| Fred Upton | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Bob Carr |
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| Born | April 23, 1953 St. Joseph, Michigan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Amey Rulon-Miller |
| Residence | St. Joseph, Michigan |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | political assistant |
| Religion | Congregationalist |
Frederick Stephen Upton, (born April 23, 1953) is a politician from Michigan. He is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving the state's 6th congressional district. The district, based in Kalamazoo, stretches along the Michigan-Indiana border in the southwestern part of the state.
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Born in St. Joseph, Michigan, Upton earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Michigan in 1975. He served in the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1985. A protege of OMB director and former congressman Dave Stockman, he ran in the 1986 Republican primary against Stockman's successor in what was then the 4th district, Mark D. Siljander. Upton won the primary and was easily elected in November. He has been reelected 11 times. His district became the 6th district after reapportionment following the 1990 census caused Michigan to lose two seats.
Upton serves as a member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He, along with Edward Markey, is responsible for changing daylight saving time by adding the provision to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In the 111th United States Congress, Upton serves as ranking member of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee, as well as a member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet.
Upton is a leading moderate Republican. He supports stem cell research and some forms of gun control, though he opposes abortion in most circumstances and received a 15% rating from the Human Rights Campaign on LGBT Rights in 2008.[1] However, he is fairly conservative on fiscal issues. He is a member of several Republican groups such as the Republican Main Street Partnership and Christine Todd Whitman's IMP-PAC (Its My Party Too).
Upton is well-known for his personable manner, often telling those who address him as "Congressman Upton" to "call me Fred." He has only missed a few votes during his 22 years in Congress.
On September 29, 2006, Upton introduced the Video Game Decency Act (H.R.6120) to the House.
Upton's grandfather, Frederick Upton, was co-founder of appliance manufacturer and marketer Whirlpool Corporation, which is headquartered in Benton Harbor.
Upton is a known supporter of Michigan Wolverine athletics as well as an enthusiastic Chicago Cubs baseball fan.
Upton faced conservative state senator Dale Shugars in the Republican primary. Shugars ran well to Upton's right on several issues, especially abortion. However, Upton easily won the primary and defeated Democrat Gary Giguere in the general election.
Upton faced no primary opponent and won the general election against Democrat Scott Elliott, an art gallery owner.
Upton had no opponent in the Republican primary. In the general election, Upton took 61 percent of the vote, defeating his Democratic challenger Kim Clark.
Upton once again had no opponent in the Republican primary. Upton defeated Democrat Don Cooney, Libertarian Greg Merle, and Green Reverend Edward Pinkney in the general election.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by Mark D. Siljander |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 4th congressional district 1987–1993 |
Succeeded by David Lee Camp |
| Preceded by Milton Robert Carr |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 6th congressional district 1993–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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Frederick Stephen "Fred" Upton, (born April 23, 1953) is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving the state's 6th Congressional District.
On September 29, 2006, Upton introduced the Video Game Decency Act (H.R.6120) to the House. The aim of the legislation is "To prohibit deceptive acts and practices in the content rating and labeling of video games".
On March 20, 2007 Upton proposed H.R. 1531, titled the 'Video Game Decency Act of 2007. The bill states that if a company fail to disclose age based video game content they can be prosecuted by a judge under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
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