Doug Lamborn
Doug Lamborn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 5th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Joel Hefley |
| Member of the Colorado Senate from the 9th district | |
| In office 1998–2007 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Duke[1] |
| Succeeded by | David Schultheis[2] |
| Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 20th district | |
| In office 1995–1998 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Duke |
| Succeeded by | Lynn Hefley[3] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 24, 1954 Leavenworth, Kansas, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jeanie Lamborn |
| Residence(s) | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Alma mater | University of Kansas |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Douglas Lamborn (born May 24, 1954) is the U.S. Representative for Colorado's 5th congressional district, in office since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is based in Colorado Springs.
Colorado House of Representatives
Elections
In 1994, Lamborn was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. In 1998, he was elected to the Colorado State Senate.
He was elected Republican House Whip in 1997. He was elected Senate President Pro-tem in 1999. Lamborn served in the Colorado Senate until winning a seat in Congress.[4]
Tenure
While in the State Senate Lamborn sponsored the largest tax cut in Colorado State history,[5] and was named the highest-ranking tax cutter in the Senate five times, by a conservative activist group called the Colorado Union of Taxpayers.[4]
Committee assignments
Lamborn was the ranking Republican on the Colorado State Military and Veterans Affairs, and Appropriations committees.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
- 2006
On February 16, 2006, Joel Hefley announced he would retire after 10 terms in Congress.[6] In the August 8, 2006 Republican primary, Lamborn defeated five other candidates to win the party nomination, includling one supported by Hefley.
Lamborn ran on conservative positions:[7] opposing gun control, abortion except when the mother's life is threatened, federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, providing public benefits to illegal immigrants, and new eminent domain rulings.[8]
Lamborn earned the endorsement in the primary of numerous national organizations, including National Right to Life, National Pro-life Alliance,[9] National Rifle Association, Gunowners of America,[10] Club for Growth, National Right to Work, Eagle Forum, and Minuteman PAC.[11] He ran against Jay Fawcett, the Democratic nominee for the open seat in Colorado's 5th congressional district. Lamborn won the election on November 7, 2006.
- 2008
Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn both challenged Lamborn in the 2008 Republican primary. Both lost to Lamborn in the 2006 primary. Lamborn won the primary election on August 12, 2008 with 45 percent[12] of the 56,171 votes cast. Crank got 29 percent and Rayburn got 26 percent. Lamborn defeated Democratic challenger Hal Bidlack in the 2008 election.
- 2010
Lamborn was challenged by Democratic nominee Kevin Bradley, Libertarian nominee Jerell Klaver, and American Constitution Party nominee Brian "Barron X" Scott. He won re-election.
- 2012
Lamborn was challenged in the Republican primary by businessman Robert Blaha. Lamborn won 62-38 percent. [13] Lamborn carries the support of Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum political action committee.[14]
Tenure
An office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was established in Colorado Springs in Lamborn's district. The office opened in February 2009 and increased immigration enforcement agents in the area from two to ten. “The immediate need is to address those that have committed a crime and make sure they’re sent out of the country,” Lamborn said. However this would not place in jeopardy employers who hire illegal immigrants in the first place or who pay these workers without any withholding tax or below the minimum wage.[15]
There has also been a Brigade Combat Team in his district since December 2007. The Brigade Combat Team consisting of almost 5,000 soldiers, their families, support personnel as well as increased military construction.[16]
Congressional Quarterly said that through the first August recess, Lamborn had voted by strict partisan lines the most of any member in the U.S. House and more than any other Republican.[7] Lamborn led an effort among conservative Republicans to force the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to discard proposed regulations that would have affected accessibility to small arms ammunition, which were opposed by Second Amendment groups.[17] In February 2010, The National Journal named Lamborn the most conservative member of the U.S. House of Representatives.[18]
Lamborn is one of the House Republicans leading the effort against public funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and NPR (National Public Radio). "I have been seeking to push Big Bird out of the nest for over a year, based on the simple fact that we can no longer afford to spend taxpayer dollars on nonessential government programs. It's time for Big Bird to earn his wings and learn to fly on his own." [19]
On August 24, 2007, Jonathan Bartha, who works for Focus on the Family (headquartered in Colorado Springs), and his wife Anna wrote a letter to the editor in a community newspaper expressing concerns about Lamborn's opposition to more restrictions on dog fighting. They were also concerned that he'd taken several campaign contributions from the gaming industry. A few days later, Lamborn left two voice mails threatening "consequences" if they didn't renounce their "blatantly false" letter. He also said that he would be "forced to take other steps" if the matter wasn't resolved "on a Scriptural level." The Barthas were shocked by the messages, and Anna Bartha called Lamborn's behavior "not anything we would ever anticipate an elected official would pursue."[20]
