David Price (D-N.C.)

U.S. Representative (since January 1997)

(David Price)

Why He Matters

Price has served two stints on Capitol Hill since 1987, interrupted for two years thanks to the Republican wave of 1994. Only one bill passed during his second House tenure (a 2007 appropriations measure) bears his name as sponsor, but there's no denying that Price carries clout. During the 111th Congress, Price was chairman of the House Appropriations Homeland Security subcommittee, which controls the purse strings to the third-largest Cabinet department.

The Tar Heel Democrat has hewed closely to the national Democratic agenda, opposing the Iraq war from the start and maintaining a liberal viewpoint on social issues. A devout Baptist with a Yale Divinity School degree, Price has also spent the past several years trying to lure values voters to his party.

Read more

Corrections?

Background

At a Glance

Career History: Professor, Duke University, (1994 to 1996); U.S. Representative (1986 to 1994); Staff director, Hunt Commission (1981)
Birthday: Aug. 17, 1940
Hometown: Johnson City, Tenn.
Alma Mater: University of North Carolina, B.A. (American History and Mathematics), 1961; Yale University, (B.D.), 1964; Yale University, Ph.D. (political science) 1969
Spouse: Lisa Kanwit Price
Religion: Baptist

DC Office: 2162 Rayburn Building, (202) 225-1784
District Office: Durham, (919) 688-3004; Raleigh, (919) 859-5999; Chapel Hill, (919) 967-7924
Email
Web site
YouTube
RSS

Path to Power

Price was born in 1940 in Erwin, Tenn. His parents were both high school educators. A devout Baptist, he called his college career "the time when my political and religious identities were decisively shaped."

He attended Mars Hill College in western North Carolina before transferring to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on a full scholarship. There he served as president of the Baptist Student Union and a member of the student legislature where he took the lead passing a resolution calling on local merchants to desegregate.

Read more

Though he felt his eastern Tennessee background pull him in one political direction, Price says "by conviction, I was a Democrat." He worked for Sen. E.L. Bartlett (D-Alaska) during the summers between earning a divinity degree from Yale. Through the 1970s, he worked for various Democratic presidential and senatorial campaigns, including Sen. Al Gore Sr.'s (D-Tenn.) unsuccessful bid for a 4th term in 1970. After earning a Ph.D in political science in 1969, Price worked at Yale as a professor before returning to North Carolina, scoring a faculty position at Duke in 1973.

In 1980, Price took a leave from teaching at the request of North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt (D) to serve as executive director of the state's Democratic party. The following year, Price served as the staff director of the Hunt Commission, which enestablished new rules for apportioning delegates for Democratic presidential candidates.

U.S. House

In 1984, Price served again as the North Carolina Democratic Party chair, overseeing the party's bad election cycle as three Democratic House seats and the governor's mansion fell into Republican hands. Price said those defeats, coupled with re-elected Sen. Jesse Helms' (R-N.C.) election night declaration that North Carolina was a "God-fearing" and "conservative" state, led Price to run for office for the first time.

In 1986, Price won the Democratic nomination to challenge first-term 4th district Rep. Bill Cobey (R-N.C.), who represented much of North Carolina's Research Triangle. The race was an uphill battle for Price. Though the district historically leaned Democratic, recent trends were beginning to favor Republicans. But Price gained momentum when Cobey sent a campaign mailer calling himself "an ambassador of Christ," implying Price would take un-Christian positions if elected to the House. Cobey apologized, but Price won 56 percent of the vote.

During his first four terms in Congress, Price moved up the seniority ladder of the House Appropriations Committee, eventually becoming next-in-line to chair its Transportation subcommittee.

But in 1993, Price put himself in political danger by joining the group of Democrats who pushed President Bill Clinton's agenda, including supporting a budget that reduced the deficit through controversial tax hikes. That gave Price's rivals an opening, and the North Carolina Democrat fell victim to the 1994 Republican revolution in which he was defeated by former Raleigh police chief Fred Heineman (R) by just 1,215 votes.

