Mike Kelly (Pennsylvania politician)
| Mike Kelly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 3rd district | |
|
Assumed office January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Kathy Dahlkemper |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 10, 1948 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Victoria Kelly |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Butler, Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater | University of Notre Dame |
| Occupation | Car dealer |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism((cn)) |
| Website | Campaign website |
George Joseph "Mike" Kelly, Jr. (born May 10, 1948), is an American politician in the Republican Party who has been the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district since 2011.[1] The district is located in the northwestern corner of the state, stretching from Erie to rural territory near Pittsburgh.
Education and early career
Kelly was born on May 10, 1948, in Pittsburgh. He has spent most of his life in Butler, a northern suburb of Pittsburgh. He played varsity football as a fullback in high school, and his team reached two WPIAL championship games. He graduated from Butler High School in 1966. He received a scholarship to play football at University of Notre Dame, but his playing ended because of an injury.
After college, he worked for his father's Chevrolet/Cadillac car dealership. In 1995, he purchased his father's business, and then added Hyundai and KIA to his dealership lineup.[2]
Kelly is a former member of the Butler City Council.
United States House of Representatives
Elections
- 2010
Kelly challenged incumbent Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper in 2010.[3] He won the election by 10%,[4] largely by running up his margins outside of heavily Democratic Erie.
- 2012
Kelly defeated Democrat Missa Eaton 55%–41%.[5] His district had been made slightly friendlier in redistricting. The district was pushed slightly to the south, absorbing some rural and Republican territory east of Pittsburgh.
- 2014
Kelly defeated Democrat Dan LaVallee of Cranberry Township 60.5%-39.5%.[6]
Tenure
On July 25, 2012, Kelly delivered a speech on the House floor regarding federal employment regulations that received a rare standing ovation. The video has been viewed nearly 1,000,000 times.[7][8]
On August 1, 2012, Kelly held a press conference to mark the effective date of the controversial HHS mandate, which was the subject of more than 20 lawsuits and which has been decried by religious freedom advocates as a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In his remarks, he said the mandate was an attack on Americans' constitutionally protected religious rights and that August 1, 2012, would go down in infamy as "the day that religious freedom died".[9]
Committee assignments
In addition, Kelly serves as the co-chair of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives from the 18 Northeastern and Midwestern States.[10]
Criticism of the Environmental Protection Agency
On July 28, 2014, Kelly compared the Environmental Protection Agency to terrorists while speaking at an event hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation, where he attacked rules limiting power plant emissions, saying "You talk about terrorism – you can do it in a lot of different ways,... But you terrorize the people who supply everything this country needs to be great – and you keep them on the sidelines – my goodness, what have we become?"[11]
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Automotive Caucus
- Congressional Coal Caucus
- Job Creators Caucus
- Natural Gas Caucus
- Sportsman's Caucus
- Congressional Caucus on Korea
- Congressional Services Caucus
- Congressional Manufacturing Caucus
- Congressional Steel Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
- Marcellus Shale Caucus
- Pro-Life Caucus
- Republican Study Committee
Personal life
Kelly lives in Butler, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Victoria. They have four children, George III, Brendan, Charlotte, and Colin, and ten grandchildren.[12]
References
- ↑
- ↑ http://www.wpxi.com/politics/25102516/detail.html
- ↑ http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbs.dll/article?AID=/20101103/NEWS02/311029900/-1/news
- ↑ http://projects.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010/elections/?loc=interstitialskip
- ↑ http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/House/2012/PA
- ↑ http://elections.nytimes.com/2014/pennsylvania-elections
- ↑ July 25, 2012 House Floor Speech on YouTube
- ↑ "See the Speech That Got a Standing Ovation Today", The Blaze
- ↑ http://cnsnews.com/news/article/congressman-were-still-home-brave-were-not-land-free-anymore
- ↑ Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition
- ↑ http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/07/28/3465030/house-republican-climate-rule-terrorism/
- ↑ http://www.mikekellyforcongress.com/mikes-story/
External links
- Congressman Mike Kelly official U.S. House site
- Mike Kelly for Congress
- Mike Kelly at DMOZ
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Project Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kathy Dahlkemper |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district 2011–present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by William Keating D-Massachusetts | United States Representatives by seniority 262nd |
Succeeded by Adam Kinzinger R-Illinois |