Brett Guthrie

Steven Brett Guthrie (born February 18, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 2nd congressional district. Located in central Kentucky, the district covers Fort Knox, Owensboro, Bowling Green and Danville. He previously served as a Republican member of the Kentucky Senate.

Brett Guthrie
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Kentucky's 2nd district
Assumed office
January 3, 2009
Preceded byRon Lewis
Member of the Kentucky Senate
from the 32nd district
In office
2000–2008
Preceded byFrank Miller
Succeeded byMike Reynolds
Personal details
Born
Steven Brett Guthrie

(1964-02-18) February 18, 1964
Florence, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Beth Clemmons
Children3
EducationUnited States Military Academy (BS)
Yale University (MBA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1987–1990
Rank First Lieutenant
Unit101st Airborne Division
AwardsArmy Commendation Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Air Assault Badge
Guthrie in Hawesville, Kentucky.

Early life, education, and career

Guthrie was born in Florence, Alabama, the son of Carolyn P. (née Holt) and Lowell M. Guthrie.[1] He earned his Bachelor of Science in mathematical economics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1987[2] and his Master's of Public and Private Management from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1997.

Guthrie is a former vice president of Trace Die Cast, Inc., an automotive parts supplier based in Bowling Green. Guthrie has previously served as a field artillery officer in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Kentucky Senate

Guthrie represented the 32nd district in the Kentucky Senate from 1999 to 2008, where he served as vice chairman of the Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee, and was chairman of the Transportation Committee.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2008

In the 2008 congressional general election, he defeated his Democratic opponent, State Senator David Boswell, for the right to succeed the retiring Republican U.S. Representative Ron Lewis. Lewis announced his retirement on the last day for candidates to file for the seat in 2008, in hopes of steering the Republican nomination to his chief of staff, Daniel London. Guthrie, however, filed his papers and defeated London for the party nomination.

This set up the closest race in the 2nd in 14 years. While Democrats have a large advantage in registration, the voters are very conservative on social issues. This was a major reason Lewis had been able to hold on to the district with little trouble since winning it in a 1994 special election. Ultimately, Guthrie prevailed by 15,500 votes, mostly on the strength of rural voters. Guthrie may have been boosted by voters being more motivated to come to the polls due to the Presidential election and the Senate election that were held at the same time. Republican candidate John McCain carried the district with 60 percent of the vote and won all but one county entirely within the district. The incumbent Republican Senator Mitch McConnell also carried the 2nd district easily.

2010

The 2nd reverted to form in 2010, and Guthrie defeated Democratic candidate Ed Marksberry by a large margin.

2012

Guthrie won reelection in 2012 with over 64% of the vote.

2018

Guthrie filed for re-election on November 27, 2017. Two Democratic challengers filed against Guthrie: Grant Short and Brian Pedigo, both of whom ultimately lost to Democratic candidate Hank Linderman in the 2018 primaries.[3] [4]

Tenure

2011

In 2011, Guthrie voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 as part of a controversial provision that allows the government and the military to indefinitely detain American citizens and others without trial.[5] In July 2013, Guthrie voted against the move to defund the National Security Agency due to the alleged privacy violations reported by whistleblower Edward Snowden.[6]

2013

Guthrie voted in favor of ending the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.[7]

In September, Guthrie introduced the Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2013, authorizing the continued funding of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children through fiscal year 2018 and to strengthen additional programs that prevent the abduction and sexual exploitation of children.[8]

2017

Guthrie introduced, alongside Virginia Foxx, the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act, an act that would eliminate Public Service Loan Forgiveness and would reduce federal funding made available to for-profit colleges.[9]

On December 19, Guthrie voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.[10] Prior to his vote, Guthrie said that he was "willing to accept" criticism about the bill making American businesses more competitive on a global scale.[3]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

Interest group ratings

Guthrie has an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association for his pro-gun rights voting history.[15]

In 2016, Guthrie received a "D" rating from marijuana legalization advocacy group NORML for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.[16]

