Wayne Allard

Wayne Allard
United States Senator
from Colorado
In office
January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by Hank Brown
Succeeded by Mark Udall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by Hank Brown
Succeeded by Bob Schaffer
Member of the Colorado Senate
In office
1983–1990
Personal details
Born Alan Wayne Allard
(1943-12-02) December 2, 1943
Fort Collins, Colorado
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Joan Malcolm
Children Christi Allard
Cheryl Allard
Residence Loveland, Colorado
Alma mater Colorado State University
Profession Veterinarian
Religion Non-Denominational Protestant

Alan Wayne Allard (born December 2, 1943) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator and United States Representative from Colorado, as well as a member of the Colorado Senate. He did not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2008. Since February, 2009, he has worked at The Livingston Group, a Washington D.C. lobbying firm.[1]

Early life

Allard was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, the son of Sibyl Jean (née Stewart) and Amos Wilson Allard. He is descended from immigrants from Canada and Scotland.[2] He was raised on a ranch near Walden, Colorado. He received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 1968.

State Senate

Allard continued to run a veterinary practice full-time, while representing Larimer and Weld counties in the Colorado State Senate, from 1983 to 1990. During his tenure he was a strong supporter of fiscal responsibility and the preservation of a citizen legislature. Allard's influence on local politics is still felt today as he is the sponsor of Colorado's law limiting state legislative sessions to 120 days.

U.S. House of Representatives

Allard served in the United States House of Representatives from Colorado's Fourth Congressional District from 1991 to 1997. As a Colorado Representative, Allard served on the Joint Committee on Congressional Reform, which recommended many of the reforms included in the Contract with America. These reforms became some of the first to be passed by the Republican controlled Congress in 1995 and were the key to their platform.

U.S. Senate

Elections

In 1996, Allard was elected to the United States Senate, defeating state Attorney General Gale Norton in the Republican primary and Tom Strickland by five percentage points in the general election. He made a pledge at the time to serve just two terms in the Senate before retiring. In 2002, he was re-elected, defeating Strickland again by the same margin.

Committee assignments

Tenure

In 2003, Allard introduced into the Senate the Federal Marriage Amendment, seeking to ban same-sex marriages.[3] The amendment failed to advance to the House.

In 2004, Allard reintroduced the Federal Marriage Amendment with minor changes. In presenting the amendment, Allard made the case that there is a "master plan" to "destroy the institution of marriage".[4] Passage of the proposed Amendment failed 227 yea votes to 186 nay votes, where 290 yea votes (two-thirds) are required for passage of a proposed Constitutional amendment.[5]

In an April 2006 article, Time named Allard as one of America's 5 Worst Senators, dubbing him "The Invisible Man". The article criticised him for being "so bland that his critics have dubbed him "Dullard"", for "never playing a role in major legislation, even though he's on two key Senate committees, Budget and Appropriations" and for "rarely speaking on the floor or holding press conferences to push his ideas", concluding that "few of the bills he has introduced over the past year have passed". The article did however note that he was "polite, affable and willing to take on thankless tasks, such as his current role overseeing the construction of a visitors center on Capitol Hill".[6] In response, two major Colorado newspapers defended the Senator.[7] The Rocky Mountain News retorted that Time had made the "wrong call" and that Allard was a "hard-working advocate for Colorado interests."[8] The Gazette (Colorado Springs) also weighed in, saying the article was "... soft, subjective, snide, impressionistic slop – further proof of the low to which this once-serious publication has sunk." [9] Upon his retirement, The Denver Post stated that "While we didn't always agree with Sen. Wayne Allard on policy matters, we never doubted that he was working hard for Colorado."[10]

On January 15, 2007 Allard announced he would fulfill a 1996 campaign promise to serve only two Senate terms and would retire in January 2009.[11]

In April 2007, Allard announced his endorsement of Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.[12] He switched his endorsement to John McCain once he secured his spot as the presumptive Republican nominee.[13]

As part of a statement released by his office in support of a day to honor emergency first responders in 2007, Allard was quoted as saying: “First responders in Colorado have recently provided critical services in the face of blizzards and tornados. Since I don’t think first responders have really done anything significant in comparison to their counterparts who have dealt with real natural disasters, I have no idea what else to say here …”[14]

In March 2008 the National Journal ranked him the second most-conservative U.S. Senator based on his 2007 votes.[15]

Political positions

Environmental record

Allard was a co-sponsor of the James Peak Wilderness Bill, which created a 14,000-acre (57 km2) preserve around James Peak, and added 3,000 acres (12 km2) to the Indian Peak Protection Area. He also sponsored legislation which created Colorado's 85,000-acre (340 km2) Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Allard was also chairman and founder of the Senate Renewable Energy and Efficiency Caucus.[16]

