Roy Blunt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Roy Blunt
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Mel Hancock |
|
|
|
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009 |
|
| Leader | John Boehner |
| Preceded by | Tom DeLay |
| Succeeded by | Eric Cantor |
|
|
|
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 |
|
| Leader | Tom DeLay Himself (acting) John Boehner |
| Preceded by | Tom DeLay |
| Succeeded by | Jim Clyburn |
|
|
|
| In office September 29, 2005 – February 2, 2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Tom DeLay |
| Succeeded by | John Boehner |
|
|
|
| Born | January 10, 1950 Niangua, Missouri |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Roseann Ray Blunt (div.) Abigail Perlman Blunt |
| Children | Matthew Roy Blunt Amy Blunt Mosby Andrew Blunt Alexander Charles Blunt (adopted) |
| Residence | Strafford, Missouri |
| Alma mater | Southwest Baptist University, Southwest Missouri State University |
| Profession | college administrator |
| Religion | Baptist |
Roy D. Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is a Republican politician from Missouri, representing Missouri's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He was the House Republican whip for the 110th United States Congress, having announced after the 2008 general election that he would step down from the position.
After House Majority Leader Tom DeLay stepped down due to a criminal indictment in Texas, Blunt served as interim majority leader from September 29, 2005, to February 2, 2006, when John Boehner of Ohio was elected as DeLay's permanent replacement.
Blunt's son Matt Blunt is the former governor of Missouri.
On February 19, 2009, Blunt announced he would run for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Senator Kit Bond in 2010.
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
Blunt was born in Niangua, Missouri to Neva Dora Letterman and Leroy O. Blunt.[1] He earned a B.A. in History from Southwest Baptist University in 1970. Two years later, he earned a M.A. in History from Missouri State University (then Southwest Missouri State University).
Blunt has been married twice. He married Roseann Ray in May 1967, and with her had three children: Matt (the former governor of Missouri), Amy Blunt Mosby, and Andrew Blunt. Amy and Andrew are lawyers and lobbyists. They divorced after 35 years of marriage. Afterward, he married Abigail Perlman, a lobbyist for Kraft Foods,[2] on October 18, 2003. In April 2006, he and his wife adopted an 18-month old boy from Russia, whom they named Alexander Charles "Charlie" Blunt.[3]
He has five grandchildren: Davis Mosby, Eva Mosby, Ben Blunt, William Branch Blunt, and Allyson Blunt. [4]
[edit] Political career
Blunt entered politics in 1972, when he was elected county clerk and chief election official of Greene County, Missouri (where Springfield is located). Blunt was the Republican nominee for Missouri lieutenant governor in 1980, but lost to Democrat Ken Rothman. He served as Greene County clerk until 1984, when he was elected Missouri secretary of state — the first Republican to hold that post in 50 years.
He ran unsuccessfully for governor of Missouri in 1992, losing the Republican primary to Missouri Attorney General William L. Webster.
From 1993 to 1996, Blunt was president of Southwest Baptist University, his alma mater.
Blunt was first elected to Congress in 1996, when incumbent Representative Mel Hancock honored his pledge to serve only four terms. Blunt's district, one of the most Republican districts in the country, is located in the Ozark Mountains of southwestern Missouri, a district that includes Springfield and Joplin.
Upon entering the House, Blunt served on the International Relations Committee, the Committee on Agriculture and the Transportation Committee. In 1999, he gave up seats on the latter two committees and joined the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce. He has also served on the Republican Conference Steering Committee since his election to the House. That committee determines to which committees Republican Members are assigned and elevates members to positions of ranking member or chairman.
After only one term, Blunt was appointed as chief deputy whip, the highest appointed position in the House Republican Caucus. In that capacity, he served as the Republicans' chief vote-counter. When Dick Armey retired and fellow Texan DeLay was elected to succeed him, Blunt was elected to succeed DeLay as majority whip.
On January 8, 2006, one day after DeLay announced that he would not seek to regain his position, Blunt announced he would run to permanently replace DeLay.[5] On January 14, 2006, he issued a release claiming that the majority of the Republican caucus had endorsed him as DeLay's successor.[6] However, when the election was held by secret ballot on February 2, 2006, Boehner won on the second ballot, with 122 votes to 109 for Blunt. In November 2006 he was elected by the House Republicans to their second highest position for the 110th Congress, the Republican whip, defeating Representative Shadegg of Arizona handily.[7]
Since he was first elected in 1996, Blunt has been reelected five times without significant opposition. In the 2004 House election, he received 70.4 percent of the vote.[8] Blunt's political action committee is the Rely on Your Beliefs Fund.
