Earl Blumenauer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's3rd district | |
| In office May 21, 1996 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Wyden |
| Succeeded by | Maxine Dexter |
| Portland City Commissioner | |
| In office January 5, 1987 – May 25, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Mildred Schwab |
| Succeeded by | Erik Sten |
| Member of theMultnomah County Board of County Commissioners | |
| In office January 1979 – January 1987 | |
| Member of theOregon House of Representatives from the 11th district | |
| In office January 8, 1973 – January 1, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | John W. Anunsen |
| Succeeded by | Rick Bauman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Earl Francis Blumenauer (1948-08-16)August 16, 1948 (age 76) Portland,Oregon, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Lewis and Clark College (BA,JD) |
| Website | House website |
Earl Francis Blumenauer[1] (/ˈbluːmənaʊ.ər/BLOOM-ə-nowər; born August 16, 1948) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as theU.S. representative forOregon's 3rd congressional district from 1996 to 2025. The district includes most ofPortland east of theWillamette River.
As a member of theDemocratic Party, Blumenauer previously spent over 20 years as a public official in Portland, including serving on thePortland City Council from 1987 to 1996, when he succeededRon Wyden in the U.S. House of Representatives. Wyden waselected to theU.S. Senate afterBob Packwood resigned.
Blumenauer is known for his distinctivebow ties and neon bicycle lapel pins.[2][3] Blumenauer gifts his signature bike pins to fellow congressmen, interns, and staffers.[4]
Since January 2025, Blumenauer serves as a senior fellow atPortland State University and as special advisor to university presidentAnn Cudd.[5]
Blumenauer was born in Portland on August 16, 1948. In 1966, he graduated fromCentennial High School on Portland's east side and then enrolled atLewis & Clark College.[6] He majored in political science and received aBachelor of Arts degree from Lewis & Clark in 1970.[7] Blumenauer completed his education in 1976 when he earned aJuris Doctor degree from the school's Northwestern School of Law (nowLewis & Clark Law School).[8] Before starting law school in 1970 and until 1977, he worked as an assistant to the president ofPortland State University.[6][9]
In 1969–70, Blumenauer organized and led Oregon's "Go 19" campaign, an effort to lower the state voting age (while then unsuccessful, it supported the national trend that soon resulted in theTwenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which lowered the voting age to 18). In 1972, he was elected to theOregon House of Representatives, representing the 11th district inMultnomah County.[10] He was reelected in 1974 and 1976, and continued representing Portland and Multnomah County until the 1979 legislative session.[6] From 1975 to 1981 he served on the board ofPortland Community College.[6] After his time in theOregon legislature, he served on the Multnomah County Commission from 1979 to 1986.[6] He lost a race forPortland City Council toMargaret Strachan in 1981.[11] He left the county commission in March 1986 to run again for city council.[12]
Blumenauer was elected to the Portland City Council in May 1986.[13] His first term began in January 1987,[14] and he remained on the council until 1996.[9] From the start of his first term, he was named the city's Commissioner of Public Works,[9] which made him the council member in charge of thePortland Bureau of Transportation (also known as the Transportation Commissioner).[15] During his time on the council, Blumenauer was appointed by Oregon GovernorNeil Goldschmidt to the state'scommission on higher education, on which he served in 1990 and 1991.[16] In 1992, Blumenauer was defeated byVera Katz in an open race formayor of Portland—to date, only the second time that Blumenauer has lost an election. At the time he was called "the man who probably knows the most about how Portland works", but he left local politics to run forCongress.[17] After winning election to Congress, he resigned from the city council in May 1996.[18] In 2010, Blumenauer received TheRalph Lowell Award for outstanding contributions topublic television.[19][20]
Blumenauer was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives in 1996 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the election ofRon Wyden to theU.S. Senate.[17] He received 69% of the vote, defeating Republican Mark Brunelle.[21] He was elected to a full term that November, and was reelected 10 times without serious difficulty in what has long been Oregon's most Democratic district, never with less than 66% of the vote.
