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Lee Terry

Republican Party

Prior offices

Omaha City Council

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U.S. House Nebraska District 2

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Report an officeholder change

Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $168,507.50

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 4, 2014

Education

High school

Omaha Northwest High School

Bachelor's

University of Nebraska

Law

Creighton University

Personal

Religion

United Methodist

Profession

Attorney

Lee Raymond Terry (b. January 29, 1962, in Omaha, NE) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska. He was elected by voters from Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District and served eight consecutive terms from 1999 to 2015.

Terry was defeated in his bid for re-election to the U.S. House in 2014. He won the Republican nomination in the primary election on May 13, 2014, before losing to Brad Ashford (D) in the general election on November 4, 2014.

Biography[edit]

Terry was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He earned a B.A. from the University of Nebraska in 1984 and a J.D. from Creighton University in 1987.^[1]

Career[edit]

Below is an abbreviated outline of Terry's academic, professional, and political career:^[1]

• 1980: Graduated from Omaha Northwest High School in Omaha, NE
• 1984: Earned B.A. from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, NE
• 1987: Earned J.D. from Creighton Law School in Omaha, NE
• 1991-1998: Member of Omaha, Nebraska, city council
• 1999-2015: U.S. Representative for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District

Prior to his congressional career, Terry was a managing partner in a small Omaha law firm.^[2]

Committee assignments[edit]

U.S. House[edit]

2013-2014[edit]

Terry served on the following committees:^[3]

• Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Chair
  • Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Power

2011-2012[edit]

Terry served on the following committees:^[4]

• Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Vice Chair
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Power
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Key votes[edit]

113th Congress[edit]

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.^[5] For more information pertaining to Terry's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.^[6]

National security[edit]

NDAA[edit]

Terry supported HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.^[7]

DHS Appropriations[edit]

Terry supported HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.^[7]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment[edit]

Terry opposed House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.^[7]

CISPA (2013)[edit]

Terry opposed HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.^[8] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.^[7]

Economy[edit]

Farm Bill[edit]

See also: United States Farm Bill 2013

Terry supported the Farm Bill on July 11, 2013. The bill passed in a 216-208 vote.^[9] The bill passed included farm policy, but did not include food stamps.^[10]

Government shutdown[edit]

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.^[11] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.^[12] Terry voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.^[11]

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.^[13] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Terry voted for HR 2775.^[14]

Terry said that he would continue to accept his paycheck while the government was on shutdown. Many members declined their paychecks or donated them to charity during the government shutdown, but Terry said he could not afford to, and suggested that members who were declining their salaries were doing it for media purposes. He said, "Whatever gets them good press. That's all that it's going to be. God bless them. But you know what? I've got a nice house and a kid in college, and I'll tell you we cannot handle it. Giving our paycheck away when you still worked and earned it? That's just not going to fly.”^[15]

Terry came under fire from critics and his spokesman, Larry Farnsworth, released this statement in response: "Congressman Terry has been working tirelessly to keep the government open and ensure that Nebraska families don't suffer. The only people who have voted to shut down the government are House Democrats who value political grandstanding over supporting important nonpartisan issues like our veterans, our National Guard and medical research. It's time for Democrats to come to the table and work toward a commonsense solution.”^[15]

Budget bill[edit]

Terry received criticism after voting for the $85 million budget deal in December 2013. Dan Frei, who challenged Terry in the 2014 Republican primary, said he never would have voted for the deal. He called the bill a "cynical parlor trick…loaded with taxes disguised as fees."^[16]

Immigration[edit]

Morton Memos Prohibition[edit]

Terry supported House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status.^[17] The vote largely followed party lines.^[18]

Healthcare[edit]

Repealing Obamacare[edit]

Terry has supported all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.^[19]

Social issues[edit]

Abortion[edit]

Terry supported HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196. The purpose of the bill was to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.^[20]

Government affairs[edit]

HR 676[edit]

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit.^[21] Terry joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.^[22][23]

Previous congressional sessions[edit]

Fiscal Cliff[edit]

Terry voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257-167 vote on January 1, 2013.^[24]

Issues[edit]

Elections[edit]

2014[edit]

See also: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014

Terry ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Nebraska's 2nd District. Terry won the Republican nomination in the primary on May 13, 2014, but lost to challenger Brad Ashford (D) in the general election on November 4, 2014.

