William Lacy Clay

William Lacy Clay

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Missouri House of Representatives District 59

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Missouri State Senate District 4

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U.S. House Missouri District 1

Successor: Cori Bush

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Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $115,003

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 4, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of Maryland, College Park

Personal

Religion

Non-denominational Protestant

Profession

Paralegal

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

William Lacy Clay (Democratic Party) was a member of the U.S. House, representing Missouri's 1st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2001. He left office on January 3, 2021.

Clay (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Missouri's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 4, 2020.

Clay began his political career as a Missouri State Representative in 1983, before becoming a Missouri State Senator in 1991 and finally moving into the U.S. House seat that his father, William Clay Sr., had previously held for 32 years.

Biography

Clay was born in St. Louis, MO. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park, from which he earned a degree in political science and certification to be a paralegal.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Clay's academic, professional, and political career:

• 2001-Present: U.S. Representative from Missouri's 1st Congressional District
• 1991-2001: Missouri State Senate
• 1986-2000: Agent at W.A. Thomas Realty
• 1983-1990: Missouri House of Representatives
• 1983: Graduated from University of Maryland
• 1976-1983: Assistant doorkeeper, U.S. House

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2017-2018

At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Clay was assigned to the following committees:

• Committee on Financial Services
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

2015-2016

Clay served on the following committees:

• Financial Services Committee
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, Ranking Member
  • Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
• Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  • Subcommittee on Government Operations
• Natural Resources Committee

2013-2014

Clay served on the following committees:

• United States House Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
  • Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade - Ranking Minority Member

2011-2012

Clay served on the following committees:

• Financial Services Committee
  • Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity
  • Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology
• Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  • Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives

2009-2010

Clay served on the following committees:

• Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2021

The 116th United States Congress began on January 9, 2019, and ended on January 3, 2021. At the start of the session, Democrats held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (235-200), and Republicans held the majority in the U.S. Senate (53-47). Donald Trump (R) was the president and Mike Pence (R) was the vice president. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2021
Vote	Bill and description	Status
Yea	Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020   The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020 (H.R. 1044) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives seeking to increase the cap on employment-based visas, establish certain rules governing such visas, and impose some additional requirements on employers hiring holders of such visas. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended.	Passed (365-65)
Yea	The Heroes Act   The HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to address the COVID-19 outbreak by providing $1,200 payments to individuals, extending and expanding the moratorium on some evictions and foreclosures, outlining requirements and establishing finding for contact tracing and COVID-19 testing, providing emergency supplemental appropriations to federal agencies for fiscal year 2020, and eliminating cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatments. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (208-199)
Not Voting	For the People Act of 2019   The For the People Act of 2019 (H.R.1) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to protect election security, revise rules on campaign funding, introduce new provisions related to ethics, establish independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions, and establish new rules on the release of tax returns for presidential and vice presidential candidates. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (234-193)
Yea	CARES Act   The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on March 27, 2020, that expanded benefits through the joint federal-state unemployment insurance program during the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation also included $1,200 payments to certain individuals, funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and funds for businesses, hospitals, and state and local governments. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House.	Passed (419-6)
Yea	Equality Act   The Equality Act (H.R. 5) was a bill approved by the House Representatives that sought to ban discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity by expanding the definition of establishments that fall under public accomodation and prohibiting the denial of access to a shared facility that is in agreement with an indiviual's gender indenitity. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (236-173)
Yea	Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019   The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8) was a bill approved by the House that sought to ban firearm transfers between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (240-190)
Yea	American Dream and Promise Act of 2019   The American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R.6) was a bill approved by the House Representatives that sought to protect certain immigrants from removal proceedings and provide a path to permanent resident status by establishing streamlined procedures for permanant residency and canceling removal proceedings against certain qualifed individuals. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (237-187)
Yea	National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (S. 1790) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on December 20, 2019, setting policies and appropriations for the Department of Defense. Key features of this bill include appropriations for research/development, procurement, military construction, and operation/maintenence, as well as policies for paid family leave, North Korea nuclear sanctions, limiting the use of criminal history in federal hiring and contracting, military housing privatization, and paid family leave for federal personnel. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (377-48)
Yea	Families First Coronavirus Response Act   The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on March 18, 2020, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing access to unemployment benefits and food assistance, increasing funding for Medicaid, providing free testing for COVID-19, and requiring employers to provide paid sick time to employees who cannot work due to COVID-19. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House.	Passed (363-40)
Yea	Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019   The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (H.R. 1994) was a bill passed by the House Representatives that sought to change the requirements for employer provided retirement plans, IRAs, and other tax-favored savings accounts by modfying the requirements for things such as loans, lifetime income options, required minimum distributions, the eligibility rules for certain long-term, part-time employees, and nondiscrimination rules. The bill also sought to treat taxable non-tuition fellowship and stipend payments as compensation for the purpose of an IRA, repeal the maximum age for traditional IRA contributions, increase penalties for failing to file tax returns, allow penalty-free withdrawals from retirement plans if a child is born or adopted, and expand the purposes for which qualified tuition programs may be used. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (417-3)
Yea	Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act   The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3) was a bill approved by the House Representatives that sought to address the price of healthcare by requiring the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate prices for certain drugs, requiring drug manufactures to issue rebates for certain drugs covered under Medicare, requiring drug price transparency from drug manufacturers, expanding Medicare coverage, and providing funds for certain public health programs. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (230-192)
Yea	Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020   The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 1865) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on December 20, 2019, providing appropriations for federal agencies in fiscal year 2020. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (297-120)
Yea	Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019   The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 (S. 1838) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on November 27, 2019, directing several federal departments to assess Hong Kong's unique treatment under U.S. law. Key features of the bill include directing the Department of State to report and certify annually to Congress as to whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous from China to justify its unique treatment, and directing the Department of Commerce to report annually to Congress on China's efforts to use Hong Kong to evade U.S. export controls and sanctions. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House.	Passed (417-1)
Not Voting	MORE Act of 2020   The MORE Act of 2020 (H.R. 3884) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to decriminalize marijuana by removing marijuana as a scheduled controlled substance and eliminating criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana. This bill required a simple majority vote from the House.	Passed (228-164)
Yea	Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020   The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 6074) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 6, 2020, providing emergency funding to federal agencies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Key features of the bill include funding for vaccine research, small business loans, humanitarian assistance to affected foreign countries, emergency preparedness, and grants for public health agencies and organizations. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to suspend the rules and pass the bill.	Passed (415-2)
Yea	Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019   The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.J.Res. 31) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on February 15, 2019, providing approrations for Fiscal Year 2019. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (300 -128)
Yea	John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act   The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (S. 47) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Doanld Trump on March 12, 2019. This bill sought to set provisions for federal land management and conservation by doing things such as conducting land exchanges and conveyances, establishing programs to respond to wildfires, and extending and reauthorizing wildlife conservation programs. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House.	Passed (363-62)
Yea	William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (On passage)   The William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (H.R. 6395) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and vetoed by President Donald Trump on December 23, 2020. Congress voted to override Trump's veto, and the bill became law on January 1, 2021. The bill set Department of Defense policies and appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021. Trump vetoed the bill due to disagreement with provisions related to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the renaming of certain military installations, limits on emergency military construction fund usage, and limits on troop withdrawals. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House on passage, and a two-thirds majority vote in the House to override Trump's veto.	Passed (335-78)
Yea	William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Overcoming veto)   The William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (H.R. 6395) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and vetoed by President Donald Trump on December 23, 2020. Congress voted to override Trump's veto, and the bill became law on January 1, 2021. The bill set Department of Defense policies and appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021. Trump vetoed the bill due to disagreement with provisions related to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the renaming of certain military installations, limits on emergency military construction fund usage, and limits on troop withdrawals. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House on passage, and a two-thirds majority vote in the House to override Trump's veto.	Passed (322-87)
Yea	Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019   The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (S.24) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on January 16, 2019, that requires federal employees who were furloughed or compelled to work during a lapse in government funding to be compensated for that time. The bill also required those employees to be compensated as soon as the lapse in funding ends, irregardless of official pay date. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to suspend the rules and pass the bill.	Passed (411-7)
Yea	Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. (Article 1)   The 2020 impeachment of Donald Trump (R) was a resolution before the 116th Congress to set forth two articles of impeachment saying that Trump abused his power and obstructed congress. The first article was related to allegations that Trump requested the Ukrainian government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and his son, Hunter Biden, in exchange for aid, and the second was related to Trump's response to the impeachment inquiry. The House of Representatives approved both articles of impeachment, and the Senate adjudged that Trump was not guilty of either charge. The articles of impeachment required a simple majority vote in the House.	Guilty (230-197)
Yea	Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. (Article 2)   The 2020 impeachment of Donald Trump (R) was a resolution before the 116th Congress to set forth two articles of impeachment saying that Trump abused his power and obstructed congress. The first article was related to allegations that Trump requested the Ukrainian government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and his son, Hunter Biden, in exchange for aid, and the second was related to Trump's response to the impeachment inquiry. The House of Representatives approved both articles of impeachment, and the Senate adjudged that Trump was not guilty of either charge. The articles of impeachment required a simple majority vote in the House.	Guilty (229-198)

