Denny Rehberg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dennis Rehberg | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Rick Hill |
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| Born | October 5, 1955 Billings, Montana |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jan Rehberg |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Dennis R. Rehberg (born October 5, 1955) is an American politician who has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 2001, representing Montana at-large.[1]
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[edit] Background
Born in Billings, Montana, Rehberg attended Billings West High School and Montana State University. While at Washington State University he joined The Delta Upsilon Fraternity.
Since 1996, Rehberg has been managing the Rehberg Ranch near Billings. He oversees a herd of 500 cattle and 600 cashmere goats.[citation needed] Rehberg married his high school sweetheart, Jan, a water attorney who represents farmers and ranchers. They have been married for over 25 years and have three children, A.J., Katie, and Elsie.
[edit] Early political career
A fifth generation Montanan, Rehberg has been involved in public service and ranching most of his adult life. In 1977 he began working as an intern in the Montana State Senate, and two years later he joined the Washington, D.C. staff of Montana Congressman Ron Marlenee as a legislative assistant. In 1982, Rehberg returned to Montana and ranching.
Dennis Rehberg served as a member of the Montana State House of Representatives from 1984 to 1991. He was Lieutenant Governor of Montana from 1991 to 1996 along with Governor Marc Racicot. In 1996 he ran for a seat in the United States Senate but lost to incumbent Democrat Max Baucus.
Rehberg was elected then to the Montana House of Representatives, where he served three terms. In the legislature, he considered himself to be a fiscal conservative, and he advocated balancing the state budget without any tax increases. He was the only freshman member to serve on the House Appropriations Committee.
In July 1991, Rehberg was appointed Lieutenant Governor by Governor Stan Stephens. The following January when Stephens decided not to seek reelection, Rehberg and Racicot sought the state’s top offices.
As Lieutenant Governor, Rehberg sought to bring government back to the local level by traveling to all 56 counties every year. He chaired the Drought Advisory Committee and the Task Force credited with reforming Worker’s Compensation, the Montana Rural Development Council, and several health care initiatives.
[edit] Congressional career
Rehberg was elected to Montana’s lone seat in the House of Representatives in November 2000, beating Democrat Nancy Keenan in a close race. In 2002 and 2004 Rehberg won reelection against Democrats Steve Kelly and Tracy Velazquez. He ran a successful campaign against Democrat Monica Lindeen and Libertarian Mike Fellows in the 2006 midterm elections, claiming 59% of the vote to Lindeen's 39% and Fellow's 2%.
[edit] Committee Assignments
- Appropriations Committee
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
[edit] Congressional Staff
- Chief of Staff: Erik Iverson
- State Dir.: Dustin Frost
- Dep. Chief of Staff: Jay Martin
- Scheduler: Bobbi-Jo Brooks
- Comm. Dir.: Bridger Pierce
- Health LA: Brent Mead
- Tax LA: Jaime Graham
- Commerce LA: Jaime Graham
- Labor LA: Jaime Graham
- Budget LA: Jaime Graham
- Energy LA: Heather Stefanik
- Environment LA: Heather Stefanik
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Denny Rehberg, 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
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Denny Rehberg profile
- Rehberg claims victory Jennifer McKee, Billings Gazette, November 8, 2006
| Preceded by Allen Kolstad |
Lieutenant Governor of Montana 1991–1996 |
Succeeded by Judy Martz |
| Preceded by Rick Hill |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's At-large congressional district 2001 – present |
Incumbent |
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