From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 44 min
2013 - Present
2023
9
Scott Peters (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California's 52nd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2013. His current term ends on January 3, 2023.
Peters (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California's 50th Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 8, 2022. He advanced from the primary on June 7, 2022.
Peters was first elected to the seat in 2012, defeating Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray. In his 2014 bid for re-election, Peters defeated Republican Carl DeMaio by 3.2 points. That year, California's 52nd Congressional District was rated a battleground district by Ballotpedia.
In 2016, Peters defeated Republican Denise Gitsham in the general election by 13 points. California's 52nd Congressional District race was rated as safely Democratic in 2016. He won re-election in 2018, defeating Republican Omar Qudrat in the general election by 27.6 points.
He has served on the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Judiciary Committee, and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Below is an abbreviated outline of Peters' academic, professional, and political career:[1]
Peters was assigned to the following committees:
Peters was assigned to the following committees:[Source]
At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Peters was assigned to the following committees:[2]
Peters served on the following committees:[3]
Peters served on the following committees:[4]
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.
The 117th United States Congress began on January 3, 2021, at which point Democrats held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-213) and the U.S. Senate had a 50-50 makeup. Democrats assumed control of the Senate on January 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden (D) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D), who acts as a tie-breaking vote in the chamber, assumed office. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.
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Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020[edit]Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018[edit]
114th Congress[edit]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.[55][56] For more information pertaining to Peters's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections.[57] Economic and fiscal[edit]Trade Act of 2015[edit]Trade adjustment assistance Defense spending authorization[edit]
2016 Budget proposal[edit]
2015 budget[edit]
Foreign Affairs[edit]Iran nuclear deal[edit]
Export-Import Bank[edit]
Domestic[edit]USA FREEDOM Act of 2015[edit]
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act[edit]
Cyber security[edit]
Immigration[edit]
113th Congress[edit]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.[98] For more information pertaining to Peters's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[99] National security[edit]NDAA[edit]
DHS Appropriations[edit]
CISPA (2013)[edit]
Economy[edit]Farm bill[edit]
2014 Budget[edit]
Government shutdown[edit]
Federal Pay Adjustment Elimination[edit]
Immigration[edit]Morton Memos Prohibition[edit]
Healthcare[edit]Healthcare Reform Rules[edit]
Social issues[edit]Abortion[edit]
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Peters took to the House floor on July 23, 2014, to push for action by the House on the "Veterans Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014." The bill passed the Senate 93-3 and provided a comprehensive response to failures of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It increasde access to care and accountability of staff at VA facilities. Peters said, "San Diegans want to see action and they want it now. They are rightly dumbfounded that Congress continues to play partisan games, instead of passing the Senate's comprehensive solution -and beginning to provide some relief for our nation's heroes. It is no secret that the Department of Veterans Affairs has failed our veterans, and it is time to start fixing the problems."[119]
See also: California's 50th Congressional District election, 2022
Incumbent Scott Peters and Corey Gustafson are running in the general election for U.S. House California District 50 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Scott Peters (D) | |
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Corey Gustafson (R)
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= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
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Incumbent Scott Peters and Corey Gustafson defeated Kylie Taitano, David Chiddick, and Adam Schindler in the primary for U.S. House California District 50 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Scott Peters (D) |
53.5
|
56,169 |
| ✔ |
|
Corey Gustafson (R)
|
30.5
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32,042 |
|
|
Kylie Taitano (D)
|
8.0
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8,359 | |
|
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David Chiddick (R) |
5.3
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5,528 | |
|
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Adam Schindler (Independent)
|
2.8
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2,985 | |
| Total votes: 105,083 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
See also: California's 52nd Congressional District election, 2020
Incumbent Scott Peters defeated Jim DeBello in the general election for U.S. House California District 52 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Scott Peters (D) |
61.6
|
244,145 |
|
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Jim DeBello (R)
|
38.4
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152,350 | |