Return to the House

In 1996, after a stint at Duke University, Price sought to regain his House seat by focusing on door-to-door visits in an attempt to address longtime criticism that he didn't listen to constituents.Aided by turnout, especially among African- Americans, Price retook his seat with 54 percent of the vote. Since then, Price's district has consistently grown more Democratic and he hasn't had trouble getting re-elected.

In his comeback, Price regained his seat on the House Appropriations Committee, though lost his previous clout in a now Republican-led Congress. In 2003, Price was named to the newly-formed Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee headed by Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) In 2007, when Democrats recaptured the House majority, Price took the gavel from Rogers, who is now the panel's ranking member.

The Issues

A charter member of the moderate New Democrat Coalition, Price nonetheless voted with his party 98.6 percent of the time during the 110th Congress.

Price voted against authorizing the Iraq war in 2002, and sponsored a bill in 2007 that would allow the prosecution of contractors in Iraq. That bill was never enacted.

Read more

During his 2008 reelection bid, Price's Republican opponent, B.J. Lawson, accused him of voting to curtail civil liberties in the war on terror. Price responded saying he voted the 2006 renewal the USA Patriot Act.

Homeland Security

After capturing the top seat on the Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee in 2007, Price said he hoped to increase funding for and communications between front-line responders.

That year, his first Homeland Security Appropriations bill included more money for port and transit security, state and local first-responders grants, flood mapping and Border Patrol agents. It also required immigration agents to contact local jails and prisons to check for criminals to deport. Price argued that "we need to secure our borders, both land and sea, while pursuing practical and humane comprehensive immigration reform."

In 2008, a watchdog group found Price approved more than $600 million in earmarks in the bill, including diverting $51 million to specific communities across the country from a usually competitive disaster-mitigation program. Price contested those numbers, claiming the bill had only $424 million in earmarks, 40 percent lower than the bill passed in 2006.Price argues that he has "worked to ensure that all the people responsible for protecting our country receive the funding and support they need to do their jobs."

In 2007, Price along with fellow Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.), tried tolocate a proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Butner, N.C., claiming the site was perfect because of its proximity to North Carolina's Research Triangle.The proposal to build the site in North Carolina failed as residents and local officials raised concerns about the environment and public safety because the facility would have conducted hoof-and-mouth disease research. The facility is now being proposed for Manhattan, Kan.

Religion and Social Issues

As part of a broad Democratic Party push to make inroads with values voters, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) launched, with Price's help, the Faith Working Group in 2005. Price has taken on a theologian's role on Capitol Hill, helping fellow Democrats to talk about faith, saying, "We need to be more active in talking about our commitment to faith and values It doesn't necessarily speak for itself."

Despite considering faith as part of his politics, he is pro-abortion rights and and has voted against a federal amendment banning same-sex marriage. He opposed a bill in 2005 introduced by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) that would allow religious leaders to endorse candidates and raise money in houses of worship.

The Economy

In Fall 2008, Price voted for both versions of the $700-billion financial bailout bill saying, "The economy is teetering on the edge of a 1929-style meltdown, and like it or not, we are all in this together."

Price supported the $787-billion economic stimulus package that passed in February 2009 saying the homeland security section he was in charge of was "scrubbed" for waste.

Election Reform

In 2005, Price co-chaired the commission tasked with reforming the Democratic Presidential primary and caucus schedule, later criticizing how states rushed to hold their contests early.

Price authored "Stand By Your Ad" provisions in the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill, requiring federal candidates to appear on-screen or in a voiceover claiming responsibility for negative ads.

Price and Rep. Mike Castle (D-Del.) both said in January 2009 that one of their top priorities was to reintroduce legislation overhauling the presidential public campaign financing system. Price said he is optimistic about the legislation getting Obama's blessing, even though Obama opted out of public financing for his 2008.

The Network

Price initially backed former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards during the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. After Edwards bowed out of the contest, Price endorsed Obama a few weeks before the Tar Heel primary.

Price is close with North Carolina's House Democrats, especially with Reps. Brad Miller and Bob Etheridge (who lost to Renee Ellmers (R) n a nasty 2010 race) from neighboring districts. Price was described as Miller's "political rabbi" when Miller joined the House in 2003 and the two are frequently seen at public events together in their respective districts.

Additional Resources