U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Brad Ashford	49%	83,872
	Republican	Lee Terry Incumbent	45.7%	78,157
	Libertarian	Steven Laird	5.3%	9,021
Total Votes				171,050
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State

U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Lee Terry Incumbent	52.9%	25,812
Dan Frei	47.1%	22,970
Total Votes		48,782
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State

Polls[edit]

According to an October 21, 2013, poll conducted by Chase Marketing, Terry was supposed to face a tough re-election in 2014. The poll suggested there was an anyone-but-Terry sentiment in the district. The poll targeted Republicans and independents. Respondents were asked if they would support another Republican challenging Terry and if Democrat Pete Festersen could defeat Terry in the election. Over 50 percent of respondents answered affirmatively to both questions: 52 percent said they would support another Republican challenging Terry and 52 percent said they believed Festersen could win over Terry in the election.^[25]

Race background[edit]

Terry was a member of the National Republican Congressional Committee's Patriot Program. The program was designed to assist vulnerable Republican incumbents heading into the 2014 election.^[26]

Terry was reportedly considering a bid to succeed outgoing freshman U.S. Senator Mike Johanns in the 2014 Senate election.^[27][28] However, Terry decided to run for re-election to the U.S. House instead.

Congressional salary cuts[edit]

On August 11, 2014, challenger Brad Ashford (D) argued with Terry over the possibility of instituting pay cuts for congressmen. Ashford stated, "I'm proposing we do cut our salary by 10 percent."^[29] In addition, Ashford promised that, if elected, he would give 10 percent of his pay back even if cuts were not passed. Terry disagreed with Ashford and maintained that congressmen were not being overpaid, saying, "What he's not telling you is that Congress hasn't had a cost of living increase since 2008, when I led the charge for a freeze." Terry added that he donated at least 10 percent of his paycheck to charity already.^[29]

Media[edit]

In a campaign ad released in May 2014, Terry emphasized his efforts to repeal Obamacare.^[30]

2012[edit]

See also: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2012

Terry ran for re-election in 2012. He defeated Jack Heidel, Brett Lindstrom, Paul Anderson and Glenn Freeman in the May 15, 2012, Republican primary.^[31] He faced Democrat John Ewing in the November general election, and won the election.

U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John Ewing	49.2%	129,767
	Republican	Lee Terry Incumbent	50.8%	133,964
Total Votes				263,731
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Lee Terry Incumbent	59.5%	27,998
Brett Lindstrom	22.8%	10,753
Jack Heidel	11.5%	5,406
Glenn Freeman	4%	1,885
Paul Anderson	2.2%	1,051
Total Votes		47,093

Full history[edit]

To view the full congressional electoral history for Lee Terry, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Lee Terry won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Tom White (D) in the general election.[32] United States House, Nebraska District 2, General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Lee Terry incumbent 60.8% 93,840      Democratic Tom White 39.2% 60,486 Total Votes 154,326 2008 On November 4, 2008, Lee Terry won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jim Esch (D) in the general election.[33] U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Lee Terry incumbent 51.9% 142,473      Democratic Jim Esch 48.1% 131,901 Total Votes 274,374 2006 On November 7, 2006, Lee Terry won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jim Esch (D) in the general election.[34] U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Lee Terry incumbent 54.7% 99,475      Democratic Jim Esch 45.3% 82,504 Total Votes 181,979 2004 On November 2, 2004, Lee Terry won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Nancy Thompson (D), Jack Graziano (L) and Dante Salvatierra (Green) in the general election.[35] U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Lee Terry incumbent 61.1% 152,608      Democratic Nancy Thompson 36.2% 90,292      Libertarian Jack Graziano 1.9% 4,656      Green Dante Salvatierra 0.9% 2,208 Total Votes 249,764 2002 On November 5, 2002, Lee Terry won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jim Simon (D), Dave Stock (G) and Doug Paterson (L) in the general election.[36] U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Lee Terry incumbent 63.3% 89,917      Democratic Jim Simon 33% 46,843      Green Doug Paterson 2.3% 3,236      Libertarian Dave Stock 1.4% 2,018 Total Votes 142,014 2000 On November 7, 2000, Lee Terry won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Shelley Kiel (D) and John Graziano (L) in the general election.[37] U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Lee Terry incumbent 65.8% 148,911      Democratic Shelley Kiel 31.1% 70,268      Libertarian John Graziano 3% 6,856      N/A Write-in 0.1% 245 Total Votes 226,280 1998 On November 3, 1998, Lee Terry won election to the United States House. He defeated Michael Scott (D) in the general election.[38] U.S. House, Nebraska District 2 General Election, 1998 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Lee Terry 65.5% 106,782      Democratic Michael Scott 34.2% 55,722      N/A Write-in 0.3% 499 Total Votes 163,003

