Mary Bono Mack

Mary Bono Mack
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 45th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  April 7, 1998
Preceded by	Sonny Bono
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	October 24 1961 (1961-10-24) (age 46) Cleveland, Ohio
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Sonny Bono (1986-1998) (deceased) Glenn Baxley (2001-2005) (divorced) Connie Mack IV (2007-present)
Residence	Palm Springs, California
Religion	Protestant

Mary Bono Baxley Mack (born October 24, 1961) is an American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1998, representing the 45th District of California (map) which includes most of central and eastern Riverside County. The district was previously the 44th District before redistricting occurred in 2000.

Personal life

She was born in Cleveland, Ohio but has lived in Southern California since 1963. She worked her way through the University of Southern California, graduating in 1984. Soon after leaving USC, she married singer-turned-politician Sonny Bono and moved to Palm Springs. Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident on 5 January 1998. Mary easily won the Republican nomination for the special election to succeed him, which is tantamount to election in the heavily Republican district. She took office on 7 April 1998. She won a full term in November and has been re-elected three times with no serious opposition. As of 2007, Bono was one of four representatives to be elected to their seats following the deaths of their husbands, along with Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Lois Capps (D-CA), and Doris Matsui (D-CA). Sonny Bono was a member of the Church of Scientology (although he continued to state that he was a Roman Catholic on most official documents). The church has its large Gold Base headquarters in her district. Mary Bono took courses in Scientology in 1989 and 1990, but she has since distanced herself from the organization and said that she does not believe in their tenets.^[1] She was married to Palm Springs businessman Glenn Baxley (2001 to 2005). She has a son, Chesare Elan Bono (born 1988), and a daughter, Chianna Maria Bono (born 1991) from her marriage to Sonny Bono. Mary Bono was romantically linked to fellow Congressman Connie Mack IV from Florida for two years, and on September 7, 2007, Bono and Mack announced their engagement to the general public. The wedding took place on December 15, 2007, in Asheville, North Carolina^[2].

Congressional career

Unlike Sonny Bono, who was a loyal supporter of Newt Gingrich, Bono Mack has a moderate voting record. The 45th District leans slightly Republican with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of +3 Republican; it includes more Democratic Moreno Valley and parts of Palm Springs area as well as the very conservative Temecula Valley. She chose not to attend the 2004 Republican National Convention because she felt her district and state were not in strong contention and her objection to the platform's opposition to any legal benefits for same-sex couples as well as opposition to gays in the military. Her district includes the highest percentage of gays and lesbians of any district represented by a Republican. ^[3]. She is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership, The Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans For Choice, The Wish List, and Christine Todd Whitman's It's My Party, Too. However, her voting records show that she has a pro-life voting record.^[4] Bono Mack usually votes conservatively, following the Republican Party 89% of the time and President Bush 79% of the time, according to Congressional Quarterly. She has an 84% approval rating from the Christian Coalition.^[5] In 1999, she voted in favor of the Largent amendment,^[6] to ban adoption by same-sex couples in Washington, DC.^[7] Bono has, however, voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment twice. Bono Mack voted for a pay raise for members of Congress in 2005. In May 2006, she stated in a subcommittee hearing on the extension of copyright law that her regular $165,200 congressional salary was not enough to pay for her son Chesare's college expenses. She said that were it not for her late husband Sonny's royalties, she "could not afford college for [her] son." Along with college expenses, she had to pay for new cars for both her and Chesare. Chesare, Chez for short, planned to attend USC in the fall of 2006; the school estimates yearly expenses to be $46,966.^[8] In 2006, it was reported that she had received $30,000 from the later-indicted Jack Abaramoff.^[9][10] In her official 2005 filing, Bono Mack stated that her income from royalties and dividends was between US$402,000 and US$3.3 million. ^[11] Bono Mack was a leading proponent of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act or so-called "Mickey Mouse Law", which extended the terms of copyright, a bill which the Church of Scientology supported so that they could keep access to their scriptures and OTIII documents.^[12] Giving a speech on the floor of Congress in favor of the bill, Bono said:

Actually, Sonny wanted the term of copyright protection to last forever. I am informed by staff that such a change would violate the Constitution. . . . As you know, there is also [Motion Picture Association of America president] Jack Valenti's proposal for the term to last forever less one day. Perhaps the Committee may look at that next Congress.^[13]

Led by her campaign team, Bono Mack was reelected with 60.7% of the vote in 2006.^[14][15]

Congressional scorecards

See also

• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart

Project Vote Smart provides the following results from congressional scorecards.^[16]

• American Civil Liberties Union – 29% for 2005–2006
• Americans for Democratic Action – 25% for 2006
• American Land Rights Association – 91% for 2006
• Americans for Tax Reform – 77% for 2006
• AFL-CIO – 17% in 2006
• Campaign for America's Future – 17% for 2005-2006
• Conservative Index-John Birch Society – 30% for Fall 2004
• Children's Defense Fund – 20% for 2006
• Drug Policy Alliance – 33% for 2006
• Drum Major Institute – 0% for 2005
• Family Research Council – 42% for 2006
• FreedomWorks – 50% for 2006
• Gun Owners of America – 100% for 2006
• Humane Society of the United States – 85% for 2005-2006
• League of Conservation Voters – 25% for 2006
• NARAL Pro-Choice America – 35% for 2006
• National Association of Wheat Growers – 100% for 2005
• National Education Association – 25% for 2005-2006
• National Federation of Independent Business – 100% for 2005-2006
• National Journal – Composite conservative score of 60.5% for 2006
• National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws – -20 for 2006
• National Organization for Women – 32% for 2005-2006
• National Rifle Association – B- for 2006
• National Right to Life Committee – 44% for 2005-2006
• National Taxpayers Union – 50% for 2006
• Population Connection – 33% for 2006
• Republican Liberty Caucus – 65% for 2005
• Secular Coalition for America – 30% on 2006 scorecards^[17]
• United States Chamber of Commerce – 86% for 2006

References

1. ^ Proud Mary Bono, George, August 1999
2. ^ http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071216/NEWS01/312160006/1075
3. ^ http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/SameSexCouplesandGLBpopACS.pdf Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey]|2.07 MiB}}. The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, UCLA School of Law October, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2007
4. ^ http://www.ontheissues.org/CA/Mary_Bono.htm
5. ^ http://www.cc.org/2004scorecard.pdf
6. ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll346.xml
7. ^ http://www.commondreams.org/pressreleases/july99/072999f.htm
8. ^ Bono Says She Doesn't Get Paid Enough Money, Roll Call, May 4, 2006
9. ^ http://www.rollcall.com/issues/51_117/hoh/13175-1.html?type=pf
10. ^ http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Congresswoman_Bono_widow_claims_Reps_cant_0504.html
11. ^ http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050616/NEWS10/506160332/1024
12. ^ Proud Mary Bono, George, August 1999
13. ^ 144 Congressional Record H9952.
14. ^ Bono Election Day Schedule
15. ^ Election Results 2006 - California Secretary of State
16. ^ "Representative Mary Bono Mack (CA)". vote-smart.org. Project Vote Smart. Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
17. ^ "Scorecard for the 109th Congress U.S. House of Representatives". Secular.org. Secular Coalition for America. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.

External links

• U.S. Congresswoman Mary Bono official House site
• Mary Bono Mack at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission — Mary Bono campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — Mary Bono issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Mary Bono campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Mary Whitaker Bono (CA) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Mary Bono profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Mary Bono-Mack voting record
• Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack official campaign site