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Ben Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Ben" Chandler III (b. September 12, 1959) is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. Chandler was first elected to the House in 2004 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Ernie Fletcher. Chandler was defeated in his bid for re-election in 2012 by challenger Andy Barr (R).[1]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Chandler was a "centrist Democratic follower."[2]
Biography
Chandler was born in 1959 in Versailles, KY, where he also attended high school. He earned both his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Kentucky.[3]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Chandler's political career:[3]
- 2004-2013: U.S. House of Representatives, Kentucky's 6th Congressional District
- 1995-2003: Kentucky Attorney General
- 1991-1995: Kentucky State Auditor
Prior to his political career, Chandler worked as an attorney in private practice.
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Chandler served on the following House committees:[4]
- Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
- Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia
Issues
Specific votes
Chandler supported the auto bailout.[5] As of September 13, 2010, 56 percent of Americans disapproved of the auto bailout, while 43 percent supported it.[6]
In addition, Chandler voted for the stimulus bill.[7] Fifty-seven percent of U.S. voters believed that the stimulus had either hurt the economy (36 percent) or had no impact (21 percent). Thirty-eight percent believed the stimulus helped the economy.[8]
Chandler also voted in favor of the "Cash for Clunkers" bill.[9] According to a June 2009 Rasmussen Reports poll, 54 percent of likely U.S. voters opposed Cash for Clunkers, while 35 percent supported it.[10]
Finally, Chandler supported the "Cap and Trade" bill.[11] Just after the bill’s passage, 42 percent of likely U.S. voters said that cap and trade would hurt the economy, while 19 percent believed that it would help. Another 15 percent said that the bill would have no impact.[12]
Fiscal Cliff
Chandler 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 who voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[13]
Elections
2012
Chandler was defeated by Republican Andy Barr.[14] Chandler ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Kentucky's 6th District. Chandler won the nomination on the Democratic ticket. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. He lost to Andy Barr (R) in the general election.
Candidates wishing to run were initially required to file by the signature filing deadline of January 31, 2012. However because the legislature was unable to complete new redistricting maps on time, the deadline was pushed back one week.[15] The new deadline was February 7.[16] The primary elections took place on May 22, 2012.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Andy Barr |
50.6% | 153,222 | |
| Democratic | Ben Chandler Incumbent | 46.7% | 141,438 | |
| Independent | Randolph Vance | 2.8% | 8,340 | |
| Total Votes | 303,000 | |||
| Source: Kentucky Board of Elections "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals" | ||||
Endorsements
Chandler obtained endorsements from the Herald-Leader[17] and the National Rifle Association.[18]
Media
In the video below, Chandler discusses on the Intelligence Community on the U.S. House floor.
Ben Chandler, "Rep. Chandler on Intelligence Community"[19] |
Campaign issues
- Arts and Humanities
Excerpt: "I strongly support the mission of public television and radio programs. As the power of private broadcasting corporations continues to grow, I believe that Congress must work to ensure that Americans have access to independent public media outlets free from political and corporate influence."[20]
- Economy Jobs and Small Business
Excerpt: "As the economy continues to slowly recover from the recession, Congress should make every effort to ensure that the federal government is not impeding the recovery in any way."[21]
- Education
Excerpt: "One of my top priorities is to enact legislation that will improve the No Child Left Behind Act. This law was enacted in 2001 to strengthen academic programs for elementary and secondary schools, yet federal funding shortages have left many school districts in Kentucky and throughout the United States struggling to meet the law's requirements."[22]
- Foreign Policy
Excerpt: "While we have substantially drawn down forces in Iraq, the security environment in Afghanistan requires enhanced steps. With the successful mission of our Navy SEALS in the killing of Osama bin Laden, I believe that we must reevaluate our mission in Afghanistan and work to bring our troops home."[23]
- Healthcare
Excerpt: "In 2010, when the House of Representatives considered the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act, I voted against the bill because I believed that the legislation did not fully address the needs of the people of the Sixth District of Kentucky."[24]
