Byron Dorgan
Encyclopedia
Byron Leslie Dorgan is a former United States Senator
from North Dakota
and is now a senior policy advisor for a Washington, DC law firm. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party
. In the Senate, he was Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee
and Chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs
. Dorgan announced on January 5, 2010 that he would not seek re-election in the 2010 North Dakota senate election
, and he was succeeded by North Dakota Governor John Hoeven
. Dorgan is now co-chair of Government Relations Practice for the Washington, DC law firm Arent Fox
. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center
, where he focuses on issues related to energy policy. Dorgan is also a co-chair of BPC's Energy Project.
, the son of Dorothy (née
Bach) and Emmett Patrick Dorgan, and was raised in Regent, North Dakota
. He graduated from Regent High School and earned a Bachelor of Science
from the University of North Dakota
in 1964 and a Master of Business Administration
from the University of Denver
in 1966. Dorgan worked in management for a Denver aerospace firm, eventually earning a position training others for high ranking company positions.
. He was the youngest constitutional officer in North Dakota's history. He was re-elected to that office by large margins in 1972 and 1976, and was chosen one of "Ten Outstanding State Officials" in the United States by the left of center
Washington Monthly magazine. Dorgan served as tax commissioner of North Dakota from 1969 until 1980. His future Senate colleague Kent Conrad
worked in the same office before succeeding Dorgan at this post. Dorgan ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Congress in 1974. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives
in his second bid in 1980. He was a member from 1981 until 1992, being re-elected five times.
opted not to run for re-election because of a campaign promise. Dorgan won the election for the seat. However, that September the state's other senator, Quentin Burdick, died and Conrad ran for the seat in the special election. Conrad took the new seat in 1992 and Dorgan assumed Conrad's old seat a few weeks early. Dorgan was re-elected in 1998 and 2004
. Conrad later was elected for a full term from North Dakota's other Senate seat.
issues, voting against the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
and the Class Action Fairness Act, but voting in favor of the vetoed Common Sense Product Liability and Legal Reform Act and the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
.
In 2007 he was a major supporter of Net Neutrality
legislation in the Senate. He sees this as essential to keeping the Internet open and democratic.
In 2007, he was a major opponent of the McCain-Kennedy Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007
(S. 1639) saying that the legislation would continue the downward push of illegal aliens on the wages of American workers.
In 2008, he was one of the first politicians who spoke of the oncoming economic downturn in a speech to the Senate on January 23 which was in response to then President Bush's economic stimulus package.
In 2009, he voted against an amendment to the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009
. He joined all 39 voting Republican senators and 12 Senate Democrats.
Dorgan has three times introduced a bill forming a Truman committee to oversee Government waste, fraud, and corruption in the giving of governmental contracts.
In 2009, Dorgan voted to approve the $838 billion dollar stimulus package. This vote passed 61-37 in the United States Senate.
In 2009, Dorgan sided with fellow Democrats to make funds available to modify or build facilities to allow Guantanamo detainees to be brought to the United States. This was a reversal from a previous vote to not allow federal funds to be used to transfer or incarcerate Guantanamo inmates.
Although Dorgan had indicated in early 2008 he would seek a fourth term in the Senate, on January 5, 2010, he issued a statement announcing he would not run for re-election. In it, he insisted that the "...decision [was] not a reflection of any dissatisfaction with my work in the Senate, nor [was] it connected to a potential election contest [in the fall of 2010] (frankly, I believe if I were to run for another term I would be reelected)."
On September 26, 2008, against a backdrop of growing economic turmoil caused by the Credit Crunch
, an article written by David Leonhardt
of The New York Times
singled out a quotation made by Dorgan in 1999 during the US Senate's repeal of the Glass–Steagall Act. "I think we will look back in 10 years’ time and say we should not have done this, but we did because we forgot the lessons of the past, and that that which is true in the 1930s is true in 2010". Dorgan was one of only 8 senators who voted "No" on the deregulation bill (the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act) in 1999.
He is briefly featured in Michael Moore
's documentary
Fahrenheit 9/11
, in which he discusses the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks
. He was not being interviewed by Moore.
. Because Dorgan is the top Democrat on the committee investigating Abramoff, questions were raised about a possible conflict of interest
.
In a statement released on November 28, 2005, Dorgan responded by asserting that he has never personally met Jack Abramoff, nor has he ever received money from Abramoff. Dorgan did acknowledge receiving money from Abramoff's clients, but the donations began prior to their involvement with Abramoff. Dorgan's statement went on to say that he has supported the programs that benefited Abramoff's clients years prior to the contribution.
Dorgan's statement pointed out other errors in the news reports, such as correcting who made a call to the Department of the Interior
and for what purpose. The news reports claimed that one of Dorgan's staff members made the call in order to express support for the program that benefited Abramoff's clients, whereas in reality it was a staff member for the Chairman of the Interior Subcommittee who made the call, and the call was made in opposition to the program.
On December 13, 2005 Dorgan announced that he was returning all donations from Abramoff's clients as a precaution that the contributions may have been directed or requested by Abramoff.
|+ North Dakota Senator (Class III) results: 1992–2004
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
|-
|1992
|
|rowspan=3 |Byron L.
Dorgan
| align="right" |179,347
| |59%
|
| |
| align="right" |118,162
| |39%
|
| |Tom Asbridge
| |Independent
| align="right" |6,448
| align="right" |2%
|-
|1998
|
| align="right" |134,747
| |63%
|
| |
| align="right" |75,013
| |35%
|
| |Harley McLain
| |Reform
| align="right" |3,598
| align="right" |2%
|-
|2004
|
| align="right" |212,143
| |68%
|
| |
| align="right" |98,553
| |32%
|
|colspan=4|
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and is now a senior policy advisor for a Washington, DC law firm. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate 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...
. In the Senate, he was Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee
Democratic Policy Committee Chairman of the United States Senate
The United States Senate Democratic Policy Committee is responsible for the creation of new United States Democratic Party policy proposals, supporting Democratic senators with legislative research, developing reports on legislation and policy, conducting oversight hearings, monitoring roll call...
and Chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs
United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1947, after which it was folded into the Committee on...
. Dorgan announced on January 5, 2010 that he would not seek re-election in the 2010 North Dakota senate election
United States Senate election in North Dakota, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota took place on November 2, 2010 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator...
, and he was succeeded by North Dakota Governor John Hoeven
John Hoeven
John Henry Hoeven III is the junior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Republican Party. He is expected to become the state's senior senator when Kent Conrad retires from the Senate in January 2013.Hoeven served as the 31st Governor of North Dakota,...
. Dorgan is now co-chair of Government Relations Practice for the Washington, DC law firm Arent Fox
Arent Fox
Arent Fox LLP is a law firm and lobbying group based in Washington, D.C.. The firm also has offices in New York City and Los Angeles, California. In 2007, the National Law Journal ranked the firm as the 137th largest in the United States based on number of attorneys...
. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center
Bipartisan Policy Center
The is a non-profit organization that "drives principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation, and respectful dialogue." Founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell, "BPC combines politically-balanced policymaking...
, where he focuses on issues related to energy policy. Dorgan is also a co-chair of BPC's Energy Project.
Early life, education, and business career
Dorgan was born in Dickinson, North DakotaDickinson, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,010 people, 6,517 households, and 4,020 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,690.7 inhabitants per square mile . There were 7,033 housing units at an average density of 742.7 per square mile...
, the son of Dorothy (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Bach) and Emmett Patrick Dorgan, and was raised in Regent, North Dakota
Regent, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 211 people, 99 households, and 62 families residing in the city. The population density was 385.8 people per square mile . There were 126 housing units at an average density of 230.4 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 98.58% White and 1.42%...
. He graduated from Regent High School and earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
from the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
in 1964 and a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
in 1966. Dorgan worked in management for a Denver aerospace firm, eventually earning a position training others for high ranking company positions.
Early political career
Dorgan's public service career began at age 26, when he was appointed North Dakota State Tax CommissionerNorth Dakota State Tax Commissioner
The North Dakota State Tax Commissioner is a political office in North Dakota. The commissioner's duty is to exercise general supervision over all state-levied taxes, as well as related oversight, including over property assessors...
