Pat Roberts
| Pat Roberts | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, Kansas | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 1997-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 16 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 4, 2008 | |
| First elected | November 5, 1996 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $8,214,728 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| 1981-1997 | ||
| Education | ||
| High school | Holton High School | |
| Bachelor's | Kansas State University | |
| Military service | ||
| Service/branch | U.S. Marine Corps | |
| Years of service | 1958-1962 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | April 20, 1936 | |
| Place of birth | Topeka, KS | |
| Net worth | $1,793,518 | |
| Religion | Methodist | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Roberts is a "rank-and-file Republican".[1]
Biography
Roberts was born in 1936 in Topeka, Kansas. He graduated from Holton High School in 1954, and earned his bachelor's degree from Kansas State University in 1958. Roberts went on to serve as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1958-62. He has also worked as a newspaper publisher.[2]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Roberts' political career[3]:
- U.S. House of Representatives, 1981-1997
- U.S. Senate, 1997-Present
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2013-2014
Roberts serves on the following Senate committees[4]:
- Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
- Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Marketing and Agriculture Security
- Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Commodities, Markets, Trade and Risk Management
- Finance Committee
- The Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
- The Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight
- The Subcommittee on Healthcare Ranking Member
- Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging
- Subcommittee on Children and Families
- Rules and Administration Committee
- Ethics Committee
2011-2012
Roberts served on the following Senate committees[5]:
- Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Ranking Member
- Ethics Committee
- Finance Committee
- Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- Rules and Administration Committee
Issues
Fiscal Cliff
Roberts 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]
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.[7][8][9]
According to the website Breitbart, Roberts was one of 30 Republican senators who did not support the filibuster.[10][11]
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."[12]
Elections
2008
On November 4, 2008, Roberts won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Jim Slattery (D), Randall L. Hodgkinson (L), and Joseph L. Martin (Reformed Party) in the general election.[13]
| U.S. Senate General Election, Kansas, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Pat Roberts Incumbent |
60.1% | 727,121 | |
| Democratic | Jim Slattery | 36.5% | 441,399 | |
| Libertarian | Randall L. Hodgkinson | 2.1% | 25,727 | |
| Reformed | Joseph L. Martin | 1.4% | 16,443 | |
| Total Votes | 1,210,690 | |||
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for Pat Roberts, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Roberts is available dating back to 2002. Based on available campaign finance records, Roberts raised a total of $8,214,728 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 3, 2013.[16]
| Pat Roberts's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2008 | U.S. Senate (Kansas) | $6,506,851 | ||
| 2002 | U.S. Senate (Kansas) |  |
$1,707,877 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $8,214,728 | |||
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Roberts missed 127 of 5,168 roll call votes from Jan 1997 to Mar 2013. This amounts to 2.5%, which is worse than the median of 1.7% among currently serving senators as of March 2013.[17]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Roberts paid his congressional staff a total of $2,691,541 in 2011. He ranks 8th on the list of the highest paid Republican Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranks 34th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Kansas ranks 20th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[18]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Roberts's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $993,036 and $2,594,000. That averages to $1,793,518, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2011 of $6,358,668. His average net worth increased by 112.25% from 2010.[19]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Roberts' net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $-472,951 and $2,162,996. That averages to $1,690,045, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[20]
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. Bonner ranked 26th in the conservative rankings in 2012.[21]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Roberts ranked 29th in the conservative rankings among U.S. Senators.[22]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Pat + Roberts + Kansas + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Pat Roberts News Feed
- Pat Roberts could become oldest Kansan to serve in US Senate - Topeka Capital Journal
- Senate panel passes new five-year, $500 billion farm bill - Great Falls Tribune
- Kansas delegation eager for taxing inquiry of IRS - Topeka Capital Journal
- Senator Pat Roberts should stop pandering - Winfield Daily Courier Online
- Vilsack Says U.S. Proposals May End Brazil Cotton Impasse - Bloomberg
- Bob Dole endorses Pat Roberts for re-election - Topeka Capital Journal
- Senators say they're close to writing a final pharmacy compounding bill - Kansas City Star
- Mayors Against Illegal Guns' Ad Targets Jeff Flake, Features Aurora Mom - Huffington Post
- Internet back doors would create cyber risks - Kansas City Star
- House panel set to OK cut in food stamps - Kansas.com
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Personal
Roberts has been married to his wife Franki (nee Fann) since 1969. They have three children and four grandchildren.[3]
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Fact-checking:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Pat Roberts," Accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Guide to Members of Congress "Pat Roberts," Accessed October 18, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Official Senate website "Biography page," Accessed October 12, 2011
- ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 22, 2013
- ↑ Official Senate website "Committee assignments page," Accessed October 18, 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
- ↑ 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"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Pat Roberts" Accessed April 3, 2013
- ↑ GovTrack, "Pat Roberts," Accessed March 29, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm "Pat Roberts"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Roberts, (R-Kan), 2011"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Roberts, (R-KS), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 28, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," February 23, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Nancy Kassebaum Baker |
U.S. Senate - Kansas 1997-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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