Wayne Allard

Wayne Allard
United States Senator from Colorado
In office January 7, 1997 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Hank Brown
Succeeded by	Mark Udall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 4th district
In office January 3, 1991 – January 2, 1997
Preceded by	Hank Brown
Succeeded by	Bob Schaffer
Personal details
Born	Alan Wayne Allard December 2, 1943 (1943-12-02) Fort Collins, Colorado
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Joan Malcolm
Children	Christi Allard Cheryl Allard
Residence	Loveland, Colorado
Alma mater	Colorado State University
Profession	Veterinarian
Religion	Non-Denominational Protestant

Alan Wayne Allard (born December 2, 1943) is a member of the Republican Party, and was a United States Senator from Colorado. He did not seek re-election in 2008.

Early life

Allard was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, the son of Sibyl Jean (née Stewart) and Amos Wilson Allard. He is descended from immigrants from Canada and Scotland. He was raised on a ranch near Walden, Colorado. He received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 1968.

Political career

State Senate

Allard continued to run a veterinary practice full-time, while representing Larimer and Weld Counties in the Colorado State Senate, from 1983 to 1990. During his tenure he was a strong supporter of fiscal responsibility and the preservation of a citizen legislature. Allard's influence on local politics is still felt today as he is the sponsor of Colorado's law limiting state legislative sessions to 120 days.

US House of Representatives

Allard served in the United States House of Representatives from Colorado's Fourth Congressional District from 1991 to 1997. As a Colorado Representative, Allard served on the Joint Committee on Congressional Reform, which recommended many of the reforms included in the Contract with America. These reforms became some of the first to be passed by the Republican controlled Congress in 1995 and were the key to their platform.

US Senate

In 1996, Allard was elected to the United States Senate, defeating Tom Strickland by five percentage points. He made a pledge at the time to serve just two terms in the Senate before retiring. In 2002, he was re-elected, defeating Strickland again by the same margin.

In the 110th Congress, Allard served on the following committees: United States Senate Committee on Appropriations (of which he was Ranking Minority member of the Legislative Branch subcommittee); United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs (of which he was Ranking Minority member of the Securities, Insurance, and Investment subcommittee); United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the United States Senate Committee on the Budget

In an April 2006 article, Time named Allard as one of America's 5 Worst Senators, dubbing him "The Invisible Man". The article criticised him for being "so bland that his critics have dubbed him "Dullard"", for "never playing a role in major legislation, even though he's on two key Senate committees, Budget and Appropriations" and for "rarely speaking on the floor or holding press conferences to push his ideas", concluding that "few of the bills he has introduced over the past year have passed". The article did however note that he was "polite, affable and willing to take on thankless tasks, such as his current role overseeing the construction of a visitors center on Capitol Hill". In response, two major Colorado newspapers defended the Senator. The Rocky Mountain News retorted that Time had made the "wrong call" and that Allard was a "hard-working advocate for Colorado interests." The Colorado Springs Gazette also weighed in, saying the article was "... soft, subjective, snide, impressionistic slop -- further proof of the low to which this once-serious publication has sunk."

Upon his retirement, the Denver Post admitted that "While we didn't always agree with Sen. Wayne Allard on policy matters, we never doubted that he was working hard for Colorado." [1]

In March 2008 the National Journal ranked him the second most conservative U.S. Senator based on his 2007 votes.

In 2003, Allard introduced into the Senate the Federal Marriage Amendment, seeking to ban same-sex marriages. The amendment failed to advance to Congress.

In 2004, Allard reintroduced the Federal Marriage Amendment with minor changes. In presenting the amendment, Allard made the case that there is a "master plan" to "destroy the institution of marriage". Passage of the proposed Amendment failed 227 yea votes to 186 nay votes, where 290 yea votes (two-thirds) are required for passage of a proposed Constitutional amendment.

On January 15, 2007 Allard announced he would fulfill a 1996 campaign promise to serve only two Senate terms and would retire in January 2009.

In April 2007, Allard announced his endorsement of Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. He switched his endorsement to John McCain once he secured his spot as the presumptive Republican nominee.

Environmental record

Allard was a co-sponsor of the James Peak Wilderness Bill, which created a 14,000-acre (57 km²) preserve around James Peak, and added 3,000 acres (12 km²) to the Indian Peak Protection Area. Allard also sponsored legislation which created Colorado's 85,000-acre (340 km²) Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Allard was also chairman and founder of the Senate Renewable Energy and Efficiency Caucus

In 2006, the environmental group Republicans for Environmental Protection praised Allard for his support of legislation to make the Army Corps of Engineers more accountable for its projects' environmental and economic impact, but censured him for supporting oil drilling both offshore and in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters issued Allard a grade of 29% for 2006.

Fiscal conservatism

While working in Congress, Allard consistently asserted that the federal government unnecessarily spends too much money. During his Senate career, his office has returned $4.2 million dollars of its collective budget. Allard was considered to be one of the most firmly anti-tax politicians in Washington. He campaigned on the goal of repealing marriage, inheritance, and capital gains taxes.

Personal life

While completing veterinary school, Allard married Joan Malcolm, who received her degree in microbiology, also from CSU. They then founded their veterinary practice, the Allard Animal Hospital. The Allards raised their two daughters, Christi and Cheryl, in Loveland, Colorado, and have five grandsons. He is a Protestant.

In 2007, Allard authored "Colorado's U.S. Senators: A Biographical Guide." The book was published by Fulcrum Publishing.

Role in the Senate

Committee Assignments

• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Children and Families
  • Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Securities, Insurance, and Investment Subcommittee (Ranking Member)
  • Financial Institutions Subcommittee
  • Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Subcommittee
• Committee on Appropriations
  • Interior Subcommittee(Ranking Member)
  • Legislative Branch Subcommittee
  • Energy and Water Development Subcommittee
  • Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee
  • Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee
  • Transportation/HUD Subcommittee

Electoral history

1996 Race for U.S. Senate — Republican Primary

• Wayne Allard (R), 57%
• Gale Norton (R), 43%

1996 Race for U.S. Senate

• Wayne Allard (R), 51.06%
• Tom Strickland (D), 46.11%
• Other, 2.83%

United States Senate election in Colorado, 2002

• Wayne Allard (R) (inc.), 50.70%
• Tom Strickland (D), 45.77%
• Other, 3.53%

See also

• United States Senate election in Colorado, 2008

External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• New York Times — Wayne Allard News collected news and commentary
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Wayne Allard profile
• 2008 Colorado Senate Race, at 2008RaceTracker.com

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Hank Brown	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 4th congressional district 1991–1997	Succeeded by Bob Schaffer
United States Senate
Preceded by Hank Brown	United States Senator (Class 2) from Colorado 1997–2009 Served alongside: Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Ken Salazar	Succeeded by Mark Udall
Party political offices
Preceded by Hank Brown	Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Colorado (Class 2) 1996, 2002	Succeeded by Bob Schaffer