. He was the youngest constitutional officer in North Dakota's history. He was re-elected to that office by large margins in 1972 and 1976, and was chosen one of "Ten Outstanding State Officials" in the United States by the left of center
Left of Center
Left of Center was a College rock/Indie rock radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 26 and Dish Network channel 6026. It was replaced by Sirius XMU as part of the Sirius/XM merger of channels on November 12, 2008...
Washington Monthly magazine. Dorgan served as tax commissioner of North Dakota from 1969 until 1980. His future Senate colleague Kent Conrad
Kent Conrad
Kent Conrad is the senior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party...
worked in the same office before succeeding Dorgan at this post. Dorgan ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Congress in 1974. He was elected to the 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...
in his second bid in 1980. He was a member from 1981 until 1992, being re-elected five times.
Elections
In 1992, the Democratic incumbent, Kent ConradKent Conrad
Kent Conrad is the senior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party...
opted not to run for re-election because of a campaign promise. Dorgan won the election for the seat. However, that September the state's other senator, Quentin Burdick, died and Conrad ran for the seat in the special election. Conrad took the new seat in 1992 and Dorgan assumed Conrad's old seat a few weeks early. Dorgan was re-elected in 1998 and 2004
United States Senate elections, 2004
The United States Senate election, 2004 was an election for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate which coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House election, as well as many state and local elections. Senators who were elected in 1998,...
. Conrad later was elected for a full term from North Dakota's other Senate seat.
Tenure
When Byron Dorgan was the chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, he was one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate. He was considered "something of a liberal hero." In his later years of his senate career, he had been increasingly sought by the national media for comment on political issues. He was a strong opponent of U.S. policy toward Cuba. He has introduced, with varying levels of success, several amendments to end the U.S. prohibition on travel to Cuba, and to terminate funds for anti-Castro broadcasting. Dorgan has also opposed most bills "liberalizing" trade policies between the USA and other countries. He has a mixed record on tort reformTort reform
Tort reform refers to proposed changes in common law civil justice systems that would reduce tort litigation or damages. Tort actions are civil common law claims first created in the English commonwealth system as a non-legislative means for compensating wrongs and harm done by one party to...
issues, voting against the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
The United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-67, 109 Stat. 737 implemented several substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation, and...
and the Class Action Fairness Act, but voting in favor of the vetoed Common Sense Product Liability and Legal Reform Act and the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act was passed by the U.S. Senate on July 29, 2005, by a vote of 65-31. On October 20, 2005, it was passed by the House of Representatives 283 in favor and 144 opposed. It was signed into law on October 26, 2005, by President George W...
.
In 2007 he was a major supporter of Net Neutrality
Network neutrality
Network neutrality is a principle that advocates no restrictions by Internet service providers or governments on consumers' access to networks that participate in the Internet...
legislation in the Senate. He sees this as essential to keeping the Internet open and democratic.
In 2007, he was a major opponent of the McCain-Kennedy Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, or, in its full name, the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007 was a bill discussed in the 110th United States Congress that would have provided legal status and a path to citizenship for the approximately 12 to...
(S. 1639) saying that the legislation would continue the downward push of illegal aliens on the wages of American workers.
In 2008, he was one of the first politicians who spoke of the oncoming economic downturn in a speech to the Senate on January 23 which was in response to then President Bush's economic stimulus package.
In 2009, he voted against an amendment to the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009
Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009
The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 is a recently enacted public law in the United States. On May 20, 2009, the Senate bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama...
. He joined all 39 voting Republican senators and 12 Senate Democrats.
Dorgan has three times introduced a bill forming a Truman committee to oversee Government waste, fraud, and corruption in the giving of governmental contracts.
In 2009, Dorgan voted to approve the $838 billion dollar stimulus package. This vote passed 61-37 in the United States Senate.
In 2009, Dorgan sided with fellow Democrats to make funds available to modify or build facilities to allow Guantanamo detainees to be brought to the United States. This was a reversal from a previous vote to not allow federal funds to be used to transfer or incarcerate Guantanamo inmates.
Although Dorgan had indicated in early 2008 he would seek a fourth term in the Senate, on January 5, 2010, he issued a statement announcing he would not run for re-election. In it, he insisted that the "...decision [was] not a reflection of any dissatisfaction with my work in the Senate, nor [was] it connected to a potential election contest [in the fall of 2010] (frankly, I believe if I were to run for another term I would be reelected)."
