| Brian Bilbray | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 50th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 6, 2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Duke Cunningham |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 49th district |
|
| In office January 4, 1995 – January 3, 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Lynn Schenk |
| Succeeded by | Susan Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 28, 1951 Coronado, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Karen Bilbray |
| Residence | Imperial Beach, California (1995-2006) Carlsbad, California (2006-2010) San Diego, California (2010-present) |
| Alma mater | Southwestern College |
| Occupation | Tax consultant |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Brian Phillip Bilbray (born January 28, 1951) is the U.S. Representative for California's 50th congressional district, serving since 2006, and previously for the 49th district from 1995 to 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. Bilbray is Chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus and a member of the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee.[1] His subcommittee assignments on the Energy and Commerce Committee are as follows: Oversight and Investigations, Communication and Technology, and Energy and Power.
On June 6, 2006, Bilbray won a special election as representative for California's 50th congressional district to serve out the remaining seven months of the term of fellow Republican former Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who resigned after pleading guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes. Bilbray won re-election in the November 2006 general election and has been representing the 50th district ever since.
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Bilbray was born in Coronado, California, and grew up in Imperial Beach, California. He graduated from Mar Vista High School and attended Southwestern College, a community college in Chula Vista, California. He worked as a tax consultant before entering politics.
He and his wife, Karen Walker Bilbray, have five children. One of his sons, Brian Jr., is a current member of the Imperial Beach city council. He is a cousin of former Nevada Democratic Representative James Bilbray.
Bilbray is an avid surfer, who compares surfing to politics.[2][3][4]
Bilbray became interested in politics when an extensive program of eminent domain was proposed for Imperial Beach. He ran successfully for the city council as a populist, serving during 1976–1978, and was mayor during 1978–1985.
As mayor, Bilbray attempted to build a yacht marina in the Tijuana Estuary and to build a 1.5 mile breakwater off the beach of Imperial Beach.[5] Both projects were stopped by the opposition of local surfers and environmentalists. The Tijuana River Estuary is now a National Estuarine Research Reserve and California State Park. The breakwater project was halted with the help of the then fledgling Surfrider Foundation.
From 1985 to 1995, Bilbray was a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
In 1994, Bilbray won the Republican nomination for the 49th district, now the 53rd district, which included most of San Diego, and defeated freshman Democrat Lynn Schenk in the Republican landslide of that year. The 53rd was one of several marginal districts to go Republican in that cycle.
Bilbray was reelected twice. In 2000, he was defeated by State Assemblywoman Susan Davis.
In 2001, Bilbray registered as a federal lobbyist. His clients included the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians and Federation for American Immigration Reform, the San Diego Regional Airport Authority, Conquer Cancer and Alzheimer's Now, Los Angeles County, San Diego Gas and Electric Company.
From May 2002 until July 2005, Bilbray was a consultant for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a conservative anti-immigration lobbying group founded by John Tanton. He is currently on the federation's board of advisers. In 2006, Bilbray received nearly $10,000 in campaign contributions from members of the federation's board of directors: Nancy Anthony, Sharon Barnes, General Douglas E. Caton, Sarah Epstein, Stephen Swensrud and Alan Weeden.[6]
Bilbray ran in the 2006 special election to fill the vacancy in California's 50th congressional district caused by the resignation in December 2005 of fellow Republican Duke Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy and tax evasion, and subsequently went to jail. In March 2005, Bilbray moved to Carlsbad, California, to take care of his mother, who owns a home there.[7]
The race to assume Cunningham's seat was highly contested, especially on the Republican side, with 14 Republicans (compared with only 2 Democrats) officially running for the position. Leading up to the initial all-candidate election that would determine the parties' candidates in a runoff election, Bilbray was in a virtual tie with Republican businessman Eric Roach,[8] slightly ahead of former State Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian. Four days prior to the election, businessman Alan Uke, one of the major Republican candidates, ran an attack ad accusing Roach of outsourcing thousands of jobs at the expense of American workers.[9] In the initial all-party special election on April 11, 2006, Bilbray was the Republican candidate with the most votes, receiving 15.26% of the total vote to Roach's 14.50%. He then faced the top vote getters of all the other parties in a runoff election on June 6, 2006: Democrat Francine Busby, Libertarian Paul King, and William Griffith, an independent.
