Martha Roby (née Dubina; born July 26, 1976) is the U.S. Representative for Alabama's 2nd congressional district. She is a member of the Republican Party. She defeated incumbent Representative Bobby Bright on November 2 during the United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama, 2010, and assumed office in January 2011. Roby and Terri Sewell were the first women elected to Congress from Alabama in regular elections.
Video Martha Roby
Early life, education, and legal career
Roby was born in Montgomery, Alabama and attended New York University, where she received a bachelor of music degree. She then entered the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, receiving her J.D. in 2001.
She is the daughter of Joel Fredrick Dubina, a Senior Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Before entering politics, she worked at the law firm of Copeland, Franco.
Maps Martha Roby
Montgomery City Council
Elections
Roby was elected to the Montgomery City Council in 2003, defeating a total of five opponents, and winning 54.88% of the votes cast in her district.
Tenure
In her first term on the Council, Roby joined 3 other council members and then mayor Bobby Bright in opposing the building of a shopping mall in East Montgomery. She also opposed privatizing the disposal of household garbage, supported a 10 cent cigarette tax increase, and argued for a state sales tax holiday.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
- 2010
Roby challenged incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman and former Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright in Alabama's 2nd congressional district. In the four-candidate Republican primary, Roby ranked first with 49% of the vote, narrowly missing the 50% threshold needed to win the nomination and avoid a run-off. Rick Barber ranked second with 29% of the vote. In the run-off election, Roby defeated him 60%-40%.
The 2010 race was one of the most expensive races in the district's history. Roby spent a total of $1,240,275.64 on her 2010 election. Most of her funds came from large individual contributions. Her top contributor was Jim Wilson and Associates, a Montgomery real estate developer, who contributed $25,300. Leadership PACs contributed a total of $106,010.
Roby defeated Bright by 51%-49%, a difference of 4,780 votes. Roby won 7 of the district's 16 counties: Autauga, Elmore, Covington, Coffee, Geneva, Dale, and Houston Counties. Bright won Montgomery County with 59% of the vote.
- 2012
In her run for re-election to her seat, she received the endorsements of 36 mayors in Alabama, the Alabama Farmers Federation, and Susan B. Anthony List.
The 2nd district had long been a conservative district, and Roby won a second term, defeating Democrat Therese Ford 64%-36%. She won 11 of the district's 15 counties. She lost her home county of Montgomery by a margin of 53%-47%.
- 2014
Roby won the election with 67.34% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Erick Wright.
- 2016
On March 1, 2016, Roby won the Republican primary with 64% of the vote. She won the general election with 48.8% of the vote. Democrat Nathan Mathis received 40.5% of the vote and write-in candidates received 10.7% of the vote.
Committee assignments
- United States House Committee on Appropriations
- United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science
- United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs
- United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
- House Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi
Political positions
During Roby's 2010 campaign, she promised to support ending pre-existing conditions as exclusion from receiving health insurance benefits, vote against cap and trade, vote to defund health care reform, reduce dependence on foreign oil, reduce government spending, support a Balanced Budget Amendment, support a line-item veto, support ending the current earmark process, oppose government bailouts and takeovers of private companies, support the requirement of budgets to be submitted for Social Security and Medicare, require that all legislation be posted online for 72 hours before debate, require that every piece of legislation begin with an explanation of its constitutionality, maintain defense spending at least 4% of Gross Domestic Product, support missile defense programs, reform the tax code, support abolition of the estate tax, oppose raising the retirement age for Social Security benefits, oppose a reduction in Social Security benefits, oppose an increase in payroll taxes for Social Security benefits, and oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants. When asked if there was one federal department or agency that she could eliminate, she said she would abolish the Department of Education but keep federal grants to states intact. In 2010, she pledged to abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
In 2010, Roby expressed support for Paul Ryan's "Roadmap for America's Future", which would privatize portions of Medicare. She has stated publicly that she opposes privatization of Medicare and Social Security.
After the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, Roby said she was "horrified and heartbroken" via a Facebook post. She sent thoughts and prayers to victims and first responders. She called it a "terrorist attack" and said that people must change their mentality that terrorism is an "overseas fight."
In October 2016, Roby withdrew her presidential endorsement of Donald Trump, saying: "Donald Trump's behavior makes him unacceptable as a candidate for president, and I won't vote for him".
As of January 2018, Roby has voted with her party in 97.1% of votes so far in the 115th United States Congress and voted in line with President Trump's position in 96.7% of the votes. Roby self-identifies as a "conservative fighter," and said in 2011: "I believe in the sanctity of life. I believe in the protection of the second amendment. I believe in small, limited government and lower taxes. I believe that we should live within our means and I believe in the central role of faith and family in our lives."
Vote Smart issue positions
Vote Smart, a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States, "researched presidential and congressional candidates' public records to determine candidates' likely responses on certain key issues." According to Vote Smart's 2016 analysis, Roby generally supports pro-life legislation, opposes an income tax increase, opposes federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth, supports lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth, opposes requiring states to adopt federal education standards, supports building the Keystone Pipeline, supports government funding for the development of renewable energy, opposes the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, opposes gun-control legislation, supports repealing the Affordable Care Act, supports requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship, opposes same-sex marriage, supports increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support, and opposes allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts.
Interest group pledges and ratings
In the 112th United States Congress, Roby signed the Americans for Tax Reform Taxpayer Protection Pledge. In 2010, Roby signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity to not vote for any global warming legislation that would raise taxes.
In 2013, Roby received a score of 0% from the Alliance for Retired Americans.
The environmental advocacy group the League of Conservation Voters gives her a lifetime score of 4%.
Roby has a "D" rating from marijuana legalization advocacy group the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) regarding her voting record on cannabis-related matters.
Legislative record
In December 2011, Roby voted in support of H.R. 10, the "Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act," which would have required congressional approval for any "major regulations" issued by the executive branch but, unlike the 1996 Congressional Review Act, would not require the president's signature or override of a probable presidential veto.
Roby voted in September 2013 to cut $39 billion from the food stamp program. In 2011, approximately 41,000 households in Roby's congressional district received food stamps.
In February 2017, she voted against a resolution that would have directed the House to request 10 years of Trump's tax returns, which would then have been reviewed by the House Ways and Means Committee in a closed session.
Roby has repeatedly voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). On May 4, 2017, she voted in favor of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and passing the American Health Care Act.
In stating her support for the American Health Care Act (AHCA), Roby said the Affordable Care Act was a "failed law" and that the AHCA put in place a "patient-centered system that lowers costs, increases choices, and isn't run by the government". The U.S. House voted on the legislation before the bill had been scored by the Congressional Budget Office.
In 2017, Roby co-sponsored a bipartisan bill to require sexual harassment and anti-discrimination training for all House members, employees, staff and unpaid personnel. The bill passed the House. She does not support the ability for lawmakers to use tax dollars to settle sexual harassment claims.
Roby voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. She said that more businesses will stay in the U.S. due to the tax cuts and that she is "proud" of the legislation which she says "will help families keep their own money."
Electoral history
See also
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
References
External links
- Congresswoman Martha Roby official U.S. House site
- Martha Roby for Congress
- Martha Roby at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Project Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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