Ben Chandler

Ben Chandler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office February 17, 2004
Preceded by	Ernie Fletcher
48th Attorney General of Kentucky
In office 1995–2003
Governor	Paul E. Patton
Preceded by	Chris Gorman
Succeeded by	Greg Stumbo
45th State Auditor of Kentucky
In office 1991–1995
Governor	Brereton Jones
Preceded by	Bob Babbage
Succeeded by	Edward B. Hatchett Jr
Personal details
Born	September 12, 1959 (1959-09-12) Versailles, Kentucky
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Jennifer Chandler
Residence	Versailles, Kentucky
Alma mater	University of Kentucky
Occupation	Attorney
Religion	Presbyterian
Website	Chandler for Congress

Albert Benjamin "Ben" Chandler III (born September 12, 1959) is the U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district, serving since a special election in 2004. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life, education and career

Chandler was born in Versailles, Kentucky on September 12, 1959. According to the biography on his official website, Chandler is the grandson of Albert Benjamin “Happy” Chandler Sr. Happy Chandler served as Governor of Kentucky, Commissioner of Baseball, and as a U.S. Senator. Chandler is the son of Albert Benjamin “Ben” Chandler Jr. and Toss Dunlap Chandler.

Chandler graduated with distinction from the University of Kentucky with a BA in History and a J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Chandler became a private practice lawyer in Lexington, KY before starting his political career.

He currently lives in Pisgah Pike in Woodford County, Kentucky with his wife Jennifer and their three children. The Chandlers are members of Pisgah Presbyterian Church.

Early political career

Chandler started his political career as State Auditor from 1991 to 1995. In 1995, Chandler won the Attorney General of Kentucky race by a 20 point margin, making him the youngest sitting attorney general in the nation at the time. In 1999, Chandler was reelected to a second term as attorney general with no political opposition.

As Attorney General, Chandler championed Kentucky's "No Call" list and collected thousands of dollars in fines to the state for companies that did not comply with the new law. Chandler also strengthened federal laws regarding the "No Call" registry.

Also during his time as attorney general, Chandler recovered $45 million from one of Kentucky's largest insurance companies when it illegally moved funds out of state. This $45 million now funds the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Their mission, as stated on their website:

"To make grants, contributions and related investments, and sponsor or participate in activities, designed to address the unmet health care needs of Kentuckians by developing and influencing health policy, improving access to care, reducing health risks and disparities among groups, and promoting health equity."

U.S. House of Representatives

Congressman Chandler signs autographs for students visiting from Perryville, Kentucky.

Chandler currently represents the Sixth Congressional District of Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives and has since a special election in 2004. Although Chandler is a Democrat, the Sixth Congressional District strongly leans Republican, rated by Charlie Cook in his Cook Partisan Voting Index as “R + 9,” meaning a generic Republican running against a generic Democrat would win by 9 points.

He is a moderate to conservative Democrat and in its 2010 vote rankings, National Journal rated Chandler as being the ideological center of the House of Representatives. Although Chandler is a Democrat and has supported many Democratic bills including supporting healthcare for children through the SCHIP law and the Recovery Act, he has also voted against some large pieces of Democratic-led legislation including the Wall Street Bailout and against the healthcare reform bill.

Chandler is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a fiscally conservative Democratic caucus. This caucus is generally composed of Democrats serving Republican congressional districts. He serves as the Chair of the national Blue Dog Task Force on Oversight and Regulatory Review. According to the website, this taskforce "The Task Force on Oversight and Regulatory Review is responsible for taking a look at the nearly 8,000 regulations issued annually by the federal government and for analyzing these new rules to ensure Congressional intent is appropriately followed. Under the leadership of Chair Ben Chandler (KY-06) and Vice-Chair Tim Holden (PA-17), the Task Force monitors implementation efforts, identifies overly burdensome regulations and seeks to modify rules problematic to job creation."

Chandler has voted in favor of the Stimulus, against Wall Street reform and TARP, against Obamacare, against cut, cap and Balance and for SCHIP.

In 2010 the National and Legal Policy Center questioned Chandler's objectivity as a member of the House Ethics Committee sitting in judgment on Rep. Charles Rangel, since he had “received campaign funds from Rangel’s National Leadership PAC.”