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Key votes (click "show" to expand or "hide" to contract)

Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018 For detailed information about each vote, click here. Votes on domestic policy (click to expand) Voted Yea on: Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (Conference report) (HR 2)  Bill Passed (369-47) on December 12, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance through fiscal year 2023. Voted Nay on: Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2 (second vote))  Bill Passed (213-211) on June 21, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance. It also proposed modifying the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as the food stamp program. Voted Nay on: Securing America’s Future Act of 2018 (HR 4760)  Bill Failed (193-231) on June 21, 2018 Proposed funding a border wall, limiting legal immigration, a mandatory worker verification program, allowing DACA recipients to apply for legal status, and preventing separation of families at the border. Voted Yea on: Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2)  Bill Passed (369-47) on December 12, 2018 Reauthorizes through FY2023 and modifies some Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. Voted Nay on: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (HR 36)  Bill Passed (237-189) on October 3, 2017 Proposed amending the federal criminal code to make it a crime for any person to perform or attempt to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus was 20 weeks or more. The bill provided exceptions for an abortion: (1) that was necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (2) when the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. Voted Nay on: Kate's Law (HR 3004)  Bill Passed (257-167) on June 29, 2017 Proposed increasing criminal penalties for individuals in the country illegally who were convicted of certain crimes, deported, and then re-entered the U.S. illegally. Voted Nay on: No Sanctuary for Criminals Act (HR 3003)  Bill Passed (228-195) on June 29, 2017 Proposed withholding federal funds from states and localities that chose not to follow federal immigration laws. Voted Nay on: American Health Care Act of 2017 (HR 1628)  Bill passed (217-213) on May 4, 2017 Proposed modifying the budgetary and fiscal provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. Votes on economic affairs and regulations (click to expand) Voted Yea on: Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 (Conference report) (HR 6157)  Bill Passed (361-61) on September 26, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Yea on: Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 (Conference report) (HR 5895)  Bill Passed (377-20) on September 13, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Yea on: Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 (HR 6157)  Bill Passed (359-49) on June 28, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Nay on: Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019 (HR 5895)  Bill Passed (235-179) on June 8, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Nay on: Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S 2155)  Bill Passed (258-159) on May 22, 2018 Proposed exempting some banks from the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act Voted Yea on: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1625)  Bill Passed (256-167) on March 22, 2018 Proposed providing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes. Voted Nay on: The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (HR 1892)  Bill Passed (240-186) on February 9, 2018 Proposed providing appropriations through March 23, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Extension Of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1892)  Bill Passed (245-182) on February 6, 2018 Proposed providing appropriations through March 23, 2018. Voted Nay on: Making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes. (HR 195)  Bill Passed (266-150) on January 22, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 8, 2018. Voted Nay on: Making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes. (HR 195)  Bill Passed (230-197) on January 18, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 16, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1370)  Bill Passed (231-188) on December 21, 2017 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through January 19, 2018. Voted Nay on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Bill Passed (227-203) on December 19, 2017 Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018. Voted Nay on: Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes (HJ Res 123)  Bill Passed (235-193) on December 7, 2017 Proposed funding the government until December 22, 2017. Voted Nay on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Bill Passed (227-205) on November 16, 2017 Proposed amending the Internal Revenue Code to reduce tax rates and modify policies, credits, and deductions for individuals and businesses. Voted Nay on: Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. (H Con Res 71)  Bill Passed (216-212) on October 26, 2017 Proposed establishing the congressional budget for the federal government for FY2018 and setting forth budgetary levels for FY2019-FY2027. (This bill proposed adopting the Senate's budget resolution.) Voted Nay on: Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. (H Con Res 71)  Bill Passed (219-206) on October 5, 2017 Proposed establishing the congressional budget for the federal government for FY2018 and setting forth budgetary levels for FY2019-FY2027. Voted Nay on: Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 3354)  Bill Passed (211-198) on September 14, 2017 Proposed providing FY2018 appropriations for the federal government. It combined 12 appropriations bills. Voted Yea on: Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 (Included amendments to suspend the debt ceiling and fund the government) (HR 601)  Bill Passed (316-90) on September 8, 2017 Proposed suspending the debt ceiling and funding the government until December 8, 2017, and providing funding for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma relief efforts. Voted Yea on: Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 (HR 601)  Bill Passed (419-3) on September 6, 2017 Proposed providing $7.85 billion for disaster relief requirements, including response and recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey. Voted Nay on: Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 (HR 10)  Bill passed (233-186) on June 8, 2017 Proposed amending the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, among other acts. Voted Yea on: Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 (HR 244)  Bill passed (309-118) on May 3, 2017 Proposed a $1.2 trillion budget to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2017. Votes on foreign policy and national security issues (click to expand) Voted Yea on: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (HR 5515)  Bill Passed (351-66) on May 24, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities Voted Nay on: Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 695)  Bill Passed (250-166) on January 30, 2018 Proposed providing appropriations for military functions administered by the Department of Defense and for other purposes, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018. Voted Yea on: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018—Conference report (HR 2810)  Bill Passed (356-70) on November 14, 2017 Proposed authorizing FY2018 appropriations and setting forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. Voted Nay on: Make America Secure Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 3219)  Bill Passed (235-192) on July 27, 2017 Proposed making appropriations for defense, military construction, Veterans Affairs, the Legislative Branch, energy and water development, and for other purposes for the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2018. Voted Yea on: Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (HR 3364)  Bill Passed (419-3) on July 25, 2017 Proposed providing congressional review and measures to counter aggression by the governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea, and for other purposes. Did not vote on: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 3180, second vote)  Bill Passed (380-35) on July 28, 2017 Proposed authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes. Voted Nay on: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 3180)  Bill Failed (241-163) on July 24, 2017 Proposed authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes. Voted Yea on: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 2810)  Bill Passed (344-81) on July 14, 2017 Proposed authorizing fiscal year 2018 appropriations and setting forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It did not provide budget authority. Voted Yea on: Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2017 (HR 1301)  Bill passed (371-48) on March 8, 2017 The $577.9 billion fiscal year 2017 defense spending bill proposed $516.1 billion in base budget funding and $61.8 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations/ Global War on Terrorism funding. 114th Congress The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. For more information pertaining to Clay's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections. Economic and fiscal Trade Act of 2015 See also: The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, 2015 Trade adjustment assistance On June 12, 2015, the House rejected the trade adjustment assistance (TAA) measure in HR 1314—the Trade Act of 2015—by a vote of 126-302. Trade adjustment assistance (TAA) is a federal program providing American workers displaced by foreign trade agreements with job training and services. The measure was packaged with trade promotion authority (TPA), also known as fast-track authority. TPA is a legislative procedure that allows Congress to define "U.S. negotiating objectives and spells out a detailed oversight and consultation process for during trade negotiations. Under TPA, Congress retains the authority to review and decide whether any proposed U.S. trade agreement will be implemented," according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Clay was one of 144 Democrats to vote against the bill. Trade promotion authority On June 12, 2015, the House passed the trade promotion authority (TPA) measure in HR 1314—the Trade Act of 2015 —by a vote of 219-211. TPA gives the president fast-track authority to negotiate trade agreements sent to Congress without the opportunity for amendment or filibuster. Although the House approved TPA, it was a largely symbolic vote given the measure was part of a package trade bill including trade adjustment assistance (TAA), which was rejected earlier the same day. Clay was one of 157 Democrats to vote against the measure. Trade promotion authority second vote After the trade adjustment assistance (TAA) and trade promotion authority (TPA) did not pass the House together on June 12, 2015, representatives voted to authorize TPA alone as an amendment to HR 2146—the Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act—on June 18, 2015. The amendment passed by a vote of 218-208, with all voting members of the House maintaining his or her original position on TPA except for Ted Yoho (R-Fla.). Clay was one of 158 Democrats to vote against the amendment. Trade adjustment assistance second vote The House passed HR 1295—the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015—on June 25, 2015, by a vote of 286-138. The Senate packaged trade adjustment assistance (TAA) in this bill after the House rejected the TAA measure in HR 1314—the Trade Act of 2015. Along with trade promotion authority (TPA), which Congress passed as part of HR 2146—the Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act—TAA became law on June 29, 2015. Clay was one of 175 Democrats to vote in favor of HR 1295. Defense spending authorization On May 15, 2015, the House passed HR 1735—the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016—by a vote of 269-151. The bill "authorizes FY2016 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation." Clay voted with 40 Democrats and 228 Republicans to approve the bill. The Senate passed the bill on June 18, 2015, by a vote of 71-25. President Barack Obama vetoed the bill on October 22, 2015. On November 5, 2015, the House passed S 1356—the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016—by a vote of 370-58. The second version of the $607 billion national defense bill included $5 billion in cuts to match what was approved in the budget and language preventing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Clay voted with 134 other Democrats and 235 Republicans to approve the bill. On November 10, 2015, the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 91-3, and President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 25, 2015. 2016 Budget proposal On April 30, 2015, the House voted to approve SConRes11, a congressional budget proposal for fiscal year 2016, by a vote of 226-197. The non-binding resolution was designed to create 12 appropriations bills to fund the government. All 183 Democrats who voted, including Clay, voted against the resolution. 