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Rob Andrews
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office  November 6, 1990
Preceded by	Jim Florio
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	August 04, 1957 (1957-08-04) (age 50) Camden, New Jersey
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Camille Andrews
Children	Jackie and Josie
Religion	Episcopalian

Robert Ernest "Rob" Andrews (born August 4, 1957) is an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who is currently serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New Jersey's 1st congressional district (map).

Andrews was born in Camden, New Jersey and currently lives in neighboring Haddon Heights. He attended Triton Regional High School in Runnemede.^[1] Andrews graduated from Bucknell University in 1979 with a B.A. in political science. He later attended Cornell University Law School, earning his J.D. degree in 1982. For several years, Andrews was involved in legal education as a member of Cornell Law Review's board of editors; he also was an adjunct professor at the Rutgers University School of Law.

Andrews is married to Camille Spinello Andrews, an Associate Dean of Enrollment and Projects at Rutgers School of Law - Camden. They have two daughters, Jackie and Josie.^[2]

From 1983 onward, Andrews had a private law practice. He harbored high political ambitions even while attending Triton Regional High School. In 1987, he was elected as a member of the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders. In 1990, after 15-year incumbent James Florio resigned to take office as Governor of New Jersey, Andrews won a special election to succeed him. He won a full term later that year and has been reelected seven times without serious opposition.

In 1997 and 2001, Andrews unsuccessfully campaigned for the Democratic nomination for Governor of New Jersey. In 1997, Andrews fell some 5,000 votes short of winner Jim McGreevey, out of 350,000 votes cast.^[3] Andrews was reportedly considering a primary challenge in 2005, before McGreevey's resignation.

Andrews is generally considered a moderate by New Jersey Democratic standards, with a pro-defense and fiscally conservative platform. Rob Andrews is one of the very few South Jersey Democratic politicians who are independent of party boss George Norcross III. Andrews' independence of the Democratic political machine and poor name recognition outside of South Jersey hampered his efforts to obtain the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1997 and 2001.

The Philadelphia Inquirer said that Congressman Andrews "is properly focused on fixing the looming fiscal disaster in Washington."[2] The New York Times has characterized Congressman Andrews as "fiscally conservative...and socially moderate."^[4]

Rep. Andrews has served for his entire Congressional career on the House Committee on Education and Labor. He was the Democratic leader and Ranking Member on the Education Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, and is currently the Chairman of the Education Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions which has responsibility for the health insurance, pension and labor laws of the nation. Rep. Andrews also serves on the House Armed Services Committee, which maintains jurisdiction over funding for the military forces.

Using Amtrak to commute from his Haddon Heights home while Congress is in session so that he can be closer to his family and constituents, Andrews does not maintain a residence in Washington, D.C.. Andrews is an ardent supporter of Amtrak subsidies.

While Andrews had been frequently mentioned as a possible replacement for Jon Corzine's United States Senate seat after Corzine's November 2005 gubernatorial victory, (The Philadelphia Inquirer said: "Corzine's best option is Andrews." The Courier Post called Rob Andrews "one of the best elected officials in a state where there are not enough good politicians.") Bob Menendez was eventually chosen by Corzine to fill the vacancy. Andrews had informally announced his plan to run in the 2006 Democratic primary against Menendez, but in January 2006 announced that he would run for a ninth full term in the House and seek the Senate seat in 2008 if Senator Frank Lautenberg retires.

Congressman Andrews faced no Republican opponent in the 2002 and the 2006 Congressional race.

Andrews received a "B" on the Drum Major Institute's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues.^[5]

Andrews crossed party lines to vote for the Secure Fence Act of 2006, authorizing the erection of a 700-mile fence across the U.S.-Mexico border, as an alternative to the more comprehensive immigration reform measures pushed by Democrats and many moderate Republicans.

On October 10, 2002, Rob Andrews was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq.

He was also involved in proposing a bill for sanctioning Iranians in 2007. "The Iran Sanctions Enhancement Act of 2007" targets any company or individual that provides Iran with refined petroleum products or engages in an activity that could contribute to the enhancement of Iran's ability to import refined products after December 31 2007.^[6]

• U.S. Congressman Rob Andrews official House site
• ‹ The template CongBio2 has been proposed for merging into CongLinks. See templates for deletion to help reach a consensus. ›
• Rob Andrews's biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Rob Andrews's voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Federal Election Commission — Robert E Andrews campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — Rob Andrews issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Robert E. Andrews campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Robert E. 'Rob' Andrews (NJ) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Rob Andrews profile