In 2006, the environmental group Republicans for Environmental Protection[17] praised Allard for his support of legislation to make the Army Corps of Engineers more accountable for its projects' environmental and economic impact, but censured him for supporting oil drilling both offshore and in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.[18] The nonpartisan League of Conservation Voters issued Allard a grade of 29% for 2006.[19]

Fiscal conservatism

While working in Congress, Allard consistently asserted that the federal government unnecessarily spends too much money. During his Senate career, his office returned $4.2 million of its collective budget.[20] Allard was considered to be one of the most firmly anti-tax politicians in Washington. He campaigned on the goal of repealing marriage, inheritance, and capital gains taxes.[21]

Personal life

While completing veterinary school, Allard married Joan Malcolm, who received her degree in microbiology, also from CSU. They then founded their veterinary practice, the Allard Animal Hospital. The Allards raised their two daughters, Christi and Cheryl, in Loveland, Colorado, and have five grandsons. He is a Protestant.

In 2007, Allard authored Colorado's U.S. Senators: A Biographical Guide. The book was published by Fulcrum Publishing.

Electoral history

United States House of Representatives elections, 1990[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Allard 89,285 54
Democratic Richard R. "Dick" Bond 75,901 46
Total votes 165,186 100
Republican hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 1992[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Allard (inc.) 139,884 58
Democratic Tom Redder 101,957 42
Total votes 241,841 100
Republican hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 1994[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Allard (inc.) 136,251 72
Democratic Cathy Kipp 52,202 28
Total votes 188,453 100
Republican hold

1996 Race for U.S. Senate – Republican Primary

United States Senate election in Colorado, 1996[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Wayne Allard 750,325 51% -4%
Democratic Tom Strickland 677,600 46% +4%
Natural Law Randy MacKenzie 41,620 3%
Write-ins 66 0%
Majority 82,715 6% -8%
Turnout 1,459,601
Republican hold Swing
United States Senate election in Colorado, 2002[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Wayne Allard (inc.) 717,893 51% -1%
Democratic Tom Strickland 648,130 46% 0%
Constitution Douglas Campbell 21,547 2%
Libertarian Rick Stanley 20,776 1%
Independent John Heckman 7,140 <1%
Write-ins 596 0%
Majority 69,763 5% -1%
Turnout 1,416,082
Republican hold Swing

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Michael Roberts (4 February 2009). "Wayne Allard adds half of "lawyer/lobbyist" tag to his résumé". The Latest Word. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  2. ↑ 1
  3. ↑ Search Results – THOMAS (Library of Congress)
  4. ↑ "Senate GOP Displays Defeat on Marriage Amendment". Fox News. July 14, 2004.
  5. ↑ Musgrave, Marilyn, et al. (23 September 2004) H.J.RES.106 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage United States House of Representatives, Library of Congress. Accessed 18 August 2007.
  6. ↑ "Wayne Allard: The Invisible Man". TIME.com. April 14, 2006.
  7. ↑ Massimo Calabresi and Perry Bacon, Jr., "Wayne Allard: The Invisible Man", Time Magazine, April 14, 2006.
  8. ↑ Vincent Carroll, On Point: Wrong call on Allard, The Rocky Mountain News, April 18, 2006.
  9. ↑ "Analyzing Allard". The Gazette. April 20, 2006.
  10. ↑ "Senate "work horse" is coming back to Colorado". Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  11. ↑ Paulson, Steven (January 15, 2007). "Report: Sen. Allard won't seek 3rd term". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2007-01-17. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
  12. ↑ Governor Mitt Romney Announces Support of Senator Wayne Allard Romney for President, Inc. Press Releases. April 16, 2007 Retrieved April 16, 2007
  13. ↑ Senator Wayne Allard Endorses John McCain for President
  14. ↑ "Staff Nearly Undermines the Boss s Bill". Washington Examiner. 3 June 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "National Journal's 2007 Vote Ratings"
  16. ↑ Sen. Allard details stance on environment | AspenTimes.com
  17. ↑ Republicans for Environmental Protection 2006 Scorecard Archived 21 July 2007 at WebCite
  18. ↑ ibid. Archived 21 July 2007 at WebCite
  19. ↑ League of Conservation Voters 2006 Scorecard
  20. ↑ http://allard.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Biography.Home
  21. ↑ http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Wayne_Allard.htm
  22. ↑ 1990 Election Results
  23. ↑ 1992 Election Results
  24. ↑ 1994 Election Results
  25. ↑ "96 PRESIDENTIAL and CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION STATISTICS". Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  26. ↑ "2002 ELECTION STATISTICS". Retrieved 24 November 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wayne Allard.
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Hank Brown		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 4th congressional district
1991–1997 		Succeeded by
Bob Schaffer
United States Senate
Preceded by
Hank Brown		 U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Colorado
1997–2009
Served alongside: Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Ken Salazar		 Succeeded by
Mark Udall
Party political offices
Preceded by
Hank Brown		 Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Colorado (Class 2)
1996, 2002 		Succeeded by
Bob Schaffer
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