WASHINGTON – Last week, congressional colleagues and constituents of Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick offered prayers and well wishes upon her announcement that she is seeking treatment for alcohol dependence. She blamed her dependence on alcohol for a serious fall she took that caused multiple cracked ribs and spinal fractures.
“I am finally seeking this help after struggling to do so in the past, and I am ready to admit that I, like countless other Americans, suffer from this disease,” Kirkpatrick wrote in a statement.
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According to Politico, “Kirkpatrick, who missed a historic floor vote on Wednesday (January 15) to transmit impeachment articles to the Senate, did not say how much time she is expected to be away from Washington. But she made clear she intended to keep her seat.”
“I am taking this important step forward with the full expectation and desire to return to work stronger and healthier and to continue serving my beloved Arizona,” she wrote in the statement.
While Arizona on both sides of the aisle wish the best for Rep. Kirkpatrick, some are questioning if she has given them her best based on her voting record. Govtrack.us reports that “from Jan 2009 to Jan 2020, Kirkpatrick missed 337 of 4,907 roll call votes, which is 6.9%. This is much worse than the median of 2.1% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving.”
“It is a crying shame that an elected official expected to represent over 200,000 constituents from southern Arizona can’t be bothered to do her job and cast a vote,” said Chris King, First Vice Chair of the Pima GOP and a Kirkpatrick constituent. “An elected official that is paid more than 4 times the average wage of her constituents should be held to a higher standard and do the job she was elected to do and she has failed in her responsibilities. It is time for Rep Kirkpatrick to resign and let someone who will do the job they were elected to do fill the role.”
From Govtrack.us:
Missed Votes
Time Period | Votes Eligible | Missed Votes | Percent | Percentile |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 Jan-Mar | 174 | 3 | 1.7% | 44th |
2009 Apr-Jun | 303 | 1 | 0.3% | 9th |
2009 Jul-Sep | 268 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
2009 Oct-Dec | 246 | 11 | 4.5% | 72nd |
2010 Jan-Mar | 195 | 17 | 8.7% | 86th |
2010 Apr-Jun | 219 | 1 | 0.5% | 11th |
2010 Jul-Sep | 151 | 4 | 2.6% | 58th |
2010 Nov-Dec | 99 | 20 | 20.2% | 92nd |
2013 Jan-Mar | 89 | 16 | 18.0% | 96th |
2013 Apr-Jun | 215 | 6 | 2.8% | 61st |
2013 Jul-Sep | 200 | 27 | 13.5% | 97th |
2013 Oct-Dec | 137 | 1 | 0.7% | 30th |
2014 Jan-Mar | 148 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
2014 Apr-Jun | 219 | 36 | 16.4% | 95th |
2014 Jul-Sep | 147 | 4 | 2.7% | 67th |
2014 Nov-Dec | 49 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
2015 Jan-Mar | 144 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
2015 Apr-Jun | 244 | 6 | 2.5% | 71st |
2015 Jul-Sep | 139 | 11 | 7.9% | 86th |
2015 Oct-Dec | 177 | 8 | 4.5% | 85th |
2016 Jan-Mar | 137 | 20 | 14.6% | 90th |
2016 Apr-Jun | 204 | 10 | 4.9% | 75th |
2016 Jul-Sep | 232 | 40 | 17.2% | 97th |
2016 Nov-Dec | 48 | 44 | 91.7% | 100th |
2019 Jan-Mar | 136 | 1 | 0.7% | 32nd |
2019 Apr-Jun | 294 | 32 | 10.9% | 93rd |
2019 Jul-Sep | 125 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
2019 Oct-Dec | 146 | 0 | 0.0% | 0th |
2020 Jan-Jan | 22 | 18 | 81.8% | 99th |
Primary Sources
The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:
- unitedstates/congress-legislators, a community project gathering congressional information
- The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills