Betsy Markey
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Helen “Betsy” Markey (born April 27, 1956) is the former U.S. Representative
for , serving from 2009 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party
. She was defeated on November 2, 2010 by Republican nominee Cory Gardner
.
The district includes most of the eastern portion of the state outside the Denver and Colorado Springs metropolitan areas.
as the sixth of seven children. Markey attended college at the University of Florida
from 1974 through 1978. Her last semester was completed abroad at a university in Poznań
, Poland
. After completing a degree in Political Science, Markey worked for a short period of time on the staff of U.S. Senator John A. Durkin
(D-NH). She later went on to work for U.S. Congressman Herbert Harris
(D-VA) as a Caseworker/Legislative Assistant on one of the Congressman’s subcommittees. Markey was hired as a Staff Assistant to the Vice President for Development and Planning at American University
in 1981. Markey completed a Masters of Public Administration in 1983 from American University.
.
In 1984, during the Reagan Administration
, she was recruited by the U.S. Department of State to develop computer security policies for the newly-formed Office of Information Systems Security. Markey served as Director of Computer Security Policy and Training and worked with all bureaus to craft computer security policy. She created the Department’s first comprehensive computer security training program for management, security personnel and support staff globally. For her work, Markey received the State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award. Markey left the Department in 1988 at the GS-14
level.
In the mid-1990s, Markey was also the owner of Huckleberry’s, a successful and popular coffee and ice cream shop in Old Town Fort Collins, Colorado
. She sold her small business in 2000.
in January 2005. She resigned the position in May 2007. Markey announced her decision to run for United States House of Representatives
for Colorado's 4th congressional district
in June 2007.
In June 2007, Markey filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission
, and formally announced her intention to run in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District against Marilyn Musgrave
. She quickly garnered numerous key supporters including many past and present elected officials.
The 4th District had been in Republican hands since 1973, and had long been reckoned as a safe Republican district. However, Democrats thought Musgrave was vulnerable. The three-term incumbent had never been able to establish a secure footing in the district, in part because her Democratic opponents attacked her for her focus on social issues (such as the Federal Marriage Amendment
) and her allegedly poor constituent services. After winning the open 4th District seat fairly easily in 2002, Musgrave barely held on in 2004 and 2006.
Another factor that made Democrats hopeful of defeating Musgrave was the district's demographics. The 4th is a large and mostly rural district. While the rural counties are some of the most Republican counties in Colorado, the district's politics are dominated by two counties--Larimer and Weld--home to Fort Collins and Greeley
, respectively. These two counties have only a third of the district's land, but cast 85 percent of its vote. In the past two elections, Musgrave had only been able to stay in office by running up the votes in Weld County.
In the 2008 election, Markey won by an unexpectedly wide margin, taking 56 percent of the vote to Musgrave's 44 percent—the third largest margin of victory for a congressional challenger in the 2008 cycle. While Markey lost most of the rural counties in the district by margins of 2-to-1 or more, she crushed Musgrave in Larimer County, winning it by 36,500 votes. She also won Weld County by seven points.
, American Constitutional Party nominee Doug Aden, and Independent Ken "Wasko" Waszkiewicz.
The race was rated as a toss-up per polling aggregation and was cited as one of the most competitive races in the nation.
Markey was defeated in her reelection bid in 2010.
in 1995.
Markey’s past professional affiliations and honors include: Pi Alpha Alpha
(the National Honor Society for Public Administrators), National Association of Female Executives, National Association of Women Business Owners
, International Network for Women in Enterprise and Trade, Who’s Who in American Women 1988, Who’s Who in Executives 1996/97, and the 2002 Colorado Institute for Leadership Training.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving from 2009 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. She was defeated on November 2, 2010 by Republican nominee Cory Gardner
Cory Gardner
Cory Scott Gardner is the Republican U.S. Representative for Colorado's 4th congressional district. In 2010, he defeated incumbent Democrat Betsy Markey. He was formerly a member of the Colorado House of Representatives....
