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Roger Wicker
| Roger Wicker | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, Mississippi | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| December 31, 2007-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2019 | ||
| Years in position | 6 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | Trent Lott (R) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 4, 2008 | |
| Next election | November 2018 | |
| Campaign $ | $18,871,246 | |
| Appointed | December 31, 2007 | |
| Appointed by | Governor Haley Barbour | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| 1995-2007 | ||
| Mississippi State Senate | ||
| 1988-1994 | ||
| Education | ||
| High school | Ponotoc High School, Ponotoc, MS | |
| Bachelor's | University of Mississippi | |
| J.D. | University of Mississippi Law School | |
| Military service | ||
| Service/branch | United States Air Force Reserve | |
| Years of service | 1976-2003 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | July 5, 1951 | |
| Place of birth | Ponotoc, MS | |
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Net worth | $299,508 | |
| Religion | Southern Baptist | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Wicker is a "far-right Republican".[1]
Wicker won re-election in 2012. He defeated E. Allen Hathcock and Robert Maloney in the March 13 Republican primary.[2]
Biography
Wicker was born in 1951 in Ponotoc, MS, where he also attended high school. He earned his B.A. from the University of Mississippi in 1973 and his J.D. from the same institution in 1975. Prior to his political career, Wicker worked as an attorney.[3]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Wicker's professional and political career[3]:
- Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, 1976-1980
- United States Air Force Reserve, 1980-2003
- Staff for United States Representative Trent Lott of Mississippi, House Committee on Rules, 1980-1982
- Public Defender, Lee County, MS, 1984-1987
- Mississippi State Senate, 1988-1994
- U.S. House of Representatives, 1995-2007
- U.S. Senate, 2007-Present Appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Sen. Trent Lott
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2013-2014
Wicker serves on the following Senate committees[4]:
- Armed Services Committee
- Subcommittee on SeaPower
- Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Subcommittee on Airland
- Budget
- Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee
- Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
- Subcommittee on Science and Space
- Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
- Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
- Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
- Environment and Public Works
- Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health
- Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy
- Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
- Joint Economic Committee
2011-2012
Wicker served on the following Senate committees[5]:
- Armed Services Committee
- Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee
- Veterans' Affairs Committee
Issues
Earmarks
A Washington Post investigation in February 2012 revealed that 33 members of Congress helped direct more than $300 million in earmarks to public projects in close proximity to commercial and residential real estate owned by the lawmakers or their family members.[6] According to the report, Wicker helped secure $1.5 million to study the relocation of railroad tracks at an intersection in downtown Tupelo, Miss. Wicker's home is less than a half-mile northwest of the intersection.[7]
Fiscal Cliff
Wicker 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.[8]
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.[9][10][11]
According to the website Breitbart, Wicker was one of 30 Republican senators who did not support the filibuster.[12][13]
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."[14]
Elections
2012
Wicker won the election.[15] Wicker was seeking re-election in 2012. He defeated E. Allen Hathcock and Robert Maloney in the March 13, 2012 primary. He faces Albert N. Gore, Thomas Cramer, and Shawn O'Hara in the November 6 general election.[16][17]
| U.S. Senate-Mississippi Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Roger Wicker Incumbent |
89.2% | 254,669 |
| E. Allen Hathcock | 4.2% | 12,094 |
| Robert Maloney | 6.6% | 18,822 |
| Total Votes | 285,585 | |
2008
On November 4, 2008, Wicker won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Ronnie Musgrove (I) in the general election.[18]
| U.S. Senate General Election, Mississippi, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Roger Wicker Incumbent |
55% | 683,409 | |
| Independent | Ronnie Musgrove | 45% | 560,064 | |
| Total Votes | 1,243,473 | |||
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Wicker is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, Wicker raised a total of $18,871,246 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 24, 2013.[19]
| Roger Wicker's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | U.S. Senate (Mississippi) |  |
$10,415,146 | |
| 2008 | U.S. Senate (Mississippi) | |
$5,969,342 | |
| 2006 | U.S. House of Representatives (Mississippi District 1) | |
$845,748 | |
| 2004 | U.S. House of Representatives (Mississippi District 1) | |
$547,547 | |
| 2002 | U.S. House of Representatives (Mississippi District 1) | |
$434,991 | |
| 2000 | U.S. House of Representatives (Mississippi District 1) | |
$658,472 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $18,871,246 | |||
2012
Wicker won election to the U.S. Senate in 2012. During that election cycle, Wicker's campaign committee raised a total of $10,415,146 and spent $8,646,288 .[20]
| United States Senate, 2012 - Roger Wicker Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $10,415,146 |
| Total Spent | $8,646,288 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | |
| Top contributors to Roger Wicker's campaign committee | |