During the campaign, Arizona Senator John McCain canceled a planned fundraiser for Bilbray at the last minute, after Bilbray called McCain's immigration bill "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.[10] McCain later contributed money to Bilbray's campaign and voiced a radio commercial for the National Republican Congressional Committee in support of Bilbray's race against Busby.[11]
Bilbray won the runoff with 49% of the vote, and was sworn in on June 13, 2006 as a member of the Congress. The Republican Party considered this a bellwether race because this district had "the perfect storm in favor of the Democrats" according to Ken Mehlman, the RNC Chairman at the time of the special election. The Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute raised several concerns about the fairness and accuracy of the vote count.[12] An election contest lawsuit sought a hand recount. However, Bilbray was sworn in before the vote count was official.[13] The court dismissed the suit on the basis that, once the House of Representatives had sworn in Bilbray, the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the challenge.[14]
During the 109th Congress Congressman Brian Bilbray served on the House Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Government Reform Committees. Since his swearing in June Congressman Bilbray co-authored legislation that led to the transfer of the Mount Soledad Veteran's Memorial from the City of San Diego to the federal government. He also authored legislation that would have reformed the federal budget process.
Bilbray and Busby each won their party's primary, and faced each other again in the November general election.
With the advantage of incumbency and the Republican edge in registrations in the district, Bilbray was initially a clear favorite to win in November. Both the Cook Political Report and CQPolitics first rated the race as Republican Favored. But Busby gained in October, with a late-October poll by SurveyUSA showed Bilbray ahead by just 3 points, for a number of reasons: the general political climate seen as disadvantageous to the GOP, Busby's outraising Bilbray, and Bilbray's low profile campaign. On October 23, CQPolitics changed their rating to Leans Republican.[15]
In the 2006 midterm election, Bilbray defeated Busby by a margin of 54.2%-43.5%. Bilbray ran as an opponent of illegal immigration.
Running unopposed in the June primary, Bilbray overcame a strong challenge from Democrat Nick Leibham in the November 2008 general election. With help from the DCCC[16] and $1 million in donations,[17] Leibham ran a string of TV attack ads against Bilbray. Democrats thought they had a chance at winning the district due to the hostile environment plaguing Republicans in general, and shifting demographics locally. Bilbray won, 50% to 46%, with 4% of the vote going to Libertarian candidate Wayne Dunlap.
Since his loss to Congresswoman Susan Davis in 2001 Congressman Bilbray has maintained residences and properties in Imperial Beach, California; Alexandria, Virginia; and Carlsbad, California. In response to requests to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, by the local Democratic Party and neighbors of the congressman, a San Diego County grand jury was convened to investigate claims against Bilbray's declared residency for the special and general elections in 2006.[18] The investigation was dropped in May 2007.
Questions about Brian Bilbray's residency again arose after his reelection on November 6, 2010, when he personally, as well as his children Briana and Patrick, claimed to not live in California and not qualify for in-state tuition in a class-action lawsuit against the University of California. Brian Bilbray appeared as a named plaintiff residing in Virginia.[19]
Bilbray positioned himself as moderate on some social issues while conservative on immigration and fiscal matters.[20][21] He is a signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[22]
During his second run for Congress in the 50th district, Bilbray won over many of the district's most conservative voters with his hard line stance on illegal immigration. Since returning to Congress, Bilbray's voting record has been considerably more conservative than it was during his first stint. He is a member of both the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership and the conservative Republican Study Committee, two groups with conflicting positions on policy. For example, the RMSP supports embryonic stem cell research and opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment, while the RSC opposes embryonic stem cell research and supports the FMA. He is also a member of Republicans for Choice.
Bilbray voted in agreement with President Bush 93% of the time, and as a result was given a 93% Presidential Support Score by CQ Politics in 2006.[23]
In October 2011, Bilbray voted for a bill that would prohibit public funding for abortions. It passed 251-172 in the House. Bilbray is a Roman Catholic, and voted in favor of a bill in early November 2011 that would encourage “In God We Trust” to be displayed in schools and other public buildings. This Resolution was passed with an overwhelming majority in the House, 396-9. Bilbray almost always has voted for free trade agreements in the past years, namely with Korea, Columbia, and Panama, all of which passed. The Republican is also a strong believer in pro-life policy, as well is the traditional American family.[24][25]
Bilbray in November 2011 introduced a new bill, which would benefit veterans. It provides job training and internships paid for by federal grants. Bilbray is also co-sponsoring a law for the US economy. It is aimed at creating jobs by taking action against China manipulating currency. However, now Bilbray and other former supporters of the bill are now blocking it from passage. Some speculate he is trying to stick with his party but others argue it was simply for show that he sponsored the bill. Bilbray is currently not holding the majority of the vote in his 52nd district, with only 42 percent of voters polling that they would re-elect him.[26]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lynn Schenk |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 49th congressional district 1995–2001 |
Succeeded by Susan Davis |
| Preceded by Duke Cunningham |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 50th congressional district June 13, 2006 – present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Charles Bass R-New Hampshire |
United States Representatives by seniority 164th |
Succeeded by Todd Akin R-Missouri |