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Vern Buchanan

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Vern Buchanan
Vern Buchanan.jpg
U.S. House, Florida, District 16
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2007-Present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position 6
PartyRepublican
PredecessorThomas J. Rooney (R)
Compensation
Base salary$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 6, 2012
First elected2006
Next electionNovember 4, 2014
Campaign $$16,785,853
Term limitsN/A
Education
Bachelor'sCleary University
Master'sUniversity of Detroit
Military service
Service/branchUnited States Air National Guard
Years of service1969-1975
Personal
BirthdayMay 8, 1951
Place of birthDetroit, Michigan
ProfessionAutomobile Dealer
Net worth$95,327,629
ReligionBaptist
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Contents

Vernon G. "Vern" Buchanan (b. May 8, 1951) is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Buchanan was elected by voters from Florida's 16th congressional district.

Due to redistricting, Buchanan ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Florida's 16th District. Buchanan sought re-election on the Republican ticket.[1] Keith Fitzgerald ran as a Democrat. Buchanan ran unopposed in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012.[2] He was re-elected on November 6, 2012.[3]

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Buchanan is a "rank-and-file Republican".[4]

Biography

Buchanan grew up in Michigan, in a family of six children. [5] When he graduated from high school in 1969, he joined the Michigan Air National Guard, serving there for six years. Buchanan got a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Cleary University, in Michigan, and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Detroit.[6]

Career

Buchanan has held a variety of investment ventures throughout his career. These range from car dealerships to insurance companies, to real estate development.

In June 2007, Buchanan, in his financial disclosure filing, reported having over $100 million in assets, making him among the five wealthiest members of Congress. Most of his wealth is from his automotive empire, which includes several dealerships in Florida. He also reported ownership interests in about fifty other businesses, including offshore reinsurance companies, and a charter-jet business. He reported receiving at least $19.5 million in income from these businesses in 2006.[7]

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Buchanan serves on the following committees:[8]

2011-2012

Issues

Controversies

Campaign finance allegations

On July 10, 2012 Buchanan was cleared by a U.S. House Ethics Committee on allegations that he made mistakes on his financial disclosure statements, where the Ethics Committee ruled that the alleged mistakes are common among many lawmakers.[9]

However, Buchanan faced more serious campaign finance allegations[10] as well as related investigations by the FBI and IRS.[11] On September 28, 2012, a friend of Buchanan, Timothy Mobley, pled guilty to illegally making campaign donations in the amount of $84,300 to Buchanan. Buchanan stated that he was unaware of any illegal contributions and that he would "disgorge" any funds received illegally.[12]

Campaign themes

2012

Buchanan's campaign website listed the following issues:[13]

  • Jobs & Economy
Excerpt: "As a businessman for 30 years, and past Chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, I know what it means to balance a budget, meet a payroll, and exercise the fiscal discipline necessary to keep a business moving forward."
  • Spending
Excerpt: "Washington’s irresponsible pattern of borrowing and spending has put our country on a road to bankruptcy. Unbelievably, America borrows $188 million every hour. This is simply unacceptable."
  • Small Business
Excerpt: "At a time of 10.3 percent unemployment in Florida, we should be doing all that we can to assist our most dynamic job creators. We can start by keeping taxes low and cutting the bureaucratic red tape and burdensome regulations that stifle job creation."

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "Yes" Buchanan 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 85 Republicans that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[14]

Elections

2012

See also: Florida's 16th congressional district elections, 2012

Due to redistricting, Buchanan ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Florida's 16th District. Buchanan was seeking re-election on the Republican ticket. Keith Fitzgerald ran as a Democrat. Primary elections were held on August 14, 2012. Buchanan ran unopposed in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012.[2] He was re-elected on November 6, 2012.[15]

U.S. House, Florida, District 16 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Keith Fitzgerald 46.4% 161,929
     Republican Green check mark.jpgVern Buchanan 53.6% 187,147
Total Votes 349,076
Source: Florida Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Full history


Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Buchanan is available dating back to 2006. Based on available campaign finance records, Buchanan raised a total of $16,785,853 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 4, 2013.[19]

Vern Buchanan's Campaign Contribution History
Year Office Result Contributions
2012 U.S. House (Florida, District 16) Won $2,209,719
2010 U.S. House (Florida, District 13) Won $2,078,743
2008 U.S. House (Florida, District 13) Won $4,374,205
2006 U.S. House (Florida, District 13) Won $8,123,186
Grand Total Raised $16,785,853