.
The district includes most of the eastern portion of the state outside the Denver and Colorado Springs metropolitan areas.
Early life and education
Betsy Markey was born in Cresskill, New JerseyCresskill, New Jersey
Cresskill is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,573. The town got its name from the watercress that grew in its streams, or "kills"....
as the sixth of seven children. Markey attended college at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
from 1974 through 1978. Her last semester was completed abroad at a university in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. After completing a degree in Political Science, Markey worked for a short period of time on the staff of U.S. Senator John A. Durkin
John A. Durkin
John Anthony Durkin was a Democratic U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1975 until 1980.Durkin graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1959 and Georgetown University Law Center in 1965...
(D-NH). She later went on to work for U.S. Congressman Herbert Harris
Herbert Harris
Herbert Eugene Harris, II was a Democratic member of the U.S. Representative from Virginia. His district included part of Fairfax County.-Early life:Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Harris attended St...
(D-VA) as a Caseworker/Legislative Assistant on one of the Congressman’s subcommittees. Markey was hired as a Staff Assistant to the Vice President for Development and Planning at American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
in 1981. Markey completed a Masters of Public Administration in 1983 from American University.
Public service career
In 1983 Markey was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow, a competitive two-year management program track in the federal government. Markey went on to hold positions in the United States Treasury Department as budget and program analyst, as human resources specialist, and as staff assistant to the Deputy Commissioner of the Customs ServiceUnited States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
.
In 1984, during the Reagan Administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
, she was recruited by the U.S. Department of State to develop computer security policies for the newly-formed Office of Information Systems Security. Markey served as Director of Computer Security Policy and Training and worked with all bureaus to craft computer security policy. She created the Department’s first comprehensive computer security training program for management, security personnel and support staff globally. For her work, Markey received the State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award. Markey left the Department in 1988 at the GS-14
General Schedule
The General Schedule is the predominant pay scale within the United States civil service. The GS includes the majority of white collar personnel positions...
level.
Business career
After leaving the State Department in 1988, Markey co-founded a software firm, Syscom Services. By 1995, Syscom ranked #99 in the Inc. 500 listing of America’s fastest-growing private companies.In the mid-1990s, Markey was also the owner of Huckleberry’s, a successful and popular coffee and ice cream shop in Old Town Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
. She sold her small business in 2000.
Early political career
Markey was hired as Regional Director of Colorado’s North Central and Eastern Plains for U.S. Senator Ken SalazarKen Salazar
Kenneth Lee "Ken" Salazar is the current United States Secretary of the Interior, in the administration of President Barack Obama. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009. He and Mel Martinez were the first Hispanic U.S...
in January 2005. She resigned the position in May 2007. Markey announced her decision to run for United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for Colorado's 4th congressional district
Colorado's 4th congressional district
Colorado's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district encompasses most of the rural Eastern Plains as well as the larger cities of Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland and Longmont along Colorado's Front...
in June 2007.
Local activism
Markey served as President of the Board of Directors of the Food Bank for Larimer County. She chaired the Food Bank’s capital campaign which raised nearly a million dollars to expand the Food Bank facility and the services they provide. As Chair of the Larimer County Democratic Party she oversaw a large expansion in the role the party played in Northern Colorado. Markey also founded the Larimer County Democratic Business Coalition, a network of small business owners in the community. During that time she also participated in the Local Legislative Affairs Committee (LLAC) for the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce.Committee assignments
- Committee on AgricultureUnited States House Committee on AgricultureThe U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
- Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and ResearchUnited States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and ResearchThe House Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry is a subcommittee within the House Agriculture Committee. The subcommittee oversees all agricultural matters relating to soil, water, and resource conservation; small watershed program; energy and biobased energy production; rural...
- Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk ManagementUnited States House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk ManagementThe House Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management is a subcommittee within the House Agriculture Committee. The subcommittee oversees program and markets for major commercial crops, such as cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains , soybeans, oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, and...
- Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and PoultryUnited States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and PoultryThe House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry is a subcommittee within the House Agriculture Committee. It oversees all issues relating to livestock, dairy, poultry, meat, seafood and seafood products including federal inspection, marketing, and promotion of these commodities...
- Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research
- Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureUnited States House Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureThe U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. John Mica currently chairs the committee.-History:...
- Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
- Subcommittee on Highways and TransitUnited States House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and TransitThe House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The subcommittee oversees highway, transit, and highway safety programs in the United States, as well as policy governing how highway and transit projects...
- Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous MaterialsUnited States House Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous MaterialsThe Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee...
2008
Federal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
, and formally announced her intention to run in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District against Marilyn Musgrave
Marilyn Musgrave
Marilyn Neoma Musgrave , American politician, is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives who served from 2003 to 2009, representing the 4th District of Colorado....
. She quickly garnered numerous key supporters including many past and present elected officials.
The 4th District had been in Republican hands since 1973, and had long been reckoned as a safe Republican district. However, Democrats thought Musgrave was vulnerable. The three-term incumbent had never been able to establish a secure footing in the district, in part because her Democratic opponents attacked her for her focus on social issues (such as the Federal Marriage Amendment
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
) and her allegedly poor constituent services. After winning the open 4th District seat fairly easily in 2002, Musgrave barely held on in 2004 and 2006.
Another factor that made Democrats hopeful of defeating Musgrave was the district's demographics. The 4th is a large and mostly rural district. While the rural counties are some of the most Republican counties in Colorado, the district's politics are dominated by two counties--Larimer and Weld--home to Fort Collins and Greeley
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
, respectively. These two counties have only a third of the district's land, but cast 85 percent of its vote. In the past two elections, Musgrave had only been able to stay in office by running up the votes in Weld County.
In the 2008 election, Markey won by an unexpectedly wide margin, taking 56 percent of the vote to Musgrave's 44 percent—the third largest margin of victory for a congressional challenger in the 2008 cycle. While Markey lost most of the rural counties in the district by margins of 2-to-1 or more, she crushed Musgrave in Larimer County, winning it by 36,500 votes. She also won Weld County by seven points.
2010
Markey was challenged by Republican nominee, state representative Cory GardnerCory Gardner
Cory Scott Gardner is the Republican U.S. Representative for Colorado's 4th congressional district. In 2010, he defeated incumbent Democrat Betsy Markey. He was formerly a member of the Colorado House of Representatives....
, American Constitutional Party nominee Doug Aden, and Independent Ken "Wasko" Waszkiewicz.
The race was rated as a toss-up per polling aggregation and was cited as one of the most competitive races in the nation.
Markey was defeated in her reelection bid in 2010.
Personal life
Betsy Markey married husband Jim Kelly in May 1984. Her first daughter, Katherine, was born in 1986. After giving birth to her second of three children, Erin, in 1987, Markey left the State Department to raise her family. Markey later gave birth to son James Albert in 1991. The family moved to their current home in Fort Collins, ColoradoFort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
in 1995.
Markey’s past professional affiliations and honors include: Pi Alpha Alpha
Pi Alpha Alpha
Pi Alpha Alpha is the national honor society for students of public administration. It is administered by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration in the United States....
(the National Honor Society for Public Administrators), National Association of Female Executives, National Association of Women Business Owners
National Association of Women Business Owners
The National Association of Women Business Owners is an organization in the United States founded in 1975 that has the purpose of networking the approximately 10.6 million women-owned businesses so as to provide mutual support, share resources, and provide a single voice to help shape economic and...
, International Network for Women in Enterprise and Trade, Who’s Who in American Women 1988, Who’s Who in Executives 1996/97, and the 2002 Colorado Institute for Leadership Training.
External links
- Betsy Markey for U.S. Congress official campaign website
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Syscom Services official website