How Herger votes

Wally Herger’s voting record is fairly typical of a conservative member of Congress. (See http://www.votesmart.org/.)

He’s against abortion, protecting endangered species, the environment and raising the federal minimum wage. In September he did vote to extend federal emergency unemployment benefits.

He favors appropriation bills for agriculture (a big campaign contributor), but is not a fan of animal rights (he voted against the Horse Slaughter Prohibition bill) and wildlife issues (he voted against eliminating predator-control efforts, which means gunning down wolves and coyotes that prey on cattle and sheep).

On budget, spending and tax matters, he voted against the cash-for-clunkers program, trade-in vouchers for fuel-efficient cars, and a cap-and-trade program to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions.

He voted against expanding hate crimes to include those based on sexual orientation, and was against expanding the National Volunteer Program. And he voted no on a bill to reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

He voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Pay Act, which gave women more time to file pay-discrimination claims, and against expanding the Food and Drug Administration’s authority to regulate food products and food facilities.

And he was one of only 21 members of Congress who voted against a national shield law for journalists to prohibit the federal government from requiring a reporter to disclose writings, recordings, photographs or the identity of a source, except under certain conditions.

On the other hand, he did vote to allow loaded guns to be carried in national parks, to define marriage in the United States as being between a man and a woman, and to recognize the importance of the Christian faith as one of the great religions of the world.