On February 19, 2009, Blunt announced he would run for United States Senate against Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan.[9]
[edit] Committee assignments
[edit] Positions and interest group ratings
Blunt has a very conservative voting record. He is generally rated highly by conservative interest groups and receives correspondingly low ratings from liberal groups.
[edit] Social issues
Although Missouri Right to Life endorsed Webster over Blunt in the 1992 Republican gubernatorial primary, Blunt has voted pro-life in the House and has a conservative record on most other social issues. He has voted to ban partial-birth abortions, and to restrict or criminalize transporting minors across state lines for the purpose of getting an abortion.[10] He also voted in favor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which bans same-sex marriage, and has voted against gay adoption. He received 94 percent lifetime and 96 percent 2004 ratings from the American Conservative Union, a 14 percent rating from the American Civil Liberties Union,[11] and a 92 percent rating from the conservative Christian Coalition.[12]
[edit] Education
Blunt has voted in favor of school prayer and supported the No Child Left Behind Act. He has voted in favor of school vouchers within the District of Columbia but has voted against broader legislation allowing states to use federal money to issue vouchers for private or religious schools. He has received a 17 percent rating from the National Education Association.[13]
[edit] Guns
Blunt has voted to prohibit lawsuits against gun manufacturers and dealers if the guns they manufacture or sell are later used in a crime. He has also voted to reduce the waiting period for purchasing a gun from 72 hours to 24 hours. He has received an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association.[14]
[edit] Business
Blunt received a 97 percent rating from the United States Chamber of Commerce indicating a pro-business voting record. He supported banking industry-backed efforts to overhaul U.S. bankruptcy laws, requiring consumers who seek bankruptcy protection to repay more of their debts.[15]
[edit] Internet gambling ban
Blunt is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act[16] and H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.[17]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 1
- ^ Top corporate lobbyists in D.C. , The Hill, April 24, 2008.
- ^ "Alexander%20Charles%20Blunt")&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- ^ About
- ^ "Boehner, Blunt seek to replace DeLay: Lawmakers debate scandals' impact on mid-term elections", CNN.com, January 8, 2006
- ^ "Blunt Claims Victory", National Journal, January 14, 2006
- ^ Carl Hulse and David Stout, "Ohio Congressman Wins Majority Leader Race, Replacing DeLay", New York Times, February 2, 2006
- ^ Official Election Returns, State of Missouri General Election, Tuesday, November 2, 2004
- ^ Dalton, Bill (February 19, 2009). "Blunt is running for U.S. Senate". Kansas City Star. Associated Press. http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/17263.
- ^ Roy Blunt on Abortion, OnTheIssues
- ^ Roy Blunt on Civil Rights, OnTheIssues
- ^ Roy Blunt on Families & Children, OnTheIssues
- ^ Roy Blunt on Education, OntheIssues
- ^ Roy Blunt on Gun Control, OntheIssues
- ^ Roy Blunt on Corporations, OntheIssues
- ^ Thomas (Library of Congress): HR 4411
- ^ Thomas (Library of Congress): HR 4777
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Roy Blunt official site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Roy Blunt for Congress official campaign site
- Beyond Delay — Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
- Blunt candidacy to become official tomorrow
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Kirkpatrick |
Missouri Secretary of State 1985–1993 |
Succeeded by Judith Moriarty |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Mel Hancock |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 7th congressional district 1997 – present |
Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Dennis Hastert Illinois |
Chief Deputy Republican Whip 1999–2003 |
Succeeded by Eric Cantor Virginia |
| Preceded by Tom DeLay Texas |
House Majority Whip 2003–2007 |
Succeeded by James Clyburn South Carolina |
| Preceded by Tom DeLay Texas |
Acting House Majority Leader 2005–2006 |
Succeeded by John Boehner Ohio |
| Preceded by Tom DeLay Texas |
House Republican Whip 2003–2009 |
Succeeded by Eric Cantor Virginia |
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
||||||||||||||