2015 budget On October 28, 2015, the House passed HR 1314—the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015—by a vote of 266-167. The bill increased military and domestic spending levels and suspended the debt ceiling until March 2017. Clay voted with 186 Democrats and 79 Republicans in favor of the bill. It passed the Senate on October 30, 2015. President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 2, 2015. Foreign Affairs Iran nuclear deal See also: Iran nuclear agreement, 2015 On May 14, 2015, the House approved HR 1191—the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015—by a vote of 400-25. The bill required President Barack Obama to submit the details of the nuclear deal with Iran for congressional review. Congress had 60 days to review the deal and vote to approve, disapprove, or take no action on the deal. During the review period, sanctions on Iran could not be lifted. Clay voted with 176 Democrats to approve the bill. Approval of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action On September 11, 2015, the House rejected HR 3461—To approve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed at Vienna on July 14, 2015, relating to the nuclear program of Iran—by a vote of 162-269. The legislation proposed approving the nuclear agreement with Iran. Clay voted with 161 Democrats for the bill. Suspension of Iran sanctions relief On September 11, 2015, the House approved HR 3460—To suspend until January 21, 2017, the authority of the President to waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, or otherwise limit the application of sanctions pursuant to an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran—by a vote of 247-186. HR 3460 prohibited "the President, prior to January 21, 2017, from: limiting the application of specified sanctions on Iran or refraining from applying any such sanctions; or removing a foreign person (including entities) listed in Attachments 3 or 4 to Annex II of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) from the list of designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Asset Control of the Department of the Treasury." Clay voted with 185 Democrats against the bill. Presidential non-compliance of section 2 On September 10, 2015, the House passed H Res 411—Finding that the President has not complied with section 2 of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015—by a vote of 245-186. Section 2 of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 required the president to submit all materials related to the nuclear agreement for congressional review. House Republicans introduced the resolution because two agreements between the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran were not submitted to Congress. Clay voted with 185 Democrats against the resolution. Export-Import Bank On October 27, 2015, the House passed HR 597—the Export-Import Bank Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2015—by a vote of 313-118. The bill proposed reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank and allowing it to resume offering assistance in the form of loans and insurance to foreign companies that wanted to buy U.S. goods. Clay voted with 185 Democrats and 127 Republicans in favor of the bill. Domestic USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 On May 13, 2015, the House passed HR 2048—the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015 or the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015—by a vote of 338-88. The legislation revised HR 3199—the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005—by ending the bulk collection of metadata under Sec. 215 of the act, requiring increased reporting from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and requiring the use of "a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies." Clay voted with 141 Democrats and 196 Republicans to approve the legislation. It became law on June 2, 2015. Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act On May 13, 2015, the House passed HR 36—the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act—by a vote of 242-184. The bill proposed prohibiting abortions from being performed after a fetus was determined to be 20 weeks or older. The bill proposed exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. Clay voted with 179 Democrats against the bill. Cyber security On April 23, 2015, the House passed HR 1731—the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act of 2015—by a vote of 355-63. The bill proposed creating an information sharing program that would allow federal agencies and private entities to share information about cyber threats. It also proposed including liability protections for companies. William Lacy Clay voted with 134 Democrats and 220 Republicans to approve the bill. On April 22, 2015, the House passed HR 1560—the Protecting Cyber Networks Act—by a vote of 307-116. The bill proposed procedures that would allow federal agencies and private entities to share information about cyber threats. Clay voted with 104 Democrats and 202 Republicans in favor of the bill. Immigration On November 19, 2015, the House passed HR 4038—the American SAFE Act of 2015—by a vote of 289-137. The bill proposed instituting additional screening processes for refugees from Iraq and Syria who applied for admission to the U.S. Clay voted with 134 Democrats and two Republicans against the bill. 113th Congress The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. For more information pertaining to Clay's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections. National security DHS Appropriations Clay voted in opposition of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines. Keystone Pipeline Amendment Clay voted in support of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines. CISPA (2013) Clay voted in support of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities. The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party. NDAA Clay voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote. Economy 2014 Budget On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the protection of the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Clay joined with the majority of the Democratic party and voted in favor of the bill. Government shutdown See also: United States budget debate, 2013 On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201. At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference. Clay voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate. The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Clay voted for HR 2775. Federal Pay Adjustment Act Clay voted in opposition of HR 273 - Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees. The bill passed the House on February 15, 2013, with a vote of 261 - 154. The bill called for stopping a 0.5 percent pay increase for all federal workers from taking effect. The raises were projected to cost $11 billion over 10 years. Clay was 1 of 144 Democrats who opposed the bill, while 44 voted for it. Immigration Morton Memos Prohibition Clay voted in opposition of House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status. The vote largely followed party lines. Healthcare Health Care Reform Rules Clay voted in opposition of House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines. Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act Clay voted in opposition of HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines. Social issues Amash amendment Clay voted in support of House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the PATRIOT Act. Both parties were split on the vote. Previous congressional sessions Fiscal Cliff Clay voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats who voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257-167 vote on January 1, 2013.

Elections

2020

See also: Missouri's 1st Congressional District election, 2020

Missouri's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)

Missouri's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Missouri District 1

Cori Bush defeated Anthony Rogers, Alex Furman, and Martin Baker in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cori Bush (D)	78.8	249,087
		Anthony Rogers (R)	19.0	59,940
		Alex Furman (L)	2.1	6,766
		Martin Baker (Independent) (Write-in)	0.1	378

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 316,171
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1

Cori Bush defeated incumbent William Lacy Clay and Katherine Bruckner in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cori Bush	48.5	73,274
		William Lacy Clay	45.6	68,887
	Submit photo	Katherine Bruckner	5.9	8,850

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 151,011
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1

Anthony Rogers defeated Winnie Heartstrong in the Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anthony Rogers	61.5	6,979
		Winnie Heartstrong	38.5	4,367

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,346
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1

Alex Furman advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alex Furman	100.0	337

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 337
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Missouri's 1st Congressional District election, 2018

General election

Incumbent William Lacy Clay defeated Robert Vroman and Robb Cunningham in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 1 on November 6, 2018.

General election

General election for U.S. House Missouri District 1

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Lacy Clay (D)	80.1	219,781
		Robert Vroman (R)	16.7	45,867
		Robb Cunningham (L)	3.2	8,727

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 274,375
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Incumbent William Lacy Clay defeated Cori Bush, Joshua Shipp, and Demarco Davidson in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1 on August 7, 2018.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Lacy Clay	56.7	81,812
		Cori Bush	36.9	53,250
		Joshua Shipp	3.4	4,974
		Demarco Davidson	2.9	4,243

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 144,279 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Susan Bolhafner (D)

Republican primary

Robert Vroman defeated Edward Van Deventer Jr. and Camille Lombardi-Olive in the Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1 on August 7, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Vroman	34.5	5,101
		Edward Van Deventer Jr.	32.9	4,876
		Camille Lombardi-Olive	32.6	4,829

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,806 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Robb Cunningham advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1 on August 7, 2018.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 1

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robb Cunningham	100.0	478

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 478 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: Missouri's 1st Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent William Lacy Clay (D) defeated Steven Bailey (R) and Robb Cunningham (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Clay defeated Maria Chappelle-Nadal and Bill Haas in the Democratic primary, while Bailey defeated Paul Berry to win the Republican nomination. The primary elections took place on August 2, 2016. Clay won re-election in the November 8 election.

U.S. House, Missouri District 1 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	William Lacy Clay Incumbent	75.5%	236,993
	Republican	Steven Bailey	20%	62,714
	Libertarian	Robb Cunningham	4.6%	14,317
Total Votes				314,024
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

U.S. House, Missouri District 1 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
William Lacy Clay Incumbent	62.6%	56,139
Maria Chappelle-Nadal	26.8%	24,059
Bill Haas	10.5%	9,422
Total Votes		89,620
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

U.S. House, Missouri District 1 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Steven Bailey	67.2%	12,450
Paul Berry	32.8%	6,067
Total Votes		18,517
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

2014

See also: Missouri's 1st Congressional District elections, 2014

Clay ran for re-election to the U.S. House in 2014. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 5, 2014. He defeated Daniel Elder (R) and Robb Cunningham (L) in the general election on November 4, 2014.

U.S. House, Missouri District 1 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	William Lacy Clay Incumbent	73%	119,315
	Republican	Daniel Elder	21.6%	35,273
	Libertarian	Robb E. Cunningham	5.4%	8,906
Total Votes				163,494
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

2012

Clay sought re-election in 2012. He defeated fellow incumbent Russ Carnahan and challenger Candice Britton in the Democratic primary. He was re-elected on November 6, 2012.

U.S. House, Missouri District 1 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	William Lacy Clay Incumbent	78.7%	267,927
	Republican	Robyn Hamlin	17.9%	60,832
	Libertarian	Robb E. Cunningham	3.5%	11,824
Total Votes				340,583
Source: Missouri Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

U.S. House, Missouri District 1 Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
William Lacy Clay Incumbent	63.3%	57,672
Russ Carnahan Incumbent	33.9%	30,911
Candice Britton	2.8%	2,566
Total Votes		91,149

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for William Lacy Clay, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, William Lacy Clay won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Robyn Hamlin (R) and Julie Stone (L) in the general election. U.S. House Missouri District 1 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William Clay Lacy incumbent 73.6% 135,907      Republican Robyn Hamlin 23.6% 43,649      Libertarian Julie Stone 2.8% 5,223 Total Votes 184,779 2008 On November 4, 2008, William Lacy Clay won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Robb E. Cunningham (L) and Damien Johnson (Write-in) in the general election. U.S. House, Missouri District 1 General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William Lacy Clay incumbent 88.1% 242,570      Libertarian Robb E. Cunningham 11.9% 32,700      Write-in Damien Johnson 0% 7 Total Votes 275,277 2006 On November 7, 2006, William Lacy Clay won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Mark J. Byrne (R) and Robb E. Cunningham (L) in the general election. U.S. House, Missouri District 1 General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William Lacy Clay incumbent 72.9% 141,574      Republican Mark J. Byrne 24.7% 47,893      Libertarian Robb E. Cunningham 2.5% 4,768 Total Votes 194,235 2004 On November 2, 2004, William Lacy Clay won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Leslie L. Farr II (R), Terry Chadwick (L) and Robert Rehbein (Constitution) in the general election. U.S. House, Missouri District 1 General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William Lacy Clay incumbent 73% 213,658      Republican Leslie L. Farr II 22.1% 64,791      Libertarian Terry Chadwick 1.3% 3,937      Constitution Robert Rehbein 3.6% 10,404 Total Votes 292,790 2002 On November 5, 2002, William Lacy Clay won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Richard Schwadron (R) and Jim Higgins (L) in the general election. U.S. House, Missouri District 1 General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William Lacy Clay incumbent 70.1% 133,946      Republican Richard Schwadron 27.1% 51,755      Libertarian Jim Higgins 2.8% 5,354 Total Votes 191,055 2000 On November 7, 2000, William Lacy Clay won election to the United States House. He defeated Z. Dwight Billingsly (R), Brenda (Ziah) Reddick (Green), Tamara A. Millay (L) and Robert Penningroth (Reform) in the general election. U.S. House, Missouri District 1 General Election, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William Lacy Clay 75.2% 149,173      Republican Z. Dwight Billingsly 21.5% 42,730      Green Brenda (Ziah) Reddick 1.6% 3,099      Libertarian Tamara A. Millay 1.1% 2,253      Reform Robert Penningroth 0.6% 1,092 Total Votes 198,347

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

William Lacy Clay did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Presidential preference

2020

See also: Presidential election in Missouri, 2020 and Democratic National Convention, 2020

Clay endorsed Kamala Harris (D) in the 2020 presidential election.

2016

See also: Presidential election in Missouri, 2016 and Democratic National Convention, 2016

Clay endorsed Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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William Lacy Clay campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2020	U.S. House Missouri District 1	Lost primary	$864,884	$1,038,724
2018	U.S. House Missouri District 1	Won general	$663,729	$709,121
2016	U.S. House, Missouri District 1	Won	$658,536	N/A**
2014	U.S. House (Missouri, District 1)	Won	$583,583	N/A**
Grand total			$2,770,732	$1,747,845
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Issues

Ferguson police shooting response

See also: Shooting in Ferguson, Missouri

On August 17, 2014, Clay explained his displeasure with the militarization of the Ferguson police department in their response to Michael Brown's death, stating, "A militarized police force facing down innocent protesters with sniper rifles and machine guns is totally unacceptable in America. Some of these police departments who have received this equipment have not been properly trained in its use by the military. So, that is a question that some of my colleagues in Congress have said that they are going to try to get answers to." New York City Police Department Chief Bernard Kerik, appearing on the same television talk show, defended the police tactics, claiming, "There were Molotov cocktails thrown. There was … property that was damaged. The lpolice have to respond to that. You can't let the thugs take over the city." On the same talk show, Clay called for more diverse police departments, stating about departments in largely African American communities, "They do not have enough diversity within their force; they do not have a healthy relationship with the African-American community that they are supposed to police," and called for a national examination of those scenarios.

Reps. Clay and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) spoke with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on August 22, 2014, about dismantling the "1033" program run by the Defense Department, explaining, "We are pleased to report that we had a productive, expansive and very encouraging meeting with Secretary Hagel [Thursday] on our urgent concerns about the militarization of local law enforcement agencies through the distribution of surplus Department of Defense equipment via the 1033 Program. We have asked the secretary to review the program and to respond with his recommendations quickly."

Congressional Black Caucus

Clay and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus spoke out against the handling of the events in Ferguson on the House floor on September 8, 2014. He stated, "This much cannot be disputed: Across America today, we have too many Michael Browns. We have too many unarmed black men who interact with police and wind up dead. The resolution of that problem will only come through a painful, honest national discussion about race and our inability to address these tragic disparities."

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Clay's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $55,006 and $175,000. That averages to $115,003, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Clay ranked as the 375th most wealthy representative in 2012. Between 2004 and 2012, Clay's calculated net worth increased by an average of 12 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

William Lacy Clay Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2004	$58,949
2012	$115,003
Growth from 2004 to 2012:	95%
Average annual growth:	12%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

Note: Clay's 2011 report was not available.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Clay received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Public Sector Unions industry.

From 1999-2014, 24.52 percent of Clay's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

William Lacy Clay Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$4,546,534
Total Spent	$4,278,022
Top industry in the district	Educational services, and health care and social assistance
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Public Sector Unions	$291,000
Building Trade Unions	$229,700
Lawyers/Law Firms	$229,458
Industrial Unions	$184,525
Real Estate	$180,150
% total in top industry	6.4%
% total in top two industries	11.45%
% total in top five industries	24.52%

Analysis

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Clay most often votes with:

• Chris Gibson
• Suzanne Bonamici

Clay least often votes with:

• Randy Weber
• Jim Matheson

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Clay missed 703 of 10,320 roll call votes from January 2001 to September 2015. This amounted to 6.8 percent, which was higher than the median of 2.2 percent among representatives as of September 2015.

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Clay was a far-left Democrat as of July 2014. This was the same rating Clay received in June 2013.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Clay paid his congressional staff a total of $1,105,626 in 2011. Overall, Missouri ranked 21st in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.

2013

Clay ranked 95th in the liberal rankings in 2013.

2012

Clay ranked 1st in the liberal rankings in 2012.

2011

Clay ranked 1st in the liberal rankings in 2011.

Voting with party

2014

William Lacy Clay voted with the Democratic Party 94.7 percent of the time, which ranked 43rd among the 204 House Democratic members as of July 2014.

2013

William Lacy Clay voted with the Democratic Party 95.4 percent of the time, which ranked 102nd among the 201 House Democratic members as of May 2013.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Clay is divorced, but he and his ex-wife have two children, Carol and Will.

See also

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External links

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• Campaign website
• Profile by Vote-USA
• Examiner, "Carnahan v. Clay" Examiner article about race against fellow incumbent Carnahan

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by William L. Clay, Sr.	U.S. House of Representatives - Missouri District 1 2001-2021	Succeeded by Cori Bush (D)
Preceded by John Bass	Missouri State Senate - District 4 1991–2001	Succeeded by Pat Dougherty
Preceded by '	Missouri House of Representatives - District 59 1983-1991	Succeeded by Frank Williamson Sr.

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Missouri's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Josh Hawley (R)

Eric Schmitt (R)

Representatives

District 1

Wesley Bell (D)

District 2

Ann Wagner (R)

District 3

Bob Onder (R)

District 4

Mark Alford (R)

District 5

Emanuel Cleaver (D)

District 6

Sam Graves (R)

District 7

Eric Burlison (R)

District 8

Jason Smith (R)

Republican Party (8)

Democratic Party (2)