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Tim Walz

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Tim Walz
Tim Walz.jpg
U.S. House, Minnesota, District 1
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2007-Present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position 6
PartyDemocratic
PredecessorGil Gutknecht (R)
Compensation
Base salary$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 6, 2012
First electedNovember 7, 2006
Next electionNovember 4, 2014
Campaign $$8,168,451
Term limitsN/A
Education
High schoolButte High School, Butte, NE
Bachelor'sChadron State College, Chadron, NE
Master'sMinnesota State University
Military service
Service/branchMinnesota National Guard
Years of service1996-2005
Service branchNebraska National Guard
Years of service1981-1996
Personal
BirthdayApril 6, 1964
Place of birthWest Point, NE
ProfessionTeacher
Net worth$52,002
ReligionRoman Catholic
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Contents

Timothy James "Tim" Walz (b. April 6, 1964) is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Minnesota's 1st congressional district. Walz was first elected to the House in 2006. He won re-election on November 6, 2012.[1]

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Walz is a "centrist Democrat".[2]

Biography

Walz was born in 1964 in West Point, NE. After graduating from public high school in Butte, NE, Walz went on to earn his B.S at Chadron State College and his M.S. at Minnesota State University in 1989 and 2001, respectively, having also attended Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Prior to his political career, Walz worked as a school teacher. He also served in the Army National Guard, and is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.[3]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Walz's professional and political career[3]:

  • Nebraska Army National Guard, 1981-1996
  • Minnesota National Guard, 1996-2005
  • U.S. House of Representatives, 1st Congressional District of Minnesota, 2007-Present

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Walz serves on the following committees:[4]

2011-2012

Walz served on the following House committees[5]:

Issues

Specific votes

Rep. Walz voted for the stimulus bill.[6] 57% of U.S. voters believe that the stimulus has either hurt the economy (36%) or had no impact (21%). 38% believe the stimulus helped the economy. [7]

Walz also voted in favor of the "Cash for Clunkers" bill.[8] According to a June 2009 Rasmussen Reports poll, 54% of likely U.S. voters opposed Cash for Clunkers, while 35% supported it.[9]

Walz supported the "Cap and Trade" bill.[10] Just after the bill’s passage, 42% of likely U.S. voters said that cap and trade would hurt the economy, while 19% believed it would help. 15% said that the bill would have no impact.[11]

Finally, Walz voted in favor of the health care reform bill.[12] 57% of likely voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care reform bill, including 46% who strongly favor repeal. 35% of likely voters oppose repeal. 51% of likely voters believe the health care reform bill will be bad for the country, while 36% believe it will be beneficial.[13]

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "Yes" Walz 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.[14]

Campaign themes

2012

  • Tackling the Debt

Excerpt: "Tim believes we need to confront the national debt in a responsible way that does not harm the economy. By taking a balanced approach that includes cutting wasteful programs, finding more efficiency, closing tax loopholes and bringing more fairness to our tax system, we can responsibly and collectively solve our debt problem."[15]

  • The Walz Bipartisan Energy Plan

Excerpt: "The plan increases offshore oil drilling in the short term in a responsible way, and invests the royalty payments made by oil companies for the new offshore drilling to fund renewable energy research, infrastructure renewal, conservation, and environmental restoration – all without raising taxes."[16]

  • Revitalizing Our Economy to Work for Middle Class Families

Excerpt: "Tim has fully supported the growth and protection of the backbone of our economy: the middle class. It’s imperative we grow our economy and allow small-businesses the ability to create and expand jobs. This, along with putting money directly in middle class family’s pockets who will spend it at their grocery stores or use it to fix their homes, will help us tackle our long-term debt."[17]

  • Walz Jobs Plan

Excerpt: "There are three critical components to Walz’s jobs plan: Tax credits, tax cuts, access to capital, and incentives for hiring; Investments in infrastructure; Stabilizing energy costs, investing in rural America’s next big industry."[18]

Elections

2012

See also: Minnesota's 1st congressional district elections, 2012

Walz won re-election in 2012.[19][20] He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Allen Quist defeated State Sen. Mike Parry in the August 14, 2012 Republican primary and Republican Allen Quist in the November general election.[21]


Time Walz, "Goals"[22]

U.S. House, Minnesota, District 1, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark.jpgTim Walz Incumbent 57.5% 193,211
     Republican Allen Quist 42.3% 142,164
     NA Write-in 0.2% 505
Total Votes 335,880
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Endorsements

Walz was endorsed by the individuals and organizations below for the 2012 election.[23]

  • General Wes Clark
  • Vice President Walter F. Mondale
  • Governor Mark Dayton
  • Senator Max Cleland (GA)
  • Senator John Kerry (MA)
  • Senator Bob Kerrey (NE)
  • AFL-CIO MN Committee on Political Education
  • American Federation of Teachers
  • DFL Veterans Caucus
  • Education Minnesota
  • Human Rights Campaign
  • Joint Council 32-Teamsters
  • National Education Association
  • International Association of Fire Fighters
  • Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association
  • National Association of Social Workers
  • National Rifle Association
  • VFW Political Action Committee
  • Sierra Club
  • League of Conservation Voters
  • National Farmers Union
  • The National Treasury Employees Union

