Bill Nelson: Difference between revisions
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{{Election box candidate with party link |
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|party = Democratic Party (US) |
|party = Democratic Party (US) |
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|candidate = Bill Nelson |
|candidate = Bill Nelson |
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|votes = 101,746 |
|votes = 101,746 |
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|percentage = 70.6 |
|percentage = 70.6 |
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|party = Democratic Party (US) |
|party = Democratic Party (US) |
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|candidate = Bill Nelson |
|candidate = Bill Nelson |
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|votes = 145,764 |
|votes = 145,764 |
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|percentage = 60.5 |
|percentage = 60.5 |
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|party = Democratic Party (US) |
|party = Democratic Party (US) |
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|candidate = Bill Nelson |
|candidate = Bill Nelson |
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|votes = 149,109 |
|votes = 149,109 |
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|percentage = 72.7 |
|percentage = 72.7 |
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|party = Democratic Party (US) |
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|candidate = Bill Nelson |
|candidate = Bill Nelson |
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|votes = 168,390 |
|votes = 168,390 |
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|percentage = 60.8 |
|percentage = 60.8 |
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Revision as of 05:29, 25 July 2010
Bill Nelson | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Florida | |
Assumed office January 3, 2001 Serving with George LeMieux | |
Preceded by | Connie Mack III |
Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal of Florida | |
In office 1995-2000 | |
Governor | Lawton Chiles 1995-1998 Buddy MacKay 1998-1999 Jeb Bush 1999-2000 |
Preceded by | Tom Gallagher |
Succeeded by | Tom Gallagher |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 11th district | |
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1991 | |
Preceded by | Daniel A. Mica |
Succeeded by | Jim Bacchus |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 9th district | |
In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1983 | |
Preceded by | Louis Frey |
Succeeded by | Michael Bilirakis |
Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
In office 1972–1979 | |
Personal details | |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Grace Cavert Nelson |
Children | Bill Nelson, Jr. Nan Ellen Nelson |
Residence | Orlando, Florida |
Alma mater | Yale University (B.A.) University of Virginia (J.D.) |
Clarence William "Bill" Nelson | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Space career | |
NASA Payload Specialist | |
Current occupation | U.S. Senator |
Previous occupation | Representative, U.S. House |
Time in space | 6d 02h 03m |
Selection | 1985 |
Missions | STS-61-C |
Mission insignia |
- For other people named Bill Nelson, see Bill Nelson (disambiguation).
Clarence William "Bill" Nelson (born September 29, 1942) is the senior U.S. Senator from Florida. Nelson is a member of the Democratic Party. In 1986, he became the second sitting member of the United States Congress to fly in space, as a Payload Specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia.
Personal life
Early life and career
Nelson was born in Miami, the only child of Nannie Merle Nelson and Clarence Nelson.[1] He spent his formative years in Melbourne, Florida, where he attended Melbourne High School.[2] In his youth, he served as an international president of Key Club International.[1] He attended the University of Florida for several years, then transferred to Yale University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1965. In 1968, he received his law degree from the University of Virginia.[3]
In college, Nelson was enrolled in ROTC. In 1965, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve; he served on active duty from 1968 to 1970, attaining the rank of captain.[3] He remained in the Army until 1971.[2]
Nelson was admitted to the Florida bar in 1968, and began practicing law in Melbourne in 1970. In 1971, he worked as legislative assistant to Governor Reubin Askew.[4]
Family
In 1972, Nelson married Grace Cavert. The couple has two adult children: Bill Nelson, Jr., and Nan Ellen Nelson.[2] The Nelsons live in the Baldwin Park neighborhood of Orlando.[5]
Religion
The biography on Nelson's Senate website does not list his religion.[2] He was baptized as a Baptist, and grew up attending Baptist and Episcopal churches. In 2005, he joined the First Presbyterian Church in Orlando.[6]
Florida legislature
In 1972, Nelson was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. He won re-election in 1974 and 1976.[4]
U.S. House of Representatives
Nelson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978. He served in the U.S. House from 1979 to 1991.
