Barbara Cubin

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Barbara Cubin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming's At-large district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Craig Thomas
Born	November 30, 1946 (1946-11-30) (age 61) Salinas, California
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Fritz Cubin
Religion	Episcopalian

Barbara Lynn Cubin (born November 30, 1946) is a departing Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, having served since January since 1995 as the sole member of that body from Wyoming. In the 109th Congress, she was a member of the House Resources Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In the wake of the Democratic takeover of Congress in the 2006 elections, Cubin was relegated to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as a Member of both the Health and Telecommunications Subcommittees. She is the first woman elected to Congress from Wyoming.

[edit] Early life, education, and early career

Cubin was born in Salinas, California. She grew up in Casper, Wyoming, and graduated from high school there. She received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Cubin worked as a substitute science and math teacher until she was employed full-time as a social worker for senior citizens and disabled adults. She later worked for the state Labor Department and Ironworkers' Union to train minorities and Vietnam War veterans to become iron workers.

In 1974, Cubin joined the Wyoming Machinery Company as a chemist, and in 1975, began managing the office of her husband, Fritz Cubin, a physician. She became a Realtor in 1979.

[edit] Personal

The Cubins have two children.

In past elections, Cubin has had to fend off attacks on missed floor votes, which she attributed to her husband's severe health problems.^[1][2] Cubin also has had health issues of her own. In 1993 and 1995, she had surgeries related to her gall bladder. In July 2005 she suffered a mild heart attack and underwent surgery to place a stent in an artery that was 70 percent blocked.^[3]

[edit] Early political career

Cubin began her political career in November 1986, when she was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives from Natrona County, Wyoming. She served there for six years. During the 1992 session, she was the primary sponsor of legislation that put on the ballot an initiative that would create the sentence of life without parole.

In November 1992, Cubin was elected to the Wyoming Senate, representing part of Casper, Wyoming. She served there for two years before being elected to the U.S. House.

[edit] U.S. House of Representatives

[edit] 1994 election

In November 1994, Cubin ran for Wyoming's U.S. House seat, to succeed Republican Craig Thomas, who was running for (and would be elected to) the United States Senate. Cubin defeated eight other Republicans in the primary, then won the general election against Bob Schuster, a Jackson attorney and then-partner of prominent trial attorney Gerry Spence.

Cubin's first race was very close by Wyoming standards (Wyoming is one of the most Republican states in the nation), with Cubin getting 53% of the vote. It was also the most expensive campaign in state history.

Cubin became the first woman to win an election for federal office in the state of Wyoming.

[edit] Subsequent elections

In 1996, Cubin was re-elected with 55 percent. Subsequent races were less close, until 2004, when she again won with 55% of the vote. By contrast, George W. Bush won the state with 69 percent of the vote. In 2006, Cubin won her seat again, but barely, registering 48.3 percent of the vote to her Democratic opponent Gary Trauner's 47.8 percent.

[edit] Political positions

Cubin's voting record is conservative: the American Conservative Union gave her 2005 voting record a rating of 96 points out of 100.

A staunch opponent of abortion in any form, Cubin has consistently voted for restrictions on abortion and against funding of family planning groups that provide abortion services, counseling or advocacy.^[4]

In 2006, Cubin was listed as cosponsoring legislation that would sell off some federal land to help pay for Hurricane Katrina and other disaster relief. Cubin maintains she never signed on to the legislation, saying there must have been a clerical error. About 42 percent of Wyoming's land is owned by the federal government, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.^[5]

With regard to global warming, Cubin has stated that "there still exists broad disagreement within the scientific community on the extent to which humans actually contribute to the Earth's temperature changes."^[6]

The League of Conservation Voters, a nonpartisan PAC, gave Cubin a lifetime rating of 3 on a scale of 0 to 100. In 2006, she scored a 0^[7].

