15 Facts About Bud Cramer

On March 13,2008, Cramer announced he would not seek re-election to a 10th term.

Bud Cramer served at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and remained a member of the Army Reserve from 1976 to 1978.

In 1973, Bud Cramer was appointed assistant district attorney in Madison County, a position he held until going into private practice in 1975.

Bud Cramer remained in private practice until 1980, when he challenged the incumbent Madison County District Attorney and won at age 33.

Bud Cramer was district attorney from 1981 to 1990, until Rep.

Bud Cramer managed to defeat Parker with less difficulty in 1996 and never faced serious opposition again, winning five more terms by over 70 percent of the vote before running unopposed in 2006.

The 1994 near-defeat led Bud Cramer to move more to the right in his voting.

Bud Cramer often broke with his party on issues such as abortion, gay rights, gun control, taxes, regulation of business, and the environment.

Bud Cramer was one of only four Democrats in the House to vote for the tax cut bill of 2003.

Bud Cramer was a long-time member of the Blue Dog Democrats, a coalition of conservative and moderate House Democrats.

Bud Cramer resisted these efforts, and won reelection easily in his increasingly conservative district despite his party affiliation.

On October 10,2002, Bud Cramer was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq.

Bud Cramer voted in favor of some measures favored by the Republican majority, including the continued occupation of Iraq and re-authorization of the Patriot Act.

However, Bud Cramer joined fellow Democrats in opposing President Bush's plan to send 21,000 additional troops to Iraq.

Since leaving Congress, Bud Cramer has worked as a lobbyist and government affairs consultant, representing clients in the defense and aerospace industries.