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Chuck Robb
Charles Spittal "Chuck" Robb (born June 26, 1939) is an American politician. A moderate Democrat, Robb served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1978 to 1982 and governor from 1982 to 1986. He later was a member of the U.S. Senate from 1989 until 2001. As governor, he was instrumental in creating the Super Tuesday primary that brought political power to the Southern states. He was also an early player in creating the Democratic Leadership Council. He was a strong vote-getter in Virginia in the 1980s and helped revive the Democratic Party in that state. He was considered a Presidential or at least Vice-Presidential prospect for a time.
After defeating Maurice Dawkins in 1988 with 76% of the vote, Robb, a former Marine, became the first senator ever to simultaneously serve on the Senate Armed Services, Foreign Relations, and Intelligence Committees. Ranked annually as one of the most ideologically centrist Senators, Robb often acted as a bridge between Democratic and Republican members, preferring background dealmaking to seeking the legislative limelight. In 1991, he was one of a handful of Democratic Senators to support authorizing the use of force to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
On social issues though, Robb was markedly more liberal. He voted repeatedly against efforts to regulate the amount of violence shown on television and he also voted against the overwhelmingly approved Communications Decency Act. He voted for many gun control measures and against the execution of minors. Because he had fought next to gay men in the Vietnam War, he supported President Clinton's proposal in 1993 to lift the ban on homosexuals in the armed forces. Three years later Robb was the only senator from a Southern state to oppose the Defense of Marriage Act. In stating his oppostion to the bill, which his friends and supporters urged him to support, he said the following: "I feel very strongly that this legislation is wrong. Despite its name, the Defense of Marriage Act does not defend marriage against some imminent, crippling effect. Although we have made huge strides in the struggle against discrimination based on gender, race, and religion, it is more difficult to see beyond our differences regarding sexual orientation. The fact that our hearts don't speak in the same way is not cause or justification to discriminate." Some have speculated that his position on gay rights, along with his positions on other hot-button issues like abortion, only alienated the generally conservative voters of Virginia, contributing to his eventual defeat.
Robb's wife, Lynda Robb, also known as Lynda Bird Johnson, is the daughter of former U.S. President, and fellow southern Democrat, Lyndon B. Johnson.
On April 25, 1991, Robb preempted NBC's plans to break a sex scandal story by publicly admitting that he had spent time with former Miss Virginia Tai Collins alone in a hotel room. Robb claimed that the two had merely shared a bottle of wine and a massage. However, Collins later told Playboy magazine that the two had been having an affair since 1983.
In addition, Robb was dogged by allegations of being present at parties where cocaine was used and listening to illegally-recorded cell phone conversations of Virginia Governor (and possible Senate primary opponent) Doug Wilder.
Despite the sex scandal, Robb narrowly defeated former Iran-Contra figure Oliver North in a 1994 reelection bid after popular Republican Senator John Warner refused to support his fellow Republican and instead backed third-party candidate J. Marshall Coleman. This campaign was documented in the 1996 film A Perfect Candidate. After two terms in the Senate, he was defeated in the 2000 election by his Republican opponent, George Allen, who was also a former governor. Robb was the only Democratic incumbent senator to be defeated in that election. After losing to Allen, Robb began teaching at George Mason University law school.
On February 6, 2004, Robb was appointed co-chair of the Iraq Intelligence Commission, an independent panel tasked with investigating U.S. intelligence surrounding the United States' 2003 invasion of Iraq and Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
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Categories: 1939 births | Vietnam War veterans | Governors of Virginia | United States Senators from Virginia
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