Bradley Byrne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bradley Byrne
Official portrait, 2014
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 1st district
In office January 8, 2014 – January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Jo Bonner
Succeeded by	Jerry Carl
Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System
In office May 2007 – August 31, 2009
Preceded by	Roy Johnson
Succeeded by	Freida Hill
Member of the Alabama Senate from the 32nd district
In office November 2002 – January 2007
Preceded by	Albert Lipscomb
Succeeded by	Trip Pittman
Member of the Alabama State Board of Education from the 1st district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 4, 2003
Preceded by	John Tyson
Succeeded by	Randy McKinney
Personal details
Born	Bradley Roberts Byrne (1955-02-16) February 16, 1955 (age 70) Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Political party	Republican (1997–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 1997)
Spouse	Rebecca Dukes ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	4
Education	Duke University (BA) University of Alabama (JD)

Bradley Roberts Byrne, born on February 16, 1955, is an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative for Alabama's 1st congressional district from 2014 to 2021. Before that, he was a member of the state Board of Education and the Alabama Senate.

Byrne also worked as the chancellor of the Alabama Community College System. He later ran for governor of Alabama and for a U.S. Senate seat. After leaving Congress, he became the CEO and president of the Mobile Chamber of Commerce.

Early Life and School

Bradley Byrne was born in 1955 in Mobile, Alabama. He grew up in Baldwin County, Alabama, with one sibling. He went to UMS-Wright Preparatory School and finished in 1973.

He then attended Duke University, graduating in 1977. While at Duke, he joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. In 1980, he earned his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law. After finishing school, he started working as a private lawyer.

Political Journey

Byrne first ran for public office in 1994 and was elected to the Alabama State Board of Education. At that time, he was a member of the Democratic Party.

During his time on the Board of Education, Byrne supported teaching science topics like the origin of life as theories, not facts. He also voted with the Board to turn down federal education money. This was because they worried the money would give the federal government too much control over local schools.

In 1997, Byrne changed political parties. He left the Democratic Party and became a member of the Republican Party.

In 2002, Byrne ran for a seat in the Alabama State Senate, representing part of Baldwin County. He won this election by a large margin.

Leading Community Colleges

In May 2007, Byrne became the chancellor of the Alabama Community College System. In this role, he oversaw many changes to the system. For example, he ordered an audit of Bishop State Community College after investigators found financial and academic problems there.

Byrne worked with the state's Attorney General to get back money that had been stolen from the community college system. He left his position as Chancellor on August 31, 2009.

Running for Governor

In 2010, Byrne ran for governor of Alabama. During his campaign, some opponents said he didn't believe the Bible was completely true. Byrne stated that he was a Christian and believed "every single word" of the Bible was true. He also said he fought to make sure creationism was taught in school textbooks.

After the Governor's Race

After the election, Byrne returned to working as a business lawyer.

Reform Alabama

In 2011, Byrne helped start a group called Reform Alabama. This group worked to encourage changes in the state government.

Considering Supreme Court

In 2011, Byrne thought about running for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. However, he decided not to enter that race.

In the U.S. House of Representatives

Elections to Congress

Special Election in 2013

In 2013, U.S. Representative Jo Bonner announced he would leave his job. This led to a special election to fill his seat. Byrne won the Republican primary and then the runoff election. He won the special election on December 17, 2013, with 71% of the votes. This meant he would represent Alabama's 1st congressional district.

Re-election in 2014

Byrne ran for re-election in 2014. He won with 68% of the votes against his Democratic opponent.

Re-election in 2016

In 2016, Byrne won the Republican primary and then ran unopposed in the general election. This means no one ran against him, and he easily won re-election.

Bradley Byrne with Paul Ryan in 2018 on St. Patrick's Day.

Re-election in 2018

Byrne was unopposed in the primary election in 2018. He won the general election with about 63% of the votes.

His Time in Congress

Byrne often voted in line with President Donald Trump's views. He also mostly voted with other Republicans in the House of Representatives.

Civil Rights

In 2019, Byrne voted against the Equality Act. This bill aimed to stop discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Byrne called the bill "radical."

Environment

In 2014, Byrne supported a law called the Lawful Ivory Protection Act.

Foreign Policy

In 2019, Byrne voted against a resolution that criticized President Trump for removing U.S. troops from Syria. He also voted for laws that put more sanctions (penalties) on countries like Russia, Iran, and North Korea. However, he later voted against lifting some sanctions on Russian companies.