Blumenauer served as Oregon campaign chair for bothJohn Kerry's andBarack Obama's presidential campaigns.[22]
In Congress, Blumenauer is noted for his advocacy for mass transit, such as Portland'sMAX Light Rail and thePortland Streetcar,[23] and, as a strong supporter of legislation promotingbicycle commuting, cycles from his Washington residence to theCapitol and even to theWhite House for meetings.[24]
Among the bills Blumenauer has sponsored that have become law are theBunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004[25] and the SenatorPaul SimonWater for the Poor Act of 2005.[26] In addition, theLegal Timber Protection Act passed as part of the2008 Farm Bill, while the Bicycle Commuter Act passed with the 2008 bailout bill.[27]
Blumenauer was active in pressuring the United States to take greater action during theDarfur conflict.[28]
In thepolitical aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Blumenauer noted that he was among those who had pointed out the vulnerability of New Orleans and encouraged Congress to help that city and the gulf coast get better prepared:
Blumenauer supports theWorld Trade Organization[31] and has voted for free trade agreements with Peru, Australia, Singapore, Chile,[32] Africa, and the Caribbean.[33] His support for these agreements has angered progressives, environmental and labor activists. In 2004, he voted against theCentral America Free Trade Agreement. On September 24, 2007, four labor and human rights activists were arrested in Blumenauer's office protesting his support for thePeru Free Trade Agreement.[34]
In February 2009, after a domesticatedchimpanzee inConnecticut severely mauled a woman, gaining national attention, Blumenauer sponsored theCaptive Primate Safety Act to bar the sale or purchase of non-humanprimates for personal possession between states and from outside the country.[35] In June 2008, Blumenauer had sponsored legislation to ban interstate trafficking ofgreat apes, which had passed in the House but been tabled by theSenate.[36]
Blumenauer received some media attention during thepolitical debate over health care reform for sponsoring an amendment to theAmerica's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 to change procedures to mandate thatMedicare pay forend-of-life counseling.[37] The amendment, as introduced, was based on an earlier proposal cosponsored by Blumenauer andRepublican RepresentativeCharles Boustany ofLouisiana.[38] The amendment generated controversy, with conservative figures, such as2008vice presidential nominee and formerAlaska governorSarah Palin, suggesting that the amendment, if made law, would be used as a cover for the federal government to set up "death panels" that would be used to determine which people received medical treatment.[39] Blumenauer called the claim "mind-numbing" and an "all-time low." His rebuke was echoed by Republican SenatorJohnny Isakson ofGeorgia, who called the death panels claim "nuts."[40]
On July 24, 2014, Blumenauer introduced theEmergency Afghan Allies Extension Act of 2014 (H.R. 5195; 113th Congress), a bill that would authorize an additional 1,000 emergency Special Immigrant Visas that theUnited States Department of State could issue to Afghan translators who served with U.S. troops during theWar in Afghanistan.[41][42] He argued that "a failure to provide these additional visas ensures the many brave translators the U.S. promised to protect in exchange for their services would be left in Afghanistan, hiding, their lives still threatened daily by theTaliban."[42]
Blumenauer skipped all of President Trump's State of the Union addresses, saying, "I refuse to be a witness to his continued antics."[43][44] In 2019 he was one of the first lawmakers to come out in support of theGreen New Deal.[45]
In July 2019, Blumenauer voted against a House resolution introduced by RepresentativeBrad Schneider opposing efforts to boycott the State ofIsrael and theBoycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting the existence of Israel, and the return of Jewish sovereignty.[46] The resolution passed 398–17.[47]
In November 2020, Blumenauer was named a candidate forSecretary of Transportation in theincomingBiden administration.[48]Pete Buttigieg was eventually chosen instead.[49]
During the117th Congress, Blumenauer voted with PresidentJoe Biden's stated position 99.1% of the time according to aFiveThirtyEight analysis.[50]
Blumenauer voted to provide Israel with support following the2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[51][52]
On October 30, 2023, Blumenauer announced he would not run for re-election in2024.[53]
On July 10, 2024, Blumenauer called forJoe Biden to withdraw from the2024 United States presidential election.[54]
