Robert Edward Latta (born April 18, 1956) is an American politician who is the

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

. The district includes many of Toledo's suburbs, as well as Findlay,

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

, Sylvania,

Defiance Defiance may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Defiance'' (1952 film), a Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander * ''Defiance'' (1980 film), an American crime drama starring Jan-Michael Vincent * ''Defiance'' (2002 film), a ...

and Van Wert. It also includes a sliver of Toledo itself.

Early life, education and career

Born in

Bluffton, Ohio Bluffton, originally known as Shannon, is a village in Allen and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 4,125 at the 2010 census. Bluffton is home to Bluffton University, a four-year educational institution affiliated w ...

, Latta earned his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

in 1978 and his J.D. at the University of Toledo College of Law in 1981. Latta was inducted into

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University i ...

in 1995 as an alumnus of Bowling Green State University. His father,

Del Latta Delbert Leroy Latta (March 5, 1920 – May 12, 2016) was an American lawyer and politician who served 15 terms as a United States Representative from Ohio's 5th district from 1959 to 1989. A Republican, he is one of the state's longest-servi ...

, represented the 5th from 1959 to 1989 and served as ranking Republican on the

House Budget Committee The United States House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Its responsibilities include legislative oversight of the federal budget process, ...

from 1975 to his retirement. Latta worked as a private practice attorney before entering politics.

Ohio political career

Latta served as a Wood County Commissioner from 1991 to 1996. He then represented the 2nd Senate District in the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the s ...

from 1997 to 2001 and the 6th house district in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in Ch ...

from 2001 to 2007.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 2018, the Conservative Review gave him a 58% rating.

Americans for Prosperity Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by Charles Koch and formerly his brother David. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one ...

has given him a lifetime rating of 90%. In 2017, the

Campaign for Working Families Campaign for Working Families is a conservative political action committee founded in 1998 that focuses on support for traditionalism and free enterprise. While it is a nonpartisan organization, it tends to support Republicans more than Democrat ...

gave him a rating of 100%. In 2017, the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ideas. T ...

gave him a Freedom Index rating of 60%. The

American Conservative Union The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded o ...

has given him a lifetime rating of 91%.

Tenure

On July 22, 2014, Latta introduced a bill that would direct the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...

(FCC) to allow manufacturers of

electronic devices The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

with a screen to display information required by the agency digitally on the screen rather than on a label affixed to the device. In 2015, Latta cosponsored a resolution to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. In December 2020, Latta was one of 126 Republican members of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

to sign an

amicus brief An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...

in support of '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', a lawsuit filed at the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

contesting the results of the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: ** ...

, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked

standing Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an ''erect'' ("orthostatic") position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the s ...

under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state. On May 19, 2021, Latta voted against establishing an independent commission to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol. In 2021, he introduced legislation to prohibit municipalities from building their own broadband networks.

Committee assignments

Committee on Energy and Commerce A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

** Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection (Republican Leader) ** Subcommittee on Communications and Technology ** Subcommittee on Energy * Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress

Caucus memberships

Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana. Although the prima ...

* Congressional Propane Caucus (Co-chair) * Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (Co-chair) * Congressional French Caucus (Co-chair) * Congressional Rural Broadband Caucus (Co-chair) * Congressional Natural Gas Caucus * Congressional Constitution Caucus * House Baltic Caucus

Personal life

Latta is an avid sportsman and lifelong resident of Northwest Ohio. He and his wife, Marcia, live in Bowling Green and have two daughters. He is the son of former Congressman

and Rose Mary Kiene Latta and serves in the seat his father held in Congress from 1959 to 1989.

Electoral history

1998

Latta ran in the Republican primary for a congressional seat in 1998. He lost by 27 votes to then

Ohio State Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the s ...

president

Paul Gillmor Paul Eugene Gillmor (February 1, 1939 – September 5, 2007) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as the U.S. representative from the 5th congressional district of Ohio from 1989 until his death in 2007. Early life, ...

, who won the general election.

2007

After Gillmor's sudden death in September 2007, Latta ran again for the seat. He defeated State Senator

Steve Buehrer Stephen P. Buehrer (born January 1, 1967, Toledo, Ohio) is a former Republican member of the Ohio Senate who represented the 1st district, and was an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Congress in the special election for Ohio's 5th congression ...

, among other candidates, in the special primary. In the December 11 special general election, Latta defeated Democratic nominee

Robin Weirauch Robin Weirauch ( ; born January 3, 1957) is an American politician of the Democratic party who was the party's 2004 and 2006 nominee to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Paul Gillmor for the seat in Ohio's 5th congressional dist ...

, 57% to 43%. He was sworn in on December 13, 2007.

2010

Latta defeated Democratic nominee Caleb Finkenbiner and Libertarian nominee Brian L. Smith.

2012

Latta defeated Democratic nominee Angela Zimmann and Libertarian nominee Eric Eberly. He was endorsed by the

United States Chamber of Commerce The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the largest lobbying group in the United States, representing over three million businesses and organizations. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urgin ...

, the NFIB, the NRA and National Right to Life.

References

External links

Congressman Bob Latta
official U.S. House website
Bob Latta for Congress
* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Latta, Bob 1956 births 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Bowling Green State University alumni County commissioners in Ohio Living people Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Ohio lawyers Republican Party Ohio state senators People from Bluffton, Ohio People from Bowling Green, Ohio University of Toledo College of Law alumni Conservatism in the United States Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio