Email: Senator_JBarrasso@barrasso.senate.gov                   Website: http://barrasso.senate.gov/



Senate Doctor's Show:  http://republican.senate.gov/doctors/

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Biography:

John Barrasso was born in Reading, Pa., and lives in Casper. A doctor, he received a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in 1974 and a medical degree from Georgetown in 1978.

Barrasso practiced at Casper Orthopedic Associates from 1983 until 2007. He also has been chief of staff at the Wyoming Medical Center at Casper and president of the Wyoming Medical Society.

For years Barrasso was perhaps best known in Wyoming for the medical advice he gave in a regular segment on KTWO Television, and for his medical columns appearing in newspapers statewide.

Barrasso's first political appearance was his 1996 campaign for the U.S. Senate. He lost in the Republican primary to Mike Enzi, now Wyoming's senior senator.

In 2002, Barrasso was elected to the Wyoming Senate.

Soon after the death of Sen. Craig Thomas of leukemia, Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal appointed Barrasso to the U.S. Senate on June 22, 2007.

Under state law, Barrasso will be up for election in 2008. The person elected will serve out the remaining four years in Thomas' term and be up for re-election in 2012.

Barrasso is divorced and has two children. On Jan. 1, 2008, Barrasso married Bobbi Brown of Casper, who was Thomas' state director for nearly 17 years.

Profile:

Barrasso has staked out strong positions on a few issues not very controversial in his home state. He opposes oil and gas drilling in much of the Wyoming Range, a scenic area in western Wyoming. Barrasso's predecessor, the late Sen. Craig Thomas, also opposed drilling in the Wyoming Range, as does Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal, who appointed Barrasso to replace Thomas.

Barrasso has joined Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., in calling for the federal government to give Wyoming millions in unpaid funds from the federal Abandoned Mine Lands program. The funds are collected from mining companies to finance mine reclamation.

Barrasso used his first Senate floor speech to oppose timetables for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

In replacing Thomas, Freudenthal chose Barrasso over two other candidates chosen by the state Republican Party: former Interior Department attorney Tom Sansonetti, and former Wyoming Treasurer Cynthia Lummis. Many who e-mailed Freudenthal's office during the decision process told the governor he ought to pick Barrasso.

Barrasso serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Indian Affairs Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Barrasso was elected to the state Senate in 2002, running unopposed in both the primary and general election, and also was completely unopposed in 2006.

In the state Legislature, Barrasso was among the more conservative senators. In 2007, he sponsored a bill that would have enabled a second homicide charge to be filed for killing a pregnant woman. The bill passed the Legislature but Freudenthal vetoed it, calling supporters' claims that the bill had nothing to do with abortion "disingenuous."

Barrasso in 2006 was one of just two members of the nine-person Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee who voted against a bill to help fund child care in the state.

In 2005, Barrasso spoke in favor of the so-called "Cheeseburger Bill," which prohibited people from suing restaurants for making them overweight.

"For people who are overweight, the answer is to accept personal responsibility," Barrasso said.

The American Conservative Union gave Barrasso's 2007 voting record a score of 100 points out of a possible 100. The liberal Americans for Democratic Action gave him 10 points.

Campaigns:

Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal named John Barrasso to the U.S. Senate in 2007 following the death of Sen. Craig Thomas. Barrasso was one of three finalists for the job chosen by the Wyoming Republican Party. In 2008, Barrasso is running to fill out the remaining four years of Thomas' term.Barrasso has been elected twice to the Wyoming Senate, though he was unopposed in both the 2002 and 2006 elections.In the 1996 election to fill the seat vacated by U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., Barrasso finished second in a nine-way primary, trailing Mike Enzi by 2 percentage points.

Education:
MD, Georgetown University Medical School, 1978
BS, Georgetown University, 1974.

Professional Experience:
Orthopedic Surgeon, Casper Orthopedic Associates, 1983-2007
Medical Director, Wyoming Health Fairs
Chief of Staff, Wyoming Medical Center.

Political Experience:
Senator, United States Senate, 2007-present
Senator, Wyoming State Senate, 2003-2007.

Organizations:

President, National Association of Physician Broadcasters, 1988-1989
Board of Directors, A Presidential Classroom for Young Americans
Member, Council on Ethics and Judicial Affairs, American Medical Association
Local Host, Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon
State President, Wyoming Medical Society.

Committees:
Energy and Natural Resources, Member
Environment and Public Works, Member
Foreign Relations, Member
Indian Affairs, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Member
Subcommittee on Energy, Member
Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women's Issues, Member
Subcommittee on National Parks, Member
Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, Member
Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection, Member
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, and Children?s Health Protection, Member
Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Member
Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife, Member
Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs, Ranking Member

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Voting Record: 

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Sponsored/Cosponsored Bills:

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Interest Group Ratings

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