Robert Hurt (born June 16,1969) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district from 2011 to 2017,where he served on the Financial Services Committee as vice chair of the Capital Markets Subcommittee and Housing and Insurance Subcommittee.
After 16 years in public office,Hurt stepped down from Congress in January 2017 and was invited to Liberty University to work as vice president and founding director of Liberty's Center for Law and Government. In 2019,Hurt was asked to concurrently work as dean of the Helms School of Government at Liberty University.[1]
Prior to representing Virginia's 5th district,Hurt practiced law and served as a citizen-legislator from Southside Virginia,representing Virginia's 19th Senate District for three years and Virginia's 16th House of Delegates District for six years. Prior to his election to the Virginia General Assembly in 2001,Hurt served on the Chatham Town Council and as chief assistant commonwealth's attorney for Pittsylvania County.[1]
He served as a chief assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for Pittsylvania County from 1996to 1999. From 1999to 2008,Hurt worked in a general law practice with the firm of H. Victor Millner Jr. P.C. in Chatham. In 2008,Hurt opened up his own law practice in Chatham.[4] Hurt is a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity.[7]
Hurt began his political career as a member of the Chatham Town Council.[8] He was elected with 82percent of the vote.[9] Hurt was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2001and served three terms.[8] He represented the 16th District,which includes part of Pittsylvania County. He was elected and re-elected to the House of Delegates with at least 62percent of the vote.[9] He cited bringing the New College Institute and the Virginia Museum of Natural History as accomplishments that he and other legislators of both parties have worked together to bring to the area.[10]
During his time as a delegate,Hurt worked to increase state funding for K-12 education and increase the safety of Virginia's children through membership on the Courts of Justice Committee and the Youth Internet Safety Taskforce.[10] Hurt voted two dozen times to cut taxes and supported 28bills in the General Assembly that sought to reduce taxes on food,gas,cigarettes,cars,real estate,computer sales and other items.[11] In 2004,Hurt voted in favor of a $1.4billion tax increase to narrow the gap in Virginia's budget. Hurt stated that the increase was essential,based on the information lawmakers had at the time,to refrain from a government shutdown over a budget impasse and has since stated regret over the vote.[12][13]
In November 2007,Hurt was elected to the Senate of Virginia,winning 75percent of the vote. Hurt represented the 19th district,which includes the city of Danville,all of Pittsylvania and Franklin counties,and part of Campbell county.[9][14][15]
Hurt speaks at the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia
On October 7, 2009, Hurt officially declared himself a candidate for Virginia's 5th congressional district.[16] The district stretches from Charlottesville to Southside Virginia and west to Bedford and Franklin counties.[17] Hurt was the Republican establishment candidate in the primary and was not received well by the Tea Party.[18] On June 8, 2010, Hurt won the Republican nomination with a plurality in a crowded field of six other candidates.[8] All of Hurt's opponents in the primary endorsed him.[19] A local Tea Party Leader said his group would "unite behind" and "support" Hurt.[20]
Hurt campaigned against Democratic incumbent Tom Perriello and Independent candidate Jeffrey Clark in the general election.[21] Republicans viewed his as a pickup opportunity and poured resources into the race.[22][23] Perriello was listed as one of the 10most vulnerable House incumbents by Roll Call.[24] Hurt was a member of the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" program.[25]
On June 12, Hurt stated that he would "absolutely" participate in debates that included all the candidates, including Independent candidate Clark. Just days later, Hurt stated that he would not debate Clark. Although the statement was made in response to a direct query from a reporter as to whether he would debate Clark, Hurt's campaign later tried to justify their position by insisting this was untrue.[26] Hurt skipped the first debate which was organized by the Senior Statesmen of Virginia, becoming the first candidate to skip the forum since it started in 1996.[27][28] In addition to the first debate, Hurt skipped two subsequent debates one sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce in Nelson County and another hosted by American Legion Post 325 in Danville making a total of three skipped debates.[29][30]
Hurt campaigned on his opposition to the Democratic-backed initiatives that Perriello supported, such as health-care reform, the economic stimulus package and clean energy legislation.[31] On August 20, Hurt released his first television ad. The ad stated that he would fight tax increases, stop Washington's spending and start creating jobs, however he never mentioned his opponents. "You definitely see that he's running against Congress as a whole and Democrats as a whole," Isaac Wood, an analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said. "That was very clear. He spent just a few seconds introducing himself, then pivoted right away to attack the negative things happening in D.C. With voters, that can be effective."[32] Another ad from Hurt called Perriello a "rubber stamp" for the policies of President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.[33] Hurt won with 51percent of the vote.[34] He became the first freshman Republican to represent this district since Reconstruction. Virgil Goode, who represented the district from 1997 to 2009, was originally elected as a Democrat, and only joined the GOP in 2002 after serving as an independent from 2000 to 2002.
Hurt was challenged by Democratic nominee John Douglass, a retired United States Air Force Brigadier General and former Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Hurt won re-election to a second term on November 6, 2012.
Tenure
After his win, Hurt submitted a formal letter of resignation from the Virginia General Assembly to Governor Bob McDonnell that would be effective on January 5, the day Hurt was sworn into Congress.[35] Hurt voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which successfully passed the House.[36] In February, Hurt criticized President Barack Obama's $3.73trillion 2012federal budget proposal for its excessive spending and borrowing.[37] Hurt would vote to pass a $1.2trillion bill that would cut the year's budget federal budget by $61billion.[38] On April 8, Hurt voted for a continuing resolution that prevented the government from shutting down that day.[39] Hurt expressed support for Paul Ryan's budget plan that month as well.[40] On July 19, Hurt voted for the Cut, Cap and Balance Act.[41] On August 1, Hurt voted for the Budget Control Act of 2011 that raised the debt ceiling and cut spending by $2.1trillion over the next 10years.[42] Hurt co-sponsored a bill that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from cracking down on farm dust. The bill passed the House on December 8.[43]
In 2010, when Hurt was running against incumbent Tom Perriello, the Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters released television and radio ads against Hurt, attacking him on an alleged conflict of interest regarding uranium mining, because his father was a founding investor in Virginia Uranium and Hurt had accepted money from uranium mining interests.[44] Hurt strongly opposed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 2009 proposed "Cap-and Trade" climate control legislation.[45]
Hurt opposed the Affordable Care Act, saying "The President's health care law represents a fundamental departure from the founding principles of our nation by placing more faith in government than in the American people and by inserting the federal government in between patients and their doctors."[46]
Hurt lives in Chatham.[54] Hurt is a member of Chatham Presbyterian Church and Chatham Rotary Club. Also, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the New College Institute, the Virginia Bar Association's Board of Governors, the Hampden-Sydney Wilson Center Advisory Board, the John Marshall Foundation Board, the Board of Directors of Roman Eagle Nursing Home and the board of directors of the W. E. Skelton 4-H Conference Center at Smith Mountain Lake.[55] His brother, Charles Hurt, is a journalist and political columnist for the Washington Times.[56][57] Hurt gave the commencement address at Piedmont Virginia Community College in May 2011.[58]
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