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Pete Olson

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Pete Olson
Pete Olson.jpg
U.S. House, Texas, District 22
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2009-present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position 4
PartyRepublican
PredecessorNick Lampson (D)
Leadership
Aide to United States Senator Phil Gramm
1998-2002
Aide to United States Senator John Cornyn
2002-2007
Compensation
Base salary$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 6, 2012
First electedNovember 4, 2008
Next electionNovember 4, 2014
Campaign $$5,114,089
Term limitsN/A
Education
High schoolClear Lake High School, TX
Bachelor'sRice University
J.D.University of Texas School of Law
Military service
Service/branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1988-1997
CitationsNaval Aviator Wings of Gold
Service branchUnited States Naval Reserve
Years of service1998-present
Personal
BirthdayDecember 9, 1962
Place of birthFort Lewis, WA
Net worth$1,340,016
ReligionMethodist
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Contents

Pete Olson (b. December 9, 1962) is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Texas. Olson represents the 22nd congressional district of Texas and was first elected to the House in 2008. He won re-election on November 6, 2012.[1]

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Olson is a "far-right Republican".[2]

Biography

After earning his bachelor's degree from Rice University and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, Olson joined the U.S. Navy. He served in the Navy from 1988-1997, when he went into the Naval Reserves. Olson was deployed on missions in Iraq, Japan, and elsewhere, and then served on the Naval Joint Chiefs of Staff and was a Senate liaison for the Navy.[3] He switched to the Naval Reserves and served as aide to two U.S. senators over the next decade before launching his own campaign for office.[4]

Career

  • 2009-present: U.S. House of Representatives
  • 2002-2007: Chief of Staff to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn
  • 1998-2002: Aide to U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Olson serves on the following committees:[5]

  • Energy and Commerce Committee
    • Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
    • Subcommittee on Energy and Power
    • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

2011-12

Olson was a member of the following House committee[3]:

Issues

Presidential preference

2012

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

Pete Olson endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [6]

Campaign themes

2012

Olson's campaign website listed the following issues:[7]

  • Limited Government Conservative
Excerpt: "My fundamental belief is that we can create the most freedom, most prosperity, and most opportunity for our nation by limiting the power and scope of the federal government. As your Representative, I work every day to ensure I am living up to that standard."
  • Passing a Balanced Budget Amendment
Excerpt: "Only in Washington is having a balanced budget a novel concept. Our families do it. Small businesses do it. And the State of Texas does it."
  • Job Growth for America
Excerpt: "With millions of Americans either underemployed or out of work, a principal focus of our government needs to be helping to get the economy moving again."
  • Leading an American Energy Revolution
Excerpt: "If we don’t control the vast majority of our own energy supply, we don’t control our own future. Whether it is economic security or national security, creating reliable and dedicated sources of AMERICAN energy is truly a critical national priority."
  • Staying on Offense Against Terrorism
Excerpt: "Preserving America’s freedom and way of life is not just a campaign talking point. I took the Oath of Office to “Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution” and those words instilled a deep sense of responsibility in me."

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "No" Olson 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.[8]

Elections

2012

See also: Texas' 22nd congressional district elections, 2012

Olson ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Texas' 22nd District. He defeated Barbara Carlson in the May 29, 2012, Republican primary. He defeated Kesha Rogers (D), Steve Susman (L), and Don Cook (G) in the November 6, 2012, general election.[9][10]

U.S. House, Texas, District 22 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark.jpgPete Olson Incumbent 64% 160,668
     Democratic Kesha Rogers 32% 80,203
     Libertarian Steven Susman 2.4% 5,986
     Green Don Cook 1.6% 4,054
Total Votes 250,911
Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Full history


Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Olson is available dating back to 2008. Based on available campaign finance records, Olson raised a total of $5,114,089 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 25, 2013.[13]

Pete Olson's Campaign Contribution History
Year Office Result Contributions
2012 US House (Texas, District 22) Won $1,439,596
2010 US House (Texas, District 22) Won $1,268,559
2008 US House (Texas, District 22) Won $2,405,934
Grand Total Raised $5,114,089

2012

Breakdown of the source of Olson's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Olson won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Olson's campaign committee raised a total of $1,439,597 and spent $1,244,947.[14]

2010

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

Olson won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Olson's campaign committee raised a total of $1,268,559 and spent $1,251,977.[15]

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

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

According to the website GovTrack, Olson missed 84 of 3,350 roll call votes from January 2009 to March 2013. This amounts to 2.5%, which is worse than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[16]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Olson paid his congressional staff a total of $909,878 in 2011. Overall, Texas ranks 27th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[17]

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, Olson's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $680,033 to $2,000,000. That averages to $1,340,016, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican House members in 2011 of $7,859,232. His average net worth decreased by 4.08% from 2010.[18]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Olson's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $709,034 to $2,085,000. That averages to $1,397,017 which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[19]

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. Olson ranked 17th in the conservative rankings among members of the U.S. House.[20]

2011

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Olson was tied with two other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking 36th in the conservative rankings among members of the U.S. House.[21]

Percentage voting with party

November 2011

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Olson voted with the Republican Party 95.2% of the time, which ranked 25 among the 242 House Republican members in November 2011.[22]

Personal

Olson lives in Sugar Land, Texas, with his wife, Nancy, and their two children.[3]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Pete + Olson + Texas + House

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

Pete Olson News Feed


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External links

References

  1. ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map, Texas"
  2. ↑ Gov Track "Olson" Accessed May 24, 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Official House website "Biography," Accessed October 31, 2011
  4. ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "Pete Olson," Accessed October 31, 2011
  5. ↑ CQ.com, House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress
  6. ↑ Mitt Romney for President, "Mitt Romney Announces Support of Three Texas Members of Congress," January 20, 2012
  7. ↑ Campaign website, Issues
  8. ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ Republican candidate list
  10. ↑ Unofficial Republican primary results
  11. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  12. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  13. ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Pete Olson," Accessed March 25, 2013
  14. ↑ Open Secrets "Pete Olson 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed March 5, 2013
  15. ↑ Open Secrets "Pete Olson 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed October 26, 2011
  16. ↑ GovTrack, "Pete Olson," Accessed April 2, 2013
  17. ↑ LegiStorm, "Pete Olson," Accessed September 17, 2012
  18. ↑ OpenSecrets.org "Pete Olson (R-Texas), 2011," accessed February 25, 2013
  19. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Pete Olson (R-Texas), 2010," Accessed September 17, 2012
  20. ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," March 7, 2013
  21. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
  22. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
Political offices
Preceded by
Nick Lampson 		U.S. House of Representatives - Texas, 22nd District
2009-Present 		Succeeded by
-
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