In 1986, Nelson became the second sitting member of Congress (and the first member of the House) to travel into space. He went through NASA training with Senator Jake Garn of Utah. He was a Payload Specialist on Space Shuttle Columbia's STS-61-C mission from January 12 to 18. Ten days after his return, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated shortly after lift-off.
1990–2000
Gubernatorial campaign
In 1990, Nelson ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Florida. He lost to former U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles, who went on to win the general election. During the primary campaign, Nelson tried to make an issue out of Chiles' health and age, a strategy that backfired on him in a state with a large population of retirees and senior citizens.
Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner
In 1994 Nelson announced his intention to seek the office of Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida. He won the election with 52% of the vote over State Rep. Tim Ireland's 48%. In 1998, he again defeated Ireland for his reelection to the office.
In 2000, Nelson resigned his post as Commissioner following his election to the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Senate
Election
In 2000, Nelson ran as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican Senator Connie Mack. He won the election, defeating U.S. Representative Bill McCollum, who ran as the Republican candidate.
Political actions and positions
In his official Senate biography, Nelson calls himself "the leading congressional expert on NASA". He lists legislative priorities and accomplishments that include anti-identity-theft and anti-spam measures; opposition to reducing the U.S. Navy's aircraft-carrier fleet; opposition to oil drilling off the Florida coast; supporting a Medicare prescription-drug benefit that allows the government to negotiate lower prices from drug suppliers; and obtaining federal relief for victims of the 2004 hurricane season.[2]
Nelson's votes have tended to be more liberal than conservative. He has received high ratings from left-of-center groups such as Americans for Democratic Action, and low ones from right-of-center groups such as the Eagle Forum and the Club for Growth. According to ratings by the National Journal, Nelson's votes have been strongly liberal on social and economic matters; liberal but close to the center on foreign policy.[7]
In the 110th Congress, Nelson cast 91.8% of his votes in agreement with the majority of the Democratic Party. For comparison, the average Democratic senator voted with the party 87.5% of the time; the high number among Democrats was 97.5%, and the low was 81.2%. Among Republican senators, the frequency of voting with the party majority ranged from 64.5% to 93.0%, with an average of 77.8%.[8]
In 2005, Nelson was one of ten Democrats who voted in favor of the Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) on its 55-45 passage in the Senate;[9] Nelson's vote was cast despite opposition by the sugar lobby.[10]
On several occasions, Nelson has voted against his party to reduce or eliminate the estate tax,[11] notably in June 2006, when he was one of four Democrats voting for a failed (57-41) cloture motion on a bill to eliminate the tax.[12]
In 2007, Nelson was the lone Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee to vote against an amendment to withhold funds for CIA use of harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects. His vote, combined with those of all Republican members of the committee, killed the measure.[13]
Nelson is a member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus, which generally opposes easing sanctions on Cuba.[14]
In March 2010, Nelson voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which passed and were signed into law by President Obama. A Mason-Dixon Florida poll indicated that the measure was opposed by a majority of those surveyed, and by nearly two-thirds of Florida voters aged 65 or older. The same poll showed Nelson's negative rating rising to 34%, from 16% at the time of his 2006 re-election.[15]
2006 re-election campaign
Following the 2004 election, in which Republican George W. Bush was re-elected and the Republican party increased its majority in both the House and the Senate, Nelson was seen as vulnerable. He was a Democrat in a state that Bush had won, though by a margin of only five percentage points.[16] Evangelical Christian activist James Dobson declared that such Democrats, including Nelson, would be "in the 'bull's-eye'" if they supported efforts to block Bush's judicial nominees;[17] and Nelson's refusal to support efforts in Congress to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case was seen as "a great political issue" for a Republican opponent to use in mobilizing Christian conservatives against him.[18] Florida governor Jeb Bush, precluded by term limits from seeking re-election in 2006, was suggested as an opponent who might secure Nelson's seat for the Republicans. [16]