On September 10, 2024,Portland State University announced that following his term, Blumenauer would be joining the faculty as asenior fellow and as special advisor to University PresidentAnn Cudd.[63][64] He also serves as a Presidential Fellow of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies.[65] Blumenauer began his role on January 3, 2025.[66]
In 1996, Blumenauer's first year in Congress, he voted in support of theDefense of Marriage Act, which passed that year. The law was found unconstitutional in 2013 and repealed.[67] Since then he has supported LGBTQ rights.[68]
On October 1, 2015, following theUmpqua Community College shooting, Blumenauer tweeted[69] his report[70] addressing the issue of gun violence in America,Enough is Enough: A Comprehensive Plan to Improve Gun Safety, which he had published earlier that year.[71]
Blumenauer has supported alternative energy sources, health care reform, and continuing federal support for education.[68] He has supportedanimal welfare, introducing theCaptive Primate Safety Act in 2024.[72] He is also known as one of the most fervent advocates for thelegalization of marijuana, co-founding theCongressional Cannabis Caucus.[73][74] He was the chief sponsor of a bill to expand the research ofmedical cannabis and its drug derivatives that passed the House in July 2022 and the Senate in November.[75]
Blumenauer has been married to Margaret Kirkpatrick since 2004.[76]
An avid cyclist, Blumenauer is the founder and was co-chair of theCongressional Bike Caucus.[77][78]
Each year, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Blumenauer bakes and delivers hundreds of fruitcakes to his colleagues onthe Hill.[79][80]
| Year | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Earl Blumenauer | 165,922 | 67% | Scott Bruun | 65,259 | 26% | Joe Keating | Pacific | 9,274 | 4% | Bruce A. Knight | Libertarian | 4,474 | 2% | Victoria P. Guillebeau | Socialist | 2,449 | 1% | * | |||||
| 1998 | Earl Blumenauer | 153,889 | 84% | (no candidate) | Bruce A. Knight | Libertarian | 16,930 | 9% | Walt Brown | Socialist | 10,199 | 6% | Write-ins | 2,333 | 1% | |||||||||
| 2000 | Earl Blumenauer | 181,049 | 67% | Jeffery L. Pollock | 64,128 | 24% | Tre Arrow | Pacific Green | 15,763 | 6% | Bruce A. Knight | Libertarian | 4,942 | 2% | Walt Brown | Socialist | 4,703 | 2% | * | |||||
| 2002 | Earl Blumenauer | 156,851 | 67% | Sarah Seale | 62,821 | 27% | Walt Brown | Socialist | 6,588 | 3% | Kevin Jones | Libertarian | 4,704 | 2% | David Brownlow | Constitution | 3,495 | 1% | * | |||||
| 2004 | Earl Blumenauer | 245,559 | 71% | Tami Mars | 82,045 | 24% | Walt Brown | Socialist | 10,678 | 3% | Dale Winegarden | Constitution | 7,119 | 2% | Write-ins | 1,159 | <1% | |||||||
| 2006 | Earl Blumenauer | 186,380 | 73% | Bruce Broussard | 59,529 | 23% | David Brownlow | Constitution | 7,003 | 3% | Write-ins | 698 | <1% | |||||||||||
| 2008 | Earl Blumenauer | 254,235 | 75% | Delia Lopez | 71,063 | 21% | Michael Meo | Pacific Green | 15,063 | 4% | Write-ins | 701 | <1% | |||||||||||
| 2010 | Earl Blumenauer | 193,104 | 70% | Delia Lopez | 67,714 | 25% | Jeff Lawrence | Libertarian | 8,380 | 3% | Michael Meo | Pacific Green | 6,197 | 2% | Write-ins | 407 | <1% | |||||||
| 2012 | Earl Blumenauer | 264,979 | 74% | Ronald Green | 70,325 | 20% | Woodrow Broadnax | Pacific Green | 13,159 | 4% | Michael Meo | Libertarian | 6,640 | 2% | Write-ins | 772 | <1% | |||||||
| 2014 | Earl Blumenauer | 211,748 | 72% | James Buchal | 57,424 | 20% | Michael Meo | Pacific Green | 12,106 | 4% | Jeffrey J. Langan | Libertarian | 6,381 | 2% | David Walker | Non-affiliated | 1,089 | 1% | * | |||||
| 2016 | Earl Blumenauer | 274,687 | 72% | No candidate | David W. Walker | Independent | 78,154 | 20% | David Delk | Progressive | 27,978 | 7% | Write-ins | 1,536 | <1% | |||||||||
| 2018 | Earl Blumenauer | 279,019 | 73% | Tom Harrison | 76,187 | 20% | Marc Koller | Independent | 21,352 | 6% | Gary Dye | Libertarian | 5,767 | 2% | Michael Marsh | Constitution | 1,487 | <1% | * | |||||
| 2020 | Earl Blumenauer | 343,574 | 73% | Joanna Harbour | 110,570 | 24% | Alex DiBlasi | Pacific Green | 8,872 | 2% | Josh Solomon | Libertarian | 6,869 | 2% | Write-ins | 621 | <1% | |||||||
| 2022 | Earl Blumenauer | 212,119 | 69% | Joanna Harbour | 79,766 | 26% | David E Delk | Pacific Green | 10,982 | 3% | Write-ins | 467 | <1% |
Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1996, write-ins received 531 votes. In 2000, write-ins received 576 votes. In 2002, write-ins received 1094 votes. In 2014, write-ins received 1,089 votes. In 2018, write-ins received 514 votes.
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's 3rd congressional district 1996–2025 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former US Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative | Succeeded byas Former US Representative |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
