Max Baucus
Max Sieben Baucus (born
December 11,
1941) is the senior
United States Senator from
Montana and is a member of the
Democratic Party.
Baucus was born in
Helena, Montana, and graduated from Helena High School in
1959. He earned both a
Bachelor of Arts degree and a law degree from
Stanford University. He is married to Wanda Minge, and has one son.
He began law practice in
Missoula, Montana, in
1971. He was Executive Director and Committee Coordinator for Montana's
1972 Constitutional Convention.
In 1973, Baucus was elected to the
Montana State Legislature. He was a state representative from Missoula until his election to the
United States House of Representatives in
1974. He was re-elected in 1976. Baucus was elected to the U.S. Senate in
1978 and has served consecutively ever since.
Senator Baucus is the Ranking Democratic Member on the
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, which he chaired from 2001 to 2003. Baucus is also a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Senate Agriculture Committee, and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Baucus is a conservative member of the Democratic Party, frequently breaking with them on the issues of taxes, the environment, and gun control. Baucus voted for the
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. He has usually voted against repealing the portions of that bill and more recent tax cut bills that benefit upper income taxpayers. Baucus voted in favor of the
Brady Bill and the first ban on semi-automatic firearms, but has since switched positions on gun control, opposing most new gun control laws. In 1999 he was the only Democrat to vote against an amendment by
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) that sought to "regulate the sale of firearms at gunshows." Baucus voted for the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, which made it harder to declare personal bankruptcy. In 2006, he voted for a constitutional amendment prohibiting the physical desecration of the American flag. On other issues, Baucus is more in the mainstream of his party. He is very
pro-choice and receives 100% ratings from
NARAL Pro-Choice America and other reproductive rights advocacy groups. He opposes the
United States embargo against Cuba and the restrictions on travel there. He was one of 26 senators to vote against the
Class Action Fairness Act of 2005. Despite his mixed record on environmental issues, Baucus has opposed opening up the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in
Alaska to oil drilling. Baucus also favored a bill that will require online pornography sites to have a
.XXX domain, together with
Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)
Baucus is a strong supporter of Israel. In the Senate, he is one of the largest career recipients of pro-Israel Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions, $319,348 up to 2006.
The
2002, Montana elections got national national attention when Baucus' opponent,
state senator Mike Taylor, accused Baucus of having implied that Taylor was
gay in a campaign ad. The ad alleged that Taylor had embezzled funds from the
cosmetology school he once owned while showing footage from the early '80s of Taylor massaging another man's face while wearing a tight suit with an open shirt. Taylor dropped out of the race and Baucus won with 63% of the vote.
On
July 3,
2004, Baucus suffered minor injuries when his motorcycle hit gravel as he swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle. Local police confirmed he was not drinking alcohol prior to the incident.
Baucus' wife, Wanda, made national headlines on
April 21,
2004, after she was charged with
assault stemming from an incident at a D.C.-area garden center. On
June 2, she reached a deal with prosecutors under which she would avoid prosecution if she completed 40 hours of
community service within six months. Federal prosecutors offered Ms. Baucus the same terms they generally offer most first-time violent offenders (excluding felony offenses).
In 2006, Baucus returned $18,892 in contributions from the indicted lobbyist
Jack Abramoff.
It was
reported August 1, 2006 that Senator Baucus' nephew Marine Cpl.
Phillip E. Baucus was killed in combat[
1] in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on July 29. Phillip Baucus, a 28-year-old resident of
Wolf Creek, Montana, had been a member of the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.[
2]
Senator Baucus had voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 but has joined the Democrats in the Senate in demanding the phased withdrawal of the
Levin Amendment (no firm deadline). He also voted with the majority of Democrats against the
Kerry Amendment (firm deadline for withdrawal).
*
Sen. Baucus's Senate homepage*
"Sentator's wife charged with assault" (CNN.com)*
"Senator's Wife Reaches Deal with Prosecutors (abc7dc.com)*
record maintained by the Washington Post
