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Rick Larsen

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Rick Larsen
Rick Larsen.jpg
U.S. House, Washington, District 2
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2001-present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position 12
PartyDemocratic
PredecessorJack Metcalf (R)
Compensation
Base salary$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 6, 2012
First electedNovember 7, 2000
Next electionNovember 4, 2014
Campaign $$11,068,043
Term limitsN/A
Prior offices
County council member, Snohomish, WA
1998-2000
Education
Bachelor'sPacific Lutheran University
Master'sUniversity of Minnesota
Personal
BirthdayJune 15, 1965
Place of birthArlington, WA
Net worth$255,007
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Contents

Richard Ray "Rick" Larsen (b. June 15, 1965) is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Washington. Larsen represents the 2nd congressional district of Washington and was first elected to the House in 2000. He won re-election in 2012.[1]

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Larsen is a "rank-and-file Democrat".[2]

Biography

After earning his master's degree in public affairs, Larsen worked as director of public affairs for the Washington State Dental Association and then as an economic development official with the Port of Everett. He went on to serve on the Snohomish County Council before seeking election to the U.S. House.

Career

  • 2001-present: U.S. House of Representatives
  • 1998-2000: County council, Snohomish, WA
  • 1990-1991: Economic development official, Port of Everett
  • 1991-1998: Washington State Dental Association

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Larsen serves on the following committees:[3]

2011-12

Larsen was a member of the following House committees[4]

Issues

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "Yes" Larsen 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. He was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[5]

Elections

2012

See also: Washington's 2nd congressional district elections, 2012

Larsen won re-election in 2012.[1][6] Larsen and Dan Matthews advanced past the blanket primary and faced off in the general election on November 6, 2012.[7]

In the 2nd district, Republican Dan Matthews was seen by some as presenting a serious threat to Larsen.[8] An analyst, however, said, "There is no way a candidate like Larsen is going to lose in 2012."[9]

Larsen led Matthews in fundraising by a fair margin, with Larsen having over $1 million and Matthews with $220,000. No other candidate raised a significant amount.[9]

U.S. House, Washington, District 2 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark.jpgRick Larsen Incumbent 61.1% 184,826
     Republican Dan Matthews 38.9% 117,465
Total Votes 302,291
Source: Washington Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Full history


Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Larsen is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, Larsen raised a total of $11,068,043 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 4, 2013.[16]

Rick Larsen's Campaign Contribution History
Year Office Result Contributions
2012 US House (Washington, District 2) Won $1,356,320
2010 US House (Washington, District 2) Won $2,028,596
2008 US House (Washington, District 2) Won $1,336,438
2006 US House (Washington, District 2) Won $1,456,945
2004 US House (Washington, District 2) Won $1,567,289
2002 US House (Washington, District 2) Won $1,788,063
2000 US House (Washington, District 2) Won $1,534,392
Grand Total Raised $11,068,043

2012

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

Larsen won re-election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that re-election cycle, Larsen's campaign committee raised a total of $1,356,321 and spent $$1,225,993.[17]

2010

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

Larsen won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Larsen's campaign committee raised a total of $2,028,596 and spent $2,080,326.[18]

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

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

According to the website GovTrack, Larsen missed 164 of 8,664 roll call votes from January 2001 to April 2013. This amounts to 1.1%, which is better than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of April 2013.[19]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Larsen paid his congressional staff a total of $886,472 in 2011. Overall, Washington ranks 18th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[20]

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, Larsen's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $116,015 and $394,000. That averages to $255,007, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2011 of $5,107,874. His average net worth decreased by 34.70% from 2010.[21]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Larsen's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $155,023 to $626,000. That averages to $390,511.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[22]

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. Larsen was 1 of 3 members who ranked 143rd in the liberal rankings in 2012.[23]

2011

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Larsen ranked 154th in the liberal rankings.[24]

Political positions

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, Larsen voted with the Democratic Party 91.1% of the time, which ranked 136 among the 192 House Democratic members in November 2011.[25]

Personal

Larsen and his wife, Tiia, have two sons.[26]

External links


References

  1. 1.0 1.1 CNN "Washington Districts Race - 2012 Election Center"
  2. Gov Track "Larsen" Accessed May 24, 2012
  3. CQ.com, House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress
  4. Official House website "Committees," Accessed November 11, 2011
  5. U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  6. Bellingham Herald "2012 election field takes shape," June 13, 2011
  7. AP Primary Results
  8. Seattle Times "Republican Matthews can give incumbent Democrat Larsen a challenge in 2nd Congressional District," July 17, 2012
  9. 9.0 9.1 MSNBC "Larsen faces 5 challengers in 2nd District race," July 20, 2012
  10. U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  11. U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  12. U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
  13. U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004"
  14. U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002"
  15. U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000"
  16. Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Rick Larsen," Accessed April 4, 2013
  17. Open Secrets "Larsen 2012 Campaign Contributions," Accessed February 23, 2013
  18. Open Secrets "Rick Larsen 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 11, 2011
  19. GovTrack, "Rick Larsen," Accessed April 11, 2013
  20. LegiStorm "Rick Larsen," Accessed September 7, 2012
  21. OpenSecrets.org, "Larsen (D-WA), 2011"
  22. OpenSecrets.org, "Rick Larsen (D-Wash), 2010"
  23. National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 28, 2013
  24. National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
  25. Open Congress "Voting With Party"
  26. Official House website "Biography," Accessed November 11, 2011
Political offices
Preceded by
Jack Metcalf
U.S. House of Representatives - Washington, 2nd District
2001-Present
Succeeded by
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