In September 2010 it was reported that Chandler was one of several “moderate Democrats facing tough re-election bids who are bucking the Obama administration and pushing to extend tax cuts at every income level.”

In September 2010 John Cheves wrote that Chandler, after having “breezed through four elections,” was now facing a challenge: “Thirty-four months into an economic recession, voters say they're sore at the Democrats running Washington for not ending it and mad about government overreach and growing deficits. Believing in big government is unpopular this year, as is being an incumbent Democrat. Chandler, 51, has both targets on his back.”

In November 2010, Chandler blamed Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the Democrats' disastrous results in the 2010 elections. “If not there, where else does the responsibility lie?” he asked. In November 2011, Politico reported that Chandler was one of several Democrats who seemed to be going out of their way not to endorse Obama for re-election.

In October 2011, Kentucky blogger David M.F. Schankula complained that Chandler had traveled to Sri Lanka with three GOP colleagues and voted, too, like a Republican: “Chandler voted against ensuring women could get cancer screenings. He voted against preventitive care for working Americans. He voted for the greatest setback to women’s rights in recent memory. He voted against holding Wall Street accountable for the crimes they have committed. He voted against reigning in the Big Banks who have wrecked this country.”

Taxes

Chandler is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

Committee assignments

Before being appointed to the Intelligence Committee, Chandler served on the Appropriations Committee.

• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
  • Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence

Caucus memberships

A full list of Chandler's caucus memberships can be found here: http://chandler.house.gov/legis/caucus-membership.shtml

• Healthy Forests Caucus
• Horse Caucus (Co-Chair)
• International Conservation Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Public Broadcasting Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Wildlife Refuge Caucus

Chandler is a Blue Dog Democrat as well as a member of the House New Democrat Coalition. His name had been rumored as a candidate for governor for the 2007 election and Senator in the 2008 election. Chandler, however, announced on November 30, 2006, that he would not seek the governorship in 2007, stating he could better serve the Commonwealth in Congress: "With rising seniority and a Democratic majority, I have the opportunity to do so much more for my constituents and for the people of Kentucky." Chandler told "Kentucky Newsmakers" that he would not start holding so-called town hall meetings in 2009, citing a lack of "civility" at forums regarding health care. Chandler ultimately voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Political campaigns

Chandler was the Democratic candidate for governor in the election of 2003. He was defeated in that election by his Republican opponent, Congressman Ernie Fletcher. Fletcher resigned from Congress in order to become governor, and a special election was held for his seat in February 2004. Chandler became the Democratic candidate and won the election, defeating state Senator Alice Forgy Kerr by a 55%-to-43% margin.

As a superdelegate in the 2008 United States presidential election, Chandler endorsed Barack Obama. Chandler's 2008 Republican opponent in the race for Congress was attorney Jon Larson.

2010

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky, 2010#District 6*

Chandler was challenged by Republican nominee Andy Barr in the November 2010 election. Chandler was elected by a narrow margin, as results showed him leading Barr by about 600 votes. The results were re-canvassed due to the closeness of the outcome, but Chandler was certified as the election winner on November 12, 2010.

In October 2011, Chandler's opponent, Andy Barr called their forthcoming contest “a rematch of the third-closest Congressional race in America” and said that Chandler was burdened with “considerable dissatisfaction” on the part of his constituents and the difficulty of running on the ticket with Obama. But Joshua Miller of Roll Call observed that “if the bent of the GOP-leaning district grows more Democratic and Democrats who sat out 2010 come to the polls next November, Barr has a steep hill to climb.”

External links

• U.S. Congressman Ben Chandler official U.S. House site
• Chandler for Congress official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Ernie Fletcher	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th congressional district 2004–Present	Succeeded by Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Randy Neugebauer R-Texas	United States Representatives by seniority 227th	Succeeded by G. K. Butterfield D-North Carolina
Legal offices
Preceded by Chris Gorman	Attorney General of Kentucky 1995-2003	Succeeded by Greg Stumbo
Party political offices
Preceded by Paul E. Patton	Democratic nominee for Governor of Kentucky 2003	Succeeded by Steve Beshear