Ron Lewis



Ron Lewis was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 2nd Congressional District of Kentucky from 1994-2008. (map)

Iraq War
Lewis voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Term limits
In 1996, Lewis signed a pledge with the advocacy group Americans for Limited Terms, taking on a self-imposed term limits, set to expire in 2002. However, Lewis broke the pledge and has ran for reelection since.

Bio
Lewis was born September 14, 1946 in McKell, Kentucky. He was educated at the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University, and was a clergyman and owner of a Christian bookstore in Elizabethtown, Kentucky before entering the House. Lewis was somewhat active in Republican politics prior to his election, working in the gubernatorial campaign of Louie B. Nunn in 1967, and running unsuccessfully for the state legislature in 1971.

Congressional career
Lewis won the U.S. House seat in a special election to replace longtime representative William H. Natcher after his death. The Second District was predominantly Democrat in terms of voter registration, and Lewis was nominated by the GOP as somewhat of a "sacrifical lamb" in opposition to Joe Prather, a state senator from Hardin County, Kentucky. In a major upset, the unknown Lewis defeated the widely-known Prather by a 55%-45% margin &mdash; a result that many political pundits saw as a harbinger of the Republican gains in Congress in the regular election later that year. Lewis became the first Republican to ever represent the district.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Democrats nominated John Michael Weaver to face Lewis in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Lewis retained his seat.

2008 elections
Lewis announced on January 29, 2008 that he would not seek re-election in November. Lewis, who is serving his seventh full term, originally filed paperwork with state election officials to seek re-election in Kentucky’s 2nd. But he withdrew from the race at the last minute, just before the filing period closed, in an apparent attempt to pave the way for his chief of staff Daniel London to file to succeed him in Congress.

Money in politics
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Committee assignments in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Ways and Means
 * Subcommittee on Social Security
 * Subcommittee on Trade

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Ways and Means
 * Subcommittee on Social Security
 * Subcommittee on Trade

Contact
DC Office: 2418 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-1702 Phone: 202-225-3501 Fax: Web Email Website

District Office- Bowling Green: Warren County Justice Center 1001 Center Street, Suite 300 Bowling Green, KY 42101 Phone: 270-842-9896 TollFree: 800-367-6676 (In KY) Fax:

District Office- Elizabethtown: Republic Bank Building 1690 Ring Road, Suite 260 Elizabethtown, KY 42701 Phone: 270-765-4360 TollFree: 800-367-6676 (In KY) Fax:

District Office- Owensboro: 1100 Walnut Street, Suite P15B Owensboro, KY 42301 Phone: 270-688-8858 TollFree: 800-367-6676 (In KY) Fax:

Aricles and Resources

 * Official website
 * USA Today profile of Lewis
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * ConservaChick