Rob Andrews

Robert Ernest Andrews (born August 4, 1957) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 1990 to 2014. The district included most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County.

Rob Andrews
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 1st district
In office
November 6, 1990 – February 18, 2014
Preceded byJames Florio
Succeeded byDonald Norcross
Personal details
Born
Robert Ernest Andrews

(1957-08-04) August 4, 1957
Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Camille Spinello
Children2
EducationBucknell University (BA)
Cornell University (JD)

In February 2014, Andrews resigned from his position in the middle of his term, while being investigated by the United States House Committee on Ethics for alleged violations related to his use of campaign funds for personal expenses. The complaint was dismissed in June 2014.

Early life, education, and early career

Andrews was born in Camden, New Jersey, the son of Josephine (née Amies) and Ernest Andrews; he is predominantly of Scottish and Scotch-Irish descent and counts American portrait painter Charles Willson Peale and Johannes Roosevelt among his ancestors.[1] He grew up in Bellmawr and attended Triton Regional High School in Runnemede.[2] Andrews was the first in his family to attend college, graduating from Bucknell University in 1979 with a BA in political science, summa cum laude. He later attended Cornell University Law School, earning his JD degree with honors in 1982. Before his election to Congress, Andrews was involved in legal education as a member of Cornell Law Review‍‍ '‍s board of editors.

He worked as an attorney and an adjunct professor at the Rutgers School of Law–Camden. Starting in 1983, Andrews operated a private legal practice. In 1986, he was elected as a member of the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders, where he served for four years, including two years as freeholder director (1988–1990).

U.S. House of Representatives

First elected to Congress in 1990, Andrews served for 24 years as the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district, which includes most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County. In the U.S. House of Representatives, he served on the Committee on Armed Services, Committee on the Budget, and Committee on Education and Labor, where he served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.[3]

Elections

First elected to Congress in 1990, Andrews served for 24 years as the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district, which includes most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County. In the U.S. House of Representatives, he served as chairman of the Committee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.[3] In 1990, after a 15-year incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman James Florio resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives to take office as Governor of New Jersey, Andrews won the 1990 special election and simultaneous general election against Gloucester County Freeholder Daniel J. Mangini.[4] He subsequently won re-election every two years until his retirement. Andrews had the 10th longest tenure among U.S. Representatives in New Jersey history, and the fifth longest among Democrats state.[5] In November 2004, he received more votes than anyone ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey, a record which he broke once again in 2012.[6]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships
  • Congressional Arts Caucus
  • Congressional Fire Services Caucus [8]
  • Hunger Caucus [9][9]

Tenure

The New York Times characterized Congressman Andrews as "fiscally conservative but socially moderate."[10] He has a lifetime rating of 17.24 from the American Conservative Union and a 2007 rating of 100 from Americans for Democratic Action.[11][9] He has a liberal rating of 76.2 and a conservative rating of 23.8 from the National Journal.[12]

According to President Barack Obama, he was an original author of the Affordable Care Act that was designed to cut the costs for American taxpayers on healthcare.[13]

Alleged misuse of campaign funds

On December 2, 2008, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint against Andrews and four other politicians to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for allegedly violating the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA).[14][15] In the complaint, CREW stated that Andrews's campaign committee spent $952.04 of campaign funds on clothing, which FECA classified as personal spending.[16][17] A spokesman for Andrews responded that the clothing was intended to replace lost luggage from a flight, and that Andrews deposited $952.04 into his campaign account after the airline reimbursed him.[18] The FEC dismissed the complaint on July 16, 2009, but affirmed in the dismissal that the purchases violated campaign finance laws.[19][20]

The Star-Ledger reported on November 20, 2011 that Andrews financed a family vacation to Edinburgh, Scotland and other European destinations with over $9,000 of campaign funds. The report claimed that Andrews "mixed personal and political expenses in an unorthodox way" on multiple occasions. These expenses included a $10,000 house party celebrating both his career anniversary and his daughter's graduation, a $12,500 donation to the Walnut Street Theatre – where his daughter performed, and trips to California that overlapped with his daughter's auditions. Andrews and his chief of staff replied that the vacation involved attending an adviser's wedding, the party was primarily for "political associates", the theatre donation was in support of its outreach program, and his daughter assisted him with fundraising during their trips.[21]

