Bill Cassidy
| Bill Cassidy | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 6th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Don Cazayoux |
| Louisiana State Senate from District 16 (East Baton Rouge Parish) | |
| In office December 2006 – January 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Jay Dardenne |
| Succeeded by | Dan Claitor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Cassidy September 28, 1957 Highland Park, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Laura Layden Cassidy |
| Residence | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Louisiana State University (M.D.) |
| Profession | Physician |
| Religion | Evangelical Christian |
William "Bill" Cassidy (born September 28, 1957) is the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 6th congressional district, serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. On April 3, 2013, Cassidy announced that he will challenge incumbent Senator Mary Landrieu for re-election in 2014.
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Early life, education and career [edit]
Cassidy graduated from Louisiana State University in 1983. He specialized in the treatment of diseases of the liver at the Earl K. Long Medical Center (LSUMC). He is married to the former Laura Layden, herself a physician, and they have three children: Will, Meg, and Kate. Cassidy is one of four sons of the late James F. Cassidy, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and an insurance underwriter in Baton Rouge. His mother is Betty Cassidy of Baton Rouge, and his brothers are James F. Cassidy[1] of Randolph, Massachusetts, and David Cassidy and Steve Cassidy, both of Baton Rouge.
In 1998, Cassidy helped found the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic to provide uninsured residents of the greater Baton Rouge area with access to free health care. The Clinic provides low-income families free dental, medical, mental health and vision care through an innovative "virtual" approach that partners needy patients with doctors who provide care free of charge.[2]
Cassidy has also developed public health programs such as the School-Based Hepatitis B Vaccination program, a public-private coalition that has vaccinated over 36,000 children.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Cassidy led a group of health care volunteers to convert an abandoned K-Mart building into an emergency health care facility, providing basic health care to victims of the natural disaster.
Cassidy is a member of The Chapel, a nondenominational church in Baton Rouge.
U.S. House of Representatives [edit]
Committee assignments (113th Congress) [edit]
Caucuses [edit]
- Bi-Partisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus
- Community College Caucus
- Congressional Allergy and Asthma Caucus (co-chair)
- Congressional Arts Caucus
- Congressional Biomass Caucus
- Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans
- Congressional Caucus on US-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans
- Congressional Community Health Centers Caucus
- Congressional Contaminated Drywall Caucus (CCDC)
- Congressional Diabetes Caucus
- Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus
- Congressional Dyslexia Caucus
- Congressional Fire Services Caucus
- Congressional Fragile X Caucus
- Congressional Gulf Coast Caucus
- Congressional Health Care Caucus
- Congressional Kidney Caucus
- Congressional Military Family Caucus
- Congressional Multiple Sclerosis Caucus
- Congressional National Guard Caucus
- Congressional Natural Gas Caucus
- Congressional Prayer Caucus
- Congressional Rice Caucus
- Congressional School Health and Safety Caucus (co-chair)
- Congressional Services Caucus
- Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus (double check official membership for 112th)
- Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus
- Congressional Transparency Caucus
- Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus
- GOP Doctors Caucus
- House Tea Party Caucus
- Republican Study Committee
Health care [edit]
Cassidy was a vocal opponent of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, appearing on numerous television and radio shows nationwide to lobby for its defeat. Citing his background as a physician in a state-run public hospital, Cassidy argued that the health overhaul advocated by President Barack Obama would fail to lower costs and give too much decision-making authority to the federal government.
On January 19, 2011, Cassidy voted for H.R.2, which would completely repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was passed and signed into law by President Obama in 2010.
Earmark reform [edit]
In May 2009, Cassidy partnered with Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA) to introduce legislation that would amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to require that Members of Congress list their earmark requests on their Congressional websites. Previous earmark reform efforts had focused on disclosure of earmarks that were funded by Congress.
In May 2010, Cassidy and Speier again partnered on earmark reform legislation, the Earmark Transparency Act, which would strengthen their original proposal by ensuring that all earmark requests are posted in a single, searchable online database. The Earmark Transparency Act has been endorsed by Citizens Against Government Waste and the Sunlight Foundation.
Dyslexia Caucus [edit]
Congressman Cassidy and former Democratic Congressman Pete Stark formed the bipartisan Congressional Dyslexia Caucus to advocate for and address the needs of students and adults with dyslexia. The caucus was created with the aim of raising awareness of dyslexia among members of Congress as well as fostering advocacy efforts towards policy change for individuals struggling with dyslexia. Congressman Cassidy, through the caucus, strives to work across party lines in learning and developing means by which opportunity can be provided to these persons whose performance would otherwise be hindered by the condition.
