Charles Foster Bass

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Charlie Bass
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire's 2nd district
In office 1995–2007
Preceded by	Dick Swett
Succeeded by	Paul Hodes
Born	January 8, 1952 (1952-01-08) (age 56) Boston, Massachusetts
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Lisa Bass
Religion	Episcopalian

Charles Foster "Charlie" Bass (born January 8, 1952) is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for the second district of New Hampshire. First elected in the 1994 Republican Revolution, he served 12 years until being defeated in the congressional elections of 2006. His father, Perkins Bass, was a Republican congressman from New Hampshire from 1955 to 1963. His grandfather, Robert P. Bass, was a Republican Governor of the state from 1911 to 1912, a founder of the Progressive Republican movement, and a friend and confidant of Teddy Roosevelt.

Bass was born in Boston to Katharine and Perkins Bass.^[1] He is a 1974 graduate of Dartmouth College, Bass currently resides in Peterborough, New Hampshire. During 1974 he worked for Maine congressman William Cohen and from 1975 until 1979 he worked for another Maine congressman, David F. Emery.

Bass was a candidate in the Republican primary for Congress in 1980, but lost. He continued in public office, serving three two-year terms as a state representative, then two two-year terms as a state Senator until he was defeated in the Republican Primary in 1992 by Dave Wheeler. He was elected to Congress in 1994.

Bass is a member of Christine Todd Whitman's Its My Party Too, The Republican Main Street Partnership, The Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans For Choice and Republicans For Environmental Protection.

Bass was one of the first and most vocal Congressmen to call for Tom DeLay to step aside as Majority Leader in early 2005 and led the organized petition that resulted in his removal from House Leadership, although DeLay's campaign committee (ARMPAC) had contributed $14,233 to Bass over more than ten years. Bass did not return or give up the money that ARMPAC had contributed.

In late September 2006, the Congressman's policy director posted comments on local blogs to demoralize the supporters of Bass' Democratic challenger, Paul Hodes. In November 2006, Bass was defeated for re-election by Democrat Paul Hodes. Hodes was able to overcome a large deficit in the polls and beat Bass due in large part to a wave of anti-Republican sentiment that swept the nation in the mid-term election. Bass' defeat helped turn control of the House of Representatives back to the Democrats, who had been out of power there since 1994.

Since Bass has not expressed an intention to try to retake his seat in Congress, he is now mentioned as a possible gubernatorial challenger of Governor John Lynch in the 2008 election.

[edit] Election History

Year	Office	Election		Subject	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
1994	Congress, District 2	General		Charlie Bass	Republican	N/A	N/A		Richard Swett	Democratic	N/A	N/A
1996	Congress, District 2	General		Charlie Bass	Republican	123,001	50.50		Arnie Arnesen	Democratic	105,867	43.46		Carole Lamirande	Independent	10,757	4.42
1998	Congress, District 2	General		Charlie Bass	Republican	85,740	53.13		Mary Rauh	Democratic	72,217	44.75		Paula Werme	Libertarian	3338	2.07
2000	Congress, District 2	General		Charlie Bass	Republican	152,581	56.19		Barney Brannen	Democratic	110,367	40.64		Brian Christeson	Libertarian	3338	2.07
														Roy Kendel	Independent	2204	0.81
2002	Congress, District 2	General		Charlie Bass	Republican	125,804	56.81		Katrina Swett	Democratic	90,479	40.86		Rosalie Babiarz	Libertarian	5,051	2.28
2004	Congress, District 2	General		Charlie Bass	Republican	191,188	58.25		Paul Hodes	Democratic	125,280	38.17		Richard Kahn	Libertarian	11,311	3.45
2006	Congress, District 2	General		Charlie Bass	Republican	94,012	45.61		Paul Hodes	Democratic	108,634	52.71		Ken Blevens	Libertarian	3,305	1.60

[edit] References

• Charles Foster Bass at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

[edit] External links

• Official Campaign Site
• Macromedia Home Page
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post

Preceded by Richard Swett

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district 1995–2007

Succeeded by Paul Hodes