Howard Coble

Howard Coble

Republican Party

Prior offices

United States Assistant Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina

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North Carolina Secretary of the Department of Revenue

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North Carolina House of Representatives

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U.S. House North Carolina District 6

Successor: Mark Walker

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Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $2,687,615

Education

Bachelor's

Guilford College

Graduate

Elon University

Law

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Ph.D

Elon University

Other

Appalachian State University

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Coast Guard

Years of service

1952 - 1956

Service / branch

U.S. Coast Guard Reserve

Years of service

1960 - 1982

Personal

Religion

Christian: Presbyterian

Profession

Attorney

John Howard Coble (b. March 18, 1931, in Greensboro, NC) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing North Carolina's 6th Congressional District. Coble was first elected to the House in 1984 for North Carolina's 6th Congressional District and served 15 consecutive terms.

Coble retired at the end of the 113th Congress, citing health concerns. He said, "But if I’m not physically capable of going full ahead I fear it would probably have a negative impact on the campaign. So I have dismissed that proposal and decided I will not seek re-election."

Prior to serving in the House, Coble served as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard, in the North Carolina House of Representatives and as U.S. Assistant Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.

Biography

Coble was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He attended Appalachian State University from 1949 to 1950 but earned his A.B. from Guilford College in 1958. He then earned his J.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Law, in 1962.

Career

Coble took a break from his undergraduate studies and served in the United States Coast Guard from 1952 to 1956, later returning to serve from 1977 to 1978. In the interim, Coble served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve from 1960 to 1982. He was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 1966 and became a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1969. He also served in the House from 1979 to 1983. He served as United States Assistant Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973 and as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Revenue from 1973 to 1977. He also worked as an attorney in private practice. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1984 and retired from Congress in January 2015.

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Coble served on the following committees:

• Committee on Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Chair
  • Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations
• United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

2011-2012

Coble served on the following committees:

• Judiciary Committee
  • Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law (Chairman)
• Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. For more information pertaining to Coble's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.

National security

NDAA

Coble voted for HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.

DHS Appropriations

Coble voted for HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 that was largely along party lines.

CISPA (2013)

Coble voted for HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities. The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.

Economy

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201. At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference. Coble voted in favor of the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Coble voted for HR 2775.

Federal Pay Adjustment Elimination

Coble voted for HR 273 - Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees. The bill passed the House on February 15, 2013, with a vote of 261 - 154. The bill called for stopping a 0.5 percent pay increase for all federal workers from taking effect. The raises were projected to cost $11 billion over 10 years.

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Coble voted for House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status. The vote largely followed party lines.

Healthcare

Healthcare Reform Rules

Coble voted for House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires that all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.

Social issues

Abortion

Coble voted for HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196 that largely followed party lines. The purpose of the bill was to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.

Government affairs

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit. Coble joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Howard 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 1 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.

Campaign themes

2014

Prior to announcing that he was not seeking re-election, Coble's campaign website listed the following issues:

• Abortion

Excerpt: "I oppose abortion on demand and have consistently voted to eliminate any federal funding for abortion. I also support prohibiting funding for clinics that do not provide abortions but support other clinics that do. In my view, life begins at conception and that issues such as abortion are best regulated by the states."

• Education

Excerpt: "My view on education has always been to keep it local. If the issue can be solved by the city, county or state then it should be. The last resort should to be to rely on the federal government to tell our N.C. families how to educate their children. Education is such an important and vital issue to our state and country. It makes us not only more successful, but a more competitive country."

• Energy

Excerpt: "Almost 50% of the crude oil we import is generated from the Western Hemisphere. In fact, our largest trading partners for oil and natural gas are Canada and Mexico. It is my strong belief that similar untapped opportunities exist within our borders, and we should utilize them to their maximum extent."

• Healthcare

Excerpt: "I believe that common-sense health care reform must be achieved, but a government takeover of our health care system is not the way. I opposed the health care law and continue to support a full repeal of this costly and fiscally responsible law. At an estimated cost of more than $1.1 trillion in its first 10 years, we cannot afford the price tag given our current economy."