CREW filed another compliant with the FEC on November 30, 2011 based on The Star-Ledger's article.[22][23] Andrews described the complaint as "baseless" and stated, "The campaign has fully complied with all laws with respect to the proper expenditure and disclosure of campaign funds. All personal aspects of any expenditures or activities have always been paid in full from our family’s personal funds."[24] The Associated Press elaborated on March 28, 2012 that Andrews's 18 trips to California from 2007 to 2012 resulted in over $97,000 of campaign expenses and $260,000 of donations, short of the 3:1 ratio of donations to expenses that is expected from political fundraising trips.[25]

The United States House Committee on Ethics started researching the complaint on July 17, 2012,[26] and decided on August 31 that it would proceed with an investigation.[27] On March 19, 2013, the Committee declared that a special panel would examine whether Andrews's travel expenses from the Edinburgh and California trips complied with campaign finance laws.[28] Andrews resigned from Congress on February 4, 2014.[29][30] He said that the campaign finance probe had "no role at all" in his resignation, and that he was departing for a position at the Dilworth Paxson law firm.[31][32] The FEC dismissed the complaint on June 3, 2014 with "prosecutorial discretion", noting that Andrews reimbursed his campaign for the Edinburgh trip before he received the complaint, and that any violations in the California trips were "relatively small".[33][34][35][36]

Other political activities

In 1997, Andrews ran for Governor of New Jersey. In the Democratic primary, he was defeated 40%–37%, a margin of 9,993 votes, by State Senator Jim McGreevey.[37] Andrews was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 U.S. Senate election.[9] Andrews lost to incumbent Lautenberg, but subsequently won re-election to his House seat, with Andrews "received more votes in November 2008 than anyone ever elected to the U.S. House in New Jersey, breaking his own record."[38]

Personal life

Andrews is married and has two daughters.[39]

Electoral history
New Jersey's 1st congressional district: Results 1990–2012[40][41]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
1990
(special)		 Rob Andrews 71,373 55% Daniel J. Mangini 58,087 45%
1990 Rob Andrews 72,415 54% Daniel J. Mangini 57,299 43% Jerry Zeldin Libertarian 1,592 1% Walter E. Konstanty Pride and Honesty 1,422 1% William H. Harris Populist 1,066 1%
1992 Rob Andrews 153,525 67% Lee A. Solomon 65,123 29% James E. Smith Pro-Life Pro-Family Veteran 3,761 2% Jerry Zeldin Libertarian 2,641 1% Kenneth L. Lowndes Pro-Life Independent Conservative 2,163 1% Nicholas Pastuch America First Populist 859 <1%
1994 Rob Andrews 108,155 72% James N. Hogan 41,505 28%
1996 Rob Andrews 160,413 76% Mel Suplee 44,287 21% Michael Edmondson Independent 2,668 1% Patricia A. Bily Independent 1,873 1% Norman E. Wahner Independent 1,493 1%
1998 Rob Andrews 90,279 73% Ronald L. Richards 27,855 23% David E. West, Jr. Independent 1,684 1% Joseph W. Stockman Independent 1,324 1% Edward Forchion Independent 1,257 1% James E. Barber Independent 943 1%
2000 Rob Andrews 167,327 76% Charlene Cathcart 46,455 21% Catherine L. Parrish Independent 3,090 1% Edward Forchion Independent 1,959 1% Joseph A. Patalivo Independent 781 <1%
2002 Rob Andrews 121,846 93% (no candidate) Timothy Haas Libertarian 9,543 7%
2004 Rob Andrews 201,163 75% S. Daniel Hutchison 66,109 25% Arturo F. Croce E Pluribus Unum 931 <1%
2006 Rob Andrews 140,110 100% (no candidate)
2008 Rob Andrews 191,796 72% Dale M. Glading 70,466 26% Matthew Thieke Green 1,778 <1% Margaret Chapman Back to Basics 1,188 <1% Everitt M. Williams, III Think Independently 954 <1% Alvin Lindsay Lindsay for Congress 483 <1%
2010 Rob Andrews 106,334 63% Dale M. Glading 58,562 35% Mark Heacock Green 1,593 <1% Margaret Chapman Time for Change 1,257 <1% Nicky I. Petrutz Defend American Constitution 521 <1%
2012 Rob Andrews 210,470 68% Gregory W. Horton 92,459 30% John William Reitter Green 4,413 1% Margaret Chapman Reform Party 1,177 <1%
gollark: Since it's insecure, I can just RCEize it and install Windows.
gollark: Too solar.
gollark: Evidently.
gollark: Why would I use that? It's open-source so it's worse.
gollark: No, I'm on Windows Server 2012 now.