Full history


Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Walz is available dating back to 2006. Based on available campaign finance records, Walz raised a total of $8,168,451 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 16, 2013.[27]

Tim Walz's Campaign Contribution History
Year Office Result Contributions
2012 U.S. House (Minnesota, District 1) Won $1,975,606
2010 U.S. House (Minnesota, District 1) Won $2,163,759
2008 U.S. House (Minnesota, District 1) Won $2,729,819
2006 U.S. House (Minnesota, District 1) Won $1,299,267
Grand Total Raised $8,168,451

2012

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

Walz won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012. During that election cycle, Walz' campaign committee raised a total of $1,975,606 and spent $1,930,831.[28]

2010

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

Walz won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that election cycle, Walz's campaign committee raised a total of $2,163,759 and spent $2,175,826.[29]

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

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

According to the website GovTrack, Walz missed 45 of 5,229 roll call votes from Jan 2007 to Apr 2013, which is 0.9% of votes during that period. This is better than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving.[30]

Congressional Staff Salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Walz paid his congressional staff a total of $973,195 in 2011. He ranked 60th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic Representative Staff Salaries and he ranked 232nd overall of the highest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Minnesota ranked 26th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[31]

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, Walz' net worth as of 2011 was estimated between -$265,991 and $369,996. This averages to $52,002, which is a -0.7899% increase since 2010. This is lower than the $7,859,232.16 average net worth for Democratic representatives in 2011.[32]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Walz's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $-102,992 and $597,996. That averages to $247,502, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[33]

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, Walz was ranked the 150th most liberal representative during 2012.[34]

2011

According to the data released in 2012, Tim Walz was ranked the 161st most liberal representative during 2011.[35]

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, Tim Walz voted with the Democratic Party 89.1% of the time, which ranked 154 among the 192 House Democratic members in November 2011.[36]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Tim + Walz + Minnesota + Legislature

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

Tim Walz News Feed


Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found


Personal

Walz and his wife, Gwen (nee Whipple) live in Mankato, MN, with their two children.[37]

External links


References

  1. ↑ ABC News, "General Election Results 2012-Minnesota," November 7, 2012
  2. ↑ Gov Track "Walz" Accessed May 25, 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress "Tim Walz" Accessed December 3, 2011
  4. ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress"
  5. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "House of Representatives Committee Assignments" Accessed December 3, 2011
  6. ↑ US House Clerk "Roll Call 46," January 28, 2009
  7. ↑ Rasmussen "38% Say Stimulus Plan Helped Economy, 36% Say It Hurt," August 24, 2010
  8. ↑ US House Clerk "Roll Call 314," June 9, 2009
  9. ↑ Rasmussen "54% Oppose “Cash for Clunkers” Plan To Spur Purchase of Greener Cars," June 23, 2009
  10. ↑ US House Clerk "Roll Call 477," June 26, 2009
  11. ↑ Rasmussen "42% Say Climate Change Bill Will Hurt The Economy," June 30, 2009
  12. ↑ US House Clerk "Roll Call 165," March 21, 2010
  13. ↑ Rasmussen "61% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law," September 20, 2010
  14. ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  15. ↑ Time Walz "Debt," October 9, 2012
  16. ↑ Time Walz "Energy," October 9, 2012
  17. ↑ Tim Walz "Debt," October 9, 2012
  18. ↑ Time Walz "Jobs Plan," October 9, 2012
  19. ↑ ABC News, "General Election Results 2012-Minnesota," November 7, 2012
  20. ↑ CBS Minnesota "Walz Raises $210,000 For Re-Election Fight" Accessed February 7, 2012
  21. ↑ ABC News, "General Election Results 2012-Minnesota," November 7, 2012
  22. ↑ YouTube channel
  23. ↑ Time Walz "Endorsements," October 9, 2012
  24. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  25. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  26. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
  27. ↑ Open Secrets "Tim Walz" Accessed May 16, 2013
  28. ↑ Open Secrets "2012 Re-Election Cycle," Accessed February 16, 2013
  29. ↑ Open Secrets "Tim Walz 2010 Re-Election Cycle," Accessed December 3, 2011
  30. ↑ GovTrack, "Tim Walz" Accessed April 2013
  31. ↑ LegiStorm "Tim Walz"
  32. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Walz, (D-Minnesota), 2011"
  33. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Walz, (D-Minnesota), 2010"
  34. ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 26, 2013
  35. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
  36. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
  37. ↑ Official House Site "About Tim," Accessed December 3, 2011
Political offices
Preceded by
Gil Gutknecht 		U.S. House of Representatives - Minneosta District 1
2007–present 		Succeeded by
-
v • d • e
Minnesota's current delegation to the United States Congress
SenatorsCongressLogo.png
Representatives
Betty McCollum (D) • Rick Nolan (D) • Collin Peterson (D) • Erik Paulsen (R) • John Kline (R) • Keith Ellison (D) • Michele Bachmann (R) • Tim Walz (D)
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