Rob Andrews

Early life, education, and early career

Andrews was born in Camden, New Jersey, the son of Josephine (née Amies) and Ernest Andrews; he is predominantly of Scottish and Scotch-Irish descent and counts American portrait painter Charles Willson Peale and Johannes Roosevelt among his ancestors. He grew up in Bellmawr and attended Triton Regional High School in Runnemede. Andrews was the first in his family to attend college, graduating from Bucknell University in 1979 with a BA in political science, summa cum laude. He later attended Cornell University Law School, earning his JD degree with honors in 1982.

For several years, Andrews was involved in legal education as a member of Cornell Law Review‍‍ '‍s board of editors. He also was an adjunct professor at Rutgers University-Camden Law School. From 1983 onward, Andrews operated a private law practice. In 1986, he was elected as a member of the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders, where he served for four years, including two years as freeholder director (1988–1990).

Elections

In 1990, after a 15-year incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman James Florio resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives to take office as Governor of New Jersey, Andrews won the 1990 special election and simultaneous general election against Gloucester County Freeholder Daniel J. Mangini. He subsequently won re-election every two years until his retirement. Andrews had the 10th longest tenure among U.S. Representatives in New Jersey history, and the fifth longest among Democrats state. In November 2004, he received more votes than anyone ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey, a record which he broke once again in 2012.

Andrews was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 U.S. Senate election, being defeated by incumbent U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg.

Tenure

Andrews is generally considered a moderate by Democratic standards, though he votes with his party most of the time. The New York Times has characterized Congressman Andrews as "fiscally conservative ... and socially moderate." He has a lifetime rating of 17.24 (and a 2007 rating of 0) from the American Conservative Union and a 2007 rating of 100 from Americans for Democratic Action. He has a liberal rating of 76.2 and a conservative rating of 23.8 from the National Journal. In recent years, his voting record has trended progressively more liberal.

Andrews served for his entire Congressional career on the House Committee on Education and Labor. He was the Democratic leader and ranking member on the Education Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, and was the chairman of the Education Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions which has responsibility for the health insurance, pension and labor laws of the nation. He also served on the House Armed Services Committee, which maintains jurisdiction over funding for the military forces.

Using Amtrak to commute from his Haddon Heights home while Congress is in session so that he can be closer to his family and constituents, Andrews does not maintain a residence in Washington, D.C.. Andrews is an ardent supporter of Amtrak subsidies.

Andrews voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006, authorizing the erection of a 700-mile fence across the U.S.-Mexico border.

On October 10, 2002, Rob Andrews was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq (126 Democrats in the House were opposed) and was the only Democratic member of the New Jersey Congressional delegation to co-sponsor the Iraq Resolution. In 2005, he voted in favor of amending the U.S. Constitution to prohibit desecration of the American flag. The proposed amendment was later defeated in the Senate. In the same year he voted for the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act which makes it more difficult for individuals to declare bankruptcy under Chapter 7 and encourages declaration of bankruptcy under Chapter 13.

Senators Frank Lautenberg, Bob Menendez, and Andrews were the only members of the New Jersey Democratic Congressional Delegation to vote for the Military Commissions Act of 2006. He was also involved in proposing a bill for sanctioning Iran in 2007. The Iran Sanctions Enhancement Act of 2007 targets any company or individual that provides Iran with refined petroleum products or engages in an activity that could contribute to the enhancement of Iran's ability to import refined products after December 31, 2007.

Andrews is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

During his tenure, Andrews was considered a “key champion of health care legislation in the U.S. Congress.” According to President Barack Obama, he was an “original author” of the Affordable Care Act and was a “vital partner in its passage and implementation.”

In 2013, Andrews proposed an amendment to the 2014 defense bill that would have added atheists, humanists, and "ethical culturalists" to the corps of chaplains. However, the House Armed Service Committee defeated this amendment by a vote of 43-18.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Controversies

In 2014 Andrews came under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for improper use of campaign funds. The identical substance of the accusations made were dismissed in their entirety by the Federal Election Commission in May 2014.

1997 gubernatorial election

In 1997, Andrews ran for Governor of New Jersey. In the Democratic primary, he was defeated 40%-37%, a margin of just 9,993 votes, by State Senator Jim McGreevey.

Speculation between 1998 and 2007

Andrews was reportedly considering a primary challenge in 2005, before McGreevey's resignation. While Andrews had been frequently mentioned as a possible replacement for Jon Corzine's United States Senate seat after Corzine's November 2005 gubernatorial victory, Bob Menendez was eventually chosen by Corzine to fill the vacancy. Andrews had informally announced his plan to run in the 2006 Democratic primary against Menendez, but in January 2006 announced that he would run for a ninth full term in the House and seek the Senate seat in 2008 if U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg retired.

2008 Senate election

Lautenberg ran for re-election to his Senate seat in 2008 but Andrews filed to become a candidate in the Democratic primary shortly before the deadline for doing so. Andrews accused the 84-year-old Lautenberg of being too old to be effective in the Senate. While running for the Senate, his wife Camille Andrews was placed on the Democratic primary ballot to run for Andrews' House seat.

Andrews was beaten by Lautenberg in the Senate primary held on June 5, 2008. In September, Andrews replaced his wife (who won the primary election) on the general election ballot for the House seat he still held. He subsequently won re-election to his house seat that year.

2008 presidential election

Andrews is a superdelegate within the Democratic Party and prior to the New Jersey primary he endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Following the results from the Indiana and North Carolina primaries Andrews stated that he believed Senator Barack Obama would win the nomination and that the party should unite behind him. However he did not switch his vote as a superdelegate from Clinton to Obama stating that "such a move might retard the process of unifying the party".

Personal life

Andrews is married to Camille Spinello Andrews, an associate dean of enrollment and projects at Rutgers School of Law - Camden. They have two daughters, Jackie and Josie.