- Mike Ross
Infobox_Congressman
name =Mike Ross
date of birth= birth date and age|1961|08|2
place of birth=Texarkana, Arkansas
alma_mater=University of Arkansas at Little Rock
residence=Prescott, Arkansas
state =Arkansas
district = 4th
term_start =January 3 ,2001
preceded =Jay Dickey
succeeded = Incumbent
party = Democrat
religion =Methodist
spouse = Holly Ross
occupation=Former Small Business OwnerMichael Avery “Mike” Ross (born
August 2 ,1961 ) is an American politician. He has been a Democratic member of theUnited States House of Representatives since 2001, representing the 4th District ofArkansas ( [http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/ar04_109.gifmap] ). In the 2000 election, he was the only Democrat outside ofCalifornia to defeat a Republican incumbent. In the 2004 election, the Republican Party did not run a challenger against him.Personal and Professional Life
Ross was born in
Texarkana, Arkansas , the son of two teachers, and he attended high school inHope, Arkansas . He was educated at theUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock , working as an announcer at the campus radio station while in school. Together with his wife, Ross owned a pharmacy inPrescott, Arkansas , which they sold in May 2007. The Ross family has two children and attend the First United Methodist Church of Prescott.Before entering the House, Ross was elected to the Arkansas State Senate. He served in this body for 10 years, becoming the legislature's youngest member when he first entered it in 1990.
Congressional career
Ross is a member of the
Blue Dog Coalition , and he considers himself a socialmoderate and fiscal conservative. Ross supportsstem cell research but opposesabortion . He also is againstgun control . [ [http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Mike_Ross.htm Mike Ross on the Issues ] ]Ross won a narrow victory against incumbent
Jay Dickey in 2000 by portraying himself as a moderate, as is in line with the political tendencies of his district. In contrast, Dickey was seen as a controversial conservative because of his comments on stem cell research and homosexuality. Ross easily defeated Dickey in a 2002 rematch, then ran unopposed in 2004. He picked up an easy victory in the 2006 election, defeating the similarly named Republican, real estate executiveJoe Ross , 75 percent-25 percent.Ross considered running for the position of Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman for the 110th Congress; however, he deferred to incumbent
John Larson afterRahm Emanuel chose to run for caucus chair, which is the position for which Larson had been running. [cite web|url=http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/110906/deal.html
date=November 9, 2006|title=House Dems strike leadership deal] .Committee Assignments
*Committee on Energy and Commerce
**SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND AIR QUALITY
**SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH
**SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
*Committee on Science and Technology
**SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND AERONAUTICS
**SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
*North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Parliamentary Assembly (NATO-PA)References
External links
* [http://www.house.gov/ross/ Congressman Mike Ross] official U.S. House website
* [http://www.ross4congress.com/ Congressman Mike Ross] official campaign website
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Ross Profile] atSourceWatch Congresspedia
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.