Duncan Hunter
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| Duncan Hunter | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 5, 1981 |
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| Preceded by | Lionel Van Deerlin |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent (2009) |
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| Born | May 31, 1948 (age 58) Riverside, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lynne Hunter |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Signature |  |
Duncan Lee Hunter (born May 31, 1948) is an American politician who has been a Republican member of the House of Representatives since 1981 from California's 52nd congressional district in northern and eastern San Diego. It was previously numbered the 42nd District from 1981 to 1983 and then the 45th District from 1983 to 1993. Hunter was the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee during the 109th Congress. In the 2006 general election, he defeated Navy veteran/minister John Rinaldi, a Democrat, and Michael Benoit, a Libertarian. Hunter was re-elected with 65% of the vote, a 33-point margin over Rinaldi. He is currently seeking the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States.[1]
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[edit] Early life, education and career
Hunter was born in Riverside, California to Lola L. Young and Robert Olin Hunter.[2] He briefly attended the University of Montana and the University of California, Santa Barbara before enlisting in the United States Army. He served in the Vietnam War in the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 75th Ranger Regiment. Utilizing the G.I. Bill in 1973, he enrolled at Western State University College of Law and earned a BSL and JD in 1976. Hunter worked farming and construction jobs to supplement his income while finishing his degree. After graduation, he opened a storefront legal office where he often provided free legal assistance to the area's Hispanic community. He was admitted to The State Bar of California on 12/22/1976, but became inactive on 1/1/1983 and may not practice law in California. Inactive members have chosen this status voluntarily and may transfer to active at any time upon request.
Hunter married the former Lynne Layh in 1973. Hunter's son, Duncan Duane Hunter (born 1977), a First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, was deployed to Iraq in 2003. Hunter has another son, Samuel. His family attends First Baptist Church of Alpine, which is affiliated with the San Diego Southern Baptist Association. Hunter's Alpine, California home burned down during the October 2003 Cedar Fire. The loss topped $500,000, but insurance covered most of it.[3] Congressman Hunter was critical of then governor Gray Davis's response to the fire.[4]
[edit] U.S. House of Representatives
[edit] Initial election and re-elections
In 1980, Hunter was recruited to run for Congress in what was then the 42nd District against 18-year incumbent Democrat Lionel Van Deerlin. Hunter was initially a decided underdog, but his attacks on Van Deerlin's record on defense gained surprising traction in a district dominated by military bases and personnel. Van Deerlin did not respond quickly enough, and Hunter narrowly defeated him. He was one of many Republicans swept into office from historically Democratic districts as a result of Reagan's coattails; Van Deerlin had been the district's only congressman since its creation in 1963.
After the 1980 census, many of the more Democratic areas were cut out of Hunter's district, and he hasn't faced serious opposition since. In his district, he consistently gets over 60% of the hispanic vote and nearly 70% of the Democratic vote.
[edit] Political actions and positions
Hunter became chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in 2003. As such, he has sponsored legislation authorizing defense department fiscal year activities from FY2004 to FY2007. During consideration of the FY2006 Defense Authorization Act, Hunter offered an amendment to the bill clarifying enacted policy restricting women from direct combat units. According to The New York Times, Hunter's efforts would have "barred women from nearly 22,000 jobs".[5] Contrary to this interpretation, Hunter's amendment only codified existing Army policy enacted in 1994 under former Defense Secretary Les Aspin that prohibited women from submitting or migrating into combat units or operations. The amendment was subsequently withdrawn in order for a study to be conducted on the rationale and future implementation of the policy.[6]
On April 28, 2004, Hunter introduced legislation that he said could "turn parents into prosecuting attorneys fighting a wave of obscenity."[7] HR 6390 IH, also called the "Parents Empowerment Act",[8] would allow the parent or guardian of a minor to sue in federal court anyone who knowingly disseminates material "that is harmful to minors", or specifically, "any pornographic communication, picture, image, graphic image file, article, recording, writing, or other pornographic matter of any kind",[9] if it is distributed in a way that "a reasonable person can expect a substantial number of minors to be exposed to the material and the minor, as a result to exposure to the material, is likely to suffer personal or emotional injury or injury to mental or moral welfare."[10]
In November 2004, Hunter and Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner withheld their support for a bill creating a National Intelligence Director (NID) until specific conditions were met. Hunter argued that the military is the biggest consumer of intelligence and any reforms enacted, including the creation of a NID, must not endanger the lives of troops on the battlefield. Hunter's concerns were ultimately satisfied and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which created the NID position, was passed by Congress and signed by the president later that year.