| Telapex Inc | $75,950 |
| BGR Group | $46,200 |
| BancorpSouth | $38,300 |
| WPP Group | $37,950 |
| Chevron Corp | $36,300 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $569,538 |
| Oil & Gas | $446,516 |
| Leadership PACs | $444,000 |
| Health Professionals | $405,433 |
| Lobbyists | $389,314 |
2008
Wicker won election to the U.S. Senate in 2008. During that election cycle, Wicker's campaign committee raised a total of $5,969,342 and spent $6,443,122.[21]
| U.S. Senate, Mississippi, 2008 - Roger Wicker Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $5,969,342 |
| Total Spent | $6,443,122 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $2,686,206 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $2,684,215 |
| Top contributors to Roger Wicker's campaign committee | |
| State of Mississippi | $20,617 |
| Bgr Holding | $19,150 |
| Bancorpsouth | $17,600 |
| European Aeronautic Defence & Space | $16,300 |
| Telepex Inc | $16,100 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $309,698 |
| Health Professionals | $250,000 |
| Retired | $205,605 |
| Real Estate | $198,811 |
| Oil & Gas | $183,400 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Wicker missed 35 of 1,493 roll call votes from Jan 2008 to Apr 2013, which is 2.3% of votes during that period. This is worse than the median of 1.7% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving. [22]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Wicker paid his congressional staff a total of $2,745,264 in 2011. He ranked 6th on the list of the lowest paid Republican Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranked 27th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Mississippi ranked 19th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[23]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Wicker's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between -$421,981 and $1,020,998. That averages to $299,508, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2011 of $6,358,668. His average net worth increased by 125% from 2010.[24]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Wicker's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $-670,980 and $936,997. That averages to $133,008.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[25]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: 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, Wicker was ranked the 34th most conservative senator during 2012.[26]
2011
According to the data released in 2012, Roger Wicker was ranked the 34th most conservative senator during 2011.[27]
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, Roger Wicker voted with the Republican Party 90.5% of the time, which ranked 23 among the 47 Senate Republican members in November 2011.[28]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Roger + Wicker + Mississippi + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Roger Wicker News Feed
- Stabenow, Cochran brace for full Senate vote on Farm Bill - Mississippi Business Journal (blog)
- Sen. Wicker: I Fear for my Son's Safety in Wake of Benghazi - Newsmax.com
- Roger Wicker: Cold water hits tax reform - Politico
- Begich, Wicker, Schatz Introduce Bipartisan NOAA Corps Amendments Act - Alaska Native News
- Senator Wicker: Water Resources Bill is Win for Mississippi (USA) - Dredging Today
- Gulf Coast group honors state's surviving World War II veterans - Mississippi Business Journal (blog)
- Mississippi man arrested in connection with sending ricin-laced letters to ... - NOLA.com
- 7th term up in the air for Cochran as list of possible replacements grows - SunHerald.com
- FBI Arrests Washington State Man In Ricin Letters Case - NPR (blog)
- Ricin suspect tried to elude police before arrest - KRNV My News 4
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Personal
Wicker is married to the former Gayle Long of Tupelo. They have three children: Margaret and son-in-law Manning McPhillips; Caroline and son-in-law Kirk Sims; and McDaniel Wicker; and two grandchildren: Caroline and Henry McPhillips.[29]
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 "Roger Wicker," Accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ Sun Herald "Fields fill up for Mississippi congressional races" Accessed February 18, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress "Roger F. Wicker," Accessed November 5, 2011
- ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 22, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Senate Official Website "Committee Assignments," Accessed November 5, 2011
- ↑ Washington Post "Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers' properties," February 6, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post "Mapping the earmarks," February 6, 2012
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map, Mississippi"
- ↑ Daily Journal "Wicker, Nunnelee sign up for re-election campaigns" Accessed January 13, 2012
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State "2012 Primary Results"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Donor history for Roger Wicker" April 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets " 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed March 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Roger Wicker 2008 Election Cycle," Accessed November 5, 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Roger Wicker" Accessed April 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm "Roger Wicker"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Roger Wicker (R-Miss), 2011"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Wicker, (R-Mississippi), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 26, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ Official Site "About Roger," Accessed November 5, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Trent Lott |
U.S. Senate - Mississippi 2007-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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