| Rodney Alexander | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | John Cooksey |
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 13th district |
|
| In office 1988–2002 |
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| Preceded by | Mike Tinnerello |
| Succeeded by | James R. Fannin |
| Jackson Parish Police Juror | |
| In office 1972–1988 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Rodney McKinnie Alexander December 5, 1946 Bienville, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, USA |
| Political party | Democratic (1988–2004) Republican (2004– present) |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy Sutton Alexander |
| Children | three |
| Residence | Quitman, Jackson Parish, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Jonesboro-Hodge High School Louisiana Tech University University of Louisiana at Monroe |
| Occupation | Insurance agent |
| Religion | Southern Baptist[1] |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1965–1971 |
| Unit | Reserves |
Rodney McKinnie Alexander (born December 5, 1946) is the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 5th congressional district, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district covers twenty-two parishes in roughly the northeast quadrant of the state. As of the start of the 112th Congress, he is the dean of Louisiana's House delegation.
Contents |
Early life, education and career [edit]
Alexander was born in the village of Bienville, in Bienville Parish to the former Mary Crawford and James Earl Alexander.[2] In 1964, he graduated from Jonesboro-Hodge High School in Jonesboro in Jackson Parish. He then attended Louisiana Tech University but left school to work for his family construction company so his wife could earn a degree.
Alexander was an insurance agent prior to entering Congress. He also owned a construction company from 1964–1981. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force Reserve from 1965–1971.[citation needed] He was a member of the Jackson Parish Police Jury (equivalent to county commission in other states) from 1972–1988.
Alexander left the police jury to represent District 13 in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1988 until his election to Congress. While in the House, he served as the chairman of the House Health and Welfare Committee. In this position, Alexander shepherded through the Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program (LaCHIP) legislation, which assists mothers and children with basic health care and insurance needs.
Alexander took college courses on and off for 45 years. When the University of Louisiana at Monroe started offering online courses, Alexander took the online classes for two years and graduated with a general studies degree from ULM in 2009. d
U.S. House of Representatives [edit]
Alexander won his seat in 2002 as a Democrat, but ran in 2004 as a Republican, changing parties only three months before the election.[3]
At the commencement of the 111th Congress, Alexander received new subcommittee assignments including the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS), and he retained his seat on the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administrations, and Related Agencies (Agriculture). Alexander’s Interest group ratings are high in pro-life, agriculture, budgeting and business. He has very low ratings by the NAACP and ACLU and other civil rights oriented groups or groups for minorities. Alexander also has low ratings by environmental groups. His recent speeches include “Party of Paychecks” were he speaks on the nations food-stamp necessity increase and speaks against "out-of-control government spending" and unemployment. Many of Alexander’s other speeches include warning against tax increases, as well as religious freedom and prayer in public.
Committee assignments [edit]
Caucus membership [edit]
- Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans
- Congressional Diabetes Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
- Republican Study Committee
- Sportsmen's Caucus
- Tea Party Caucus
Interest Group Ratings [edit]
Alexander has received favorable ratings from pro-life groups such as the Right to Life Committee and received low ratings from pro-choice groups such as Planned Parenthood. Alexander has also received favorable reviews from business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business. In addition he has strong support from agricultural groups such as the American Farm Bureau Federation which gave him a 100% rating in 2011 and the Sportsman and Animal Owners Voting Alliance.[4] Alexander has been given low ratings by civil rights groups such as the NAACP and the ACLU as well as environmental groups like the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.
Endorsements [edit]
Alexander is endorsed by Americans for Legal Immigration, Louisiana National Federation of Independent Business, National Federation of Independent Business, Chamber of Commerce, and National Rifle Association. On September the National Federation for Independent Business named Alexander a “Guardian of Small Business” to acknowledge his strong voting record in favor of small businesses.[5]
Recent Voting Record [edit]
Alexander's voting record shows a history of voting against tax law amendments on a variety of matters. He has also voted “Nay” on many extensions for relief or aid, regulations, and has voted “Yay” to prohibition of tax increase. In 2012 he voted for several pro-business, anti-environmental bills such as the Stop the War on Coal Act and the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act. He has also voted to support small business through the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act. Cumulatively, Alexander has missed 266 of 7521 roll call votes during his time in office. This 4% miss rate is slightly higher than the national median of 2.5%.[6]
Political campaigns [edit]
Alexander was first elected to Congress in 2002 as a Democrat. On August 4, 2004, he registered to run as a Democrat, but changed his registration to republican two days later. He then defeated fellow Republican Jock Scott of Alexandria in the open primary that November</ref name=econ>. In 2006, he defeated the Democrat Gloria Williams Hearn, wife of the psychologist George E. Hearn of Pineville, Louisiana.
2010 [edit]
Alexander defeated Richard Todd Slavant of Monroe in the Republican closed primary by a margin of nearly 9-1. He faced Independent Tom Gibbs, Jr., of Ouachita Parish in the November 2 general election and won easily. No Democratic candidate had filed for the position, once held by such long-serving party members as Jerry Huckaby and Otto Passman.
Alexander joined the Tea Party Caucus during this campaign.
2012 [edit]
Alexander drew two last-minute challengers in his successful 2012 bid for a sixth term in the U.S. House.[7] Alexander handily prevailed with 202,531 votes (77.8 percent). The Libertarian Clay Steven Grant received 20,194 votes (7.8 percent), and the No-Party candidate, Ron Ceasar, polled 37,486 votes (14.4 percent).[8]
2012 Campaign Finance [edit]
During the 2012 election Alexander’s campaign raised a total of $1,235,114. $942,083 were spent leaving the campaign with a surplus of $295,079 and no debt.[9] Major contributors to Alexander’s campaign came from a variety of business interests including the crop production industry, the oil and gas industry, commercial banks, and general contractors. Top individual contributors include Adams and Reese, the Livingston Group, O’Neal Gas, and Kadav Inc.
Personal life [edit]
Alexander's wife, the former Nancy Sutton, is a long-time educator. They have three children and several grandchildren.
On January 30, 2010, Alexander, along with the late Charlton Lyons of Shreveport, former state Representative Risley C. Triche of Napoleonville, and former State Senator Randy Ewing, also of Jackson Parish, was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.[10]
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=34378
- ^ 1
- ^ "Democrats Bitter Over 'Cowardly' Alexander's Party Switch". Roll Call via the Economist. Aug 12, 2004. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ^ http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/4545/rodney-alexander#.UKk4JoeZmSo
- ^ http://votesmart.org/public-statement/745855/congressman-rodney-alexander-honored-as-guardian-of-small-business#.UKlE2YeZmSo
- ^ http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/rodney_alexander/400006
- ^ "U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander draws challenger; all incumbents now opposed". The Times Picayune. August 17, 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
- ^ "Louisiana election returns, November 6. 2012". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ http://votesmart.org/candidate/campaign-finance/4545/rodney-alexander#.UKlFCYeZmSo
- ^ "[[Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]]". lapoliticalmuseum.com. Retrieved January 14, 2010. Wikilink embedded in URL title (help)
External links [edit]
- Congressman Rodney Alexander official U.S. House site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- 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
- Profile at SourceWatch
- Story on Alexander's Party Switch
- http://www.enlou.com/officeholders/housedistrict13.htm
- http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/NEWS01/701030329
- http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms2&rqsdta=110502
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Cooksey |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th congressional district 2003–present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Joe Wilson R-South Carolina |
United States Representatives by seniority 146th |
Succeeded by Rob Bishop R-Utah |
| Louisiana House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Mike Tinnerello |
Louisiana State Representative from Jackson Parish 1988–2002 |
Succeeded by James R. Fannin |
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