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Mike Doyle (American politician)

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Michael F. Doyle Jr. (born August 5, 1953) is an American politician who is the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, serving in Congress since 1995, making him the Congressman from Pennsylvania with the most seniority, and the dean of the state's Congressional Delegation. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in Pittsburgh and includes most of Allegheny County.

Mike Doyle
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 18th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 1995
Preceded byRick Santorum
Constituency18th district (1995–2003)
14th district (2003–2019)
18th district (2019–present)
Personal details
Born (1953-08-05) August 5, 1953 (age 71)
Swissvale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseSusan Doyle
EducationPennsylvania State University (BS)
Signature

A native of Swissvale and graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, Doyle previously served as a member of the Swissvale Borough Council (1977–1981) and an aide to Republican state Senator Frank Pecora (1979–1994). He was first elected to Congress in the 1994 Congressional election.

Early life, education and career

Doyle was born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, to Michael F. and Rosemarie Fusco Doyle.[1] He graduated from Swissvale Area High School in 1971, and then enrolled at Pennsylvania State University. He worked in steel mills during his summers in college, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Development in 1975.

After college, he worked as executive director of Turtle Creek Valley Citizens Union (1977–1979) and was elected to the Swissvale Borough Council in 1977. In 1979, he began work as chief of staff to Pennsylvania State Senator Frank Pecora. Like Pecora, Doyle was once a Republican who later switched parties to become a Democrat. In addition to his work for Pecora, he joined Eastgate Insurance Company as an insurance agent in 1982. Doyle came under fire in the 2000s for living in the C Street Center, a home run by Republican Christian Fundamentalists in D.C. Additionally, he traveled with the group, or The Fellowship, to the Middle East in April of 2009. The trip included travel to Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel on behalf of the Fellowship Foundation. Doyle met with political and religious leaders to help spread the Fellowship's agenda.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Caucus Memberships

Political positions

Doyle voted against authorizing military force in Iraq and against the $87 billion emergency spending bill to fund US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Doyle is the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Coalition on Autism Research and Education,[4] also known as the Congressional Autism Caucus, and he offered an amendment that was included in the health reform law that will ensure that insurance companies will cover treatments for people with autism.[5] He has also introduced legislation that will provide better services for adults with autism.

On abortion, Doyle began his career as a pro-life Democrat but switched to pro-choice in the 2010s,[6] now receiving very favorable ratings amongst pro-choice interest groups, such as NARAL, while scoring a 0 with pro-life groups such as the National Right to Life Committee.[7] However, in the early 2000s, Doyle voted to prohibit "partial-birth/late term abortions." Additionally, Doyle has voted in favor of the Hyde Amendment, which does not support federal funds to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is in danger. He does, however, support using federal dollars for Title X, family planning services and support federal funding for Planned Parenthood with the existing provision that federal funds may not be used to perform abortions.[8]

Doyle has fought against gun laws that would allow people to bring firearms into national parks, repeal any part of the assault or military style weapon ban,[8] and voting to maintain parts of the D.C. gun ban.[9] This has led to decreasing ratings with pro-gun interest groups such as the NRA (42% lifetime rating in 2000 to 0% in 2006) and Gun Owners of America. Conversely, he has received overall ratings from pro-gun control groups, receiving a 90% in the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence back in 2003.[10]

Doyle supports comprehensive immigration reform, voting for a bill that would repeal certain green card limitations, as well as the DREAM Act.[11] These views have got him negative ratings from interest groups such as English First (0%) and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (0%). His immigration reviews resonate stronger with the National Latino Congreso/William C. Velásquez Institute and American Immigration Lawyers Association, in which he has received perfect scores from both groups.[12]

Liberals have praised him for his stance on copyright issues[13] and his support of net neutrality. He is the lead sponsor of HR 1147, the Local Community Radio Act of 2009 which will expand low-power broadcasting to hundreds of new community radio stations. In 2010, he was given the Digital Patriot Award,[14] along with Vint Cerf, one of the creators of the technology that runs the Internet. In February 2013, he became one of the sponsors of the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act to expedite open access to taxpayer-funded research.[15] Doyle is a strong supporter of letting local governments provide Internet services in order to increase competition, improve service, and decrease prices.[16]

He used his position on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to lead negotiations on legislation addressing climate change and promoting energy independence while protecting clean domestic manufacturing.[17] However, Doyle has come under fire for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the fossil fuel industry. Doyle backs the CLEAN Act, which has been criticized as less aggressive in combating climate change than the Green New Deal, with goals for 2050 as opposed to 2030.