In 1994, Hunter legislatively mandated the construction of 14 miles of security fencing on the international land border separating San Diego County and Tijuana, Mexico. Pointing to the success of the San Diego Border Fence, Hunter introduced legislation calling for the construction of a reinforced fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border. After successfuly adding an amendment to a House passed illegal immigration reform billthat ultimately stalled in House-Senate negotiations, Hunter's amendment was later incorporated into H.R. 6061, the Secure Fence Act, introduced by New York Congressman Peter King.[11]
In a House Armed Services Committee hearing on November 9, 2005, Hunter strongly criticized a Defense Logistics Agency "prime vendor" buying program that led to the purchase of $20 ice cube trays and a tiny refrigerator for $22,797 (initially exposed by The State newspaper). Hunter stated that he wanted explanations from the companies in question and the government purchasing agents who had approved the purchases, accusing the latter of "absolute incompetence." He further stated that the purchases are "a real slap in the face to the guy making $13,000 a year who is engaged in a firefight in Ramadi," and claimed that "A fairly large amount of incompetence is embedded into the system."[12][13]
On November 18, 2005, in response to Pennsylvania congressman John Murtha's resolution to terminate the deployment of United States forces in Iraq, to redeploy the forces already involved in Iraq, and to "pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy",[14] Hunter and other Republicans drafted a two-sentence counter-resolution which read:
- Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately.
- Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately.
Democrats condemned the bill as a political stunt; they made much of the fact that Hunter himself didn't support his own resolution. As expected, it was soundly defeated, 403-3, in the House of Representatives.
On the issue of trade, Hunter has repeatedly voted against international trade agreements such as NAFTA, CAFTA and the WTO.[15] Hunter contends that free trade policies directly impact America's manufacturing base and contribute to the country's burgeoning trade deficit. Hunter cites that China has a 17% subsidy for its manufacturers, a 17% tax on U.S. imports, and the Chinese devalue their currency at 40 percent making Chinese goods cheaper and leaving U.S. manufacturers at a 74% disadvantage. Many nations have enacted less dramatic, but very significant, unfair taxes and practices that give them a large advantage.[16] Hunter wants fair trade so the U.S. may be on a level playing field, and does not want the fruits of unfair trade practices to be used against the U.S. economically and militarily.[17]
Hunter introduced H.R. 552, The Right to Life Act, on February 2, 2005. The purpose of the bill is to "implement equal protection ... for the right to life of each born and preborn human person." In the 109th Congress, the legislation collected 101 cosponsors.[18] Hearings for H.R. 552 were scheduled for December 12, 2006 at 10am, but were cancelled right before the House adjourned.[19]
On January 29, 2007, in front of a New Hampshire audience, Hunter criticized John Kerry's recent statement before the World Economic Forum characterizing the Bush Administration's foreign policy as one that had turned the United States into "a sort of international pariah." Hunter asserted that "It was terrible for him [Kerry] to say that."[20]
Hunter is a strong supporter of extending fences along the U.S.-Mexico border and has praised the concentrated efforts that San Diego is taking on illegal immigration. He is also known as a strong supporter of sending more troops to Iraq.[21]
On January 31, 2007, Hunter held a press conference on the 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test, stating that it "represents the commencement of a new era l;'of military competition in space." He contended that the United States' ability to engage in warfare depends heavily on its space assets, and opined that the country must take steps to "ensure our forces cannot be targeted through an adversarial space strike."[22]
[edit] Retirement from Congress
On March 20, 2007, Hunter announced that he would retire from congress at the end of the 110th congress. His son, Duncan Duane Hunter, a Marine veteran, is currently exploring a run to succeed his father. [23]
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Size of home and taxes paid
In October 2006, the San Diego Union Tribune reported that Hunter's Alpine home was listed on tax rolls as a two-bedroom, 2½-bath house with 2,946 square feet of living space. In fact, the house had six bedrooms and was about 6,200 square feet. The property also featured a 2,000-square-foot guest house, a swimming pool and tennis court. The discrepancy resulted in Hunter paying less in taxes than others in similar-sized properties.
"All I know is what the county gives me," Hunter said. "They sent a person on the premises when I bought it. He said, 'This is what you owe.' We simply paid it. We've paid it ever since."[24]Hunter noted that his assessment was set at 40% more than the 1% base amount set by California law. Nowhere in the article is it claimed that Hunter did not get permits on his expansion of the property. Any reassessment beyond the maximum legal increase of 1% of the tax per year normally would have been made based on those permits. The Union-Tribune made no claims as to how the County of San Diego failed to update the Assessor's files to match the permitted improvements.
Hunter's main reaction to the Union-Tribune article was in the form of a full-page ad in the Union Tribune immediately following the UT's article, in which he used a large dose of humor, including pictures of the "estate" on a dirt road showing the property was in less than optimum condition.
The house in question was burned to the ground in the wildfires of October 2003. As of December 2006, the house had been almost rebuilt, and Hunter was still contesting the assessment of back taxes, which had been significantly reduced.[25]
[edit] Connection to Cunningham scandal
Congressman Hunter is often mentioned in connection with the Cunningham/Wilkes congressional bribery scandal for three main reasons:
1. Duncan Hunter and Randy Cunningham were friends. They were both Vietnam Veterans and San Diego congressmen, and their friendship has spanned over fifteen years. “Congressman Hunter does not condone Mr. Cunningham’s actions, nor has he tried to defend them…Congressman Hunter is a close friend of Mr. Cunningham’s, and friends don’t abandon each other during times of difficulty,” said Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper.[26]
2. Hunter and Cunningham were both advocates of the use of automated document conversion technology that could be used to convert government documents, such as maps and engineering drawings, into a format able to be edited by computer. In 1992, Brent Wilkes was a political consultant for Audre Inc, a firm based in Rancho Bernardo and headed by Tom Casey, which specialized in automated document conversion systems.
At that time, Congressman Hunter recognized Wilkes and Casey as two “aggressive and enthusiastic promoters of a breakthrough technology.” Congress created a program for the new technology, and Audre won $12.5 million of the $190 million that was allocated for contracts between 1993 and 2001.
But in 1994, Wilkes quit Audre and launched ADCS Inc., which customized a German document conversion system, to compete against Audre and two-dozen other software firms for government contracts. Hunter continued to back Audre’s American-made product and asked the Pentagon’s chief purchasing officer to "whenever possible, use [document conversion] products that are made in the United States by American taxpayers." Wilkes and ADCS started donating money to Cunningham. Between 1995 and 2005, Wilkes and his associates gave $71,500 to Cunningham's campaign and political action committee.[27] ADCS, in turn, received upwards of $95 million in government contracts. In November, 2005, Cunningham pleaded guilty to conspiracy, tax evasion, and receiving more than $2.4 million in bribes. In February 2007, Wilkes was indicted and charged with bribery of a public official.
3. Hunter and Cunningham, along with more than 100 members of the House and Senate – Republicans and Democrats – accepted money from ADCS Inc. owner Brent Wilkes, former MZM Inc. president Mitchell Wade, their relatives, employees or political action committees, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a campaign watchdog group. In December of 2005, Hunter directed that the contributions he received from Wilkes and Wade be given to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.[28] "We had options," said Bruce Young, treasurer for Hunter's re-election campaign. "We could keep the money, send it back, send it to the government or send it to a charity. We just felt that because of the situation, we would rather not have the money."[29]
[edit] 2008 Presidential campaign
On October 30, 2006, Hunter announced his intention to consider running for the Republican nomination for President in 2008. Throughout 2006, his Peace Through Strength PAC has raised funds and run advertising expressing his issues of border security and fair trade.
Hunter formally announced his presidential candidacy in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on January 25, 2007.[30] A straw poll was conducted in the Spartanburg area on March 1, 2007 where he finished a close third to Arizona Senator John McCain (1st) and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani (2nd). [2]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ "GOP chairman takes first steps toward '08 bid", AP, October 31, 2006.
