David Price (American politician)

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David Price
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 4th district
In office January 6, 1987–January 4, 1995 January 3, 1997–
Preceded by	Bill Cobey Fred Heineman
Succeeded by	Fred Heineman Incumbent
Born	August 17, 1940 (1940-08-17) (age 68) Erwin, Tennessee
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Lisa Price
Children	Karen Price Michael Price
Residence	Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Alma mater	Mars Hill College, University of North Carolina, Yale University
Occupation	College Professor
Religion	Baptist

David Eugene Price (born August 17, 1940) is a professor and politician currently serving as Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 4th district of North Carolina.^[1] The district includes portions of Raleigh, Cary, as well as all of Durham and Chapel Hill, and surrounding suburbs.

[edit] Early life and education

Born in Erwin, Tennessee, Price attended Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, North Carolina when it was a junior college.^[2] He later transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after winning a scholarship and earned a B.A. degree in 1961.^[2] Price continued his education at Yale University where he received a theology degree (1964) and a Ph.D. in political science (1969).^[3] Originally intent on becoming an engineer, Price decided instead to study divinity and political science.^[2]

[edit] Career

He served as an aide to Alaska Senator Bob Bartlett from 1963 to 1967 and then entered academia, working as a political science and public policy professor at Duke University from 1973 until his first campaign for Congress in 1986.^[3] He also served as a Duke professor during 1995 and 1996, when he was not in Congress.^[3]

Price worked for the North Carolina Democratic Party from 1979 to 1984.^[3] Price has written a political science textbook entitled The Congressional Experience, from the unusual perspective of a candidate for office, and then, a member of Congress.

Price also served as executive director and then state chair for the North Carolina Democratic Party prior to being elected to Congress.^[2]

[edit] Congress

[edit] Campaigns

Price first entered Congress in 1987 after defeating one-term Republican Rep. Bill Cobey^[3] and served there continuously until the 104th Congress. That year, he was narrowly defeated by Republican Fred Heineman during the Republican Revolution of 1994, in part to lower-than-expected turnout in the Democratic stronghold of Orange County^{[citation needed]} (home to Chapel Hill), but despite the fact that heavily Republican Randolph County had been excised from the Fourth District during redistricting prior to that election year.^[2]

Price defeated Heineman in a rematch and returned to the seat following the 1996 elections. He was helped in part by the addition of heavily Democratic Durham to the district, as well as a tremendous get-out-the-vote effort among students at UNC.^{[citation needed]} In addition, voters were not happy with the lack of progress made by the freshman class on the goals of the Contract with America.^[4]

Price was elected to his 10th term (sixth consecutive) in the 2006 Congressional elections, earning 65% of the popular vote.

[edit] 2008 campaign

Price's opponent in the 2008 election was Republican B.J. Lawson. Lawson has been called the most formidable opposition Price has faced since he was defeated by Heineman in 1994,^[5] running television ads, which Price's opponents usually do not do.^[6] Price had to run ads against Lawson, make appearances at polling places, and bring in Washington, DC staffers during the last weeks of his re-election campaign.^[7]

Lawson was a "hybrid candidate" who, although Republican, is against the Iraq War and a defender of civil liberties.^[5] These positions have led some discontented Democrats to support Lawson over Price.^[5] According to The Independent Weekly, which "cautiously endorsed" him,^[8] Price "has been criticized by some Democrats for representing Washington over his constituents."^[5] Lawson's campaign has criticized Price for his record on civil liberties and has accused Price of not reading bills before he votes on them.^[9] However, Price was helped by avid interest in Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate.^[7]

[edit] Political positions

Price is a member of the New Democrat Coalition.^{[citation needed]} He was an early^{[citation needed]} opponent of the Iraq War. He has had one sponsored bill enacted since 1997^[10] and has sponsored a potential bill to bring conduct of private military companies working in Iraq under legal jurisdiction of the United States.^[11] He has also introduced legislation to prohibit contractors from performing interrogations of prisoners in the custody of intelligence agencies.^[12]

As chairman of the House subcommittee responsible for determining the budget for the Department of Homeland Security, Price is seeking to focus immigration enforcement efforts on criminal convicts and suspects.^[13]

Price voted for the USA PATRIOT Act, although he later voted against re-authorizing some provisions of the act.^[5] He voted in favor of HR 1955.^[5]

Price has lobbied^[14][8] for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility which was proposed to be located in Butner, North Carolina.^[15] Price said of the Butner site: "I'm convinced there isn't a location in the country that is better suited to support this research lab."^[16] The Sunlight Foundation pointed out that among the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Price has the 10th-highest amount of investment in oil stocks.^[17]

Price voted "yes" twice on the Wall Street bailout bill of 2008.^[18] In 1999, he also voted to repeal the Glass-Steagal Act, a vote which deregulated the finance industry.^[19] He voted to make it harder for individuals to declare bankruptcy in the 2005 bankruptcy reform.^[20] In December 2008, Price voted "yes" on the proposed automobile industry bailout.^[21]

He has declined to support impeachment proceedings against George W. Bush.^[22] Price also supports the federal application of the death penalty.^[8]

[edit] Campaign financing

Price is also the author of legislation to reform the public financing system for presidential campaigns.^[23]

A 2008 Seattle Times investigation found that a small Durham company that has lost $50 million since it was founded in 2000, Cyberlux, hosted fundraisers in 2008 for both Price and former North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole, soon after Cyberlux received an $8 million federal earmark for a "portable illumination system".^[24] The Times wrote that Cyberlux "even posted solicitations on its company Web site, asking people to donate $500 to the lawmakers. The events raised $10,600 for the two.(Lawyers with expertise in campaign-finance laws say it's illegal for a company to assist in raising campaign donations from the public.)"^[24] Price's staffers admitted meeting with the company and then recommending that the Air Force use their product and insert funding in the defense bill, but the staffers did not consider this to be a request for an earmark.^[24] Cyberlux said on its website that it was seeking $25 million in military earmarks for 2009 and had submitted this "forecast" to its "sponsorship in the House of Representatives and the Senate."^[24]

[edit] Committee assignments

In the 111th Congress, Price serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is chairman of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security. He also serves as Chairman of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, which works through peer-to-peer partnerships with emerging democratic legislatures to assist in the development of the fundamental building blocks of legislative government.^[25] He is chair of the House Democracy Assistance Commission.

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Homeland Security (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

[edit] Personal life

Price married his wife, Lisa Kanwit, in 1968. They were longtime Democratic Party activists together,^[2] and they have two children: Karen a filmmaker; and Michael, a professor.^{[citation needed]} They have one grandson, Charles Albert, born in 2006. Today Price resides in Chapel Hill^[2] and is a member of the Binkley Memorial Baptist Church.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Congressman David Price official U.S. House site
• David Price for Congress official campaign site
• David's Price

• 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
• North Carolina Democratic Party