Bruce Braley
| The Honorable Bruce L. Braley |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 1st district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Nussle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 30, 1957 Grinnell, Iowa |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Carolyn Braley |
| Children | Lisa Braley David Braley Paul Braley |
| Residence | Waterloo, Iowa |
| Alma mater | Iowa State University; University of Iowa |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Bruce Braley (born October 30, 1957) is the U.S. Representative for Iowa's 1st congressional district, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district lies in northeastern Iowa and includes Davenport, Bettendorf, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Dubuque, and Clinton.
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[edit] Early life, education and career
Braley was born in Grinnell, Iowa. His family owned a farm in nearby Brooklyn, Iowa. Braley attended college at Iowa State University where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law. While in college, he worked in agribusiness and in highway maintenance. He was admitted to the bar and has served as a trial lawyer in Waterloo since 1983. Braley specialized in representing workers who had been injured on the job or were terminated unfairly.
As an attorney, Braley served as president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association. He and his wife were named couple of the year by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northeastern Iowa. Braley and his wife, Carolyn, reside in Waterloo and have three children, Lisa, David and Paul.
[edit] U.S. House of Representatives
[edit] Committee assignments
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform House Committee on Veterans' Affairs On July 8, 2006, Braley was chosen to deliver the Democrats' weekly radio address. He spoke on the issue of Social Security. [1]
On February 11, 2009 he founded the Populist Caucus within the House of Representatives which now has 27 members. Since 2008, Braley has been a member of the Armenian Caucus within the House of Representatives.
[edit] Political campaigns
Braley won this open seat after eight-term Republican congressman Jim Nussle stepped down to make an unsuccessful run for Governor in 2006. Although the 1st had been in Republican hands since 1979, it had swung heavily to the Democrats at most other levels like the rest of eastern Iowa. The district has supported the Democratic candidate for president in every election since 1988. The district, numbered as the 2nd District for most of the time from statehood until 2003, became even more Democratic when Davenport and Bettendorf were shifted there from the old 1st District (now the 2nd). It had been considered very likely that Nussle would be succeeded by a Democrat once he retired.
In the 2006 midterm election, Braley defeated Republican opponent Mike Whalen, a Quad City businessman.[1]
On December 5, 2007, Braley became the first member of Iowa's congressional delegation to issue an endorsement, announcing his support for former North Carolina Senator John Edwards in a press conference in Waterloo. On April 30, 2008, Braley changed his endorsement to support Senator Barack Obama following Edwards' withdrawal from the race.
[edit] Electoral history
| Year | Party | Incumbent | Status | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Democratic | Bruce Braley | re-elected
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Democratic | Bruce Braley | 178,229 | 64% | ||
| Republican | David Hartsuch | 99,447 | 35% | ||||||
| Year | Party | Incumbent | Status | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Republican | Jim Nussle | ran for Iowa Governor
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Democratic | Bruce Braley | 113,724 | 55% | ||
| Republican | Mike Whalen | 89,471 | 43% | ||||||
[edit] References
- ^ Tibbetts, Ed (2006-11-07). "Braley win caps 2-year quest". Quad-City Times. http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2006/11/08/news/local/doc45518f52ebe93969383213.txt. Retrieved 2006-11-08.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Representative Bruce Braley official U.S. House site
- Bruce Braley 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
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- 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
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Nussle |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 1st congressional district 2007–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Gus Bilirakis R-Florida |
United States Representatives by seniority 265th |
Succeeded by Vern Buchanan R-Florida |
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