- Tim Bee
Infobox Politician
name= Tim Bee
imagesize=
office= President of theArizona State Senate
term= 2007-Current
preceded=Ken Bennett
succeeded= Incumbent
constituency=
office2= State Senator, District 30
term2= 2001-Current
preceded2=
succeeded2=
constituency2= Pima County, Cochise County
date of birth=June 20 1969
place of birth=Tucson, Arizona
date of death=
place of death=
party= Republican
spouse= Grace
profession=Small Business Owner
religion=
footnotes=Tim Bee is a Republican politician and candidate for the
United States Congress fromArizona who currently serves at the President of the State Senate. He was first elected to the Arizona Senate in 2001. He is the Republican candidate forArizona's 8th congressional district seat in theUnited States House of Representatives .Early life
Tim Bee was born in
Tucson, Arizona onJune 20 1969 . He attended Palo Verde High School, where he graduated asValedictorian . Bee attended theUniversity of Arizona for a time, though never completed a degree. [ [http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/election_2006/29192 Tim Bee - State Senate 30 (Rep) ] ] He was later trained as anAudio Engineer atOhio University .In 1989, Bee started the Bee Brothers Printing Company in Tucson. He successfully owned and operated this enterprise until he was elected to the State Senate in 2001. After being elected to the legislature, Bee worked for his brothers company Bee Line Transportation until being elected Senate President in early 2007. [http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=28381 Project Vote Smart - Senator Timothy S. 'Tim' Bee - Biography ] ]
Political career
Bee was first elected to the Arizona Senate in 2000 to represent Legislative District 30. He took over for his brother Keith Bee, who had represented the same district since 1993. Tim Bee has been re-elected three times since then in 2002, 2004,and 2006. Bee will term-out of the legislature in 2008 as the Senate is term-limited, allowing members to serve a maximum 8 years (4 terms at 2 years length, each).
Bee served as
Senate Majority Leader for two sessions from 2003-2006. In 2007 he was elected Senate President, the first fromSouthern Arizona since 1974. [ [http://azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=61&Legislature=48 Member Page ] ]Politically, Bee has described himself as a “traditional conservative Republican” [ www.azstarnet.com/opinion/163355.php] . The "
Arizona Daily Star " has described Bee as “by all measures, the most conservative elected Republican in Southern Arizona” [ “AZ's Senate president stays mum about his plans” Daniel Scarpinato. Arizona Daily Star. 10.28.2006 ] . Senator Bee has consistently received the highest possible ratings from the Center for Arizona Policy, Arizona Right to Life, and the NRA; but has received less than favorable ratings from the Arizona Education Association, theSierra Club , and theLeague of Conservation Voters [ Project Vote Smart http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=28381 ] .In 2008, Bee sponsored a measure to constitutionally ban
same-sex marriage in Arizona. Arizona voters voted against a similar measure in 2006 and the proposed initiative was the source of considerable controversy, resulting in a dramatic last minute clash between legislators at the close of the 2008 session. Ultimately, as the President of the Senate, Bee cast the decisive vote in favor of putting the amendment on the Arizona ballot in 2008 [ “Phx. session finale rocky for Sen. Bee” Daniel Scarpinato. Arizona Daily Star. 6.30.2008 ] . However, Bee has since refused to say how he will vote on his personal ballot come November [ “Bee won't say how he'll vote on gay- marriage ban” Daniel Scarpinato. Arizona Daily Star. 7.10.2008 ]Despite Bee’s traditionally conservative Republican leanings, as president of the state senate, he has accommodated other prerogatives. In 2008, Bee was criticized by conservative commentators for being one of only four Republican State Senators who voted for a state budget unanimously favored by state Democrats. [Robb: “Republicans enablers of Dem budget” Robert Robb. Tucson Citizen. 6.30.2008 ]
2008 Congressional campaign
On
January 19 ,2008 , Bee launched his campaign to challenge first-term incumbent DemocratGabrielle Giffords for Congress inArizona's 8th congressional district . [ [http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/221332.php Bee running for House seat because 'Congress is broken' | www.azstarnet.com ® ] ]On
March 7 ,2008 , the Rothenberg Political Report assessed Bee's campaign to be the number one challenger race in the nation. "In 2008, Giffords will face state Senate President Tim Bee (R), whose candidacy represents a slice of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy election cycle for national Republicans...the 8th District should feature one of the most competitive races for the House in the country." [ [http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-print-edition-alaska-at-large.html The Rothenberg Political Report: New Print Edition: Alaska At-Large & Arizona 8 ] ]Roll Call newspaper said that Bee's candidacy "erases some key advantages the freshman incumbent carried into her successful 2006 Congressional campaign." [ [http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_82/politics/21696-1.html GOP Gets Bee Team In Arizona - Roll Call ] ]On July 18, 2008, President
George W. Bush made his 4th visit to Tucson, AZ. The purpose of the presidents visit was a fundraiser for congressional candidate Tim Bee. The fundraiser was reported to generate Over $500,000.00 USD for Bee's campaign. A couple months later based on reports from local law enforcement, democrats made a public outcry that Tim Bee repay the city of Tucson the estimated $100,000.00 USD for the cost of security provided during President Bush's campaign visit. Republicans responded by complaining of campaing [http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/248894.php] [http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/20/20080820az-bushvisit20-on.html]Bee's campaign is being co-chaired by Tucson businessman Jim Click and
Sandra Froman , the immediate past President of theNational Rifle Association of America . Former CongressmanJim Kolbe , who held the seat from 1985 until his retirement in 2007 also served as co-chair of the Bee campaign, however, Kolbe resigned from that position and withdrew his support for Bee. [ [http://www.politickeraz.com/evanbrown/1627/kolbe-bush-put-az-8-back-national-spotlight Kolbe, Bush put AZ-8 back in national spotlight | Politicker AZ ] ]Bee has been endorsed by both Arizona U.S. Senators;
Jon Kyl , theSenate Minority Whip , andJohn McCain , the Republican nominee forPresident of the United States in the 2008 election. McCain's endorsement of Bee is to-date, the only House challenger race that McCain has endorsed.Personal life
Bee and his wife Grace have been married for 13 years. They live in the Tucson area with their six children, one of whom they are adopting.
References
External links
* [http://www.timbee.com/ Tim Bee for Congress]
* [http://azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=61&Legislature=48 Arizona Senate Member Page]
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