Jeff Flake

Jeffry Lane “Jeff” Flake (born December 31, 1962) is an American politician and the junior United States Senator from Arizona. He served as a U.S. Representative for Arizona from 2001–2013, representing Arizona's 6th congressional district (initially Arizona's 1st congressional district). He is a member of the Republican Party. Flake was featured in the documentary series How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories.

Flake was the 2012 Republican nominee to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate. He defeated Democrat Richard Carmona on November 6, 2012 to become the junior Senator from Arizona.

Early life, education, and early career
Flake was born in Snowflake, Arizona, the son of Nerita (née Hock) and Dean Maeser Flake. His birth town was named in part for his great-great-grandfather, Mormon pioneer William J. Flake. Flake was educated at Brigham Young University and was a Mormon missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to South Africa in the early 1980s. He worked in the public affairs sector after college and served as Executive Director of the Foundation for Democracy in Namibia and Executive Director of the Goldwater Institute before entering the House of Representatives. He opposed economic sanctions on South Africa in the 1980s.

Elections
Flake was first elected to what was then AZ's 1st congressional district in 2000, after Republican incumbent Matt Salmon stepped down in honor of a self-imposed term limit. The district was then renumbered to the 6th district as Arizona gained two Congressional seats due to the results of the 2000 census.

In his campaign in 2000, Flake had pledged to serve no more than three terms in Congress, leaving no later than January 2007, but in early 2005, shortly after being elected for a third time, Flake announced that he had changed his mind and would in fact run for re-election in 2006. "It was a mistake to limit my own terms," Flake said.

Flake's departures from the Republican party-line on certain issues earned him a closely watched primary challenge in 2004. He easily defeated the challenger. In that same election, three out of five mayors in his home district opposed his re-election as he did not "bring pork barrel spending" to the mayors' cities. In 2006, several Democrats had announced their intention to run for the seat; however, only one met the June filing deadline and that particular filing was rejected due to an insufficient amount of nominating signatures. "I did expect to have a primary opponent. I deserve one," Flake said, referring to the term-limit pledge which he had broken. "By all rights, I ought to have an opponent. I just got lucky, I guess."

In the 2006 mid-term elections, Flake had no Democratic Party opponent and easily defeated the Libertarian Party candidate, Jason Blair, with 74% of the vote.

Tenure
Flake is often among a handful of Republicans casting 'no' votes on bills most of his party supports.

Flake is a fiscal conservative. He is a critic of government waste and advocates reducing federal spending. He was described by columnist Robert Novak as an "insistent reformer." He is a signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and one of eight House members to receive a 100% approval rating from the American Conservative Union. Flake voted against the Troubled Asset Relief Program ("TARP").
 * Spending

A "scourge of pork-barrel spending," Flake was ruled the least profligate spender in Congress by Citizens Against Government Waste in July 2007 and designated a "taxpayer superhero." In September 2010, Flake introduced a series of press releases under the title "So Just How Broke Are We?", whereby he explains the size of the national debt ($13 trillion) in terms of recent events, followed by a pun. As an example, noting that the cheapest 2010 World Series ticket on StubHub.com at AT&T Park was $425, it would take 30.6 billion tickets sold to pay down the debt, whereupon he remarked, "Looks like the voters are about to bring in some (debt) relievers."

Flake is "known for his ardent opposition to earmarks." He has been called an "anti-earmark crusader," and frequently challenges earmarks proposed by other members of Congress. Since May 2006, he has become prominent with the "Flake Hour," a tradition at the end of spending bill debates in which he asks earmark sponsors to come to the house floor and justify why taxpayers should pay for their "pet projects." He is credited with prompting House rule changes to require earmark sponsors to identify themselves.
 * Earmarks

Until September 2010, Flake issued a press release listing an "egregious earmark of the week" every Friday. Usually the earmark will be followed by Flake making a humorous comment; as an example, Rep. Flake once said of Congressman Jose Serrano's $150,000 earmark to fix plumbing in Italian restaurants, "I would argue this is one cannoli the taxpayer doesn’t want to take a bite of." The "earmark of the week" releases were ended and replaced with the "So Just How Broke Are We?" series of releases.

In 2007, Flake was removed from the House Judiciary Committee for "bad behavior." According to one source, the group that made this decision was dominated by Appropriations members resentful of Flake's opposition to earmarks.

