Current Position: U.S. Representative (since 2005)
Credit: Congress Bio Directory
Why He Matters
From one of Oklahoma’s most entrenched political dynasties, Boren is young, moderate and ambitious.
Son of the former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Oklahoma’s former governor, and grandson of an ex-congressman, Boren wasted no time following in his family’s footsteps.
Sent to Washington at age 31, Boren is also connected to the Sooner State’s most cherished institution, the University of Oklahoma and its football team: His father is the university’s president, and his wife, Andrea, is the sister of former quarterback and current Sooner assistant coach Josh Heupel. Boren has openly admitted that his eyes are on Oklahoma’s governorship or a seat in the Senate, although he has said he does not plan to run for governor in 2010. There is speculation that Boren could, however, be a candidate in a race against Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn (R) in 2010.
Given Oklahoma’s centrist ideological leanings, Boren walks a fine line politically — one that often strays far from the Democratic Party line. He’s often frustrated the House Democratic leadership with votes against major Democratic initiatives, and even refused to explicitly endorse Barack Obama after he won the party’s presidential nomination in 2008. He has been targeted by national labor groups for his position against the Employee Free Choice Act, which labor argues would make it harder to unionize. But on the other side of the political spectrum, Boren has support from gun-rights groups as he sits on the board of the National Rifle Association.
He is the only Democrat in the Oklahoma House delegation.
At a Glance
Current Position: current position...
Career History: Oklahoma House of Representatives (2002-2004); college fundraiser, Oklahoma Corporation Commission staffer, aide to Rep. Wes Watkins (2000-2002)
Birthday: August 2, 1973
Hometown: Shawnee, Okla.
Alma Mater: B.S., Texas Christian University, 1997; M.B.A., University of Oklahoma, 2000
Spouse: Andrea Heupel Boren
Religion: Methodist
Committees: cArmed Services, Natural Resources, Financial Services
DC Office: 216 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515
District Offices: Claremore, 918-341-9336; McAlester, 918-423-5951; Muskogee, 918-687-2533.
Email
Web site
Path to Power
Growing up in Shawnee, Okla., and Longview, Texas, Boren attended Texas Christian University before enrolling in business school at the University of Oklahoma. Obtaining his MBA. in 2000, Boren spent the next two years in a variety of jobs, including as high-school administrator, on the staff of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, and as an aide to ex-Rep. Wes Watkins (R).
In 2002, Boren was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, where he was immediately named chairman of the Democratic Caucus. When Rep. Brad Carson(D) chose to run (unsuccessfully) for U.S. Senate in 2004, Boren entered the race for his House seat. Helped by an endorsement from country musician Toby Keith , Boren defeated Republican candidate Wayland Smalley, 66 to 34 percent. Boren has coasted to victory in two House elections since, defeating Republicans Patrick K. Miller in 2006 (73 percent to 27 percent) and Raymond Wickson in 2008 (70 percent to 30 percent).
Boren currently services on three House committees: Armed Services (including subcommittees on Air and Land Forces, and Readiness); Natural Resources (including subcommittees on Energy and Mineral Resources, and National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands); and Financial Services (including subcommittees on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government, and Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology).
In His Own Words
“Being the only Democrat in our delegation — with expanded majorities in the House and Senate — I think it’s important to stay where I am," Boren has said.
The Issues
Boren has spent much of his House tenure focusing on financial issues, particularly tax matters. The congressman — who has regularly disparaged President Obama and his agenda — has shown little hesitancy to vote against Democrats on economic initiatives, and also occasionally on social and defense policies. (For example, he opposed Obama’s decision in early 2009 to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp housing suspected terrorist detainees.)
Taxes
As the sole Democratic lawmaker supporting the FairTax Act that would abolish the Internal Revenue Service and federal income taxes, Boren has worked to limit expansion of the federal income tax, instead preferring a national sales tax. A strong fiscal conservative, Boren was one of only a few House Democrats to oppose a repeal of President Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.
The Environment
Given his membership on the House Natural Resources subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, Boren has been the target of intense ire from environmental groups, who allege his votes do more harm than good. He was attacked by the League of Conservation Voters in 2006 as being one of Congress’ “Dirty Dozen” members, listing those lawmakers with the worst environmental records. With a 15 percent rating, Boren was the lowest-rated Democratic lawmaker.
Boren is opposed to policies that force more fuel-efficient technology and voted against the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act, providing tax incentives for renewable energy; he also voted for the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act, which environmentalists charged would weaken the current Endangered Species Act by de-authorizing “critical habitat” for endangered species.
Energy
Boren’s stances on energy tend to emphasize production rather than conservation or sustainability; he supports increasing tax breaks for oil companies to encourage increased supply. A member of the House Resources Energy and Mineral Resources subcommittee, Boren supported the Energy Act of 2005, which provided subsidies to oil and nuclear power providers. In 2009, he also introduced a bill to expand the use of natural gas.
Iraq
A supporter of the Iraq war from the beginning, Boren has consistently resisted Democratic efforts to impose a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops. Although he opposed the 2007 troop “surge,” Boren, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, has regularly supported increases in resources for the war and fought any efforts to cut funding that would affect troops.
Gun Control
Unusually for a Democratic lawmaker, Boren sits on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association, an organization of which he has been a lifetime member. Boren has forcefully opposed any gun control efforts throughout his legislative career.
Abortion
Although Boren supports the right to have an abortion, he is against late-term or “partial-birth” abortions and believes minors seeking abortions should be required to acquire parental consent.
Privacy
Boren has infuriated fellow House Democrats by defending many aspects of the USA Patriot Act, which strengthens the federal government’s ability to examine electronic communications of U.S. citizens.. Boren was the sole House Democrat to approve of a Patriot Act provision to allow prosecutors to review individuals’ library records.
Health Care
Boren has joined with his House Democratic colleagues in pushing for importation and development of generic drugs as a way to hold down costs of prescription drugs, having expressed his belief that medicines from Canada are “safe” and should be allowed to enter the U.S. market.
EFCA
Boren has been opposed by organized labor in each of his congressional elections, and continues to be an object of union scorn. As one of the few Democrats to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act, which opponents say would make it harder for Democrats to unionize, Boren was targeted in his home district in 2009 by a negative political campaign coordinated by national labor groups.
The Network
Boren’s network within Oklahoma reaches every corner of the state, given his family’s prominence and current connections maintained by his father, David Boren, the current president of the University of Oklahoma.
Boren allies himself closely with Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), whom he declined to run against for a Senate seat in 2008. The two have partnered mostly on energy matters, including legislation to increase oil production, and also to loudly oppose defense cuts that would affect a local contractor.
Boren is fiercely opposed by traditional Democratic constituencies, including organized labor. But he has nabbed some support from traditional Republican groups like the National Rifle Association, on whose board he sits.
