Bruce Braley
Encyclopedia
Bruce Braley is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party
. The district lies in northeastern Iowa and includes Davenport
, Bettendorf
, Cedar Falls, Waterloo
, Dubuque
, and Clinton
.
. His family owned a farm in nearby Brooklyn, Iowa
. Braley attended college at Iowa State University
where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi
fraternity. He earned his Juris Doctor
from the University of Iowa. While in college, he worked in agribusiness and in highway maintenance. He was admitted to the bar and has served as a trial lawyer in Waterloo since 1983. Braley specialized in representing workers who had been injured on the job or were terminated unfairly.
As an attorney, Braley served as president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association. He and his wife were named couple of the year by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northeastern Iowa
. Braley and his wife, Carolyn, reside in Waterloo and have three children, Lisa, David and Paul.
On July 8, 2006, Braley was chosen to deliver the Democrats' weekly radio address. He spoke on the issue of Social Security
. http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/08/democrat.radio.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
On February 11, 2009 he founded the Populist Caucus
within the House of Representatives which now has 27 members. Since 2008, Braley has been a member of the Armenian Caucus within the House of Representatives.
congressman Jim Nussle
stepped down to make an unsuccessful run for Governor in 2006
. Although the 1st had been in Republican hands since 1979, it had swung heavily to the Democrats at most other levels like the rest of eastern Iowa. The district has supported the Democratic candidate for president in every election since 1988. The district, numbered as the 2nd District for most of the time from statehood until 2003, became even more Democratic when Davenport and Bettendorf were shifted there from the old 1st District (now the 2nd). It had been considered very likely that Nussle would be succeeded by a Democrat once he retired.
In the 2006 midterm election
, Braley defeated Republican opponent Mike Whalen, a Quad City
businessman.
On December 5, 2007, Braley became the first member of Iowa's congressional delegation to issue an endorsement, announcing his support for former North Carolina
Senator John Edwards
in a press conference in Waterloo. On April 30, 2008, Braley changed his endorsement to support Senator Barack Obama
following Edwards' withdrawal from the race.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. The district lies in northeastern Iowa and includes Davenport
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, Bettendorf
Bettendorf
Bettendorf may refer to:*Bettendorf, Germany, a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany*Bettendorf, Iowa, a neighbor city to Davenport, Iowa in Scott County, Iowa, United States*Bettendorf High School...
, Cedar Falls, Waterloo
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
, Dubuque
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
, and Clinton
Clinton, Iowa
Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26231as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa , was named in honor of the seventh governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical...
.
Early life, education and career
Braley was born in Grinnell, IowaGrinnell, Iowa
Grinnell is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,218 at the 2010 census. Grinnell was named after Josiah Bushnell Grinnell and is the home of Grinnell College.- History :...
. His family owned a farm in nearby Brooklyn, Iowa
Brooklyn, Iowa
Brooklyn is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,367 at the 2000 census. It is located just off of U.S. Highway 6 and a few miles north of Interstate 80. Near the center of town Brooklyn boasts a large display of flags from each of the fifty states, the four...
. Braley attended college at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
fraternity. He earned his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Iowa. While in college, he worked in agribusiness and in highway maintenance. He was admitted to the bar and has served as a trial lawyer in Waterloo since 1983. Braley specialized in representing workers who had been injured on the job or were terminated unfairly.
As an attorney, Braley served as president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association. He and his wife were named couple of the year by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northeastern Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Braley and his wife, Carolyn, reside in Waterloo and have three children, Lisa, David and Paul.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and CommerceUnited States House Committee on Energy and CommerceThe Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer ProtectionUnited States House Energy Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer ProtectionThe House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade is a subcommittee within the Committee on Energy and Commerce. It is chaired by Mary Bono Mack of California's .-Jurisdiction:...
- Subcommittee on Health
- Subcommittee on Oversight and InvestigationsUnited States House Energy Subcommittee on Oversight and InvestigationsThe U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is a subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.-Jurisdiction:...
(Vice Chair)
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection
On July 8, 2006, Braley was chosen to deliver the Democrats' weekly radio address. He spoke on the issue of Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
. http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/08/democrat.radio.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
On February 11, 2009 he founded the Populist Caucus
Populist caucus
The Populist Caucus was created on February 11, 2009 in the United States House of Representatives by Democrat Bruce Braley of Iowa. The caucus includes 26 other Democrats in the House....
within the House of Representatives which now has 27 members. Since 2008, Braley has been a member of the Armenian Caucus within the House of Representatives.
Political campaigns
Braley won this open seat after eight-term RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
congressman Jim Nussle
Jim Nussle
James Allen "Jim" Nussle is an American politician and was the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Nussle was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007...
stepped down to make an unsuccessful run for Governor in 2006
Iowa gubernatorial election, 2006
The Iowa gubernatorial election of 2006 took place November 7, 2006. The incumbent governor, Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, had served two terms and decided not to seek a third term. In the election, Culver defeated Nussle to win the governorship, by a margin of 54.4 percent to 44.1 percent...
. Although the 1st had been in Republican hands since 1979, it had swung heavily to the Democrats at most other levels like the rest of eastern Iowa. The district has supported the Democratic candidate for president in every election since 1988. The district, numbered as the 2nd District for most of the time from statehood until 2003, became even more Democratic when Davenport and Bettendorf were shifted there from the old 1st District (now the 2nd). It had been considered very likely that Nussle would be succeeded by a Democrat once he retired.
In the 2006 midterm election
United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa, 2006
In Iowa, midterm elections for the state's five Congressional seats took place November 7, 2006. Each race was contested, each pitting the winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries conducted June 6....
, Braley defeated Republican opponent Mike Whalen, a Quad City
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...
businessman.
On December 5, 2007, Braley became the first member of Iowa's congressional delegation to issue an endorsement, announcing his support for former North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
Senator John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
in a press conference in Waterloo. On April 30, 2008, Braley changed his endorsement to support Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
following Edwards' withdrawal from the race.
Electoral history
External links
- U.S. Representative Bruce Braley official U.S. House site
- Bruce Braley for Congress official campaign site