Richard Burr

Richard Burr

Richard Mauze Burr is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from North Carolina, serving since 2005. Burr was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives. Burr served as the Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2015 to 2020. Burr defeated Democratic nominee Deborah K. Ross in the November 2016 general election by a margin of 51–45. Burr has voted with about 92% of the time of the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump.

About Richard Burr in brief

Summary Richard BurrRichard Mauze Burr is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from North Carolina, serving since 2005. Burr was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives. Burr served as the Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2015 to 2020. In 2016, he announced that he would not be seeking reelection in 2022. Burr defeated Democratic nominee Deborah K. Ross in the November 2016 general election by a margin of 51–45. Burr has voted with about 92% of the time of the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump. He was a campaign advisor for the presidential election bid of Donald Trump, and received campaign donations from Saudi Arabian lobbyists. Burr is a graduate of Wake Forest University and is a former sales manager for a lawn equipment company. While in the House, Burr authored the FDA Modernization Act of 1997. He also helped to create the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. In 2009, Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona appointed Burr to post of Chief Deputy Whip in the Senate Republican Conference. In 2011, Burr announced his intention to seek the post of minority whip, the number two position in the Republican Senate caucus. He lost to Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee by a vote of 31 to 16 in 2007, but dropped out of that race in March 2012. He is the son of Martha and The Rev. David Horace White Burr. He graduated from Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1974 and earned a B. A. from Wake forest University in 1978.

Burr played defensive back for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team. He ran against incumbent Democratic Representative Stephen L. Neal for the seat in the Winston- Salem-based 5th District in 1992 and lost. Burr ran again in 1994 after Neal chose not to seek re-election, and was elected to Congress during a landslide year for Republicans. Burr won the election by five percentage points. Burr co-sponsored an amendment to the Energy Policy Act of 2003 relaxing restrictions on the exports of specific types of enriched uranium. The original Schumer amendment placed increased controls on U.S. civilian exports of weapons grade highly enriched uranium to encourage foreign users to switch to reactor grade low-enriched uranium for isotope production. The amendment allowed exports to five countries for creating medical isotopes. He never dropped below 62 percent of the vote, and even ran unopposed in 2002. In 2007, Burr ran for the leadership post of chairman of the Republican Conference, but lost to Republican Lamar Alexander. He won the post in 2012, but he dropped out in March 2013, but returned to the leadership in March 2014 to serve as a deputy whip. He has voted against about 92 per cent of the votes against President Barack Obama’s health care reform bill. Burr voted against the Keystone XL pipeline in 2008, and voted against it in 2010, and against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2012. Burr opposed the KeystoneXL pipeline in 2009, but voted for it in 2011.