| Total votes: 396,495 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Incumbent Scott Peters and Jim DeBello defeated Nancy Casady and Ryan Cunningham in the primary for U.S. House California District 52 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Scott Peters (D) |
49.1
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111,897 |
| ✔ |
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Jim DeBello (R)
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32.4
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73,779 |
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Nancy Casady (D)
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16.0
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36,422 | |
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Ryan Cunningham (Independent)
|
2.5
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5,701 | |
| Total votes: 227,799 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
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Incumbent Scott Peters defeated Omar Qudrat in the general election for U.S. House California District 52 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Scott Peters (D) |
63.8
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188,992 |
|
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Omar Qudrat (R) |
36.2
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107,015 | |
| Total votes: 296,007 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
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The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 52 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Scott Peters (D) |
59.0
|
98,744 |
| ✔ |
|
Omar Qudrat (R) |
15.3
|
25,530 |
|
|
James Veltmeyer (R) |
11.4
|
19,040 | |
|
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Danny Casara (R)
|
4.6
|
7,680 | |
|
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Michael Allman (R)
|
3.9
|
6,561 | |
|
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John Horst (R) |
3.4
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5,654 | |
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Jeff Cullen (R) |
2.4
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4,027 | |
| Total votes: 167,236 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
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Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Scott Peters (D) defeated Denise Gitsham (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Peters and Gitsham defeated Terry Reagan Allvord (R), Jacquie Atkinson (R), Kenneth Canada (R), and John Horst (R) in the top-two primary on June 7, 2016. [120][121]
| U.S. House, California District 52 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | 56.5% | 181,253 | ||
| Republican | Denise Gitsham | 43.5% | 139,403 | |
| Total Votes | 320,656 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
| U.S. House, California District 52 Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |
|
58.9% | 108,020 | |
| Republican | 16.2% | 29,658 | ||
| Republican | Jacquie Atkinson | 13% | 23,927 | |
| Republican | Kenneth Canada | 4.5% | 8,268 | |
| Republican | Terry Allvord | 4.5% | 8,194 | |
| Republican | John Horst | 3% | 5,435 | |
| Total Votes | 183,502 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State |
||||
Peters was one of the initial 14 members of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents heading into the 2016 election.[122]
Incumbent Scott Peters won re-election to California's 52nd Congressional District in 2014. The race was a battleground district in 2014 due to the low margin of victory for Democrats in the last election and last two presidential elections. Incumbent Scott Peters (D) and Carl DeMaio triumphed in the blanket primary over Kirk Jorgensen (R) and Fred Simon (R). The general election race between Peters and DeMaio remained too close to call for several days after the election. The Associated Press called the race for Peters late on November 7, 2014, but DeMaio did not concede the race until November 9, 2014, due to the fact that there were still between 10,000 to 15,000 ballots left to be counted.[123][124]
Peters was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents during the 2014 election cycle.[125]
| U.S. House, California District 52 General Election, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | 51.6% | 98,826 | ||
| Republican | Carl DeMaio | 48.4% | 92,746 | |
| Total Votes | 191,572 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
| U.S. House, California District 52 Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |
|
42.3% | 53,926 | |
| Republican | 35.3% | 44,954 | ||
| Republican | Kirk Jorgensen | 18.5% | 23,588 | |
| Republican | Fred Simon | 4% | 5,040 | |
| Total Votes | 127,508 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Peters ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent California's 52nd District. He and district 50 incumbent Brian Bilbray (R) advanced past the blanket primary on June 5, 2012, defeating Shirley Decourt-Park (D), Lori Saldana (D), Gene Hamilton Carswell (R), Wayne Iverson (R), John Stahl (R), John Subka (R), Jack Doyle (Ind) and Ehab Shehata (Ind). Peters defeated Bilbray in the general election on November 6, 2012.[126][127]
| U.S. House, California District 52 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | 51.2% | 151,451 | ||
| Republican | Brian Bilbray Incumbent | 48.8% | 144,459 | |
| Total Votes | 295,910 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Peters was endorsed by former primary opponent Lori Saldana. He stated the following regarding her endorsement: "I thank Ms. Saldaña for the endorsement and well wishes she issued on Friday. Her support is very much appreciated and needed as we take on the bigger fight ahead against entrenched incumbent Brian Bilbray."[128]
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Scott Peters has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
You can ask Scott Peters to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing getinvolved@scottpeters.com.