In March, 2010, the House Appropriations Committee implemented rules to ban earmarks to for-profit corporations, a change Flake supported. “This is the best day we’ve had in a while,” he said to the New York Times, which reported that approximately 1,000 such earmarks were authorized in the previous year, worth $1.7 billion.

In 2007, Flake introduced legislation that would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, grant temporary legal status to illegal immigrants who pay a fine and pass background checks, and create a guest worker program.
 * Immigration

In 2009, Flake introduced Stopping Trained in America PhDs From Leaving the Economy (STAPLE) Act (H.R. 1791). If passed, the bill would authorize students who earn a Ph.D. degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics to be admitted for permanent residence and to be exempted from the numerical limitations on H-1B nonimmigrants. The bill was reintroduced in 2011 and was referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement in February of that year.

Some episodes of Flake's work toward immigration reform in the mid-2000s were documented in the series How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories.

In 2010, Flake voted against the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act which failed in the Senate. In late October of 2012, Flake reversed his stance on immigration again saying he may support it in the future. On January 28, 2013, Flake was a member of a bi-partisan group of eight Senators which announced principles for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).

Flake initially supported the Iraq War, but later changed his position to one of cautious opposition, including voting against appropriations. At a 2008 congressional hearing featuring General David Petraeus, Flake said: "I still have a hard time seeing the big picture and what constitutes success [in Iraq]. That's not just one side of the aisle with those kind of concerns. Many on this side of the aisle have that as well." He also voted against President Barack Obama's proposed troop surge in Afghanistan.
 * Foreign policy

Flake supports ending the Cuba Trade Embargo and otherwise normalizing relations with Cuba. On February 8, 2011, Flake voted for renewal of the PATRIOT Act.

In October 2008, Esquire named Congressman Flake one of the Ten Best Members of Congress saying in part, "A true conservative, Flake is as rare as the dodo. Republicans should learn from him, and liberals and libertarians will find in him a strong privacy-rights ally."
 * Social issues

Flake is pro-life, as demonstrated by his 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee.

In December 2010, Flake was one of fifteen Republican House members to vote in favor of repealing the United States military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on openly gay service members. Flake had voted to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage with a Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004 and 2006.

During the 2005 debate on renewal of the expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, Jeff Flake successfully submitted several amendments to the bill in the House of Representatives. One required the FBI director to personally sign off on any request for library and bookstore records before applying to the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court but it was altered in the United States Senate version of the bill. Two of his amendments were signed into law and they subjected any National Security Letter and its gag order to a judicial challenge by the recipient, and narrowed the scope of "Sneak and Peek" warrants to have definite time limits on their duration and extensions before they need to notify the target of the investigation. Before that "Sneak and Peek" warrants could be extended by the vague standard of not "unduly delaying trial" without any defined time limitation. This amended bill was titled the U.S.A Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and it was signed into law on March 9, 2006. This bill also required three Inspector General investigations that lead to the discovery of exigent letters and National Security Letter abuses.
 * USA Patriot Act

On February 8, 2011 Jeff Flake voted to renew key provisions of the USA PATRIOT ACT. The vote failed. On February 10, 2011 Jeff Flake again voted to renew key provisions of the USA PATRIOT ACT. This vote succeeded.

Committee assignments

 * Committee on Appropriations
 * Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
 * Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
 * Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

He also serves on the Liberty Committee (sometimes called the Liberty Caucus), a group of libertarian-leaning Republican congressmen. He is also a member of the Republican Study Committee.

2012 U.S. Senate election
In February 2011, Flake announced that he was running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl in 2012. Flake easily won the Republican nomination against real estate businessman Wil Cardon.

He faced former surgeon general Richard Carmona, who sought office for the first time in the general election. In May 2012, Flake led Carmona by 13 points in the polls. In an October 2012 poll by Public Policy Polling, Flake was trailing Carmona by two points. After the race tightened, the Wall Street Journal criticized a controversial Flake ad that accused Carmona of having "issues with anger, with ethics, and with women."

Flake was endorsed by the Casa Grande Dispatch the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the Club for Growth.

Flake defeated Democratic opponent Richard Carmona on November 6, 2012, and replaced retiring Republican Senator Jon Kyl on January 3, 2013.

