Spencer Bachus
Spencer Thomas Bachus III (born December 28, 1947 in Birmingham), represents the 6th Congressional District of Alabama in the United States House of Representatives, to which he was first elected, over incumbent Ben Erdreich, in 1992. He has been re-elected seven times and his current term expires in 2009. He resides in Vestavia Hills.
Early life
Bachus was born in Birmingham to Edith Wells and Spencer Thomas Bachus, Jr. He graduated from Auburn University in 1969 and, while serving in the Alabama National Guard, completed his Juris Doctor in 1972 at the University of Alabama School of Law. He maintained a private law practice and also owned a sawmill before entering politics.
Political career
Bachus was elected to the Alabama State Senate in 1983 and served one term, after which he won a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives, representing District __ from 1984 to 1987. At the end of his second term in the House he was appointed to the Alabama Board of Education. In 1990 he ran unsuccessfully for Attorney General. From there went on to chair the Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee until 1992, when he was first elected to the United States Congress.
After the 1990 U. S. Census the 7th Congressional District of Alabama was reconfigured to create a majority African-American congressional district, as required by the Department of Justice. Much of the new district was carved out of the 6th Congressional District, leaving a strong majority of suburban whites who tended to favor Republican nominees. The realignment helped Bachus to defeat Democratic five-term incumbent Ben Erdreich by 7% of the vote in 1992. He took office on January 3, 1993.
Since that time the District has only grown more solid for the Republican Party, with President Bush winning 78% of the district's votes in the 2004 general election, more than in any other district in the United States. No Democratic challenger has faced Bachus since the 2000 general election.
House record
Bachus' voting record has been generally in line with the Republican Party's political platform. He has chaired the Banking Oversight Committee, where he investigated malfeasance in the Community Development Financial Institute and participated in amending the Fair Credit Reporting Act. During the 1990s, Bachus championed debt relief for developing nations, criticizing the Bush administration for their involvement with the Sudanese government, which has been accused of acts of genocide.
Bachus was visibly involved in assisting local efforts to advance the search for missing Mountain Brook teenager Natalee Holloway. In 2005 he accused comedian Bill Maher of making "treasonous comments" regarding U. S. Army recruiting quotas.
Leading up to the 2004 election, Bachus was rated at 80% for economic conservatism, 77% for social conservatism, and 68% for foreign policy conservatism by the National Journal. The American Civil Liberties Union and the League of Conservation Voters both rated him at 0, while the U. S. Chamber of Commerce gave him a score of 100. The Christian Coalition gave him a 92 rating and the National Taxpayers Union gave him a 62.
Committees
- House Committee on Financial Services (5th of 37)
- Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance & Government Sponsored Enterprises
- Subcommittee on Financial Institutions & Consumer Credit (Chair)
- House Committee on the Judiciary (11th of 23)
- Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet & Interllectual Property
- Subcommittee on the Constitution
- House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (10th of 41)
- Subcommittee on Aviation
- Subcommittee on Highways, Transit & Pipelines
- Subcommittee on Railroads
Electoral history
- 2006 general election: unopposed
- 2006 primary elections: unopposed
- 2004 general election: Bachus 264,819 (99%); other 3,224 (1%)
- 2004 primary elections: Bachus defeated Phillip Jauregui
- 2002 general election: Bachus 178,171 (90%); J. Holden McAllister (Libertarian) 19,639 (10%)
- 2000 general election: Bachus (88%)
- 1998 general election: Bachus (72%)
- 1996 general election: Bachus (71%)
- 1994 general election: Bachus (79%)
- 1992 general election: Bachus (52%); Ben Erdreich (45%); other (3%)
| Preceded by: Ben Erdreich |
Representative, 6th Congressional District of Alabama 1993 - present |
Succeeded by: (current) |
References
- Bachus, Spencer T., III (n. d.) Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress
- "Spencer Bachus." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 27 Jun 2007, 21:58 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27 Jun 2007 [1].
External links
- Spencer Bachus congressional website
- Spencer Bachus for U.S. Congress campaign website
- Bachus' profile at vote-smart.org
- Spencer Bachus at Congresspedia
- Bachus' voting record from the Washington Post