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Racial comment

On April 9, 2003, Cubin said on the House floor, "My sons are 25 and 30. They are blond-haired and blue-eyed. One amendment today said we could not sell guns to anybody under drug treatment. So does that mean if you go into a black community, you cannot sell a gun to any black person, or does that mean because my …" Representative Melvin Watt, (D-N.C.), who is black, interrupted and demanded that Cubin retract the statement. Cubin said that she did not mean to offend her "neighbors" on the Democratic side, and maintained that her comment was within House rules.^[8]

[edit] Abramoff

Cubin's association with Jack Abramoff was relatively minor. In January 2006, a spokesman for Cubin said she would donate the $250 she received from Abramoff in 1996 to the Wyoming Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery Center in Sheridan, Wyoming.^[9] Cubin did use Abramoff's skyboxes. Rob Jennings, president of American Event Consulting Inc., an organization that raises funds for Republicans, said that "The word was out among fundraisers." Politicians could sell skybox tickets to supporters for $500 to $1,000, said Jennings, who arranged six events in the skyboxes for two of his clients, House Transportation Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK) and Cubin. "It was a venue that was fun to use," Jennings said. "It was a big draw."^[10]

[edit] Notable embarrassments

Cubin once startled a group of GOP donors during a speech on energy policy by interjecting, "I know what Victoria's Secret is. She's a slut."^[11]

During the Florida presidential recount in 2000, Cubin complained at a Republican leadership meeting, "We are bending over and taking it from the Democrats." (When a colleague objected to her language, she replied, "Quiet down, or you'll get a spanking.")^[11]

While serving in the Wyoming legislature, Cubin distributed penis-shaped cookies (but did not, she insisted to Roll Call, bake as the hotel she lived at during the legislative sessions did not provide kitchen facilities to its guests) to several male colleagues.^[11]

[edit] Slap

On October 22, 2006, after a televised debate with Democratic candidate Gary Trauner and Libertarian candidate Thomas Rankin, Cubin approached Rankin, who has multiple sclerosis and is a wheelchair user. Rankin states that Cubin said, "If you weren't sitting in that chair, I'd slap you across the face." No other onlookers reported overhearing the remark. Cubin does not deny the remark, but in a prepared statement, a spokesman said that Rankin "misrepresented her [Cubin] and insulted her integrity during the debate." Rankin denies that, and accuses Cubin of a slur against people with disabilities.^[12]. The Billings Gazette reported that Cubin "later apologized, saying she may have been influenced by listening to too much Rush Limbaugh." It should be noted that this article was purely satirical, and also stated that former Montana Senator Conrad Burns "secured the funding to build the Missouri River", while (current Montana Senator) Max Baucus "carried the bill responsible for the construction of the Beartooth Mountains." ^[13]

[edit] ARMPAC

The Wyoming Democratic Party has repeatedly called for Cubin to return the $22,520 she received from Tom DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority political action committee (ARMPAC).^[14]

On July 23, 2006 the Casper Star-Tribune reported Cubin "will keep the money she received from former Rep. Tom DeLay's fundraising committee even though the organization has been fined for campaign finance violations and is shutting down." ARMPAC agreed to pay a fine to the Federal Election Commission for "misstatements of financial activity, failure to report debts and obligations and failure to properly allocate expenses between federal and non-federal accounts.""^[14] As of October 2006, Cubin's position was that she will return the money if DeLay is convicted.^[15]

[edit] 2006 re-election campaign

In her initial campaign for Congress in 1994, Cubin pledged that she would not serve more than six terms.^[16] However, she ran for re-election in 2006, for a seventh term, which began in January 2007.

[edit] Primary

Cubin posted a surprisingly weak victory in the late August primary. Retired Navy officer Bill Winney spent almost no money, but won 40% of the vote. Winney won Laramie County (Cheyenne) and evenly split Natrona County (Casper). Cubin won big in the less-populated rural counties to give her the victory.

[edit] General election

In May 2006, the Rasmussen Reports polling firm reported that Cubin was ahead of Democratic candidate Gary Trauner by four percentage points, 47-43 percent and that Cubin was viewed favorably by 49 percent and unfavorably by 47 percent of those polled.^[17]

For the second quarter of 2006, Trauner raised slightly more campaign money than Cubin did.^[18]

In mid-August, CQPolitics changed their rating of the race from "Republican Favored" to the more competitive "Leans Republican." They wrote: "Despite a usually dominant Republican edge in conservative Wyoming, Cubin personally is not overwhelmingly popular ... With popular Governor Dave Freudenthal at the top of their ticket, Democrats are hoping for an upset by small business owner Gary Trauner. He trailed the incumbent in overall fundraising as of June 30 but actually had slightly more cash on hand." On Election Day Cubin won by one of the closest margins in the state's history. She defeated Trauner by only 1,000 votes. Trauner chose not to call for a re-count but is likely to run again in 2008. ^[19]