- Immigration
Excerpt: "Not only do I think we need to fix the dangerous loopholes in our immigration system, but I am also opposed to giving blanket amnesty to all undocumented immigrants inside our borders."[25]
Polls
| Public Opinion Strategies, June 24-26 2012[26] | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Ben Chandler | Andy Barr | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||||
| Kentucky's 6th Congressional District | 49% | 42% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Ben Chandler won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Garland "Andy" Barr, (R), C. Wes Collins (Write-In) and Randolph S. Vance (Write-In) in the general election.[27]
| U.S. House, Kentucky District 6 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ben Chandler incumbent |
50.1% | 119,812 | |
| Republican | Garland "Andy" Barr | 49.8% | 119,164 | |
| Write-in | C. Wes Collins | 0.1% | 225 | |
| Write-in | Randolph S. Vance | 0% | 22 | |
| Total Votes | 239,223 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Chandler paid his congressional staff a total of $1,107,599 in 2011. He ranked 144th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic representative staff salaries and ranked 58th overall of the highest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Kentucky ranked 10th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[28]
Net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Chandler's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $377,013 and $931,000. That averages to $654,006.50, which was lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[29]
National Journal vote ratings
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. Chandler ranked 181st in the liberal rankings in 2011.[30]
Voting with party
November 2011
Ben Chandler voted with the Democratic Party 72.7 percent of the time, which ranked 182 among the 192 House Democratic members as of November 2011.[31]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Ben + Chandler + Kentucky + House
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Chandler lives in Woodford County, Kentucky, with his wife, Jennifer. The couple has three children.[32]
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Financial (state level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ Lexington Herald-Leader, "Andy Barr ousts Ben Chandler in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District," November 6, 2012
- ↑ GovTrack, "Ben Chandler" accessed April 16, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress, "Ben Chandler" accessed November 15, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "House of Representatives Committee Assignments" accessed November 15, 2011
- ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 690" December 10, 2008
- ↑ Gallup, "Among Recent Bills, Financial Reform a Lone Plus for Congress," September 13, 2010
- ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 46," January 28, 2009
- ↑ Rasmussen, "38% Say Stimulus Plan Helped Economy, 36% Say It Hurt," August 24, 2010
- ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 314," June 9, 2009
- ↑ Rasmussen, "54% Oppose “Cash for Clunkers” Plan To Spur Purchase of Greener Cars," June 23, 2009
- ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 477," June 26, 2009
- ↑ Rasmussen, "42% Say Climate Change Bill Will Hurt The Economy," June 30, 2009
- ↑ U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Kentucky"
- ↑ Courier Press, "Judge to rule by Tuesday on Kentucky legislative filing deadline," January 30, 2012
- ↑ Kentucky.com, "Lawmakers move to postpone congressional deadline," January 27, 2012
- ↑ Ben Chandler for Congress, "Herald-Leader Endorses Ben Chandler" accessed April 13, 2012
- ↑ Ben Chandler for Congress, "NRA Endorses Ben Chandler" accessed April 13, 2012
- ↑ YouTube channel
- ↑ Ben Chandler, "Issues," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ Ben Chandler, "Issues," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ Ben Chandler, "Issues," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ Ben Chandler, "Issues," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ Ben Chandler, "Issues," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ Ben Chandler, "Issues," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ My Channel 2 "Barr down by five points to Chandler in new internal poll" accessed July 11, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Ben Chandler"
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Chandler, (D-Kentucky), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
- ↑ Official House Site, "Biography," accessed November 15, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ernie Fletcher |
U.S. House of Representatives - Kentucky, District 6 2004–2013 |
Succeeded by Andy Barr (R) |
| Preceded by ' |
Kentucky Attorney General 1995-2003 |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' |
Kentucky State Auditor 1991-1995 |
Succeeded by ' |
