John Barrasso
United States Senator from Wyoming
Incumbent
Assumed office June 22, 2007 Serving with Mike Enzi
Preceded by	Craig Thomas
Wyoming State Senator
In office 2002–2007
Personal details
Born	July 21, 1952 (1952-07-21) (age 59) Reading, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Linda Nix (divorced) Bobbi Brown
Children	Peter Barrasso Emma Barrasso Hadley Barrasso
Residence	Casper, Wyoming
Alma mater	Georgetown University (B.S., M.D.)
Profession	Orthopedic surgeon
Religion	Presbyterian
Website	U.S. Senator John Barrasso

John Anthony Barrasso (pronounced /bəˈrɑːsoʊ/; born July 21, 1952) is the junior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party. He was appointed to the Senate following Craig L. Thomas's death and won a special election in 2008 to fill the remaining four years of Thomas's term.

Early life

Barrasso was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1952. He is a 1970 graduate of Central Catholic High School in Reading, PA. He began his college career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (where he became a member of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity) and transferred to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., graduating with a bachelor of science degree in 1974. He also received his M.D. degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1978. He conducted his residency at Yale Medical School in New Haven, Connecticut.

Medical career

In addition to his private orthopedic practice, Barrasso was Chief of Staff of the Wyoming Medical Center, State President of the Wyoming Medical Society, President of the National Association of Physician Broadcasters, and a member of the American Medical Association Council of Ethics and Judicial Affairs.

Barrasso was also a rodeo physician for the Professional Rodeo Cowboy's Association (and a member of the "Cowboy Joe Club") and volunteered as a team physician for Casper College as well as several local high schools. He has also been awarded the "Wyoming Physician of the Year." He has been awarded the "Medal of Excellence" by the Wyoming National Guard for his services to the National Guard as well. Barrasso also received the "Legislative Service Award" from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for his support of Wyoming's veterans.

Early political career

Barrasso previously ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1996 for the seat vacated by Alan K. Simpson, the moderate Republican from Cody. In 1996, Barrasso lost the primary election to Mike Enzi, who now serves alongside Barrasso in the U.S. Senate. Enzi defeated Barrasso 33-32 percent in a seven-way primary.

Barrasso was elected to the Wyoming Senate in 2002 and reelected in 2006. While in the Wyoming Senate, he was the Chairman of the Transportation and Highways Committee. He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon in private practice in Casper.

U.S. Senate

Appointment

Barrasso was chosen on June 22, 2007, by Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal to replace the late U.S. Craig L. Thomas. Under state law, Freudenthal was able to consider only three individuals whose names were submitted to him by the Republican State Central Committee because the seat was vacated by a Republican. The rejected choices were former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne and former Republican State Chairman and lobbyist Tom Sansonetti, a former aide to Thomas. Matt Mead, grandson of former Senator Clifford P. Hansen, had also sought the nomination but was eliminated by the central committee in fourth place. Mead later went on to be elected Governor of Wyoming in 2010. When he was appointed, Barrasso indicated that he would also run in the November 2008 special election to fill the remainder of Thomas's term. Barrasso eventually won that special election with more than 73 percent of the vote.

2008 election

Barrasso announced on May 19, 2008, that he would run in the general election in 2008 to serve the remainder of Thomas's term (though he had already stated that intention before his appointment). Tom Sansonetti, one of the three GOP nominees for Thomas's seat, said he would not challenge Barrasso for the seat in the 2008 primary. The other nominee, Cynthia Lummis, was a candidate for the Republican nomination to replace retiring U.S. Representative Barbara Cubin for the state's at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The filing deadline in Wyoming was May 30, 2008, and as of that date Barrasso had not drawn a primary opponent. The Democratic nominee was Nick Carter, a lawyer from Gillette. Pundits unanimously rated the race "Safe Republican." As expected, Barrasso won the general election in a landslide, garnering 73% of the vote.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on National Parks
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Environment and Public Works
  • Subcommittee on Oversight (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife
• Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs
  • Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues
• Committee on Indian Affairs (Vice Chairman)
• Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles against Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr.

Personal life

Family

Barrasso has three children — Peter, a graduate of Georgetown University; Emma, a graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; and Hadley, a recent high school graduate. He is divorced from Linda Nix. On January 1, 2008, he married Bobbi Brown of Casper, Wyoming.

Memberships

Barrasso is also a member of the Board of Directors of Presidential Classroom, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings young people to Washington, D.C. to learn about government. Barrasso is a member of the Casper Chamber of Commerce and the Casper Rotary Club.

Barrasso is a perennial local host for the Jerry Lewis Telethon (with more than 20 years of service) and a frequent guest on Utah Public Television and the Casper ABC affiliate, KTWO-TV, where he offers commentary on a wide range of medical topics. He is author of a regular newspaper column, "Keeping Wyoming Healthy," and is particularly known for his senior and elder care including, among other things, writing a series of monthly articles on senior fitness, care, and prevention entitled, "Caring for Wyoming's Seniors."

Marriage

On August 11, 2007, during Cheyenne's annual Race for the Cure, Barrasso and Bobbi Brown, herself a breast cancer survivor and at the time, the state director for Barrasso's state Senate offices, announced that they would marry. Once the two were engaged, Brown resigned her position in Barrasso's state Senate offices.

The two have known each other for 25 years and have been dating for five years. They had discussed marriage before, but Barrasso's recent appointment to the U.S. Senate underscored the need to tie the knot. They were married on January 1, 2008, with their children in attendance in Thermopolis.

Brown has a 16-year-old daughter, named Hadly, from a previous marriage. Barrasso has two children, Peter and Emma, from his previous marriage to Linda Nix.

Political views

Barrasso is considered a conservative, though in 1996 he ran for the Wyoming Senate as a pro-choice, social moderate. During his career in the Wyoming Legislature, he moved to the right on abortion issues and sponsored legislation designed to provide restrictions on receiving the procedure. He has received an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association. According to a Washington Post survey, he has voted with Republicans 94 percent of the time.

Barrasso was quoted as saying, “I believe in limited government, lower taxes, less spending, traditional family values, local control and a strong national defense,” and said he has “voted for prayer in schools, against gay marriage and [has] sponsored legislation to protect the "sanctity of life".

Barasso joined Wyoming colleague Mike Enzi in endorsing the nomination of Richard Honaker of Rock Springs to the U.S. District Court in Cheyenne. The nomination was pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2007 until Barack Obama became president.

Barrasso opposed President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and he voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Election history

Sources

• Wyoming Senate Members Site
• Health Grades (Medical Research Site)
• National Science Bowl 2006
• CSN News
• Unique Opportunities Magazine for Physicians May 2000
• Barrasso Official Statement
• Project Vote Smart-Interest Group Ratings

United States Senators from Wyoming Class 1 Warren · Clark · Kendrick · O'Mahoney · Barrett · McGee · Wallop · Thomas · Barrasso Class 2 J. Carey · Warren · Sullivan · R. Carey · Schwartz · Robertson · Hunt · Crippa · O'Mahoney · Hickey · M. Simpson · Hansen · A. Simpson · Enzi