References
  1. "Robert Andrews ancestry". freepages.rootsweb.com. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  2. Robert Ernest Andrews, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
  3. "Politics, Policy, Political News". POLITICO. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  4. Sipress, Alan (November 7, 1990). "Andrews Holds Off Mangini's Challenge Captures Seat In Congress Held For Years By Florio". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  5. Ostermeier, Eric (February 4, 2014). "Andrews Exits US House with Top 10 Longest Tenure in New Jersey History". Smart Politics.
  6. "Biography". Congressman Robert E. Andrews. Archived from the original on April 28, 2007.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Congressional Fire Services Caucus - Congressional Fire Services Institute". www.cfsi.org. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  9. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  10. Robert E. Andrews - First District of New Jersey Archived April 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  11. "2007 Votes by State Delegation". May 10, 2008. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  12. National Journal's 2007 Vote Ratings for New Jersey
  13. "Statement from the President on the Retirement of Congressman Rob Andrews". Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  14. "CREW Files Complaint Against Candidates For Buying Clothing With Campaign Funds". Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  15. Theimer, Sharon. "Andrews campaign's spending criticized". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Associated Press. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  16. Sloan, Melanie (December 2, 2008). "Federal Election Commission Complaint" (PDF). Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  17. Grim, Ryan. "Handful of candidates spent campaign money on clothes". Politico. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  18. "Group: Several Got Campaign-Funded Clothes". Associated Press. December 2, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2019 – via CBS News.
  19. "FEC: No clothes-buying with campaign funds". Associated Press. July 16, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2019 – via MSNBC.
  20. Lebeaux, Susan L. (July 14, 2009). "RE: MUR 6140 – Robert E. Andrews" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  21. Friedman, Matt (November 20, 2011). "South Jersey congressman spent $9,000 from campaign funds on donor's wedding". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  22. "CREW Files Second FEC Complaint Against Rep. Rob Andrews". Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  23. Sloan, Melanie (November 30, 2011). "Federal Election Commission Complaint" (PDF). Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  24. Friedman, Matt (December 1, 2011). "D.C. watchdog group: N.J. Rep. Rob Andrews 'knowingly and willfully' violated law in campaign funds controversy". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  25. "Campaign funds for personal trips?". Associated Press. March 28, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2019 – via Politico.
  26. Bresnahan, John. "Andrews ethics case advances". Politico. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  27. O'Keefe, Ed (August 31, 2012). "House Ethics Committee continues probing Rob Andrews for improper using of campaign funds". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  28. Jackson, Henry C. (March 19, 2013). "Ethics committee investigates Reps. Young, Andrews". Associated Press. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  29. Horowitz, Jason (February 4, 2014). "Amid Ethics Inquiry, South Jersey Democrat Is Giving Up House Seat for a New Job". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  30. Tamari, Jonathan. "Rob Andrews to leave Congress". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  31. Friedman, Matt (February 4, 2014). "U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews says investigation played 'no role' in resignation". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  32. O'Keefe, Ed (February 4, 2014). "N.J. Democrat Rob Andrews to resign from Congress". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  33. Friedman, Matt (June 3, 2014). "Complaint against Rob Andrews for alleged misuse of campaign funds is dismissed". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  34. Walsh, Jim. "FEC rejects complaint against Andrews". Courier-Post. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  35. "MUR #6511". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  36. Shonkwiler, Mark (May 28, 2014). "Re: MUR 6511 – Rep. Robert E. Andrews" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  37. Pulley, Brett. "McGreevey Wins Democratic Nod for Governor", The New York Times, June 4, 1997. Retrieved November 28, 2007.
  38. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/robert-e-andrews-d-nj/gIQAJy6OAP_print.html
  39. Profile of Camille Spinello Andrews from Rutgers School of Law - Camden. Retrieved December 23, 2006.
  40. "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  41. "New Jersey's 1st Congressional District elections, 2012". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
James Florio		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 1st congressional district
1990–2014		 Succeeded by
Donald Norcross
Party political offices
Preceded by
George Miller		 Chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee
2013–2014		 Succeeded by
George Miller
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