Biography:

Spencer T. Bachus III, was born in Birmingham, Ala., and lives in Vestavia, Ala., a Birmingham suburb. He received a bachelor's degree from Auburn University in 1969 and a law degree from the University of Alabama in 1972.

After a decade in private business and practicing law, he was elected in 1982 to the Alabama Senate as one of the first three Republicans elected to that body since Reconstruction.

He served a year before a court-ordered reapportionment cut his term short. In a special election in 1983 he upset an incumbent in the Republican primary and defeated his Democratic opponent in the general election.

In the state House, he was named vice chairman of the Jefferson County legislative delegation. He left the Legislature in 1986 and managed Guy Hunt's successful gubernatorial campaign.

He also was elected to the State Board of Education as the first Republican on that board. Four years later he ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general.

In 1991, he became chairman of the Republican Party in Alabama and served in that post for a year. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 1992.

Bachus is married to Linda Hinson. He has three children and two stepchildren.

Past Campaigns:

Before going to Washington, Bachus served one year in the state Senate and four years in the state House.

He was elected to the U.S. House in 1992 with 52 percent of the vote, defeating 10-year incumbent Democratic Rep. Ben Erdreich. He was re-elected in 1994 with 79 percent, defeating Democrat Larry Fortenberry.

In 1996, he was re-elected with 71 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Mary Bates. Bachus was elected to a fourth term in the House in 1998, defeating Democrat Donna Smalley with 72 percent of the vote.

In 2000 he received 88 percent of the vote against Terry Reagin Sr. of the Libertarian Party. He was re-elected in 2002 with 90 percent of the vote over Libertarian J. Holden McAllister.

In 2004, Bachus easily defeated a GOP primary challenge from Phillip Jauregui, lead counsel for former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice and Ten Commandments supporter Roy Moore.

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