Rodney Alexander

See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana § District 5

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. During this election, he joined the Tea Party Caucus.

2012

Alexander drew two last-minute challengers in his successful 2012 bid for a sixth term in the U.S. House. ^[3] 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 Caesar, polled 37,486 votes (14.4 percent). ^[4]

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. ^[5] 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.

Tenure

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).

His speeches include "Party of Paychecks" in which 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 and supporting religious freedom and public prayer.

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 missed 266 of 7521 (3.5%) roll call votes during his time in office, higher than the national median of 2.5%. ^[6]

Legislation

As a Representative, Alexander sponsored 36 bills, including: ^[7]

108th Congress (2003–2004)

• H.R. 1724, a bill to require higher education institutions that participate in student assistance programs to offer military leave to members of the Armed Forces for deployment and provide credits or refunds of tuition and other fees during such leaves, introduced April 10, 2003

109th Congress (2005–2006)

• H.R. 3894, a bill to allow for emergency, temporary housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina, introduced September 26, 2005
• H.R. 5765, a bill to allow for a tax credit for employers equal to 15% of the first $10,000 in wages for members of the National Guard or Ready Reserve, introduced July 12, 2006. Alexander introduced a similar bill, H.R. 3620, in the 111th Congress.

110th Congress (2007–2008)

• H.R. 924, a bill to prohibit the Food and Drug Administration from restricting the sale of certain turtles to be kept as pets, introduced February 8, 2007
• H.R. 7008, a bill to set limits on disaster relief financial aid given to private or investor-owned electric utility companies that provide service to low-income households, introduced September 23, 2008, reintroduced in the 111th Congress as H.R. 941

111th Congress (2009–2010)

• H.R. 1891, a bill to allow for a gross income deduction for 50% of long-term care premiums without regard to other limitations on deductions, introduced April 2, 2009

113th Congress (2013–2014)

• H.R. 1989, a bill to require the United States Forest Service to endeavor to accommodate individuals with mobility disabilities who would need to use a power-driven mobility device for access to Forest Service lands, introduced May 15, 2013
• H.R. 2752, a bill to exclude seasonal employees from being counted under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's employer mandate, introduced July 19, 2013
• H.R. 2926, a bill to prohibit the federal government from revoking or withholding federal financial assistance that would otherwise be provided to any recipient on the basis of religious activities that are conducted voluntarily and initiated by participants in a program or activity carried out by such recipient, introduced August 1, 2013

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Vice Chair)

Caucus membership

• Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans
• Congressional Diabetes Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Republican Study Committee
• Sportsmen's Caucus
• Tea Party Caucus
• Congressional Constitution Caucus ^[8]

Interest group ratings

Alexander received favorable ratings from pro-life groups such as the Right to Life Committee and received low ratings from Planned Parenthood. Alexander also received favorable reviews from business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business. In addition, he had strong support from agricultural groups such as the American Farm Bureau Federation which gave him a 100 percent rating in 2011 and the Sportsman and Animal Owners Voting Alliance. ^[9] 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

Alexander was endorsed by Americans for Legal Immigration, Louisiana National Federation of Independent Business, National Federation of Independent Business, Chamber of Commerce, and the NRA Political Victory Fund. The National Federation for Independent Business named Alexander a "Guardian of Small Business" to acknowledge his strong voting record in favor of small businesses. ^[10]

Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs

On September 30, 2013, Alexander became Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs under Governor Bobby Jindal. ^[11]

Personal life

Alexander's wife, the former Nancy Sutton, is a long-time educator. They have three children and several grandchildren. Alexander is a Southern Baptist. ^[12]

See also

• List of American politicians who switched parties in office
• List of United States representatives who switched parties

References

1. "Rodney Alexander". Rootsweb . Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
2. "Democrats Bitter Over 'Cowardly' Alexander's Party Switch" . Roll Call via the Economist. Aug 12, 2004. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
3. "U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander draws challenger; all incumbents now opposed". The Times Picayune. August 17, 2012. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
4. "Louisiana election returns, November 6. 2012". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
5. "Rodney Alexander's Campaign Finances – Project Vote Smart" . Retrieved 7 September 2014.
6. "Rodney Alexander, former U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District – GovTrack.us" . Retrieved 7 September 2014.
7. "Representative Alexanders's Legislation". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
8. "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
9. "Rodney Alexander's Ratings and Endorsements – Project Vote Smart" . Retrieved 7 September 2014.
10. "Congressman Rodney Alexander Honored as Guardian of Small Business – Public Statements – Project Vote Smart". Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
11. "On the Hill, NY Times praises Sen. Vitter and Rodney Alexander casts last vote – NOLA.com". Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
12. Staff (5 January 2011). "Ten Southern Baptists sworn in as new reps". Baptist Press. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.

External links

• Congressman Rodney Alexander official U.S. House website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Profile at SourceWatch
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Rodney Alexander
Louisiana Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In office September 30, 2013 –June 3, 2014

Louisiana House of Representatives
Preceded by Mike Tinnerello	Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 13th district 1988–2002	Succeeded by James Fannin
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by John Cooksey	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th congressional district 2003–2013	Succeeded by Vance McAllister
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Jimmy Hayes as Former US Representative	Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative	Succeeded by Cedric Richmond as Former US Representative