- Morgan Griffith
-
H. Morgan Griffith 
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 9th districtIncumbent Assumed office
January 3, 2011Preceded by Rick Boucher Majority Leader of the
Virginia House of DelegatesIn office
2000–2010Preceded by Richard Cranwell Succeeded by Kirk Cox Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 8th districtIn office
1994–2011Preceded by Thomas Jackson, Jr Succeeded by Greg Habeeb Personal details Born March 15, 1958 [1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.Political party Republican Spouse(s) Hilary Davis; 3 children Residence Salem, Virginia, U.S. Alma mater Emory and Henry College B.A., Washington and Lee University J.D.[1] Profession Lawyer Committees Courts of Justice; Militia, Police and Public Safety; Rules Religion Evangelical Christian Howard Morgan Griffith (born March 15, 1958) is the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 9th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was the majority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates and represented the 8th District, serving from 1994 until 2011. The district included all of Salem, Virginia and parts of Roanoke County.[2]
Contents
Early life, education, and career
Griffith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but his family moved to Salem, Virginia while he was a baby. He attended Andrew Lewis High School, graduating in 1976. He attended Emory and Henry College, graduating in 1980. Griffith completed his education with a J.D. from the Washington and Lee University Law School in 1983.
After law school, Griffith settled in Salem where he worked as a private attorney with a focus on traffic violations and DUI. On June 23, 2008, Albo & Oblon LLP, a law firm run by fellow Republican delegate Dave Albo, announced that Griffith was joining the firm as head of its new Roanoke/Salem office.[3]
Early political career
Griffith first became seriously involved in politics in 1986, when he was chosen as the chairman of the Salem Republican Party. He held that position from 1986 to 1988 and from 1991 to 1994.
Virginia House of Delegates
In 1994 Griffith was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. He served as the Vice-Chairman of the Rules Committee in the House of Delegates. He served on the Courts of Justice Committee, and was the chairman of its Criminal Law Subcommittee. He also served on the Commerce and Labor and the Militia, Police, and Public Safety Committees.[citation needed]
U.S. House of Representatives
2010 election
See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2010Griffith was the Republican nominee to face longtime U.S. Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA) who was first elected in 1982. A "GOP Young Gun", Griffith won the election.[4]
Griffith's home in Salem is located just inside the neighboring 6th District, represented by fellow Republican Bob Goodlatte.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Energy and Power
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Political positions
Immigration
Griffith has voted to allow the Commonwealth of Virginia to enforce federal immigration laws to criminalize knowingly employing illegal immigrants or undocumented workers,[5] and also voted to criminalize possession of firearms by illegal aliens.[6]
Gay rights
While serving in the Virginia House of Delegates, Griffith supported a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage by defining marriage as between one man and one woman.[7] He voted in favor of a bill to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation for government employees[8]
Gun control
Griffith voted in favor of several bills to reduce restrictions on gun ownership, including a bill to allow concealed weapons in vehicles without a permit[9] and to allow concealed weapons permit holders to carry their firearms in restaurants and bars.[10] Griffith also voted to prohibit consumption of alcohol while in possession of a concealed weapon.[11] In 2004 Griffith voted to prohibit carrying firearms or ammunition in the non-secure areas of airport terminals, including baggage claim areas.[12][13]
Health care
Early in 2010, Griffith voted in favor of a bill to prohibit any individual mandate to purchase health insurance.[14] This law passed Virginia's legislature before the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted, which Virginia has used to challenge the individual mandate in federal court.[15]
Death penalty
Griffith has voted consistently for expansions of the death penalty to include eligibility for accomplices to a murder, as well as for those who murder a judge or a witness.[16][17][18]
Abortion
When surveyed in 1999 on his political positions by Project Vote Smart, Griffith indicated that he supports legalized abortion in the first trimester and to save the life of the mother,[19] while favoring the restriction of abortion through parental notification laws and prohibition of partial-birth abortion. Griffith's voting record has generally been consistent with his 1999 survey, voting in favor of restrictions on late term abortions such as parental-notification and parental-consent, while voting against bills that would restrict first-term abortions. In 2010 Griffith voted to restrict state funding of abortions,[20] and to require abortion clinics to meet the same licensing requirements as surgical centers. In 2006 Griffith voted to restrict state funding for fetal stem cell research.[21]
