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Richard Burr
| Richard Burr | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, North Carolina | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2005-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2017 | ||
| Years in position | 8 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | John Edwards (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | November 2, 2004 | |
| Next election | November 8, 2016 | |
| Campaign $ | $24,349,171 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 5th district | ||
| 1995-2005 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Wake Forest University | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | November 30, 1955 (age 55) | |
| Place of birth | Charlottesville, Virginia | |
| Profession | Sales Executive | |
| Net worth | $2,151,517 | |
| Religion | Methodist | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Burr is a "rank-and-file Republican".[1]
Biography
Burr was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. He graduated from Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, N.C. in 1974 and earned a B.A. from Wake Forest University in 1978.[2]
Career
Prior to running for Congress, Burr worked for 17 years as a sales manager for Carswell Distributing Company, a distributor of lawn equipment.[3]
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2013-2014
Burr serves on the following Senate committees[4]:
- Senate Finance Committee
- The Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth
- The Subcommittee on Healthcare
- The Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging Ranking Member
- Subcommittee on Children and Families
- Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member
- United States Senate committee on Intelligence (Select)
2011-2012
Burr served on the following committees:[5]
- Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
- Subcommittee on Health Care
- Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Children and Families
- Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging Ranking Member
- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Issues
Presidential preference
2012
Richard Burr endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [6]
Fiscal Cliff
Burr 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.[7]
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.[8][9][10]
According to the website Breitbart, Burr was one of 30 Republican senators who did not support the filibuster.[11][12]
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."[13]
Elections
2010
On November 2, 2010, Burr was re-elected to the United States Senate for a second term. He defeated Elaine Marshall (D), Michael Beitler (Libertarian), and the write-in candidates.[14]
| United States Senate, North Carolina General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Richard Burr Incumbent |
54.8% | 1,458,046 | |
| Democratic | Elaine Marshall | 43% | 1,145,074 | |
| Libertarian | Michael Beitler | 2.1% | 55,687 | |
| Independent | Write-in | 0% | 1,272 | |
| Total Votes | 2,660,079 | |||
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for Richard Burr, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Burr is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, Burr raised a total of $24,349,171 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 23, 2013.[16]
| Richard Burr's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2010 | U.S. Senate (North Carolina) |  |
$10,868,382 | |
| 2004 | U.S. Senate (North Carolina) | |
$11,302,395 | |
| 2002 | U.S House of Representatives (North Carolina District 5) | |
$1,210,424 | |
| 2000 | U.S House of Representatives (North Carolina District 5) | |
$967,970 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $24,349,171 | |||
2010
| U.S. Senate, North Carolina, 2010 - Richard Burr Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $10,868,382 |
| Total Spent | $6,274,147 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $2,894,468 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $2,845,246 |
| Top contributors to Richard Burr's campaign committee | |
| New Breed Inc | $84,050 |
| Reynolds American | $76,901 |
| Scana Corp | $62,099 |
| Womble, Carlyle et al | $61,377 |
| Duke Energy | $52,895 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Retired | $653,674 |
| Health Professionals | $523,742 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $472,755 |
| Pharmaceuticals/Health Products | $467,124 |
| Insurance | $421,601 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Burr missed 79 of 2,580 roll call votes from Jan 2005 to Apr 2013, which is 3.1% of votes during that period. This is worse than the median of 1.7% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving.[18]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Burr paid his congressional staff a total of $2,542,700 in 2011. He ranked 18th on the list of the highest paid Republican Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranked 34th overall of the highest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, North Carolina ranked 34th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[19]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Burr's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $1,403,524 to $2,899,511. That averages to $2,151,517, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2011 of $6,358,668. His average net worth increased by 35.82% from 2010.[20]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Burr's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $981,085 and $2,187,075. That averages to $1,584,080, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[21]
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. Burr ranked 23rd in the conservative rankings among U.S. Senators.[22]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Burr was tied with one other member of the U.S. Senate ranking 7th in the conservative rankings among U.S. Senators.[23]
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, Richard Burr voted with the Republican Party 93.2% of the time, which ranked 12th among the 47 Senate Republican members in November 2011.[24]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Richard + Burr + North Carolina + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Richard Burr News Feed
- North Carolinians To Demand Answers From Senator Richard Burr On His 'No ... - Wall Street Journal (press release)
- Super PAC created for possible Tillis Senate bid - News & Observer
- Senate Farm Bill Debate Marches On - Farm Futures
- Burr Addresses Hatteras Off Road Concerns - North Carolina News Network
- Mayors Against Illegal Guns Runs Ad Against Mark Pryor - Huffington Post
- Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx Begins Senate Confirmation Hearing - WUNC
- Base water worse than many knew - Jacksonville Daily News
- Burr challenges CU grads - Roanoke Chowan News Herald
- Anthony Foxx Senate committee Sec. of Transportation DOT - WBTV 3 News ... - WBTV
- Gun Control Polls Reveal Frustration With Both Parties, High Ongoing Support ... - Huffington Post
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Personal
Richard and his wife, Brooke, have two sons.[25]
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Richard Burr," Accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "BURR, Richard M., (1955 - )"
- ↑ Richard Burr, U.S. Senator North Carolina "About Senator Burr - Biography"
- ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 22, 2013
- ↑ Richard Burr, U.S. Senator North Carolina "Issues & Legislation - Committee Assignments"
- ↑ Washington Post, "Romney nabs N.C. Sen. Richard Burr endorsement, gaining support of one-quarter of Senate GOP," December 29, 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 2, 2010"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Richard Burr" April 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Richard Burr 2010 Election Data," Accessed November 5, 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Richard Burr" Accessed April 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm "Richard Burr"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org "Richard Burr (R-NC), 2011," accessed February 21, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Burr, (R-NC), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," March 7, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ Richard Burr, U.S. Senator North Carolina "About Senator Burr - Biography"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Edwards |
United States Senate 2005–Present |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by Stephen L. Neal |
United States House of Representatives - District 5 1995–2005 |
Succeeded by Virginia Foxx |
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