Bush chose not to run for the seat. Katherine Harris, the former Florida Secretary of State and two-term U.S. representative, defeated three other candidates in the September 5 Republican primary. Nelson was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Harris's role in the 2000 presidential election made her a polarizing figure. Many Florida Republicans were eager to reward her for her perceived party loyalty in the Bush-Gore election; many Florida Democrats were eager to vote against her for the same reason.[19] Harris's campaign was beset by difficulties: poor fundraising, a series of gaffes, and a high turnover of staff, including the loss of three campaign managers and of chief advisor Ed Rollins.[20] In February, it was learned that Harris had received $32,000 in illegal campaign contributions from defense contractor Mitchell J. Wade.[21]
In April, a National Review editorial urged Harris to withdraw, arguing that she would unquestionably win the primary and lose the general election.[22] In May, when the party found itself unable to recruit a candidate who could defeat Harris in the primary, many Republican activists admitted that the race was already lost.[23]
Harris's campaign focused heavily on evangelical Christianity.[24] In an August interview with Florida Baptist Witness, she declared: "[I]f you're not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin"[25] Nelson, meanwhile, focused on safe issues, portraying himself as a bipartisan centrist problem-solver.[19] He obtained the endorsement of all 22 of Florida's daily newspapers.[26] Harris failed to secure the endorsement of Jeb Bush, who publicly stated that she could not win; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which had supported her in her congressional campaigns, did not endorse her in this race.[27]
As the election approached, polls showed Harris trailing Nelson by 26 to 35 points.[20] Nelson transferred about $16.5 million in campaign funds to other Democratic candidates,[28] and won the election with 60.4% of the vote to Harris's 38.2%.[29]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on the Budget
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Committee on Finance
- Select Committee on Intelligence
- Special Committee on Aging
Trip to Damascus
On December 13, 2006, Nelson went to Damascus and met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "He (Assad) stated that we in fact, have an interest, common interest, to stabilize Iraq. I think it is a crack in the door, and it is for discussions to continue," Nelson said in a conference call from Amman, Jordan after meeting Assad in Damascus.[citation needed] The White House said that members of Congress should not be going to Syria. "I think it is a real stretch to think that the Syrians don't know where we stand or what we think. We have made it clear and we will continue to make it clear," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.[citation needed] In the days following Nelson's meeting with Assad, Senator Arlen Specter flew to Syria and met with Assad. Specter wrote an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer that emphasized the importance of such visits and reaffirmed Nelson's position that it was part of his constitutional duty.[30]
Florida primary controversy
In 2007, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed a measure that changed Florida's primary date to January 29, several weeks earlier than the previous date. The measure passed the Florida House of Representatives by a vote of 118-0, and passed the State Senate by a vote of 37-2.[31] This change was in violation of the Democratic National Committee's rules regarding state primary dates, which caused the DNC Chairman Howard Dean to threaten to strip the state of its delegates to the Democratic National Convention if they did not schedule the primary for a date that fell within the guidelines of the DNC. Senator Nelson played an active role in attempting to restore the activity of the delegates, going so far as to threaten a lawsuit against the DNC if an appropriate settlement was not reached.[32][dead link] On May 31, 2008 the DNC bylaws committee decided to seat all of the Florida delegates with each being apportioned one-half vote.[33]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson | 26,771 | 68.9 | ||
Republican | David Vozzola | 12,078 | 31.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson | 89,543 | 61.5 | ||
Republican | Edward J. Gurney | 56,074 | 38.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson | 139,468 | 70.4 | ||
Republican | Stan Dowiat | 58,734 | 29.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson (Incumbent) | 101,746 | 70.6 | ||
Republican | Joel Robinson | 42,422 | 29.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson (Incumbent) | 145,764 | 60.5 | ||
Republican | Rob Quartel | 95,115 | 39.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson (Incumbent) | 149,109 | 72.7 | ||
Republican | Scott Ellis | 55,952 | 27.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson (Incumbent) | 168,390 | 60.8 | ||
Republican | Bill Tolley | 108,373 | 39.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Lawton Chiles | 745,325 | 69.5 | ||
Democratic | Bill Nelson | 327,731 | 30.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson | 2,070,604 | 51.7 | ||
Republican | Tim Ireland | 1,933,570 | 48.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson (Incumbent) | 2,195,283 | 56.5 | +4.8 | |
Republican | Tim Ireland | 1,687,712 | 43.5 | −4.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson | 2,987,644 | 52.1 | ||
Republican | Bill McCollum | 2,703,608 | 47.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bill Nelson (Incumbent) | 2,890,548 | 60.3 | +9.8 | |