• Congressional Pay and Pension Plan

Excerpt: "If you are familiar with my record, you will know that I have historically opposed pay increases and excessive benefits for members of Congress. I fight hard to ensure your tax dollars are spent wisely. As a fiscal conservative, I have repeatedly voted against pay raises for members of Congress. Since the 1989 reforms to ethics rules, the congressional pay rise has been automatic unless the House passes legislation prohibiting the increase."

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Howard Coble endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.

Elections

2014

See also: North Carolina's 6th Congressional District elections, 2014

Coble announced that he would be retiring at the end of the 113th Congress. He did not seek re-election in 2014. He cited health concerns as his reason for retiring, saying he had ongoing back problems and was still recovering from skin cancer.

2012

See also: North Carolina's 6th Congressional District elections, 2012

Coble won re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing North Carolina's 6th District. He defeated Billy Yow and William Flynn in the May 8, 2012, Republican primary. He then defeated Tony Foriest (D) in the general election.

The Washington Post listed the House of Representatives elections in North Carolina in 2012 as one of the 10 states that could have determined whether Democrats retook the House or Republicans held their majority in 2013. North Carolina was rated eighth on the list.

U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tony Foriest	39.1%	142,467
	Republican	Howard Coble Incumbent	60.9%	222,116
Total Votes				364,583
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Howard Coble Incumbent	57.3%	50,701
Billy Yow	20.4%	18,057
Bill Flynn	22.3%	19,741
Total Votes		88,499

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Howard Coble, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Sam Turner (D) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 75.2% 156,252      Democratic Sam Turner 24.8% 51,507 Total Votes 207,759 2008 On November 4, 2008, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Teresa Sue Bratton (D) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 67% 221,018      Democratic Teresa Sue Bratton 33% 108,873 Total Votes 329,891 2006 On November 7, 2006, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Rory Blake (D) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 70.8% 108,433      Democratic Rory Blake 29.2% 44,661 Total Votes 153,094 2004 On November 2, 2004, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated William Jordan (D) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 73.1% 207,470      Democratic William Jordan 26.9% 76,153 Total Votes 283,623 2002 On November 5, 2002, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Tara Grubb (L) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 90.4% 151,430      Libertarian Tara Grubb 9.6% 16,067 Total Votes 167,497 2000 On November 7, 2000, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jeffrey Bentley (L) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 91% 195,727      Libertarian Jeffrey Bentley 8.7% 18,726      N/A Write-in 0.3% 632 Total Votes 215,085 1998 On November 3, 1998, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jeffrey Bentley in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 1998 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 88.6% 112,740      Libertarian Jeffrey Bentley 11.4% 14,454 Total Votes 127,194 1996 On November 5, 1996, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Mark Costley and Gary Goodson in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 1996 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 73.4% 167,828      Democratic Mark Costley 25.4% 58,022      Libertarian Gary Goodson 1.2% 2,693 Total Votes 228,543 1994 Coble ran unopposed for re-election in 1994. 1992 On November 3, 1992, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Robin Hood (D) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 1992 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 70.8% 162,822      Democratic Robin Hood 29.2% 67,200 Total Votes 230,022 1990 On November 6, 1990, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Helen R. Allegrone (D) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 1990 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 66.7% 125,902      Democratic Helen R. Allegrone 33.3% 62,913 Total Votes 188,815 1988 On November 8, 1988, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Tom Gilmore (D) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 1988 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 62.5% 116,534      Democratic Rom Gilmore 37.5% 70,008 Total Votes 186,542 1986 On November 4, 1986, Howard Coble won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Robin Britt (D) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 1986 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble incumbent 50% 72,329      Democratic Robin Britt 50% 72,250 Total Votes 144,579 1984 On November 6, 1984, Howard Coble won election to the United States House. He defeated Robin Britt (D) and Maryl Lynn Farber (Socialist Workers) in the general election. U.S. House, North Carolina District 6 General Election, 1984 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Howard Coble 50.6% 102,925      Democratic Robin Britt 49.3% 100,263      Socialist Workers G Maryl Lynn Farber 0.1% 285 Total Votes 203,473

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Howard Coble campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2012	U.S. House (North Carolina, District 6)	Won	$531,611	N/A**
2010	U.S. House (North Carolina, District 6)	Won	$503,434	N/A**
2008	U.S. House (North Carolina, District 6)	Won	$569,684	N/A**
2006	U.S. House (North Carolina, District 6)	Won	$457,914	N/A**
2004	U.S. House (North Carolina, District 6)	Won	$419,933	N/A**
2002	U.S. House (North Carolina, District 6)	Won	$454,906	N/A**
2000	U.S. House (North Carolina, District 6)	Won	$566,281	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Coble's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,711,134 and $3,664,096. That averages to $2,687,615, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Coble ranked as the 120th most wealthy representative in 2012. Between 2004 and 2012, Coble's calculated net worth increased by an average of 11 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

Howard Coble Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2004	$1,435,783
2012	$2,687,615
Growth from 2004 to 2012:	87%
Average annual growth:	11%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Coble received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 1989-2014, 18.37 percent of Coble's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

Howard Coble Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$6,794,344
Total Spent	$6,560,882
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms	$343,203
TV/Movies/Music	$303,121
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products	$260,027
Tobacco	$173,380
Air Transport	$168,550
% total in top industry	5.05%
% total in top two industries	9.51%
% total in top five industries	18.37%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Coble was a moderate Republican follower as of August 2014. This was the same rating Coble received in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Coble most often voted with:

• Billy Long
• Jim Matheson

Coble least often voted with:

• Chris Gibson
• Barbara Lee

Lifetime voting record

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

According to the website GovTrack, Coble missed 679 of 18,215 roll call votes from January 1985 to August 2014. This amounts to 3.7 percent, which is worse than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of August 2014.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Coble paid his congressional staff a total of $990,111 in 2011. Overall, North Carolina ranked seventh in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.

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 in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Coble ranked 121st in the conservative rankings in 2013.

2012

Coble ranked 153rd in the conservative rankings in 2012.

2011

Coble ranked 166th in the conservative rankings in 2011.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Coble voted with the Republican Party 95.5 percent of the time, which ranked 55th among the 234 House Republican members as of August 2014.

2013

Coble voted with the Republican Party 94.6 percent of the time, which ranked 97th among the 234 House Republican members as of June 2013.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Coble is single.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Howard + Coble + North Carolina + House

Howard Coble News Feed

See also

• United States House of Representatives
• United States congressional delegations from North Carolina
• North Carolina's 6th Congressional District elections, 2014
• North Carolina's 6th Congressional District
• List of U.S. Congress incumbents who did not run for re-election in 2014

External links

 

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• Biographies:
  • U.S. Congress
• Political profiles:
  • GovTrack
  • CongressMerge
  • Project Vote Smart
• Financial (federal level):
  • FEC contributions
  • OpenSecrets.org
  • LegiStorm.com
• Interest group ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Public statements:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Voting record:
  • Project Vote Smart
  • Washington Post
• Media coverage:
  • Washington Post

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Robin Britt	U.S. House of Representatives - North Carolina District 6 1985–2015	Succeeded by Mark Walker
Preceded by '	North Carolina House of Representatives 1979-1983	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Revenue 1973-1977	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	United States Assistant Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina 1969-1973	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	North Carolina House of Representatives 1969	Succeeded by '

[show]

North Carolina's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ted Budd (R)

Thom Tillis (R)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Davis (D)

District 2

Deborah Ross (D)

District 3

Gregory Murphy (R)

District 4

Valerie Foushee (D)

District 5

Virginia Foxx (R)

District 6

Addison McDowell (R)

District 7

David Rouzer (R)

District 8

Mark Harris (R)

District 9

Richard Hudson (R)

District 10

Pat Harrigan (R)

District 11

Chuck Edwards (R)

District 12

Alma Adams (D)

District 13

Brad Knott (R)

District 14

Timothy Moore (R)

Republican Party (12)

Democratic Party (4)