,200 |
| General Dynamics | $27,050 |
| Applied Thermal Sciences Inc | $24,100 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Insurance | $219,595 |
| Retired | $196,858 |
| Health Professionals | $175,574 |
| Securities & Investment | $156,586 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $148,435 |
Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Snowe paid her congressional staff a total of $2,470,674 in 2011. She ranked 22nd on the list of the highest paid Republican Senatorial Staff Salaries and she ranked 36th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Maine ranked 41st in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[9]
Net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Snowe's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $9,426,053 and $29,270,000. That averages to $19,348,026, which was higher than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[10]
Political Analysis
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, Snowe was ranked the 46th most conservative senator during 2012.[11]
2011
According to the data released in 2012, Olympia Snowe was ranked the 46th most conservative senator during 2011.[12]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Olympia + Snowe + Maine + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Olympia Snowe News Feed
- After Leaving Senate, Snowe Is Still 'Fighting For Common Ground' - NPR
- Olympia's List makes its first campaign donation ? to Maine Sen. Susan Collins - Bangor Daily News
- Fmr. Senator Olympia Snowe: "Seeking the truth should be a bipartisan pursuit" - CNN (blog)
- 'This Week' Web Extra: Olympia Snowe - ABC News
- An excerpt from Olympia Snowe's "Fighting for Common Ground" - MSNBC
- Stanford in Government and Speakers Bureau Present: Senator Olympia Snowe - Stanford Report
- Maine Sen. King: Partisanship isn't personal - Boston.com
- Herseth Sandlin declines to seek Senate seat - Rapid City Journal - Rapid City Journal
- Washington Notebook: Olympia's List gives Sen. Collins $10000 for 2014 - Press Herald
- Obama To Olympia Snowe: 'You Could Be A Modern Day Joan Of Arc' - Huffington Post
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
Personal
Snowe has been married to former Governor of Maine John R. McKernan, Jr., since 1989[13].
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Olympia Snowe," Accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Washington Post "Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe to retire in blow to GOP" Accessed February 29, 2012
- ↑ Associated Press, "GOP US Sen. Snowe of Maine leaving after 3 terms," February 29, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress "Olympia Snowe," Accessed October 25, 2011
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedabout - ↑ U.S. Senate "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Olympia Snowe 2006 Election Cycle," Accessed October 25, 2011
- ↑ LegiStorm "Olympia Snowe"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Snowe, (R-Maine), 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 "Biography," Accessed October 25, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George J. Mitchell |
U.S. Senate - Maine 1995-2013 |
Succeeded by Angus King (I) |
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