Steve Pearce (politician)
| Steve Pearce | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico's 2nd district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Harry Teague |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Joe Skeen |
| Succeeded by | Harry Teague |
| Member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from the 62nd district |
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| In office 1996–2000 |
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| Succeeded by | Donald E. Bratton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 24, 1947 Lamesa, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Cynthia Pearce |
| Residence | Hobbs, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Alma mater | New Mexico State University, Eastern New Mexico University |
| Occupation | Pilot, business owner |
| Religion | Southern Baptist[1] |
| Website | pearce.house.gov |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1970-1976 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing[2] |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal |
Stevan Edward "Steve" Pearce (born August 24, 1947) is the U.S. Representative for New Mexico's 2nd congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously held the seat from 2003 to 2009 and was an Assistant Minority Whip.
He is currently the only Republican in the New Mexico Congressional Delegation.
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Early life, education, and business career [edit]
Pearce was born in Lamesa in Dawson County in west Texas but reared in Hobbs, New Mexico, where he currently resides with his wife, Cynthia. He attended college at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, having earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in economics. Afterward, he received a Master of Business Administration from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. While at New Mexico State University, Pearce was elected president of the student body.
He served in the Vietnam War as a C-130 pilot in the United States Air Force.[3] Pearce flew over 518 hours of combat flight and 77 hours of combat support. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Air Medals, as well as seven other military medals and four exceptional service awards. Upon returning to the United States, Pearce was assigned to the Strategic Air Command at Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of Captain.[4]
Pearce and his wife owned and operated Lea Fishing Tools, an oilfield services company in Hobbs, New Mexico, until they sold the business in 2003.
New Mexico House of Representatives [edit]
Elections [edit]
Pearce was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in 1996 and re-elected in 1998, both times unopposed.[5]
Committee assignments [edit]
He was elected as Republican Caucus Chairman and served on the Appropriations Committee.[6]
2000 U.S. Senate election [edit]
He ran for the United States Senate in the seat held by longtime incumbent Democrat Jeff Bingaman. He lost in the Republican primary to former third district U.S. Congressman Bill Redmond 60%-22%.[7]
U.S. House of Representatives [edit]
Elections [edit]
- 2002
Eleven term incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Joe Skeen decided to retire. In the Republican primary, Pearce ran and won the five candidate field with a plurality of 35%. His closest challenger was rancher and businessman Edward R. Tinsley, owner of the K-Bob's Steakhouse, who got 27%.[8] In the general election, he defeated State Senator John Arthur Smith 56%-44%.[9]
- 2004
He won re-election to a second term against Democrat State Representative Gary King 60%-40%.[10]
- 2006
|United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico, 2010#District 2
He won re-election to a third term against Democrat pastor Al Kissling 59%-40%.[11]
- 2010
On August 1, 2009, Pearce announced his candidacy for his old seat. On June 1, 2010, he won the Republican primary without any serious challengers. He was endorsed in the race by former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.[12] He drew criticism from local media after an event in Los Lunas where he refused to say whether he believes Barack Obama is a natural-born U.S. citizen.[13][14]
He defeated incumbent U.S. Congressman Harry Teague 55%-45%.[15][16]
Tenure [edit]
- Plagiarism
In 2005, Pearce was accused of having plagiarized articles from think tanks like the Heritage Foundation.[17] The articles were published under Pearce's name in small papers throughout New Mexico. His press secretary, Jim Burns, admitted to having plagiarized the articles himself without Pearce's knowledge, and quickly resigned.[18]
- Accomplishments in 112th Congress
- As Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, he helped introduce the Jobs Frontier Report.
- Introduced H.R. 3615, the Accountability in Unemployment Act, that calls for drug testing to receive unemployment benefits.
- Introduced a resolution to create a virtual Congress, enabling Members of Congress to vote and debate from their home districts.
Pearce declined to support the re-election of John Boehner as House Speaker for the 113th Congress. Pearce objected to Boehner's negotiations with President Obama regarding the fiscal cliff and called for Eric Cantor to take over as top Republican in the chamber.[19]
Committee assignments [edit]
Caucus memberships [edit]
- Co-Chair of the Border Security Caucus
- Vice-Chairman of the Native American Caucus
- Vice-Chairman of the Sportsman Caucus
- Republican Study Committee
- Tea Party Caucus
- Congressional Hispanic Conference {associate member}
2008 U.S. Senate election [edit]
On October 16, 2007, Pearce announced he would run for the Republican nomination to replace Pete Domenici in the U.S. Senate.
Fellow Republican Representative Heather Wilson had previously declared her candidacy in that race.[20] In late October 2007, Pearce made 130,000 automated phone calls to justify his opposition to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill that would have provided health benefit to children, which the Wilson campaign claimed "Pearce violated House ethics by urging those he called to contact him through his official, non-campaign phone number or check out his official, non-campaign Web site."[21][22]
In March 2008, Pearce garnered 54.51% of the vote at the Republican pre-primary nominating convention.[23] He narrowly won the June 3, 2008 Republican primary. He was endorsed by the Campaign for Working Families, the National Right to Life Organization, the Susan B. Anthony List, the Club for Growth, and the Albuquerque Police Officer's Association.[24]
Pearce ran against U.S. Congressman Tom Udall who represented New Mexico's 3rd congressional district but lost to him in the general election, 61% to 39%.
Personal life [edit]
Pearce has been married to his wife Cynthia for over 20 years, and together they operated a small oilfield services company called Lea Fishing Tools until 2003.
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=34378
- ^ http://www.peopleforpearce.com/category/issues/steve-military-service
- ^ http://www.peopleforpearce.com/category/issues/steve-military-service
- ^ http://pearce.house.gov/about-me/full-biography
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=125177
- ^ http://pearce.house.gov/about-me/full-biography
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=208021
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28852
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=867
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=4242
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=201268
- ^ "Palin backs Pearce in New Mexico". Time. 2010-10-06.
- ^ "Pearce camp refuses to say Obama is a natural-born US citizen". New Mexico Independent. 2010-10-07.
- ^ "Earth to Pearce: Obama is a natural-born US citizen". New Mexico Politics. 2010-10-07.
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=496900
- ^ Reichbach, Matthew (2010-07-15). "Pearce outraises Teague in second quarter". New Mexico Independent. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ Controversy Erupts Over Congressman's Plagiarized "Article" Socorro News. 27 April 2005.
- ^ abqtrib.com
- ^ Who are the Boehner resisters? Politico January 3, 2013
- ^ "Pearce Will Run for Senate". Albuquerque Journal. 16 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ "Pearce calls voters, Wilson cries foul". KOB. 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ "Senate hopefuls don't inspire". Alamogordo Daily News. October 31, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ State Republican Pre-Primary Convention Results
- ^ Campaign web site.
External links [edit]
- Congressman Steve Pearce official U.S. House site
- Steve Pearce for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Profile at Ballotpedia
- 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
- Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Harry Teague |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico's 2nd congressional district 2011–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Joe Skeen |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico's 2nd congressional district January 3, 2003 - January 3, 2009 |
Succeeded by Harry Teague |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Albio Sires D-New Jersey |
United States Representatives by seniority 203rd |
Succeeded by Michele Bachmann R-Minnesota |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Pete Domenici |
Republican nominee for U.S. Senator (Class 2) from New Mexico 2008 |
Most recent |
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- 1947 births
- Living people
- American activists
- American businesspeople
- American military personnel of the Vietnam War
- Baptists from the United States
- Members of the New Mexico House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico
- New Mexico Republicans
- People from Dawson County, Texas
- People from Lea County, New Mexico
- United States Air Force officers
- Recipients of the Air Medal
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
