Saxby Chambliss
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C. Saxby Chambliss (born November 10, 1943) is the senior United States Senator from Georgia. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Saxby Chambliss began his political career as an attorney. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994, as one of the new conservative Republican congressmen whose elections caused the party to gain a majority in both houses of congress. A long-time congressman and fellow Georgian, Newt Gingrich, was the leader of the movement, and Chambliss and the other Republicans elected that year are known as the Class of '94. Chambliss was re-elected to the House in 1996, 1998 and 2000.
During a November 19, 2001 meeting with emergency responders in Valdosta, Georgia, Chambliss remarked that they should "turn the sheriff loose and arrest every Muslim that crosses the state line". Chambliss was criticized for the remarks after they were reported by the Valdosta Daily Times. Chambliss denied reports that he and the sheriff attempted to coerce the paper's reporter to prevent reporting of the remarks. Chambliss apologized and claimed his remarks were taken "out of context".
He ran for the Senate in 2002 and won, defeating the Democratic incumbent, Max Cleland. His campaign was based on themes of national defense and security, but drew criticism for television ads featuring images of Cleland and Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and questioning the patriotism his opponent, a triple amputee and decorated Vietnam veteran. (Chambliss did not serve in the United States military because of a medical condition). As is the case in many instances of defeating an incumbent, the race was very close.
Interest group ratings
Chambliss' ratings from interest groups indicate how often he votes in agreement with their priorities; his particular scores are fairly typical for a conservative Republican.
- NARAL: 0%
- American Civil Liberties Union:7%
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce: 91%
- National Education Association:27%
- League of Conservation Voters: 0%
- Christian Coalition: 100%
- National Rifle Association: A+
- AFL-CIO: 15%
- National Taxpayers Union:74%
External links
- Official website (http://chambliss.senate.gov/)
- Project Vote Smart - Political Profile (http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=CNIP7909)
- Campaign Finance (http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?cycle=2004&cid=N00002685)
- Military Non-service (http://www.nhgazette.com/cgi-bin/NHGstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=CH_Chambliss,%20Saxby)
Further reading
- James Moore. 2004. Bush's War for Reelection: Iraq, The White House, and the People. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471483850. Chapter 15, pp. 288-308.
| Preceded by: J. Roy Rowland | U.S. Representative of Georgia's 8th Congressional District 1995-2003 | Succeeded by: Mac Collins |
| Preceded by: Max Cleland | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Georgia 2003- | Succeeded by: Incumbent Template:End box Template:GA Federal Representatives Template:Current U.S. Senators |