Republican | Katherine Harris | 1,826,127 | 38.1 |
Footnotes
- ^ a b "Senator Bill Nelson". Florida 4-H Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ a b c d e "Biography". U.S. Senator Bill Nelson - Florida (official U.S. Senate website). Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ a b "Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)". WhoRunsGov.com. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- ^ a b "Bill Nelson". Washington Post:U.S. Congress Votes Database. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ "Florida's senior senator praises Martinez, stays quiet about possible candidates in 2010". U.S. Senator Bill Nelson - Florida (official U.S. Senate website). Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ Stratton, Jim. "Nelson doesn't act like Christian, Harris says". Orlando Sentinel. 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
- ^ "Interest Group Ratings: Senator Bill Nelson, Sr. (FL)". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ "Senate voting with party scores". Washington Post:U.S. Congress Votes Database. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ Nichols, John. "Democrats for CAFTA". The Beat (blog at the Nation). 2005-07-05. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ "Part 1 How Blunt Whipped CAFTA". American Crystal Sugar Company News Archive. 2005-09-06. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ "Bill Nelson - Votes Against Party". Washington Post:U.S. Congress Votes Database. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ Andrews, Edmund L. "G.O.P. Fails in Attempt to Repeal Estate Tax". New York Times. 2006-06-09. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ Shane, Scott. "Senate Panel Questions C.I.A. Detentions". New York Times. 2007-06-01. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ Bachelet, Pablo. "Battle over Cuba policy heats up". Miami Herald, 2007-03-05; article quoted in Latin American Studies. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
- ^ Cotterell, Bill. "Poll: Health-care plan, Nelson under fire in Florida". Tallahassee.com (Tallahassee Democrat website). 2010-03-28. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
- ^ a b "For Democrats in red states, 2006 daunting". Washington Times. 2004-11-29. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. "Evangelical Leader Threatens to Use His Political Muscle Against Some Democrats". New York Times. 2005-01-01. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ Allen, Mike, and Manuel Roig-Franzia. "Congress Steps In on Schiavo Case". Washington Post. 2005-03-20. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ a b Gibson, William E."Senate Race Centers on Images". Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. 2006-10-20. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ a b Copeland, Libby. "Campaign Gone South". Washington Post. 1006-10-31. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ Babcock, Charles R. "Contractor Pleads Guilty to Corruption". Washington Post. 2006-02-25. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ "A Time to be Wise". National Review editorial. 2006-04-10. Retrieved 2009-12-22.]
- ^ Kumar, Anita. "GOP can't elude Harris vs. Nelson".St. Petersburg Times. 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ Smith, Adam C. and Anita Kumar. "Harris puts her faith in religion". St. Petersburg Times. 2006-03-25. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ "Katherine Harris". Florida Baptist Witness. 2006-08-22. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ Clark, Lesley. "Nelson goes 22-0". Naked Politics (Miami Herald blog). 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ Kormanik, Beth. "Harris, Nelson tout testimonials". Florida Times-Union. 2006-10-31. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ Gibson, William E. "Nelson Rolls To Second Term". Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ Miller, Lorraine C. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006". U.S. House of Representatives website. 2007-09-21. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
- ^ Specter, Arlen. "Why Congress Can and Must Assert Itself in Foreign Policy". Philadelphia Inquirer. 2007-01-05. Reproduced on Specter's U.S. Senate website. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
- ^ CS/HB 537 - Elections
- ^ http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070926/CAPITOLNEWS/709260350/1010/NEWS01
- ^ DNC’s Statement on the Florida and Michigan Delegations
- ^ Lawrence, D.G., "Democrats keep control of state legislature" Orlando Sentinel. 1972-11-08.
External links
- United States Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Senate site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- NASA– Bill Nelson official astronaut biography
- New York Times– Bill Nelson News collected news and commentary
- Nelson for US Senate, Campaign site
- 1942 births
- University of Florida alumni
- University of Virginia School of Law alumni
- American astronauts
- American Episcopalians
- Florida lawyers
- Florida Democrats
- Living people
- Members of the Florida House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
- United States Army officers
- United States Senators from Florida
- Florida Blue Key initiates
- Yale University alumni
- United States Army reservists