In 2007 Griffith voted against [22] a bill in the Virginia General Assembly, HB 2797, which stated: "That life begins at the moment of fertilization and the right to enjoyment of life guaranteed by Article 1, § 1 of the Constitution of Virginia is vested in each born and preborn human being from the moment of fertilization"[23] This was the only bill introduced to the General Assembly during Griffith's tenure that would have affected the legality of first-term abortions on the principal of the fetal personhood as opposed to regulating abortion on other grounds.[citation needed]
Griffith's 2010 campaign website reported that Griffith has a "100% pro-life" voting record and an "A" rating from the Virginia Society for Human Life (VSHL). However, VSHL's report on 2007 legislation in Virginia omits reference to HB 2797[24] Project Vote Smart indicated that Griffith declined to take their survey again in 2010.[19]
Taxes and spending
Griffith supports raising the retirement age and reducing the number of American troops serving overseas as means of reducing the federal budget deficit.[25]
Electoral history
Virginia House of Delegates, District 8: Results 1995 to 2009[26] Year Republican Votes Pct Democrat Votes Pct Third Party Party Votes Pct 1995 Morgan Griffith 14,052 100% no candidate Write-ins 35 0% 1997 Morgan Griffith 15,383 100% no candidate Write-ins 12 0% 1999 Morgan Griffith 11,066 100% no candidate Write-ins 19 0% 2001 Morgan Griffith 17,401 70% D. Martin 7,581 30% 2003 Morgan Griffith 10,860 59% M Q Emick Sr. 7,469 41% 2005 Morgan Griffith 20,484 98% no candidate Write-ins 417 2% 2007 Morgan Griffith 13,670 96% no candidate Write-ins 563 4% 2009 Morgan Griffith 16,790 69% E. Carter Turner III 7,563 31% Virginia's 9th congressional district Year Republican Votes Pct Democrat Votes Pct Third Party Party Votes Pct 2010 Morgan Griffith 95,726 51% Rick Boucher 86,743 46% Jeremiah Heaton Independent 4,282 2% Personal life
Griffith is married to Hilary Davis. The couple has three children.
References
- ^ a b Zanona, Melanie (November 6, 2010). "112th Congress: Morgan Griffith, R-Va. (9th District)". Congressional Quarterly. http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20101106/pl_cq_politics/politics000003759385.
- ^ Giroux, Greg (2010-02-23). "Griffith Touts Support For Bid Against Boucher - The Eye (CQ Politics)". Blogs.cqpolitics.com. http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2010/02/griffith-touts-support-for-bid.html. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ "H. Morgan Griffith to join Albo & Oblon LLP". MarketWatch, Inc.. 2008-06-23. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/h-morgan-griffith-join-albo/story.aspx?guid=%7B8B6D5087-BF8C-4C58-8C9E-564E9770A2AF%7D. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "GOP's Griffith ousts 14-term Va. Democratic Rep. Boucher". The Virginian-Pilot. Associated Press. November 2, 2010. http://hamptonroads.com/2010/11/gops-griffith-ousts-14term-va-democratic-rep-boucher.
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ Virginia State Legislature archives
- ^ Project Vote Smart website
- ^ Project Vote Smart website,
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ www.roanoke.com
- ^ Virginia State Legislature archives
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ www.healthleadersmedia.com
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ a b Project Vote Smart
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ Project Vote Smart
- ^ Virginia State Legislature archives
- ^ Virginia State Legislature archives
- ^ www.12cups.org
- ^ Melissa Hipolit (14 July 2011). "Local congressmen react to debt talks". TriCities.com.
- ^ Election Results Virginia State Board of Elections
External links
- Congressman Morgan Griffith official U.S. House site
- Morgan Griffith for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- H. Morgan Griffith at The Virginia Public Access Project
- Albo & Oblon L.L.P.
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
Rick BoucherMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 9th congressional district
January 3, 2011 – presentSucceeded by
IncumbentUnited States order of precedence Preceded by
Tim Griffin
R-ArkansasUnited States Representatives by seniority
374thSucceeded by
Mike Grimm
R-New YorkCategories:- 1958 births
- American Episcopalians
- Emory and Henry College alumni
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
- Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
- People from Roanoke, Virginia
- Virginia Republicans
- Virginia lawyers
- Washington and Lee University School of Law alumni
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
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