Stephen Walker "Steve" Raby (born 1958) is the former 2010 Democratic nominee for

U.S. 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 c ...

for

Alabama's 5th congressional district Alabama's 5th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It encompasses the counties of Lauderdale County, Alabama, Lauderdale, Limestone Cou ...

Early life and education

Raby was born in

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

and grew up in

Harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

, where he still has a home on his family farm. He attended Sparkman High School in Madison County. While in high school, he served as a

United States Senate Page A United States Senate Page (Senate Page or simply Page) is a high-school age teen serving the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. Pages are nominated by senators, usually from their home state, and perform a variety of tasks, such as delive ...

for Senator

John Sparkman John Jackson Sparkman (December 20, 1899 – November 16, 1985) was an American jurist and politician from the state of Alabama. A Southern Democrat, Sparkman served in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1946 and the United S ...

where he began his career in public service. He graduated from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

with a BS in Agricultural Economics, and an MS in Economics.

Business career

As a Legislative Aide and Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator

Howell Heflin Howell Thomas Heflin (June 19, 1921 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States Senate, representing Alabama, from 1979 to 1997. Early life Heflin was born on June 19, 1921, in Poulan, Georgia. He at ...

from 1984 until 1997, Raby worked on Northern Alabama issues such as

Marshall Space Flight Center The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (Huntsville postal address), is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. As the largest NASA center, MSFC's first ...

and

Redstone Arsenal Redstone Arsenal (RSA) is a United States Army post and a census-designated place (CDP) adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The Arsenal is a garrison f ...

. Returning to Alabama in 1997, Raby joined North Alabama-based Direct Communications while continuing his public service for four years as the Chairman of the Governor’s Task Force on Military Affairs, helping to develop a strategic plan for the state to grow military presence and increase contracting potential within Alabama. He is currently the President of Huntsville Direct Communications, which specializes in public relations, management of local issues, and counseling.

2010 U.S. Congressional campaign

Raby ran against Republican nominee

Mo Brooks Morris Jackson "Mo" Brooks Jr. (born April 29, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. His district was based in Huntsville and stretches across the northern fifth of the stat ...

for the U.S. House (Alabama District 5), but was defeated by Brooks in the general election. Raby announced his candidacy on February 9, 2010. He won the Democratic primary on June 1, 2010 against Taze Shepard, Mitchell Howie, and David Maker. By winning over 60% of the vote, no runoff was required. On August 4, Raby won the official endorsement from the

Blue Dog Coalition The Blue Dog Coalition (commonly known as the Blue Dogs or Blue Dog Democrats) is a caucus in the United States House of Representatives comprising centrist members from the Democratic Party. The caucus was founded as a group of conservative De ...

, saying: "As I have stated throughout the campaign, my first priority as a Congressman will be to focus on jobs and growing the economy. We must balance the federal budget for our Nation to rebound economically. The Coalition is dedicated to financial stability and national security, and I will join the Blue Dogs in this bipartisan common sense effort." As of late September 2010 Raby had raised about 20% more campaign funds than his Republican opponent,

. On October 28, 2010 Raby gained the endorsement of the district's largest daily newspaper, ''

The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' is a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama, and printed in Birmingham, Alabama. It also serves the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an af ...

''. Raby ultimately lost the election to Brooks, garnering 42% of the vote. To date, he is the last Democrat to earn over 40% of the vote in the district.

Personal life

Steve and his wife, Denise, live in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

. They have two sons, Nathan and Keenan, in college. Raby is active with community service, including the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce, the Tennessee Valley Corridor, the

Association of the United States Army The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is a private, non-profit organization that serves as the professional association of the United States Army. Founded in 1950, it has 121 chapters worldwide. Membership is open to everyone, not ju ...

, and the Veterans Memorial Foundation.

References

External links

Steve Raby for Congress
''official campaign site'' *
Campaign contributions
at

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

Steve Raby
at OurCampaigns.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Raby, Steve 1954 births Alabama Democrats Living people Politicians from Huntsville, Alabama Auburn University alumni Political chiefs of staff United States congressional aides