Byrne also voted against stopping U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He also voted against ending U.S. military help to Saudi Arabia in the conflict in Yemen.

Health Care

In 2015, Byrne was a main supporter of a Republican plan to change the Affordable Care Act (a health care law). In 2017, he voted to repeal and replace this law.

Homeland Security

In 2015, Byrne supported a bill that would limit transferring prisoners from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to the United States or other countries.

Immigration

In 2015, Byrne supported bills to stop people from Syria from entering the United States. He also supported President Trump's order in 2017 that temporarily banned citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

During a government shutdown in 2018-2019, Byrne voted against plans to fund the government without money for a border wall.

Supporting Roy Moore

In the 2017 Alabama Senate special election, Byrne supported the Republican candidate, Roy Moore. Byrne continued to support Moore even when there were many concerns raised about him.

"The Squad" Comments

In 2020, Byrne released a campaign advertisement that criticized a group of four women members of the House of Representatives known as "The Squad." In the ad, he said one member, Ilhan Omar, was "cheapening 9/11."

Taxes and Money

In 2010, Byrne signed a pledge promising not to introduce new taxes. In 2017, he voted for a Republican tax law, saying it would help the economy grow and create more jobs. He also voted against raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Transportation

Byrne supports building a new bridge across Mobile Bay for I-10. He also wants to extend the Foley Beach Express highway.

Donald Trump

Bradley Byrne with Donald Trump in the Oval Office, December 2019.

Byrne often showed strong support for Donald Trump. However, in 2016, Byrne had initially said Trump should leave the presidential race after some controversial comments were released. But just before the election, Byrne said he would vote for Trump.

Trump Impeachment Inquiry

In October 2019, Byrne and other House Republicans entered a secure room where a hearing was taking place as part of an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. This action delayed the hearing. Byrne later voted against impeaching Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

2020 Election Lawsuit

In December 2020, Byrne was one of 126 Republican House members who supported a lawsuit called Texas v. Pennsylvania. This lawsuit challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election, where Joe Biden won against Donald Trump. The Supreme Court did not agree to hear the case.

National Anthem Protests

In a 2020 campaign ad, Byrne described athletes who knelt during the U.S. national anthem protests as "dishonoring our flag." The ad showed a picture of Colin Kaepernick kneeling.

Space Force

In 2020, Byrne began to suggest that Huntsville, Alabama, should be the main headquarters for the new United States Space Force. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is located in Huntsville.

Other Laws

Byrne supported a bill that would make the U.S. Department of Justice report to Congress if any federal agency decided not to enforce certain laws. He also introduced a bill in 2017 to create a National Museum of Irish American History. In 2019, he introduced a bill to set term limits for members of Congress.

Committee Work

While in the House, Byrne served on several important committees:

• Armed Services Committee (dealing with military matters)
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
  • Subcommittee on Seapower & Projection Forces
• House Education and Labor Committee (dealing with schools and jobs)
  • Subcommittee on Workforce Protections (as the Ranking member, a top position for the minority party)
• House Rules Committee (2015-2018) (helps decide how bills are debated)

Byrne was also part of the United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus and the Republican Study Committee.

2020 U.S. Senate Election

On February 20, 2019, Byrne announced he would run for the 2020 United States Senate election in Alabama. He wanted to challenge the current Democratic Senator, Doug Jones. Byrne said that Jones was not supporting "Alabama's interests and Alabama values." Byrne was defeated in the first round of the Republican primary. Tommy Tuberville and Jeff Sessions moved on to the next round of the primary election.

Life After Congress

On May 26, 2022, the Mobile Chamber of Commerce announced that Byrne would become their chief executive officer and president. This role started on June 1, 2022. Byrne is still a lawyer and works for a law firm, but he now focuses his full time on the Mobile Chamber.

Personal Life

Byrne's family owns a farm in Baldwin County, Alabama. His wife's name is Rebecca. Byrne is a fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide sports teams. He is an Episcopalian and often attends church services in Washington.

Byrne's brother, Dale Byrne, passed away in 2013. He died from a heart attack after getting sick while serving with the Alabama National Guard in Iraq.

Images for kids

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  Official portrait, 2014

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  Bradley Byrne with Paul Ryan in 2018 on St. Patrick's Day

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  Bradley Byrne with Donald Trump in the Oval Office, December 2019.

See also

In Spanish: Bradley Byrne para niños