- Taxes
Lamborn is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[21]
- "Tar Baby" Remark
On July 29, 2011, Lamborn appeared on a Denver radio program to discuss the debt crisis and the failure of Democrats and Republicans to reach a compromise on the problem. Lamborn stated "Now, I don't even want to have to be associated with [President Obama]. It's like touching a tar baby and you get it, you're stuck, and you're a part of the problem now and you can't get away."[22] The term tar baby is a known racial slur used towards African-Americans. Former Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll, himself an African-American, replied "“Looking beyond the fact that Congressman Lamborn’s entire comment is nonsensical, his use of the term ‘tar baby’ is unfortunate because [of] the historical connotation of that term when used in conjunction with African Americans."[23]
On August 1, 2011, Lamborn apologized for his use of the slur, explaining ""When I said 'tar baby', I was talking economic quagmire that our country is finding ourselves in because of poor economic policy from the White House. I could have used a better term."[24]
- Refusal to attend 2012 State of the Union Address
On January 23, 2012, Lamborn announced he would not be attending the President's State of the Union address. According to his spokeswoman Catherine Mortenson, "Congressman Lamborn is doing this to send a clear message that he does not support the policies of Barack Obama, that they have hurt our country," and he believed Obama was “in full campaign mode and will use the address as an opportunity to bash his political opponents."[25]
- Leak of classified national security information
On April 11, 2013, Lamborn read out in an open session broadcast on C-SPAN details from a classified report on North Korean nuclear capabilities. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs refused to confirm the classified report.[26] Improper disclosures of classified information are violations of the Espionage Act of 1917 and can carry a ten year sentence.[27]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
- Republican Study Committee
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Constitution Caucus
- House Sovereignty Caucus (Co-Founder)
- International Conservation Caucus
- Republican Israel Caucus (Co-Chair)
- Tea Party Caucus
- United Kingdom Caucus
References
- ^ . February 3, 1998 http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=CSGB&d_place=CSGB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F34B8ED282BFECF&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=6737
- ^ . February 5, 1998 http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=CSGB&d_place=CSGB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F34B8ED8CF898F0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b About Rep. Lamborn Retrieved May 10, 2007 Template:Wayback
- ^ The Club For Growth — Doug Lamborn — Colorado's 5th District Retrieved May 11, 2007 [dead link]
- ^ Sprengelmeyer, M.E. (2006-02-17). "Hefley calls it a career". Rocky Mountain News.
- ^ a b Giroux, Greg (2007-08-10). "CQPolitics.com Candidate Watch". Congressional Quarterly.
- ^ Rep. Elect Doug Lamborn Congressional Quarterly November 8, 2006
- ^ Rep. Doug Lamborn on Pro Life Issues. Retrieved November 3, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ Rep. Doug Lamborn on Guns and the Second Amendment. Retrieved November 3, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ Doug Lamborn: More Support for Doug Lamborn. Retrieved November 3, 2007. Template:Wayback
- ^ The Hill
- ^ Wyatt, Kristen. Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_20939562/wildfires-complicate-co-primary-elections.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Candidates endorsed by Eagle Forum PAC, October 31, 2012". eagleforum.org. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
- ^ ICE Office, More Agents Slated For Springs. Retrieved January 19, 2007.
- ^ Post Heads For 30,000. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
- ^ Labor Department Announces It Will Revise Overreaching OSHA Explosives Rule. National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
- ^ "POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Lamborn ranked most conservative in Congress | lamborn, ranked, political - Colorado Politics - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO". Gazette.com. 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ "NPR CEO Vivian Schiller's Ouster May Be Last Straw for Taxpayer Funding" AOL News. March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
- ^ Emery, Erin (September 2, 2007). "Lamborn message has couple in dismay". Denver Post. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
- ^ "The Taxpayer Protection Pledge Signers 112th Congressional List" (PDF). Americans for Tax Reform. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
- ^ "Doug Lamborn Tar Baby". http://www.youtube.com.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ "GOP REP. LAMBORN: ASSOCIATING WITH OBAMA IS LIKE 'TOUCHING A TAR BABY'". http://thinkprogress.org.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ "UPDATE: Rep. Doug Lamborn Offers Apology To President Obama". http://www.krdo.com.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ "Doug Lamborn to ditch State of the Union speech as a protest". http://www.politico.com.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ "'Speculative' Pentagon report sets off North Korea nuclear worries." Reuters, 12 April 2013.
- ^ 18 USC § 793 - Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information|http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793
External links
- U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn official U.S. House site
- Doug Lamborn for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart