Jo Bonner
2019 - Present
2023
2
Josiah Robins "Jo" Bonner, Jr. is a Republican political advisor in the state of Alabama. As of April 2021, Bonner was the chief of staff for the gubernatorial administration of Kay Ivey (R).[1]
He is a former Republican member of the U.S. House representing Alabama's 1st Congressional District from 2003 to 2013.
Bonner announced his resignation on May 23, 2013, effective August 2, 2013.[2] He left Congress to take a position as vice chancellor of government and economic development at the University of Alabama.[3]
Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Bonner was an average Republican member of Congress, meaning he voted with the Republican Party on the majority of bills.
Biography
Bonner was born in Selma, Alabama. He earned his B.A. from the University of Alabama in 1982 and attended the University of Alabama Law School but did not earn a degree.[4]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Bonner's academic, professional, and political career:[5]
- 2003-2013: U.S. House of Representatives, Alabama's 1st Congressional District
- 1985-2002: Staff, United States Representative Sonny Callahan of Alabama
Kay Ivey chief of staff
On January 15, 2019, Governor Kay Ivey announced that Bonner would work as her chief of staff.[1]
Chief of staff
- See also: Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
In 2019, Ballotpedia identified Jo Bonner as a gubernatorial chief of staff. A chief of staff is the lead staff member of an administration and is responsible for implementing the governor's agenda.
The role is both a managerial and advisory position, although specific duties vary by each administration. The chief of staff typically has the following responsibilities, according to the National Governors Association (NGA):[6]
- Control access to the governor and manage the governor's calendar;
- Monitor the flow of information to the governor on policy issues;
- Oversee gubernatorial Cabinet and staff; and
- Manage and communicate the governor's policy agenda to the state legislature and the public.
In terms of policymaking, the NGA notes that a chief of staff is responsible for bringing policy and communications together: "The chief is responsible for overseeing the development of the governor’s policy agenda. The policy director or advisor is typically responsible for shaping the general concepts and specific details of the agenda with input from the communications director, policy staff, and cabinet members. The chief often must take charge and bring the pieces together coherently."[6]
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Bonner served on the following committees:[7]
- Appropriations Committee
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Defense
- Subcommittee on Financial Services
2011-2012
Bonner served on the following committees:[8]
- Appropriations Committee
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Defense
- Subcommittee on Financial Services
- Ethics Committee, Chairman
Campaign themes
2012
Bonner's campaign website listed the following issues:[9]
- Jobs Create Opportunity for All
- Excerpt: "Lower taxes and less government intrusion will create job growth"
- Preserve Individual Freedom & Personal Responsibility
- Excerpt: "Fight to repeal ObamaCare"
- Defend Our Nation
- Excerpt: "Protect our National interests abroad"
- Cut Government Spending
- Excerpt: "Cut spending—get the exploding deficit under control"
Political positions
Heritage Action for America, a conservative policy advocacy organization, reported that 55 percent of Bonner's votes aligned with Heritage's preferred policy stances.[10]
Bonner received a 0 percent on the legislative scorecards for NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Human Rights Campaign, and the American Civil Liberties Union.[11]
Elections
2012
Bonner won re-election to the 1st Congressional District in 2012. He defeated Peter Gounares, Pete Riehm, and Dean Young in the March 13, 2012, Republican primary election and was unopposed in the November 6 general election.[12]
| U.S. House, Alabama District 1 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jo Bonner Incumbent |
97.9% | 196,374 | |
| N/A | Write-In | 2.1% | 4,302 | |
| Total Votes | 200,676 | |||
| Source: Alabama Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
| U.S. House, Alabama District 1 Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Jo Bonner Incumbent |
55.6% | 48,481 |
| Dean Young | 24.3% | 21,216 |
| Pete Riehm | 15.7% | 13,744 |
| Peter Gounares | 4.4% | 3,828 |
| Total Votes | 87,269 | |
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for Jo Bonner, click [show] to expand the section. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2010 On November 2, 2010, Jo Bonner won re-election to the United States House. He defeated David Walter (Constitution) in the general election.[13]
2008 On November 4, 2008, Jo Bonner won re-election to the United States House. He ran unopposed in the general election.[14]
2006 On November 7, 2006, Jo Bonner won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Vivian Sheffield Beckerle (D) in the general election.[15]
2004 On November 2, 2004, Jo Bonner won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Judy Belk (D) in the general election.[16]
2002 On November 5, 2002, Jo Bonner won election to the United States House. He defeated Judy McCain (D) and Dick Coffee (L) in the general election.[17]
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Campaign donors
The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent 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, and 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.
| Jo Bonner campaign contribution history | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | U.S. House (Alabama, District 1) |  |
$1,140,566 | |
| 2010 | U.S. House (Alabama, District 1) | |
$913,053 | |
| 2008 | U.S. House (Alabama, District 1) | |
$842,270 | |
| 2006 | U.S. House (Alabama, District 1) | |
$1,060,001 | |
| 2004 | U.S. House (Alabama, District 1) | |
$1,180,892 | |
| 2002 | U.S. House (Alabama, District 1) | |
$1,626,096 | |
| Grand total raised | $6,762,878 | |||
| Source: [[18] Follow the Money] | ||||
2014
Candidates for Congress were required to file reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Bonner's reports.[19]
| Jo Bonner (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[20] | April 10, 2013 | $157,209.22 | $77,281.86 | $(86,321.86) | $148,169.22 | ||||
| July Quarterly[21] | July 8, 2013 | $148,169.22 | $8,400 | $(47,041.64) | $109,527.58 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $85,681.86 | $(133,363.5) | ||||||||
2012
Bonner won re-election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Bonner's campaign committee raised a total of $1,140,567 and spent $1,263,168.[22] This is less than the average $1.5 million spent by House winners in 2012.[23]
Cost per vote
Bonner spent $6.43 per vote received in 2012.