Also, Doyle is an outspoken critic of the genocide in Sudan and Darfur. In a rally on April 28, 2007, he urged President Bush to uphold his promise of sending 20,000 peacekeepers to Darfur. He drew loud cheers when he said, "If we can have a surge in Iraq, there needs to be one in Sudan." He supports LGBT issues.[18]

During the debate over the debt ceiling in 2011, Doyle said about Tea Party Republicans, "We have negotiated with terrorists. This small group of terrorists have made it impossible to spend any money".[19]

On October 16, 2012, Doyle released a statement criticizing the Republican budget introduced by Paul Ryan, saying that it would "be devastating for seniors in Pittsburgh." According to his report, this budget would eliminate new preventive care benefits for 113,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the district, as well as other cuts to Medicaid affordable housing, and food stamps. "That's why I voted against the Ryan budget when it was considered by Congress earlier this year, and why I am fighting hard to oppose Congressional Republicans' misguided priorities."[20]

On December 18, 2019, Doyle voted for both articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. [21]

Legislation supported

Doyle was ranked as the 38th most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 114th United States Congress (and the third most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania) in the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy that ranks members of the United States Congress by their degree of bipartisanship (by measuring the frequency each member's bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and each member's co-sponsorship of bills by members of the opposite party).[26]

Political campaigns

In 1994, Doyle was elected to Congress as a Democrat from the state's 18th District, which at the time was located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. The incumbent Republican, Rick Santorum, was elected to the United States Senate. Doyle won by almost 10 points, in one of the few bright spots in a bad year for Democrats. He was reelected three times with no substantial opposition.

In 2002, the Pennsylvania state legislature reconfigured Doyle's district, combining it with the Pittsburgh-based district of fellow Democrat William J. Coyne. In the process, the state legislature redrew most of western Pennsylvania's heavily Democratic areas into just two districts—the reconfigured 14th District and the 12th District of John Murtha. The potentially explosive situation of having two Democratic incumbents face each other in the primary was defused when Coyne announced his retirement (even though the district contained more of Coyne's former territory than Doyle's) leaving Doyle as the sole incumbent. The new district was by far the most Democratic district in western Pennsylvania, and Doyle was completely unopposed in 2002 and 2004; in 2006 and 2008, his only opposition was Green Party candidate Titus North.[27][28]

2008

See also: 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania § District 14

2010

See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania § District 14

Doyle was challenged by Republican Melissa Haluszczak and Green Party Ed Bortz.

2012

See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania § District 14

Doyle defeated Republican Hans Lessmann by 76%–23%.

2014

Doyle ran unopposed in 2014.[29] As of October 15, 2014, Doyle had raised $747,107 during the 2013–2014 campaign cycle.[30]

2016

Doyle defeated Republican Lenny McAllister by 74%–25%.

2018

Doyle again ran unopposed in 2018 for his 13th term in office, in a redrawn 18th district.

2020

Doyle is currently facing a progressive challenger, Jerry Dickinson, a law professor from the University of Pittsburgh, for the 2020 primary.

See also

References

  1. ^ David M. Brown, Congressman's mother inspired her children
  2. ^ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  3. ^ "90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members". Citizen´s Climate Lobby. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  4. ^ [1] Archived July 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Rob Cullen (May 27, 2010). "Health reform and autism — What If Post". Whatifpost.com. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  6. ^ "Mike Doyle's Voting Records on Issue: – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart". Project Vote Smart.
  7. ^ "Mike Doyle's Ratings and Endorsements – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart". Project Vote Smart.
  8. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "Mike Doyle's Voting Records on Issue: – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart". Project Vote Smart.
  10. ^ "Mike Doyle's Ratings and Endorsements – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart". Project Vote Smart.
  11. ^ "Mike Doyle's Voting Records on Issue: – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart". Project Vote Smart.
  12. ^ "Mike Doyle's Ratings and Endorsements – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart". Project Vote Smart.
  13. ^ "The 463: Inside Tech".
  14. ^ Line:  By Steve Smith (May 3, 2010). "Consumer Electronics – Computer Retailers – Camera Retailers – CES". twice.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  15. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ Crawford, Susan (June 27, 2014). "How Cities Can Take On Big Cable". Bloomberg News. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  17. ^ Sheppard, Kate (June 26, 2009). "Pelosi cracks the whips to get climate bill passed". Grist. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  18. ^ "Completed Federal Questionnaire From MIKE DOYLE Who Is Seeking Re-Election To The United States House Of Representatives In District 14". Stonewalldemocrats.org. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  19. ^ Allen, Jonathan; John Bresnahan (August 2, 2011). "Sources: Joe Biden likened tea partiers to terrorists". Politico. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  20. ^ "Republican Budget Would Devastate Pittsburgh's Seniors".
  21. ^ https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-impeachment-vote-results-house-2019-12
  22. ^ "H.R. 3675 – CBO". Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  23. ^ a b Kasperowicz, Pete (March 11, 2014). "House votes for more transparency at the FCC". The Hill. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  24. ^ "CBO – H.R. 4631". Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  25. ^ Marcos, Cristina (June 24, 2014). "House votes to reauthorize autism support programs". The Hill. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  26. ^ The Lugar Center – McCourt School Bipartisan Index (PDF), The Lugar Center, March 7, 2016, retrieved April 30, 2017
  27. ^ Gary Rotstein (November 8, 2006). "Anti-GOP tide costs Rep. Hart a 4th term". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 9, 2008.
  28. ^ "Veteran pair: Doyle and Murtha deserve new House terms". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 24, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
  29. ^ "Candidate Listing" (PDF). PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  30. ^ "Rep. Mike Doyle". Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
 
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district
1995–2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district
2003–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
38th 		Succeeded by
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