Appearance in film
Flake was featured in the documentary film series How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories by filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini. Films he appears in through the series include:
 * Story 5: The Kids Across the Hill, which shows the complications from the entrance of a Democrat to the Kolbe-Flake immigration bill.
 * Story 8: The Road to Miami, features the challenges of the Flake-Kolbe-McCain immigration bill.
 * Story 9: Protecting Arizona.
 * Story 10: Brothers and Rivals, features Flake's 2004 primary challenge and continued efforts towards immigration reform.
 * Story 11: The Senate Speaks, shows the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act introduced by Ted Kennedy, McCain, Kolbe, Flake and Guttierez in the spring of 2005.

Personal life
Flake and his wife Cheryl have five children. They are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He spent time in Zimbabwe and South Africa as a Mormon missionary. The Flakes have been married since ca. 1985.

His uncle, Jake Flake, was an Arizona state senator.

Electoral history
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" !|Year ! !|Democratic !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct !
 * + Arizona's 1st congressional district: 2000 Results
 * 2000
 * |David Mendoza
 * align="right" |97,455
 * |42.38%
 * |Jeff Flake
 * align="right" |123,289
 * |53.61%
 * |Jon Burroughs
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |9,227
 * align="right" |4.01%
 * |Jon Burroughs
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |9,227
 * align="right" |4.01%

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" !|Year ! !|Democratic !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct !
 * + Arizona's 6th congressional district: Results 2002–2010
 * 2002
 * |Deborah Thomas
 * align="right" |49,355
 * |31.57%
 * |Jeff Flake*
 * align="right" |103,094
 * |65.94%
 * |Andy Wagner
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |3,888
 * align="right" |2.49%
 * 2004
 * |(no candidate)
 * align="right" |
 * |Jeff Flake
 * align="right" |202,882
 * |79.38%
 * |Craig Stritar
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |52,695
 * align="right" |20.62%
 * 2006
 * |(no candidate)
 * align="right" |
 * |Jeff Flake*
 * align="right" |152,201
 * |74.80%
 * |Jason M. Blair
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |51,285
 * align="right" |25.20%
 * 2008
 * |Rebecca Schneider
 * align="right" |115,457
 * |34.55%
 * |Jeff Flake*
 * align="right" |208,582
 * |62.42%
 * |Rick Biondi
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |10,137
 * align="right" |3.03%
 * 2010
 * |Rebecca Schneider
 * align="right" |72,615
 * |29.12%
 * |Jeff Flake*
 * align="right" |165,649
 * |66.42%
 * |Darell Tapp
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |7,712
 * align="right" |3.09%
 * |Richard Grayson
 * |Green
 * align="right" |3,407
 * align="right" |1.37%
 * 2008
 * |Rebecca Schneider
 * align="right" |115,457
 * |34.55%
 * |Jeff Flake*
 * align="right" |208,582
 * |62.42%
 * |Rick Biondi
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |10,137
 * align="right" |3.03%
 * 2010
 * |Rebecca Schneider
 * align="right" |72,615
 * |29.12%
 * |Jeff Flake*
 * align="right" |165,649
 * |66.42%
 * |Darell Tapp
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |7,712
 * align="right" |3.09%
 * |Richard Grayson
 * |Green
 * align="right" |3,407
 * align="right" |1.37%
 * 2010
 * |Rebecca Schneider
 * align="right" |72,615
 * |29.12%
 * |Jeff Flake*
 * align="right" |165,649
 * |66.42%
 * |Darell Tapp
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" |7,712
 * align="right" |3.09%
 * |Richard Grayson
 * |Green
 * align="right" |3,407
 * align="right" |1.37%
 * align="right" |3.09%
 * |Richard Grayson
 * |Green
 * align="right" |3,407
 * align="right" |1.37%
 * align="right" |1.37%

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" !|Year ! !|Democratic !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct !
 * + United States Senate election in Arizona, 2012: Results
 * 2012
 * | Richard Carmona
 * align="right" | 1,036,542
 * | 46.20%
 * |Jeff Flake
 * align="right" | 1,104,457
 * | 49.23%
 * | Marc Victor
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" | 102,109
 * align="right" | 4.55%
 * | Marc Victor
 * |Libertarian
 * align="right" | 102,109
 * align="right" | 4.55%