| U.S. House, Alabama District 1, 2012 - Jo Bonner Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,140,567 |
| Total Spent | $1,263,168 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $18,015 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $15,646 |
| Top contributors to Jo Bonner's campaign committee | |
| Northrop Grumman | $20,000 |
| University of South Alabama | $14,800 |
| European Aeronautic Defence & Space | $11,000 |
| Blue Cross/Blue Shield | $10,750 |
| Balch & Bingham | $10,500 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Real Estate | $68,750 |
| Health Professionals | $68,375 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $59,200 |
| Leadership PACs | $52,000 |
| Retired | $50,050 |
2010
Bonner won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that election cycle, Bonner's campaign committee raised a total of $913,053 and spent $1,101,701.[24]
His top five contributors between 2009-2010 were:
| U.S. House, Alabama District 1, 2010 - Jo Bonner Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $913,053 |
| Total Spent | $1,101,701 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $21,321 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $20,045 |
| Top contributors to Jo Bonner's campaign committee | |
| HK Motors | $21,600 |
| Education Management LLC | $17,133 |
| Southern Co | $12,500 |
| European Aeronautic Defence & Space | $12,000 |
| AT&T Inc | $10,500 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Health Professionals | $60,500 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $49,400 |
| Retired | $39,900 |
| Real EAlabama | $37,100 |
| Commercial Banks | $35,250 |
Analysis
Ideology and leadership
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Bonner was a "rank-and-file Republican," as of May 31, 2013.[25]
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 included a member from each party.[26]
|
Bonner most often voted with: |
Bonner least often voted with: |
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
Each year National Journal published 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.
2012
Bonner ranked 146th in the conservative rankings in 2012.[27]
2011
Bonner ranked 138th in the conservative rankings in 2011.[28]
Voting with party
2013
Bonner voted with the Republican Party 97.4 percent of the time, which ranked 98th among the 233 House Republican members as of June 2013.[29]
Lifetime missed votes
According to the website GovTrack, Bonner missed 346 of 7,661 roll call votes from January 2003 to March 2013. This amounted to 4.5 percent, which was worse than the median of 2.2 percent among congressional representatives as of March 2013.[30]
Congressional staff salaries
2011
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Bonner paid his congressional staff a total of $1,020,319 in 2011. He ranked 210th on the list of the lowest paid Republican representative staff salaries and ranked 294th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Alabama ranked 22nd 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]
Staff bonuses
According to an analysis by CNN, Bonner was one of nearly 25 percent of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Bonner's staff was given an apparent $31,415.91 in bonus money.[32]
Net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Bonner's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $2,137,025 and $11,435,995. That averages to $6,786,510, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Bonner ranked as the 55th most wealthy representative in 2012.[33]
| Jo Bonner Yearly Net Worth | |
|---|---|
| Year | Average Net Worth |
| 2012 | $6,786,510 |
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bonner and his wife, Janee, have two children, Jennifer and Josiah.[34]
Noteworthy events
On August 14, 2020, Bonner's spokeswoman announced that he was self-quarantining at home after his wife tested positive for COVID-19.[35]
See also
- Kay Ivey
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
- Alabama's 1st Congressional District
- Alabama's 1st Congressional District elections, 2012
- United States House of Representatives
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 MyNBC15, "Gov Ivey's Chief of Staff out, replaced by Jo Bonner," January 15, 2019
- ↑ Tuscaloosa News, "Jo Bonner to resign two weeks earlier than planned," July 23, 2013
- ↑ blog.al.com, "BREAKING: Rep. Jo Bonner resigning from Congress," May 23, 2013
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "BONNER, Jr., Josiah Robins (Jo), (1959 - )"
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Josiah Robins Bonner, Jr." accessed October 28, 2011
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 National Governors Association, "The Many Roles of the Governor’s Chief of Staff," accessed April 20, 2021
- ↑ CQ.com - Roll Call, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress," accessed January 18, 2013
- ↑ Congressman Jo Bonner, Representing the 1st District of Alabama, "About Congressman Jo Bonner"
- ↑ Campaign website, Issues
- ↑ Heritage Action for America, "Scorecard," accessed February 24, 2012
- ↑ The Hill, "Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala., 1st) Lawmaker Scorecard," accessed February 24, 2012
- ↑ ABC News, "2012 General Election Results," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Career Fundraising for Jo Bonner," accessed March 21, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Jo Bonner Summary Report," accessed July 22, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Jo Bonner April Quarterly," accessed July 22, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Jo Bonner July Quarterly," accessed July 22, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Jo Bonner 2012 Election Cycle," accessed February 19, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Election 2012: The Big Picture Shows Record Cost of Winning a Seat in Congress," accessed June 19, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Jo Bonner 2010 Election Cycle," accessed October 28 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Jo Bonner," accessed May 31, 2013
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Rep. Jo Bonner," accessed July 24, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 21, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
- ↑ GovTrack, "Jo Bonner," accessed March 26, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Jo Bonner"
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Congressional bonuses in a time of cuts," accessed March 8, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Jo Bonner (R-Ala), 2012," accessed February 18, 2014
- ↑ Bonner. House.gov, "Biography," accessed March 12, 2012
- ↑ Daily Independent', "Alabama governor's chief of staff quarantines after exposure," August 14, 2020
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sonny Callahan |
U.S. House of Representatives - Alabama, District 1 2003-2013 |
Succeeded by Bradley Byrne |
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State of Alabama Montgomery (capital) |
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