Political campaigns [edit]
On December 9, 2006, Cassidy won a special election for the District 16 seat in the Louisiana Senate. In his first bid for public office, Cassidy defeated veteran State Representative William Daniel, a fellow Republican, and Libertarian candidate S.B. Zaitoon. The election was held to replace Jay Dardenne, who vacated the seat he had held since 1992 upon his election as Louisiana Secretary of State. Cassidy was sworn in on December 20, 2006.
On October 20, 2007, Cassidy was re-elected, this time to a full four-year term in the Louisiana State Senate. Cassidy received 76 percent of the vote against Republican Troy "Rocco" Moreau (15 percent) and Libertarian Richard Fontanesi (9 percent).
On November 4, 2008 Cassidy was elected to serve Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Democratic Congressman Don Cazayoux. His victory was one of five seats that Republicans gained from the Democrats, two of those seats being in Louisiana (the other being Joseph Cao in the 2nd). Cassidy's victory was one of the bright spots in an otherwise disastrous year for Republicans. He likely would not have won if not for the independent candidacy of State Representative Michael Jackson, also of Baton Rouge. Jackson won 36,133 votes—more than the 25,000-vote margin between Cassidy and Cazayoux. Indeed, the precinct tally suggested that Jackson siphoned off many African-American votes that would have otherwise gone to Cazayoux.
In the 2010 midterm elections, Cassidy defeated Democrat Merritt E. McDonald of Baton Rouge. Cassidy earned 66% of the vote to win his first re-election campaign, while Republicans nationwide gained 63 seats in the House of Representatives and assumed majority status after four years of Democratic control in the House.
In the 2012 election, Cassidy was re-elected upon defeating Rufus Holt Craig Jr., a Libertarian, and Richard "RPT" Torregano, an Independent. Receiving 79.41% of the vote, incumbent Congressman Cassidy defended his seat in Louisiana's 6th Congressional District.
Electoral history [edit]
United States House of Representatives, 6th District of Louisiana (2012)
General Election, November 6, 2012
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| "Bill" Cassidy | Republican | 243,553 (79.41%) | Elected |
| Rufus Holt Craig, Jr. | Libertarian | 32,185 (10.49%) | Defeated |
| Richard Torregano | Independent | 30,975 (10.10%) | Defeated |
United States House of Representatives, 6th District of Louisiana (2010)
General Election, November 2, 2010
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| "Bill" Cassidy | Republican | 138,607 (66%) | Elected |
| Merritt E. McDonald, Sr. | Democratic | 72,577 (34%) | Defeated |
United States House of Representatives, 6th District of Louisiana (2008)
General Election, November 4, 2008
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| "Bill" Cassidy | Republican | 150,332 (48%) | Elected |
| "Don" Cazayoux | Democratic | 125,886 (40%) | Defeated |
| Michael Jackson | No Party | 36,198 (12%) | Defeated |
Louisiana State Senate, District 16 (2007)
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 20, 2007
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| "Bill" Cassidy | Republican | 33,463 (76%) | Elected |
| Troy "Rocco" Moreau | Republican | 6,781 (15%) | Defeated |
| Richard Fontanesi | Libertarian | 3,995 (9%) | Defeated |
Louisiana State Senate, District 16 (2006)
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, December 9, 2006
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| "Bill" Cassidy | Republican | 8,394 (58%) | Elected |
| William Daniel | Republican | 5,472 (38%) | Defeated |
| S.B.A. Zaitoon | Libertarian | 592 (4%) | Defeated |
References [edit]
- ^ James F. Cassidy obituary, Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, February 24, 2009
- ^ Anderson, Laurie Smith. "Program offers health care for adults without insurance." Baton Rouge Advocate May 24, 2002, Metro Edition: Page 1C
External links [edit]
- Congressman Bill Cassidy official U.S. House site
- Bill Cassidy for Senate official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
- Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Profile at SourceWatch
- Shuler, Marsha Cassidy defeats Daniel in Senate race The Advocate, December 10, 2006
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Don Cazayoux |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 6th congressional district January 3, 2009 – present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Matt Salmon R-Arizona |
United States Representatives by seniority 237th |
Succeeded by Jason Chaffetz R-Utah |
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