Scott Peters did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Peters' campaign website listed the following issues:[129]
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” |
| —Scott Peters' campaign website, http://www.scottpeters.com/issues-2 | ||
Peters endorsed Joe Biden (D) in the 2020 presidential election.[131]
Peters endorsed Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election.[132]
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.
| Scott Peters campaign contribution history | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions |
| 2018 | U.S. House California District 52 | ✔ | $2,637,378 |
| 2016 | U.S. House, California District 52 | ✔ | $3,484,566 |
| 2014 | U.S. House (California, District 52) | ✔ | $4,544,000 |
| Grand total raised | $10,665,944 | ||
|
Source: Follow the Money |
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| U.S. House California District 52 2018 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top industry contributors to Scott Peters's campaign in 2018 | |
| Finance, Insurance & Real Estate | $336,109.00 |
| Health | $323,158.00 |
| General Business | $196,865.76 |
| Communications & Electronics | $181,354.00 |
| Lawyers & Lobbyists | $116,064.52 |
| Total Raised in 2018 | $2,637,377.67 |
| Source: Follow the Money | |
| U.S. House California District 52 2020 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top individual contributors to Scott Peters's campaign in 2020 | |
| Unitemized | $137,431.00 |
| Self Funding | $20,555.00 |
| Cox Enterprises | $10,000.00 |
| Home Depot | $10,000.00 |
| Caterpillar Inc | $10,000.00 |
| Comcast Corp | $10,000.00 |
| Leidos Inc | $10,000.00 |
| Ernst & Young | $10,000.00 |
| Cubic Corp | $10,000.00 |
| General Atomics | $10,000.00 |
| Total Raised in 2020 | $1,880,092.91 |
| Total Spent | $2,160,221.77 |
| Source: Follow the Money | |
| U.S. House California District 52 2018 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top individual contributors to Scott Peters's campaign in 2018 | |
| RUDOLPH, PHILLIP H | $8,100.00 |
| FOX, DAVID | $5,400.00 |
| KATZ, MEL I | $5,400.00 |
| MEINZER JR, ROBERT P | $5,400.00 |
| MCINTEE, STEPHEN D | $5,400.00 |
| Total Raised in 2018 | $2,637,377.67 |
| Source: Follow the Money | |
Peters won re-election to the U.S. House in 2016. During that election cycle, Peters' campaign committee raised a total of $3,484,566 and spent $2,462,837.[133] This is more than the average $1.46 million spent by U.S. House winners in 2016.[134]
Peters spent $13.59 per general election vote received in 2016.
| U.S. House, California District 52, 2016 - Scott Peters Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $3,484,566 |
| Total Spent | $2,462,837 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $1,388,418 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $1,360,382 |
| Top contributors to Scott Peters's campaign committee | |
| JStreetPAC | $34,600 |
| New Democrat Coalition | $30,301 |
| University of California | $25,693 |
| Sempra Energy | $21,150 |
| Robbins, Geller et al | $19,400 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Democratic/Liberal | $216,886 |
| Leadership PACs | $188,938 |
| Pharmaceuticals/Health Products | $184,850 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $166,660 |
| Retired | $154,725 |
| Source: Open Secrets | |
Peters won re-election to the U.S. House in 2014. During that election cycle, Peters' campaign committee raised a total of $4,544,000 and spent $4,504,002.[135] This is more than the average $1.45 million spent by House winners in 2014.[136]
Peters spent $45.58 per general election vote received in 2014.
