Roscoe Bartlett
Roscoe Gardner Bartlett (b. June 3, 1926) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Maryland's 6th Congressional District. Bartlett served in the House from 1992 to 2013. Bartlett ran for re-election in 2012 and was defeated by Democratic challenger John Delaney on November 6, 2012.[1]
Biography
Bartlett was born in 1926 in Moreland, KY. He earned his B.S. from Columbia Union College and both his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1947, 1948, and 1952, respectively. Prior to his political career, Bartlett worked as a professor of anatomy, physiology, and zoology at the University of Maryland and Howard University College of Medicine.[2]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Bartlett's political career:[2]
- U.S. House of Representatives, 6th Congressional District of Maryland, 1993-Present
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Bartlett served on the following House committees[3]:
- Armed Services Committee
- Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces Chairman
- Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
- Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
- Subcommittee on Research and Science Education
Issues
Abortion
In 2001, Bartlett sponsored a constitutional amendment that would ban abortions, with the only exception being to protect the life of the mother.[4]
Earmarks
A Washington Post investigation in February 2012 revealed that 33 members of Congress helped direct more than $300 million in earmarks to public projects in close proximity to commercial and residential real estate owned by the lawmakers or their family members.[5] According to the report, Bartlett, has helped secure about $4.5 million toward improving Interstate 270 and Buckeystown Pike. From there, Buckeystown Pike leads south and west to Bartlett's home, his farm and rental properties that earn the lawmaker up to $150,000 a year.[6]
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Elections
2012
Bartlett ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Maryland's 6th District. Bartlett defeated David Brinkley, Robert Coblentz, Robin Ficker, Joseph Krysztoforski, Brandon Rippeon, Kathy Afzali, and Peter James in the Republican primary on April 3, 2012.[8] He faced Democratic challenger John Delaney and Nickolaus Mueller (L) in the general election on November 6, 2012. Bartlett was considered one of the more vulnerable incumbents.[9]
According to a March 30, 2012 article from The Washington Post, that notes the top 10 incumbents who could lose their primaries, Bartlett was the 8th most likely incumbent to lose his primary.[10] Bartlett faced significant competition from seven competitors and a newly re-drawn district after redistricting in the Republican primary.[10][10][11]
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  John Delaney |
58.8% | 181,921 | |
| Republican | Roscoe Bartlett Incumbent | 37.9% | 117,313 | |
| Libertarian | Nickolaus Mueller | 3.2% | 9,916 | |
| N/A | Other Write-ins | 0.1% | 399 | |
| Total Votes | 309,549 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections "Representative in Congress" | ||||
Republican Primary
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Roscoe G. Bartlett Incumbent |
43.6% | 17,600 |
| Kathy Afzali | 10.2% | 4,115 |
| David R. Brinkley | 19.8% | 7,987 |
| Robert Coblentz | 2.4% | 970 |
| Robin Ficker | 7.1% | 2,854 |
| Peter James | 2.3% | 933 |
| Joseph T. Krysztoforski | 7.6% | 3,073 |
| Brandon Orman Rippeon | 7% | 2,843 |
| Total Votes | 40,375 | |
Media
The following is a TV ad released by Barlett on March 13, 2012. A complete list of Barlett's videos can be found at his campaign website.[12]
Roscoe Bartlett, "Opportunites"[13] |
Campaign issues
The following were several issues that Bartlett highlighted on his campaign website.[14]
- The Economy and Jobs
Excerpt: "Roscoe Bartlett believes that to get our economy growing again, American entrepreneurs must be given the freedom and ability to take risks and create jobs. That’s why Congressman Bartlett supports lower taxes, less regulation, and a balanced budget to get government out of the way and let the American free market system do what it does best; create more jobs and innovation than anywhere else in the world."[15]
- Healthcare
Excerpt: "Roscoe Bartlett knows that the solution to America’s healthcare crisis is not more government mandates. It is empowering consumers to make their own decisions and taking important steps to restrain costs."[16]
- The Second Amendment
Excerpt: "The Second Amendment to our Constitution could not be more clear; law-abiding citizens have the right to own and possess firearms for their own protection."[17]
- Taxes
Excerpt: "Roscoe Bartlett knows that raising taxes takes money out of the hands of the very people who spur innovation and create economic growth in this country. He understands that unleashing the American entrepreneurial spirit and incentivizing investment and hard work is the only way to get our economy back on track."[18]
2010
On November 2, 2010, Roscoe Bartlett won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Andrew Duck (D), Dan Massey (L) and Michael Reed (Constitution) in the general election.[19]
| U.S. House, Maryland District 6 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Roscoe Bartlett incumbent |
61.4% | 148,820 | |
| Democratic | Andrew Duck | 33.2% | 80,455 | |
| Libertarian | Dan Massey | 2.8% | 6,816 | |
| Constitution | Michael Reed | 2.4% | 5,907 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.1% | 191 | |
| Total Votes | 242,189 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Bartlett paid his congressional staff a total of $1,005,656 in 2011. He ranked 41st on the list of the highest paid Republican representative staff salaries and ranked 155th overall of the highest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Maryland ranks 11th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[20]
Staff bonuses
According to an analysis by CNN, Bartlett was one of nearly 25 percent of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Bartlett's staff was given an apparent $9,000.00 in bonus money.[21]
Net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Bartlett's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $2,432,016 and $8,180,000. That averages to $5,306,008, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[22]
Political Positions
National Journal vote ratings
Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.
2012
According to the data released in 2013, Bartlett ranked 209th in the conservative rankings in 2012.[23]
2011
According to the data released in 2012, Roscoe Bartlett ranked 209th in the conservative rankings in 2011.[24]
Voting with party
November 2011
Roscoe Bartlett voted with the Republican Party 88.4 percent of the time, which ranked 209 among the 242 House Republican members as of November 2011.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bartlett and his wife, Ellen, have 10 children, 17 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.[25]
Bartlett compound
In January 2014, Politico Magazine wrote an in-depth article on Bartlett's post-Congress life. Outlined in the profile was the self-sustaining West Virginia compound where he and his wife primarily reside. At the residence, Bartlett spends 10-12 hours per day chopping logs. On the property, the Bartlett family has five cabins, built by Roscoe himself. The property is designed to eventually have the room for all ten of the Bartlett children and their families.[26]
External links
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Maryland"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress, "Roscoe Bartlett" accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "House of Representatives Committee Assignments" accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Washington Post, "Bartlett targeted by Democrats over views on abortion, rape," accessed October 3rd, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post, "Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers' properties," February 6, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post, "Mapping the earmarks," February 6, 2012
- ↑ U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedprimary - ↑ New York Times"House Race Ratings" accessed October 3
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Washingotn Post, "The next Jean Schmidt? The top 10 House incumbents who could lose their primaries" accessed April 1, 2012
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "2012 Presidential Primary Election Results," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Roscoe Bartlett's Official Campaign Website
- ↑ YouTube channel
- ↑ Roscoe Bartlett's Official Campaign Website
- ↑ Roscoe Bartlett's Official Campaign Website
- ↑ Roscoe Bartlett's Official Campaign Website
- ↑ Roscoe Bartlett's Official Campaign Website
- ↑ Roscoe Bartlett's Official Campaign Website
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Roscoe Bartlett"
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Congressional bonuses in a time of cuts," accessed March 8, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Bartlett, (R-Maryland), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 26, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ Official House Site, "Biography," accessed December 1, 2011
- ↑ Politico Magazine, "The Congressman Who Went Off the Grid," accessed January 6, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Beverly Byron |
U.S. House of Representatives - Maryland District 6 1993–2013 |
Succeeded by John Delaney (D) |