Health care

Guthrie supports the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare").[3]

Abortion

Guthrie is pro-life. In 2008, Kentucky Right for Life endorsed him. He has a 100 percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee for his voting record on abortion-related matters.[17]

Electoral history

Kentucky 32nd State Senate District General Election, 1998[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Brett Guthrie 13,493 50.24
Democratic Ron Murphy 13,363 49.76
Total votes 26,856 100.0
Kentucky 32nd State Senate District General Election, 2002[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Brett Guthrie (incumbent) 19,498 100.0
Total votes 19,498 100.0
Kentucky 32nd State Senate District General Election, 2006[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Brett Guthrie (incumbent) 21,695 100.0
Total votes 21,695 100.0
Kentucky 2nd Congressional District General Election, 2008[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican S. Brett Guthrie 158,936 52.57
Democratic David E. Boswell 143,379 47.43
Total votes 302,315 100.0
Kentucky 2nd Congressional District General Election, 2010[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican S. Brett Guthrie (incumbent) 155,906 67.89
Democratic Ed Marksberry 73,749 32.11
Total votes 229,655 100.0
Kentucky 2nd Congressional District General Election, 2012[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican S. Brett Guthrie (incumbent) 181,508 64.30
Democratic David Lynn Williams 89,541 31.72
Independent Andrew R. Beacham 6,304 2.23
Libertarian Craig R. Astor 4,914 1.74
Total votes 282,267 100.0
Kentucky 2nd Congressional District General Election, 2014[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican S. Brett Guthrie (incumbent) 156,936 69.19
Democratic Ron Leach 69,898 30.81
Total votes 226,834 100.0
Kentucky 2nd Congressional District General Election, 2016[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican S. Brett Guthrie (incumbent) 251,825 100.0
Total votes 251,825 100.0
Kentucky 2nd Congressional District General Election, 2018[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican S. Brett Guthrie (incumbent) 171,700 66.72
Democratic Hank Linderman 79,964 31.07
Independent Thomas E. Loecken 5,681 2.21
Total votes 257,345 100.0

Personal life

With his family, Guthrie attends the Lehman Avenue Church of Christ in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as reported by the Christian Chronicle; Michael Greene, former minister of the Lehman Avenue congregation, said that he has no doubt "Guthrie's faith will play a positive role" in representation of the 2nd district.[27]

References

  1. "Brett Guthrie ancestry". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  2. USMA 1987 article on Guthrie retrieved 2008 December 31.
  3. Swietek, Wes. "Guthrie files for re-election, now faces 2 challengers". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  4. "Hank Linderman Takes Victory Tour Of Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District".
  5. "NDAA Bill: How Did Your Congress Member Vote?". Ibtimes.com. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  6. "How The House Voted Down Effort To Curb NSA Surveillance". Huffington Post. July 24, 2013.
  7. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll550.xml
  8. "Committee Members Applaud Bipartisan Passage of Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act". Committee on Education and the Workforce. U.S. House of Representatives. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  9. Friedman, Zack. "House Republicans May End Student Loan Forgiveness". Forbes. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  10. Almukhtar, Sarah (19 December 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  11. "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  12. "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  13. "90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members". Citizen´s Climate Lobby. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  14. "Members". U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  15. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  16. "Kentucky Scorecard". NORML. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  17. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  18. "1998 Primary and General Election Results". Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  19. "2002 Primary and General Election Results". Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  20. "2006 Primary and General Election Results". Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  21. "2008 Primary and General Election Results". Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  22. "2010 Primary and General Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  23. "2012 Primary and General Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  24. "2014 Primary and General Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  25. "2016 Primary and General Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  26. "2018 Primary and General Election Results" (PDF). Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  27. Jessie Sanders, "Kentucky Church Member Elected to Congress" Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 2008 December 31.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Ron Lewis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Kentucky's 2nd congressional district

2009–present
Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Gerry Connolly
United States Representatives by seniority
112th
Succeeded by
Jim Himes
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