Bob Schaffer

Bob Schaffer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 4th district
In office 1997 - 2003
Preceded by	Wayne Allard
Succeeded by	Marilyn Musgrave
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Maureen Schaffer

Robert Warren "Bob" Schaffer (born July 24, 1962) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Colorado in the 105th Congress and the two succeeding Congresses (January 3 1997 to January 3 2003). In 2004, Schaffer was a failed candidate in the primary election to be the Republican nominee for a U.S. Senate seat. He is currently a candidate for the Senate for 2008.

Biography

Bob Schaffer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 24 1962 and attended Archbishop Moeller High School. He received his B.A. in Political Science at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio (1984).

Schaffer lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his wife, Maureen, and their five children, Emily and Jenny (twins), Justin, Sarah and Mary. The Schaffers are Roman Catholic and attend St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish.

The son of retired public school educators, Schaffer worked his way through college as a farm hand, receiving his B.A. from the University of Dayton and an honorary doctorate in management from Colorado Technical University.

Prior to entering politics, Schaffer held a variety of jobs, including carpet layer, lifeguard, salmon cannery worker, legislative researcher, speechwriter, and small business owner. As a businessman, he owned and operated a marketing business serving Colorado's tourism industry for six years. From 1989 to 1995, he owned and operated Northern Front Range Marketing and Distribution, a small marketing business serving Colorado’s tourism industry.

Colorado State Senate career

Schaffer served nine years as a Colorado State Senator in the Colorado General Assembly. Schaffer was only 25 years old in 1987, when he was appointed to finish Colorado State Senator Jim Beatty's term, making Schaffer the youngest to serve in Colorado's Senate. As a Colorado Senator, he was Chairman of the Finance Committee, the State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and the Local Government Committee. Schaffer was also the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Schaffer was awarded the "National Republican Legislator of the Year for 1995" by the National Republican Legislators Association.

U.S. Congressional career

Schaffer was first elected to U.S. Congress in November 1996 representing Colorado's 4th congressional district, succeeding Wayne Allard and Hank Brown. Schaffer introduced the proposed Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

1998 re-election

Schaffer was re-elected in November 1998.

2000 re-election

Schaffer was re-elected in November 2000.

Congressional highlights

• Schaffer was elected president of the 1996 Republican class, a post to which he was elected by his congressional colleagues.
• He served on three House Committees: Agriculture, Resources and the Education and the Workforce.
• He is an advocate for Ukraine and was a co-chair of Ukraine Caucus.
• He was a member of the GOP Theme Team, the "one-minute conservative debate squad", which can be seen nearly every morning on C-Span
• He was an active member of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a caucus of House Republicans organized to promote a conservative social and economic agenda.

During his first Congressional campaign, Schaffer signed a pledge to only serve three terms, thus he announced his intention not to run again after the end of the 107th Congress. Upon his retirement from Congress, he was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope John Paul II. He was succeeded by Marilyn Musgrave in January 2003.

2004 U.S. Senate race

In 2004, Schaffer contended for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate after incumbent Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell chose not to run for re-election. Brewing magnate Pete Coors opposed Schaffer. Coors entered the bitter primary battle after Schaffer faced down potential contenders such as David Liniger, founder of ReMax. Then-Governor Bill Owens offered a tacit endorsement of Schaffer, only to withdraw it before it became public. The nomination battle concluded when Coors won the Republican nomination over Schaffer with 61% of the vote. Coors went on to lose to Democratic candidate Ken Salazar in the 2004 General Election.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/12/politics/main611406.shtml?source=search_story

Post-2004 career

Schaffer is currently vice-president for business development at Aspect Energy, LLC., where he is involved in a variety of energy, mining and education projects. He served as president of the Parental Alliance for Choice in Education, a non-profit corporation promoting school choice reform in Colorado's public education system, and is active in the state’s transformation to a market-driven education system. Schaffer is a trustee of Yorktown University. He is also Chairman of the Leadership Program of the Rockies, a Colorado group providing political organizational training. Schaffer was also an opinion columnist for the now-defunct Northern Colorado Courier.

In March 2005, Schaffer was elected Republican National Committeeman for Colorado.

Schaffer was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Colorado State Board of Education by a party vacancy committee, representing a district that is contiguous with the state's Fourth Congressional District. He successfully ran for the seat in 2006, against Democrat Bob Griggs. Schaffer is the Vice Chairman.

He is the Colorado Chairman of the Judicial Confirmation Network.

In 2006, Bob Schaffer founded Dreamsoft Colorado, LLC, a firm that creates high-end interactive websites for business and political clients. He is also the President of AMDG LLC.

2008 U.S. Senate election

Main article: Colorado United States Senate election, 2008

Schaffer is currently running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican to replace retiring Senator Wayne Allard in the 2008 election. On May 3, 2007 Schaffer announced at a Republican dinner he will seek the Republican nomination for Allard's seat, according to both the chairman of the Teller County Republican Party and a county commissioner who attended the dinner. Schaffer quickly denied the report that he had announced his candidacy, instead stating that he had not decided whether to run. Then on May 9, 2007, Bob Schaffer filed his official statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission, and on May 12, 2007 made an official announcement in Boulder that he would run for U.S. Senate to a group of over 150 Republicans attending a fundraising event.

Recognition

• Champion of Free Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Guardian of Seniors' Rights from 60 Plus Association
• Friend of Farm Bureau Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation
• Friend of the Taxpayers from Americans for Tax Reform
• Guardian of Small Business award from the National Federation of Independent Business
• The Golden Bulldog Award from the Watchdogs of the Treasury.

References

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/12/politics/main611406.shtml?source=search_story

External links

• United States Congress. "Bob Schaffer (id: S000112)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Bob Schaffer for U.S. Senate official website
• On The Issues: Bob Schaffer
• Guide to the Papers of Congressman Bob Schaffer
• Ukraine.Com
• Online Voting Record
• Record of Contributions
• National Review, Interview re: Ukraine
• USA Today: Salazar Defeats Coors for Colorado Senate Seat
• American Prospect: Purple People Watch
• Rep. Bob Schaffer to Retire