Members of Congress / Arlen Specter
Biographical InformationSPECTER, Arlen, a Senator from Pennsylvania; born in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kans., February 12, 1930; attended the public schools; graduated, University of Pennsylvania 1951; graduated, Yale University Law School 1956; served in the United States Air Force 1951-1953; admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1956 and commenced practice in Philadelphia; assistant district attorney of Philadelphia 1959-1964; assistant counsel, President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy (Warren Commission) 1964; district attorney of Philadelphia 1966-1974; resumed the practice of law 1974-1980; admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1979 and to the District of Columbia bar in 1983; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1980; reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998 and in 2004 for the term ending January 3, 2011; changed party affiliation, becoming a Democrat on April 30, 2009; chair, Select Committee on Intelligence (One Hundred Fourth Congress), Committee on Veterans Affairs (One Hundred Fifth and One Hundred Sixth Congresses, One Hundred Seventh Congress [January 20, 2001-June 6, 2001], One Hundred Eighth Congress), Committee on the Judiciary (One Hundred Ninth Congress). (Source.) More coverage of Arlen Specter on washingtonpost.com Roles in Congress
· 111th Congress: Senator, Pennsylvania, Democratic.
Jan. 3, 2009, to Jan. 3, 2011. Key VotesSee how Arlen Specter voted on key votes -- the most important bills, nominations and resolutions that have come before Congress, as determined by washingtonpost.com. Missed VotesArlen Specter has missed 17 votes (4.1%) during the current Congress. See a list of his missed votes since 1991 or see a full list of vote missers. Voting with PartyArlen Specter has voted with a majority of his Democratic colleagues 94.8% of the time during the current Congress. This percentage does not include votes in which Specter did not vote. See a list of his votes against his party since 1991, a list of all Senators in the 111th Congress with a similar score, or a full list of party voters. |  State InformationPennsylvania demographic profile (2000 Census) Financial DisclosureView Arlen Specter's official financial disclosure statements, which describe the sources, types and amounts of income earned in a given year. (See more disclosure reports.) |
Latest Votes
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| Date | Vote | Position | GOP opinion | DEM opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote 20: On the Nomination: Nomination: Martha N. Johnson, of Maryland, to be Administrator of General Services | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Vote 19: On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Martha A. Johnson to be Administrator of General Services Administration | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Vote 18: On the Nomination: Confirmation M. Patricia Smith, of New York, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor. | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Vote 17: On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of M. Patricia Smith, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Vote 16: On the Nomination: Confirmation Ben S. Bernanke To Be Chairman Of The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Vote 15: On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Ben S. Bernanke, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Vote 14: H J RES 45: H. J. Res. 45 As Amended; A joint resolution increasing the statutory limit on the public debt. | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Vote 13: H J RES 45: Reid Amdt. No. 3299 As Amended; In the nature of a substitute. | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Vote 12: H J RES 45: Reid Amdt. No. 3305; To reimpose statutory pay-as-you-go. | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Vote 11: H J RES 45: Sessions Amdt. No. 3308; To reduce the deficit by establishing 5-year discretionary spending caps. | No | Yes | No | |
| Vote 10: H J RES 45: Brownback Amdt. No. 3309; To establish a Commission on Congressional Budgetary Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies. | No | Yes | No | |
| Vote 9: H J RES 45: Coburn Amdt. No. 3303, Division IV; To rescind $120 billion in Federal spending by consolidating duplicative government programs, cutting wasteful Washington spending, and returning billions of dollars of unspent money. | No | Yes | No | |
| Vote 8: H J RES 45: Coburn Amdt. No. 3303, Division III; To rescind $120 billion in Federal spending by consolidating duplicative government programs, cutting wasteful Washington spending, and returning billions of dollars of unspent money. | No | Yes | No | |
| Vote 7: H J RES 45: Coburn Amdt. No. 3303, Division II; To rescind $120 billion in Federal spending by consolidating duplicative government programs, cutting wasteful Washington spending, and returning billions of dollars of unspent money. | No | Yes | No | |
| Vote 6: H J RES 45: Coburn Amdt. No. 3303, Division I; To rescind $120 billion in Federal spending by consolidating duplicative government programs, cutting wasteful Washington spending, and returning billions of dollars of unspent money. | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Vote 5: H J RES 45: Conrad Amdt. No. 3302; To establish a Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action, to assure the long-term fiscal stability and economic security of the Federal Government of the United States, and to expand future prosperity and growth for all Americans. | No | No | Yes | |
| Vote 4: H J RES 45: Baucus Amdt. No. 3300 as Modified; To protect Social Security. | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Vote 3: On the Nomination: Confirmation Rosanna Malouf Peterson, of Washington, to be U.S. District Judge | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Vote 2: H J RES 45: Thune Amdt. No. 3301; To terminate authority under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and for other purposes. | No | Yes | No | |
| Vote 1: On the Nomination: Confirmation Beverly Baldwin Martin, of Georgia, to be U.S. Circuit Judge | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Full list of votes by Arlen Specter