| U.S. House, California District 52, 2014 - Scott Peters Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $4,544,000 |
| Total Spent | $4,504,002 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $3,408,768 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $3,349,676 |
| Top contributors to Scott Peters's campaign committee | |
| JStreetPAC | $46,101 |
| Qualcomm Inc | $45,850 |
| University of California | $32,410 |
| Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte | $30,600 |
| Robbins, Geller et al | $28,950 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Leadership PACs | $257,169 |
| Retired | $246,815 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $226,075 |
| Real Estate | $174,050 |
| Candidate Committees | $126,600 |
To view the breakdown of campaign funding by type click [show] to expand the section. | |
|---|---|
Below are Peters' FEC reports.[137]
| Scott Peters (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[138] | April 15, 2013 | $28,701.00 | $258,290.29 | $(67,131.54) | $219,859.75 | ||||
| July Quarterly[139] | July 15, 2013 | $219,859.75 | $362,772.90 | $(56,742.08) | $525,890.57 | ||||
| October Quarterly[140] | October 14, 2013 | $525,890.57 | $346,377.97 | $(66,501.67) | $805,766.87 | ||||
| Year-End[141] | January 31, 2014 | $805,766 | $413,032 | $(71,662) | $1,147,137 | ||||
| April Quarterly[142] | April 15, 2014 | $1,147,137 | $461,309 | $(118,795) | $1,489,652 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[143] | May 22, 2014 | $1,489,652 | $152,806 | $(118,529) | $1,523,928 | ||||
| July Quarterly[144] | July 15, 2014 | $1,523,928 | $554,398 | $(145,841) | $1,932,486 | ||||
| October Quarterly[145] | October 15, 2014 | $1,932,486 | $914,092 | $(2,038,485) | $808,093 | ||||
| Pre-General[146] | October 23, 2014 | $808,093 | $192,884 | $(316,982) | $683,995 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $3,655,962.16 | $(3,000,669.29) | ||||||||
Peters won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Peters' campaign committee raised a total of $4,381,438 and spent $4,352,737.[147] This is more than the average $1.5 million spent by House winners in 2012.[148]
Peters spent $28.74 per vote received in 2012.
| U.S. House, California District 52, 2012 - Scott Peters Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $4,381,438 |
| Total Spent | $4,352,737 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $2,659,541 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $2,772,270 |
| Top contributors to Scott Peters's campaign committee | |
| Robbins, Geller et al | $32,250 |
| University of California | $23,400 |
| Qualcomm Inc | $15,750 |
| Finkelstein & Krinsk | $12,000 |
| Cooley Godward Kronish LLP | $11,500 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Retired | $170,325 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $167,900 |
| Misc Finance | $58,970 |
| Real Estate | $58,100 |
| Leadership PACs | $58,000 |
To view the breakdown of campaign funding by type click [show] to expand the section. | |
|---|---|
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:
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Peters' net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $27,518,090 and $197,415,991. That averages to $112,467,040, which is higher than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Peters ranked as the 5th most wealthy representative in 2012.[149] Between 2011 and 2012, Peters' calculated net worth[150] increased by an average of 22 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[151]
| Scott Peters Yearly Net Worth | |
|---|---|
| Year | Average Net Worth |
| 2011 | $92,218,778 |
| 2012 | $112,467,040 |
| Growth from 2011 to 2012: | 22% |
| Average annual growth: | 22%[152] |
| Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[153] | |
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.
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). Peters received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.
From 2011-2014, 17.5 percent of Peters' career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[154]
| Scott Peters Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $6,936,418 |
| Total Spent | $5,003,932 |
| Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $341,825 |
| Retired | $333,100 |
| Leadership PACs | $240,275 |
| Real Estate | $182,200 |
| Misc Finance | $116,750 |
| % total in top industry | 4.93% |
| % total in top two industries | 9.73% |
| % total in top five industries | 17.5% |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Peters was a centrist Democrat as of July 2014. This was the same rating Peters received in June 2013.[155]
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.[156]
|
Peters most often votes with: |
Peters least often votes with: |
According to the website GovTrack, Peters missed 27 of 1,709 roll call votes from January 2013 to September 2015. This amounted to 1.6 percent, which was lower than the median of 2.2 percent among representatives as of September 2015.[157]
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.
Peters ranked 179th in the liberal rankings in 2013.[158]
The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.
Peters voted with the Democratic Party 83.5 percent of the time, which ranked 180th among the 204 House Democratic members as of July 2014.[159]
Peters voted with the Democratic Party 87.1 percent of the time, which ranked 191st among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[160]
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Peters and his wife, Lynn, have two children.[161]
2022 Elections
|
Candidate U.S. House California District 50 |
Officeholder U.S. House California District 52 |
Personal |
<ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named frontline
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
U.S. House California District 52 2013-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
San Diego City Council 2001-2008 |
Succeeded by - |