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John Barrow (D-Ga.)

U.S. Representative (since January 2005)

(Congressional Bio Directory)

Why He Matters

As a Democrat from Georgia, Barrow has been one of his party's most conservative and politically-vulnerable congressmen since his 2004 election. The former trial lawyer and county commissioner was one of just two Democrats to defeat Republican incumbents that year, and the man Barrow beat, Max Burns (R), came within 1,000 votes in a 2006 rematch. But unlike some Southern Democrats, Barrow embraced the considerably more liberal Barack Obama in 2008, a move that helped him avoid a primary challenge from the left.

In 2009, the congressman ranked among the most conservative Democrats, opposing both the House cap-and-trade bill and the health-care overhaul in committee and on the House floor.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Athens-Clarke County Commission, 1990-2004; practicing attorney, 1981-2004
Birthday: October 31, 1955
Hometown: Athens, Ga.
Alma Mater: University of Georgia, B.A. 1976; Harvard Law School, J.D. 1979
Spouse: Victoria
Religion: Baptist

Committees: Energy and Commerce
DC Office: 213 Cannon House Office Building, 202-225-2823
State/District Office: Savannah, 912-354-7282; Augusta, 706-722-4494; Sandersville, 478-553-1923; Vidalia, 912-537-9301
Email
Web site

Path to Power

A seventh-generation Georgian, Barrow was born in 1955 in Athens. Both of his parents served during World War II-his mother as a member of the Women's Army Corps, his father as a reconnaisance commander in Europe. His father later became a Superior Court judge, earning high marks from civil- rights leaders.

Barrow attended the nearby University of Georgia before enrolling at Harvard for law school, beginning his career as a trial lawyer in 1981.

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Barrow briefly served as the chairman of the Clarke County Democratic Party and ran a failed state legislature campaign before being elected Athens-Clarke city-county commissioner in 1990. Early in his 14-year tenure on the board, Barrow made his mark leading an effort to remake plans for a new Athens civic center.

2004 House Campaign

In 2002, Max Burns (R-Ga.) was elected representative of the newly-created Democrat-leaning 12th House district after upsetting Democrat Charles Walker. Prospective Democrats lined up quickly to challenge Burns in 2004, including Barrow.

Barrow had a $700,000 campaign war chest and advertised heavily in the 42 percent African-American district where no major black candidates were running. In a four-way primary, Barrow won 51 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff.

In the general election, Barrow pounded Burns, most notably with an ad accusing the incumbent of supporting the "Max Tax" or a national sales tax that would affect low-income Americans. Burns accused Barrow of being "pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-tax-hikes" and argued that he "would let France determine our national defense policy." Barrow won the election by 4 percentage points.

Redistricting and Burns Rematch

In 2005, the Republican-controlled Georgia Legislature remade the state's congressional map. The move split Barrow's district, placing much of the Democrat's political base in Athens in the 10th district. Instead of choosing to run for the 10th district seat, Barrow decided to move to Savannah in order to keep residence in the new 12th district.

The 2006 election was just as heated as the first round, with Burns enlisting the help of President George W. Bush. The results were closer, with Barrow winning by 864 votes after Burns opted against a recount.

In 2008, Barrow pulled through more easily after embracing support from presidential candidate Barack Obama that was believed to have helped Barrow avoid a serious primary challenge. Barrow easily won the general election.

The Issues

Seen as a relative liberal in his days on the county commission, Barrow now has the reputation of being one of the most conservative Democrats in the House. Barrow was ranked the House's third most conservative Democrat by National Journal in 2009. During the 110th Congress, he voted with his party 84.1 percent of the time.

Barrow has taken a tough stance against illegal immigration, playing up his support for a U.S.-Mexico border fence during the 2006 race and has opposed granting amnesty to illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

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Though Burns ran 2004 ads against Barrow accusing the Democrat of supporting same-sex marriage, Barrow has supported and sponsored legislation banning gay marriage.

Barrow has been a vocal critic of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, saying it has dragged its feet on improving workplace safety. Barrow and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) were the lead sponsors on a 2008 bill that mandates tougher rules on combustible dust in order to avoid a future incident similar to one that occurred in February 2008 when 14 people were killed at an Imperial Sugar Co. refinery in Georgia. The bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate. The two House members reintroduced it in 2009.

Energy

Along with Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) and Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), Barrow led an effort to weaken the 2009 House climate change bill that sought a national mandate for renewable energy. While the original bill called for all utilities to produce 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025, the southern Democrats lowered the standard to 15 percent by 2020. Barrow still voted against the bill on the House floor in June 2009.

Barrow has supported offshore oil drilling, saying in 2008: "I support drilling ... in an environmentally responsible way using the latest technology, as part of a comprehensive plan to get us off of foreign oil."

Health-Care Reform

Before voting against the House version of the comprehensive health-care bill in November 2009, Barrow was courted by liberals. MoveOn.org ran radio ads against Barrow in August 2009 for being one of the Democrats who voted against the health-care reform bill in a House Energy and Commerce Committee vote.

Barrow said he didn't oppose health-care reform, but didn't support taxing small businesses to help pay for it. He said he wanted to exempt small businesses making less than $500,000 a year from being required to provide health care for employees or pay extra taxes. Barrow did not oppose the ill-fated "public option," so long as the government-sponosred insurance would have been only an option and not a requirement.

After more than a year of legislative wrangling, the House passed the Senate version of health-care reform on March 21, 2010, clearing the way for the Senate to approve a package of amendments insisted on by the lower chamber with a simple majority (using a process known as reconciliation).

The $940 billion bill requires most Americans to carry health insurance and requires that insurance companies cover them, regardless of pre-existing conditions. It establishes a national insurance exchange allowing Americans to compare and purchase insurance plans. The bill will be paid for by increasing taxes on well-off Medicare recipients and by taxing premium insurance plans. By the end of the bill's 10-year roll-out, 32 million uninsured Americans will have health coverage and the deficit will be $138 billion lower, the Congressional Budget Office estimated.

The Economy

Barrow voted against both versions of the $700-billion financial bailout bill in fall 2008.

Though Barrow has voted against several trade agreements, he supported a U.S.-Peru deal enacted in 2007 because unions and businesses helped craft it.

The Network

Among Georgia's three other Blue Dog Democrats, Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.) lines up closest with Barrow politically and regionally. Marshall lost his 2010 election bid to incoming freshman class president Austin Scott (R).

He worked with Reps. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.)and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) to lower the alternative energy goals in the 2009 House climate change bill (but still opposed it in June 2009). Gordon retired in 2010.

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