2012

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

Buchanan won re-election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Buchanan's campaign committee raised a total of $2,209,719 and spent $2,667,717.[20]

2010

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

Buchanan won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Buchanan's campaign committee raised a total of $2,078,743 and spent $973,705.[21]

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

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

According to the website GovTrack, Buchanan missed 100 of 5,226 roll call votes from Jan 2007 to Mar 2013. This amounts to 1.9%, which is better than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[22]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Buchanan paid his congressional staff a total of $937,104 in 2011. He ranks 144th on the list of the lowest paid Republican Representative Staff Salaries and he ranks 188th overall of the lowest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Florida ranks 36th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[23]

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, Buchanan's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between -$63,427,724 and $254,082,982. That averages to $95,327,629, which is higher than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2011 of $7,859,232. His average net worth decreased by 29.98% from 2010.[24]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Buchanan's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $-50,724,701 and $323,029,983. That averages to $136,152,641, which is higher than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[25]

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. Buchanan ranked 185th in the conservative rankings in 2012.[26]

2011

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Buchanan ranked 165th in the conservative rankings.[27]

Political Positions

Percentage voting with party

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Vern Buchanan voted with the Republican Party 95 of the time, which ranked 42 among the 242 House Republican members in November 2011.[28]

Personal

Buchanan lives in Longboat Key, Florida with his wife of more than 30 years, Sandra. They have two grown sons, James and Matt.[6]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Vern + Buchanan + Florida + House

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

Vern Buchanan News Feed


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

External links


References

  1. ↑ Bradenton Herald "Redistricting plan joins Manatee, Sarasota" Accessed February 14, 2012
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 AP Results "U.S. House Results" Accessed August 14, 2012
  3. ↑ ABC News "2012 General Election Results"
  4. ↑ Gov Track "Buchanan" Accessed May 25, 2012
  5. ↑ Herald-Tribune "Buchanan: Big deals led to big riches" Accessed October 18, 2011
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Congressman Vern Buchanan-Representing Florida's 13th District "About Congressman Buchanan" Accessed October 18, 2011
  7. ↑ Bradenton Herald, June 16, 2007 "One of richest reps in Congress: Vern Buchanan"
  8. ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress"
  9. ↑ Washington Post "Vern Buchanan cleared of some ethics allegations" Accessed July 10, 2012
  10. ↑ House Ethics Committee "Statement of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Representative Vernon G. Buchanan" Accessed July 11, 2012
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named hill
  12. ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Friend of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan pleads guilty to campaign violations," September 28, 2012
  13. ↑ Campaign website, Issues
  14. ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  15. ↑ ABC News "2012 General Election Results"
  16. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  17. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  18. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
  19. ↑ Open Secrets "Vern Buchanan" Accessed April 4, 2013
  20. ↑ Open Secrets "Vern Buchanan 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed February 13, 2013
  21. ↑ Open Secrets "Vern Buchanan 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed October 27, 2011
  22. ↑ GovTrack, "Vern Buchanan," Accessed March 29, 2013
  23. ↑ LegiStorm "Vern Buchanan"
  24. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Buchanan (R-Fla), 2011"
  25. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Buchanan, (R-Florida), 2010"
  26. ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 27, 2013
  27. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
  28. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
Political offices
Preceded by
Thomas J. Rooney (R) 		U.S. House of Representatives - Florida District 16
2013-present 		Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
Katherine Harris 		U.S. House of Representatives - Florida District 13
2007–2013 		Succeeded by
C.W. Bill Young (R)
v • d • e
Florida's current delegation to the United States Congress
SenatorsCongressLogo.png
Representatives
Alan Grayson (D) • Alcee L. Hastings (D) • Trey Radel (R) • Ron DeSantis (R) • Ander Crenshaw (R) • Bill Posey (R) • C.W. Bill Young (R) • Lois Frankel (D) • Ted Yoho (R) • Corrine Brown (D) • Daniel Webster (R) • Joe Garcia (D) • Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) • Dennis A. Ross (R) • Frederica S. Wilson (D) • Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) • Jeff Miller (R) • John L. Mica (R) • Kathy Castor (D) • Mario Diaz-Balart (R) • Richard B. Nugent (R) • Patrick Murphy (D) • Steve Southerland II (R) • Theodore E. Deutch (D) • Thomas J. Rooney (R) • Vern Buchanan (R)
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