[edit] 2008 retirement

Had she sought to remain in Congress, Cubin would have faced numerous challengers in the primary for her seat. Her 2006 opponent, Bill Winney, announced he would run again in 2008 for the seat, two days before Cubin's retirement announcement. Wyoming House of Representatives Majority Leader Colin Simpson, the son of former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson of Cody, made statements that led the press he was going to run in 2008, but announced in December, 2007 that he would not. State Representative Dan Zwonitzer of Cheyenne, a defender of same sex marriage, announced that he would run but then withdrew on May 8 because of fundraising difficulties. Motivational speaker Swede Nelson announced on September 8, 2007, that he too will seek the position. Businessman Kenn Gilchrest has also stated an interest in the race. Also in the running is former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne.

Cubin raised only raised $11,000 in the third quarter of 2007, a paltry amount compared to her totals in previous off-election cycles. Because of her husband's declining health, she missed half of all House votes in 2007. ^[20] A Casper, Wyoming radio news station, KTWO 1030 AM, released at 1:00 pm on Friday, November 9, 2007, that Cubin will not be seeking another term. Radio's Trevor T. Trujillo, who broke the story, attributed the news to "Republican sources". ^[21] That same day, Cubin confirmed that she will not seek re-election.^[22]

[edit] General election

Democrats are once again expected to field Gary Trauner for the House seat in the 2008 general election.^[23]

[edit] References

1. ^ "Fritz Cubin to Undergo Emergency Surgery: Husband of Wyoming Representative Continues to Battle Illness", press release, July 30, 2002
2. ^ "Fritz Cubin in stable condition", Casper Star-Tribune, November 25, 2003
3. ^ Mary Clare Jalonick, "Cubin recovers, leaves hospital"], Associated Press, July 8, 2005
4. ^ Cubin Casts Vote to Ban Partial Birth Abortions Barbara Cubin Press Release
5. ^ Casper Star-Tribune Online - News
6. ^ [http://www.newwest.net/index.php/topic/article/climate_change_and_barbara_cubin_chasing_the_conservative_hobby_horse/C67/L37 NewWest Politics — Climate Change and Barbara Cubin
7. ^ http://www.lcv.org/images/client/pdfs/LCV_2006_Scorecard_final.pdf
8. ^ Juliet Eilperin, " Debate on Gun Rights In House Turns Racial", Washington Post, April 8, 2003
9. ^ Mary Clare Jalonick, "Wyoming lawmakers will give away Abramoff donations", Associated Press, January 4, 2006
10. ^ Susan Schmidt and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, ["Tribal Money Linked to GOP Fundraising: Skybox Events Were Not Always Reported to FEC"], Washington Post, December 26, 2004.
11. ^ ^{a b c} Timothy Noah, "What Cubin Meant", What Cubin Meant, April 15, 2003
12. ^ Morton, Tom. [1] Cubin tells challenger, "I'd slap you"] Casper Star-Tribune . October 24, 2006
13. ^ BillingsGazette.com :: City Lights: For voters' benefit, the whole story
14. ^ ^{a b} Noelle Straub, "Cubin keeps DeLay dollars", Casper Star-Tribune, July 17, 2006
15. ^ Dan Lewerenz and Bob Moen, "Wyo. opponent says incumbent made threat"], Associated Press, October 24, 2006
16. ^ Andrea Stone, "Term-limit pledges get left behind", USA Today, April 12, 2006
17. ^ "Wyoming House Seat in Play", Rasmussen Reports, May 8, 2006.
18. ^ Jared Miller, "Trauner fundraising outpaces Cubin", Casper Star-Tribune, July 17, 2006
19. ^ Bob Benenson, "Big Batch of Rating Changes Reflects Stronger Democratic Breeze", CQPolitics.com, August 10, 2006.
20. ^ "Low Fundraising Totals Raise Questions About Wyoming Republican's Future"
21. ^ [2]
22. ^ CQ Politics | Wyoming Republican Cubin to Leave the House
23. ^ Deja Vu Contest For Wyoming House

[edit] External links

• U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Cubin official U.S. House site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• Barbara Cubin for U.S. Congress official campaign website