Ron Lewis

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Ron Lewis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office  May 26, 1994–
Preceded by	William Natcher
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	September 14, 1946 (age 60) South Shore, Kentucky
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Kayi Lewis
Religion	Southern Baptist

Ronald (Ron) Lewis (born September 14, 1946), an American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing the 2nd Congressional District of Kentucky.

Contents 1 Early life, education, and career 2 Congressional career 2.1 1994 election 2.2 Political positions 2.3 1996-2004 campaigns 2.4 2006 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Early life, education, and career

Lewis was born in South Shore, Kentucky. He graduated from McKell High School in 1964. He attended Morehead State University from 1964 to 1967 and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1969 with a bachelor of arts degree in history and political science. Lewis returned to Morehead in 1980 to earn a master's degree in education in 1981.

Lewis worked in the gubernatorial campaign of Louie B. Nunn in 1967. Nunn's victory got Lewis a state job for a time and encouragement to run for the state House in his native Greenup County in 1971. Lewis lost, but kept an interest in GOP politics. In 1972, Lewis served briefly in the U.S. Navy,^[1] attending the Navy Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida; a kidney ailment resulted in his medical discharge that year.

Lewis worked in sales for several companies, including Ashland Oil, before teaching for five years at Watterson College in Louisville, Kentucky, beginning in 1980 (the school closed in the 1990s). He also was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1980, serving as pastor for the historic White Mills Baptist Church, after attending the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1985 Lewis and his wife opened a religious bookstore, Alpha Bookstore, in Elizabethtown.

[edit] Congressional career

[edit] 1994 election

In 1994, Lewis filed to run against longtime Democratic William H. Natcher in the general election in November 1994. The Second District was predominantly Democratic in terms of voter registration, and Lewis, named as a candidate by the state GOP leadership and Senator Mitch McConnell, was considered somewhat of a "sacrifical lamb".

Natcher died in late March 1994, and a special election was called in May 1994 to replace him. In the special election, Lewis faced Joe Prather, a state senator from Hardin County, Kentucky. Lewis got support from numerous national Republican sources and many religious conservative groups, enabling him to run a very strong campaign in a district that had not elected a Republican in 129 years. Lewis tied Prather to an unpopular Bill Clinton and a proposal to raise taxes on tobacco, the staple crop of the state. He also took advantage of the 2nd's socially conservative tilt.

In a major upset, Lewis defeated Prather by a 55%-45% margin in an election with less than 20% turnout. It was a result that many political pundits saw as a harbinger of the Republican gains in Congress in the regular election later that year.^[2] Lewis was elected to a full term that November, defeating Democrat David Adkisson with 60 percent of the vote.

One of the centerpieces of Lewis' 1994 campaign was term limits in Washington. He was one of five Republicans who signed a pledge committing themselves to a limited number of terms if elected.^[3] In 1998, Lewis sent a letter to 3,000 constituents in 1998 informing them he had changed his mind about running in 2002 and beyond. "I made a mistake in 1994, and I admit that. I had said I would not run past 2002," he told the Elizabethtown News Enterprise in October 1998.^[4]

[edit] Political positions

Lewis has a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee, which writes tax laws and deals with Social Security. He also sits on the Government Reform Committee.

In 2004 Lewis joined numerous Republican colleagues in sponsoring legislation that would allow lawmakers to override certain Supreme Court decisions by a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate. Lewis likened his proposal to the existing right of Congress to override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority.

[edit] 1996-2004 campaigns

Lewis won a second full term in 1996 with 58% of the vote, but didn't face another serious bid until 2006. In the 2004 election, he defeated Democrat Adam Smith, getting 68% of the vote.

[edit] 2006

In the 2006 election, Lewis defeated retired U.S. Army Colonel Mike Weaver, a former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. Lewis received 55% of the vote, his closest victory to date.

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.war-veterans.org/Vetlegis1.htm
2. ^ http://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/article.php?id=LJS2006061501
3. ^ Mark Birtel, "Term-limits: as the pledges come home to roost", Campaigns & Elections, February 1999
4. ^ John Stamper, "Term-limits promise, 'change of heart' have candidates at odds", Lexington Herald-Leader, October 27, 2006

[edit] External links

• U.S. Congressman Ron Lewis official House site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission - Ron Lewis campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues - Ron Lewis issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - Ron Lewis campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart - Representative Ron Lewis (KY) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Ron Lewis profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Ron Lewis voting record
• Campaign 2004 Profile of Lewis USA Today
• Stand on taxing social security income

Preceded by William H. Natcher

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 2nd congressional district May 26, 1994 – present

Incumbent

Kentucky's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators: Mitch McConnell (R), Jim Bunning (R) Representative(s): Ed Whitfield (R), Ron Lewis (R), John Yarmuth (D), Geoff Davis (R), Hal Rogers (R), Ben Chandler (D) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands

Persondata
NAME	Lewis, Ron
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Kentucky politician
DATE OF BIRTH	September 14, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH	South Shore, Kentucky
DATE OF DEATH	living
PLACE OF DEATH