- ^ http://www.wargs.com/political/hunter.html
- ^ Josephine Hearn, "A Hill of credit-card debt", The Hill, March 10, 2005.
- ^ Jeff McDonald and Brian Hazle, "In the line of duty: Novato firefighter killed, 3 injured as flames overrun crew", San Diego Union-Tribune, October 30, 2003.
- ^ "Then and Now, Female Soldiers Just Do Their Jobs", accessed November 11, 2006
- ^ "National Defense Authorization Act for FY2006", House Armed Services Committee
- ^ http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0031904.cfm bad link
- ^ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.4239: bad link
- ^ "H.R.4239: Parents Empowerment Act","108th US Congress"
- ^ "New Censorship Bill Turns Parents into Prosecutors", Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, May 18, 2004
- ^ Chet Barfield,"Border fence will be built", San Diego Union Tribune, October 7, 2006.
- ^ Lawmakers condemn buying program, accessed January 17, 2007
- ^ Zimmerman, Sacha. "Insane Government Spending: Hot Plate Special", Reader's Digest, 2007-02. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
- ^ "The Library of Congress","Thomas", November 17, 2005
- ^ VOTE DATABASE: 2005 House Key Votes for California, Freedomworks.org, accessed October 30, 2006
- ^ Bulletin: Tremoglie: An Interview With Congressman Duncan Hunter,The Bulletin January 26, 2007
- ^ "The Official Site of Duncan Hunter for President in 2008", accessed February 17, 2007
- ^ Right to Life Act 2005 list of co-sponsors and text of bill, accessed October 30, 2006
- ^ U. S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Hearing Information, accessed February 1, 2007
- ^ Ramer, Holly. "Hunter slams Kerry remarks on U.S. being "international pariah"", The Boston Globe, 2007-01-29. Retrieved on 2007-01-31.
- ^ "Rep. Duncan Hunter Praises Crackdowns on Illegals", Associated Press, 2007-01-29. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ "Hunter to Discuss New Era of Military Competition", KFMB-TV, 2007-01-31 accessdate=2007-02-01.
- ^ Betsy Rothstein. "Rep. Duncan Hunter will not seek reelection", The Hill, March 20, 2007.
- ^ Jeff MacDonald, "Hunter got break on taxes for home", San Diego Union Tribune, October 8, 2006.
- ^ Jeff McDonald and Philip J. LaVelle, "Rep. Hunter still disputing $667 property tax bill", San Diego Union-Tribune, December 1, 2006
- ^ “Hunter is ‘Duke’s’ friend ’til the end”, The Hill, The Newspaper for and about the U.S. Congress, March 7, 2006
- ^ “Contractor 'knew how to grease the wheels'”, San Diego Union Tribune, December 4, 2005
- ^ “Hunter is ‘Duke’s’ friend ’til the end”, The Hill, The Newspaper for and about the U.S. Congress, March 7, 2006
- ^ [1], December 8, 2005
- ^ Republican Hunter announces 2008 bid. The China Post, Taiwan (January 27, 2007).
[edit] External links
- Official Presidential Campaign Website
- Official Congressional website
- Official Congressional Campaign website
- On the Issues - Duncan Hunter issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org - Duncan Hunter campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart - Duncan Hunter profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia - Duncan Hunter profile
- Hunter's voting record maintained by the Washington Post
- The New York Times - Duncan Hunter collected news stories and commentary
- USA Today - Duncan Hunter associated with Randy "Duke" Cunningham/Brent Wilkes scandal, November 29, 2005.
| Preceded by Lionel Van Deerlin |
United States Representative for the 42nd Congressional District of California 1981–1983 |
Succeeded by Daniel E. Lungren |
| Preceded by District Created |
United States Representative for the 45th Congressional District of California 1983–1993 |
Succeeded by Dana Rohrabacher |
| Preceded by District Created |
United States Representative for the 52nd Congressional District of California 1993– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
Categories: Future election candidates | 1948 births | Living people | Members of the United States House of Representatives from California | United States Army soldiers | Military personnel of the Vietnam War | Current members of the United States House of Representatives | United States presidential candidates | United States presidential election, 2008