On September 26, 2008, against a backdrop of growing economic turmoil caused by the Credit Crunch
Credit crunch
A credit crunch is a reduction in the general availability of loans or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from the banks. A credit crunch generally involves a reduction in the availability of credit independent of a rise in official interest rates...
, an article written by David Leonhardt
David Leonhardt
David Leonhardt is the Washington bureau chief of The New York Times. He joined The Times in 1999 and wrote the "Economics Scene" column, and for the Times Sunday Magazine. Before coming to The Times, he wrote for Business Week and The Washington Post...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
singled out a quotation made by Dorgan in 1999 during the US Senate's repeal of the Glass–Steagall Act. "I think we will look back in 10 years’ time and say we should not have done this, but we did because we forgot the lessons of the past, and that that which is true in the 1930s is true in 2010". Dorgan was one of only 8 senators who voted "No" on the deregulation bill (the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act) in 1999.
He is briefly featured in Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
's documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
, in which he discusses the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. He was not being interviewed by Moore.
Personal life
Dorgan is married to the former Kimberly Olson, an Executive Vice President and lobbyist for The American Council of Life Insurers. Together they have two children, Brendon and Haley, and from his first marriage Dorgan has a son Scott who has two kids named Mason and Madison. and had a daughter Shelly, who is deceased.Controversy
In November 2005, Dorgan was accused of receiving campaign contributions from people who worked for companies connected to lobbyist Jack AbramoffJack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
. Because Dorgan is the top Democrat on the committee investigating Abramoff, questions were raised about a possible conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
.
In a statement released on November 28, 2005, Dorgan responded by asserting that he has never personally met Jack Abramoff, nor has he ever received money from Abramoff. Dorgan did acknowledge receiving money from Abramoff's clients, but the donations began prior to their involvement with Abramoff. Dorgan's statement went on to say that he has supported the programs that benefited Abramoff's clients years prior to the contribution.
Dorgan's statement pointed out other errors in the news reports, such as correcting who made a call to the Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
and for what purpose. The news reports claimed that one of Dorgan's staff members made the call in order to express support for the program that benefited Abramoff's clients, whereas in reality it was a staff member for the Chairman of the Interior Subcommittee who made the call, and the call was made in opposition to the program.
On December 13, 2005 Dorgan announced that he was returning all donations from Abramoff's clients as a precaution that the contributions may have been directed or requested by Abramoff.
Writings
- Dorgan, Byron Reckless!: How Debt, Deregulation, and Dark Money Nearly Bankrupted America (And How We Can Fix It!) Thomas Dunne Books (2009) ISBN 0-312-38303-7
- Dorgan, Byron Take This Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America Thomas Dunne Books (July 25, 2006) ISBN 0-312-35522-X
- Dorgan, Byron (editor) Electric Transmission Infrastructure and Investment Needs: Hearing Before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate Diane Pub Co (January 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2997-1
Electoral history
{| class="wikitable"|+ North Dakota Senator (Class III) results: 1992–2004
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
|-
|1992
United States Senate election in North Dakota, 1992
The 1992 United States Senate election in North Dakota was held on November 3, 1992 along other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent North Dakota Democratic NPL Party...
|
|rowspan=3 |Byron L.
Dorgan
| align="right" |179,347
| |59%
|
| |
| align="right" |118,162
| |39%
|
| |Tom Asbridge
| |Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
| align="right" |6,448
| align="right" |2%
|-
|1998
|
| align="right" |134,747
| |63%
|
| |
| align="right" |75,013
| |35%
|
| |Harley McLain
| |Reform
Reform Party of the United States of America
The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...
| align="right" |3,598
| align="right" |2%
|-
|2004
|
| align="right" |212,143
| |68%
|
| |
| align="right" |98,553
| |32%
|
|colspan=4|
See also
- North Dakota United States Senate election, 1986
- North Dakota United States Senate election, 1992
- North Dakota United States Senate election, 1998
- North Dakota United States Senate election, 2004
External links
- Byron Dorgan at MetavidMetavidMetavid is a free-software wiki-based community archive project for audio video media. The site hosts public domain US legislative footage. It was started as a Digital Arts/New Media MFA thesis project of Michael Dale and Abram Stern under the advisement of Professor Warren Sack in late 2005 at the...