Ginny Brown-Waite
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Virginia Brown-Waite (born October 5 1943), Is a centrist/conservative American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing the 5th District of Florida. (map)
Brown-Waite was born in Albany, New York and educated at the State University of New York and Russell Sage College. She was legislative director of the New York State Senate, a commissioner of Hernando County, Florida, and a member of the Florida State Senate before entering the House.
In 2002, Brown-Waite, then a State Senator, defeated the incumbent Representative, Democrat Karen Thurman. Brown-Waite won despite the unfavorable publicity that came in October when police accused her husband, former state trooper Harvey Waite, of stealing pro-Thurman lawn signs. [1] She was re-elected in 2004 with 66% of the vote. Brown-Waite is currently mulling a run for the U.S. Senate in 2006 against Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson.
Brown-Waite has expressed support for the Death Penalty, saying she believed she saw "a message" in a nosebleed suffered by death row inmate Allen Lee Davis during his execution on July 8, 1999. Brown-Waite, who saw in the blood the shape of a cross, believes that it either indicated Davis had made peace with God, or it was a message from God giving his blessing to the execution.
Voting History:
Voted YES on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime. (Feb 2004)
Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother’s life. (Oct 2003)
Voted YES on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research. (Feb 2003)
'Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)'
Voted YES on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Sep 2004)
Voted YES on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. (Sep 2004)
Voted YES on constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on speeding up approval of forest thinning projects. (Nov 2003)
'Rated 5% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes. (Dec 2003)'
Voted YES on prohibiting suing gunmakers & sellers for gun misuse. (Apr 2003)
'Rated A by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun rights voting record. (Dec 2003)'
Voted YES on limiting medical malpractice lawsuits to $250,000 damages. (May 2004)
Voted YES on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (Nov 2003)
Voted YES on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs. (Jul 2003)
Voted YES on small business associations for buying health insurance. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on capping damages and setting time limits in medical lawsuits. (Mar 2003)
'Rated 11% by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record.'
Voted 'YES' on federalizing rules for driver licenses to hinder terrorists. (Feb 2005)
Voted 'YES on continuing military recruitment on college campuses. (Feb 2005)
Voted NO on supporting new position of Director of National Intelligence. (Dec 2004)
Voted YES on adopting the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. (Oct 2004)
Voted YES on emergency $78B for war in Iraq & Afghanistan. (Apr 2003)
'Rated 22% by SANE, indicating a pro-military voting record. (Dec 2003)'
'Rated 20% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)'
1. Mary Jo Melone, A Switch is Thrown, and God Speaks, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, July 13, 1999, p. 1B.
2. Voting Results found at www.issues2000.org