49 Facts About Andy Barr

Garland Hale "Andy" Barr IV was born on July 24,1973 and is an American attorney and politician serving as the US representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district since 2013.

Andy Barr's father founded two companies in Lexington, the accounting firm Barr, Anderson and Roberts PLLC, and Merrick Management, Inc, a physician practice firm.

Andy Barr's mother is a deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington.

Andy Barr graduated from Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1992.

In 2001, Andy Barr earned a JD degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Andy Barr was president of the Federalist Society at UK Law and was chosen to compete on the Moot Court National Team.

Andy Barr became interested in the organization's mission and was elected to its board of directors in 2004; he served as its vice president in 2007 and president in 2008 and 2009.

The Herald-Leader later requested copies of any employment recommendations made by LINK employees, but Andy Barr refused the request, citing an exemption in Kentucky's Open Records Act that provides exemptions for "preliminary drafts, notes and correspondence" of state employees.

In 2007, Fletcher's general counsel resigned to become executive director of the Kentucky Bar Association; deputy general counsel David E Fleenor was elevated to general counsel, and Barr replaced Fleenor as deputy general counsel.

Andy Barr was chosen as an alternate delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention and served as vice president of the Fayette County Republican Party.

On November 10,2009, Andy Barr became the first Republican to formally announce that he would seek his party's nomination to challenge incumbent 6th district congressman Ben Chandler.

Andy Barr's campaign raised far more money than those of any of his five opponents in the Republican primary.

Andy Barr garnered 31,255 votes in the primary, while his opponents' totals ranged from 4,789 to 1,880.

Andy Barr called for an end to the practice of politicians earmarking funds for special projects in their districts, a position that put him at odds with state party leaders such as McConnell and long-time 5th district congressman Hal Rogers.

Andy Barr countered with ads criticizing Chandler's support of cap-and-trade legislation, an unpopular vote in coal-dependent Kentucky, and his vote in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which Andy Barr characterized as a waste of taxpayer money that did little to stimulate an economic recovery.

Andy Barr petitioned Kentucky secretary of state Trey Grayson for a recanvassing of the voting machines in the district, but this yielded only one additional vote for Andy Barr.

On June 9,2011, Andy Barr announced that he would again challenge Chandler for his seat in the 2012 elections.

Chandler responded to the announcement by declaring, "Next year, voters will have a very simple choice to make: whether to protect and save Social Security and Medicare, or to end them," an allusion to Andy Barr's publicly expressed support for Representative Paul Ryan's budget proposal.

Andy Barr won the Republican primary and again received financial support from the National Republican Campaign Committee in his general election campaign.

When Chandler decided not to attend the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Andy Barr charged that he was trying to avoid association with President Barack Obama, who was seeking a second term and was unpopular in Kentucky.

Andy Barr was chosen to give a brief address at the 2012 Republican National Convention, during which he decried Obama's perceived hostility toward the coal industry.

Chandler's campaign attacked Andy Barr for using a mining executive from Morganfield, which is well outside the 6th district, as a coal miner from Estill County, which is in the district.

Andy Barr won the election by a vote of 153,222 to 141,436.

Andy Barr defeated Democratic nominee Elisabeth Jensen in the 2014 general election, by a vote of 147,404 to 98,290.

Andy Barr garnered wide support and raised substantial funds for the race.

Andy Barr ran with the support of former lieutenant governor Crit Luallen, state senator Reggie Thomas, state representative Susan Westrom, and Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.

Andy Barr serves on the House Committee on Financial Services, and was the ranking member of the Subcommittee on National Security, International Development, and Monetary Policy.

Andy Barr serves on the Republican Study Committee's leadership team and chairs the RSC American Worker Task Force.

In December 2017, Andy Barr voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Andy Barr introduced the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act, which passed and states that sellers of mobile homes are not loan or mortgage originators and are therefore not subject to the Truth in Lending Act.

Andy Barr has taken part in legislation targeted at the opioid epidemic.

Andy Barr helped enact legislation to provide targeted response block grants to states suffering from the opioid epidemic.

Andy Barr was key to the University of Kentucky being awarded $87 million by the Department of Health and Human Services as part of a HEAL grant to provide help to Kentucky communities hit hardest by the opioid epidemic.

In October 2018, Andy Barr played a pivotal role in Camp Nelson being designated as Kentucky's first National Monument by the Department of the Interior.

Andy Barr introduced the Financial Protections for Our Military Families Act in December 2018.

In October 2019, the Andy Barr-led AWTF's final report laid out key conservative reforms on labor, welfare, and education policy.

Andy Barr then introduced legislation to create a select committee to investigate the virus's origin.

In May 2020, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy appointed Andy Barr to serve on the House of Representatives China Task Force.

Andy Barr was appointed co-chair of the subgroup on Competitiveness along with the subgroup on Economics and Energy.

Andy Barr had been an author and advocate for the bill for over six years on the House side with Mitch McConnell advocating for the bill on the Senate side.

In February 2021, Andy Barr introduced the Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy Act.

In November 2021, Andy Barr introduced the Equine Tax Fairness Act.

Andy Barr opposes using federal funding to support organizations that offer abortions.

On December 18,2019, Andy Barr voted against both articles of impeachment against Trump.

On January 13,2021, Andy Barr voted against Trump's second impeachment.

In 2019, Andy Barr invited Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to his district to hear how the Green New Deal, of which Ocasio-Cortez is a leading proponent, would affect coal miners.

Shortly thereafter, Andy Barr withdrew his invitation, citing her "lack of civility" toward Dan Crenshaw.

In 2008, Andy Barr married Eleanor Carol Leavell of Georgetown, Kentucky, who previously served as the executive director of the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship.

Andy Barr's wife died unexpectedly on June 16,2020, at age 39, of natural causes from ventricular arrhythmia caused by a heart condition known as mitral valve prolapse, at the family's home in Lexington.