Campaign donors[edit]

Comprehensive donor history[edit]

The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Lee Terry campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Result	Contributions
2012	U.S. House (Nebraska, District 2)		$2,036,016
2010	U.S. House (Nebraska, District 2)		$1,924,726
2008	U.S. House (Nebraska, District 2)		$1,746,226
2006	U.S. House (Nebraska, District 2)		$116,825
2004	U.S. House (Nebraska, District 2)		$1,335,016
2002	U.S. House (Nebraska, District 2)		$1,090,500
2000	U.S. House (Nebraska, District 2)		$887,946
Grand total raised			$9,137,255
Source: [[39] Follow the Money]

2014[edit]

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Terry's reports.^[40]

2012[edit]

Terry won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012. During that election cycle, Terry's campaign committee raised a total of $2,036,017 and spent $2,033,246 .^[50]

Cost per vote[edit]

Terry spent $15.18 per vote received in 2012.

To view the breakdown of campaign funding by type click [show] to expand the section.
Breakdown of the source of Terry's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

2010[edit]

Terry was re-elected to the U.S. House in 2010 for a seventh term. His campaign committee raised a total of $1,924,726 and spent $1,965,743.^[51]

To view the breakdown of campaign funding by type click [show] to expand the section.
Breakdown of the source of Terry's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

Personal Gain Index[edit]

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth[edit]

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Terry's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $27,015 and $310,000. That averages to $168,507.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Terry ranked as the 358th most wealthy representative in 2012.^[52] Between 2004 and 2012, Terry's calculated net worth^[53] decreased by an average of 3 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.^[54]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric[edit]

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Terry received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 1997-2014, 20.91 percent of Terry's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.^[57]

Analysis[edit]

Ideology and leadership[edit]

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Terry was a moderate Republican leader as of July 2014.^[58] Terry was rated as a "rank-and-file Republican" in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues[edit]

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.^[59]

Lifetime voting record[edit]

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Terry missed 203 of 10,879 roll call votes from January 1999 to July 2014. This amounts to 1.9 percent, which is better than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of July 2014.^[58]

Congressional staff salaries[edit]

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Terry paid his congressional staff a total of $893,799 in 2011. Overall, Nebraska ranked 20th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.^[60]

National Journal vote ratings[edit]

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013[edit]

Terry ranked 200th in the conservative rankings in 2013.^[61]

2012[edit]

Terry ranked 192nd in the conservative rankings in 2012. This was the most liberal ranking earned by a representative of Nebraska in 2012.^[62]

2011[edit]

Lee Terry ranked 99th in the conservative rankings in 2011.^[63]

Voting with party[edit]

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014[edit]

Terry voted with the Republican Party 94.4 percent of the time, which ranked 112th among the 234 House Republican members as of July 2014.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

2013[edit]

Terry voted with the Republican Party 95.7 percent of the time, which ranked 130th among the 234 House Republican members as of June 2013.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

Personal[edit]

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Terry and his wife Robyn have three sons: Nolan, Ryan and Jack.^[2] Terry was one of 45 United Methodists elected to the 113th Congress.^[64]

Recent news[edit]

This section links to a Google news search for the term Lee + Terry + Nebraska + House

See also[edit]

• United States House of Representatives
• Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014
• Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District

External links[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

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