Mike Doyle (American politician)
Mike Doyle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – December 31, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Rick Santorum |
| Succeeded by | Summer Lee(redistricting) |
| Constituency | 18th district(1995–2003) 14th district(2003–2019) 18th district(2019–2022) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 5, 1953 Swissvale, Pennsylvania,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Susan Doyle |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Pennsylvania State University(BS) |
| Signature |  |
Michael F. Doyle Jr.(born August 5, 1953) is an American politician who was theU.S. representativeforPennsylvania's 18th congressional district,serving from 1995 to 2022. He is a member of theDemocratic Party.His district was based inPittsburghand included most ofAllegheny County.
A native ofSwissvaleand graduate of thePennsylvania State University,Doyle previously served as a member of the Swissvale Borough Council (1977–1981) and an aide to Republican State SenatorFrank Pecora(1979–1994). He was first elected to Congress in1994.Doyle announced that he would retire from Congress in2022.[1][2]
Early life, education and career
[edit]Doyle was born inSwissvale, Pennsylvania,to Michael F. and Rosemarie Fusco Doyle.[3]He graduated from Swissvale Area High School in 1971, and then enrolled atPennsylvania State University.He worked insteel millsduring his summers in college, and earned aBachelor of Sciencedegree in community development in 1975.
After college, Doyle 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 aschief of stafftoPennsylvania State SenatorFrank Pecora.Like Pecora, Doyle was once aRepublicanwho later switched parties to become aDemocrat.In addition to his work for Pecora, he joined Eastgate Insurance Company as an insurance agent in 1982.
U.S. House of Representatives
[edit]Elections
[edit]In 1994, Doyle was elected to Congress as a Democrat from the state's 18th district, which at the time was in Pittsburgh's eastern suburbs. The incumbent Republican,Rick Santorum,was elected to theUnited 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 DemocratWilliam 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 ofJohn Murtha.The potentially explosive situation of having two Democraticincumbentsface 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 wasGreen PartycandidateTitus North.[4][5]
2008
[edit]2010
[edit]Doyle was challenged by Republican Melissa Haluszczak and Green Party Ed Bortz.
2012
[edit]Doyle defeated Republican Hans Lessmann, 76%–23%.
2014
[edit]Doyle ran unopposed in 2014.[6]As of October 15, 2014, Doyle had raised $747,107 during the 2013–14 campaign cycle.[7]
2016
[edit]Doyle defeated RepublicanLenny McAllister,74%–25%.
2018
[edit]Doyle again ran unopposed in 2018 for his 13th term in office, in a redrawn 18th district.
2020
[edit]Doyle won the Democratic nomination against a progressive challenger, Jerry Dickinson, a law professor from theUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Law.[8]In the general election, he defeated Republican Luke Negron.[9]
Tenure
[edit]Time at the C Street Center
[edit]
Doyle came under fire in the 2000s for living in theC Street Center,a home run by Republican Christian fundamentalists in D.C. Additionally, he traveled with the group, or TheFellowship,to the Middle East in April 2009. The trip included travel to Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel on behalf of the Fellowship Foundation.[10]Doyle met with political and religious leaders to help spread the Fellowship's agenda. Doyle's time with the Fellowship was mentioned in Jeff Sharlet's 2010 bookC Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy.Sharlet documented trips and events made by Doyle and other politicians on the Fellowship's behalf. Sharlet's books were the basis for the 2016 Netflix docuseriesThe Family.
Committee assignments
[edit]Caucus memberships
[edit]- Congressional Arts Caucus[11]
- Congressional Autism Caucus
- Congressional Steel Caucus
- Congressional Human Rights Caucus
- Congressional Internet Caucus
- House Robotics Caucus
- Ohio River Basin Congressional Caucus
- Climate Solutions Caucus[12]
- Medicare for All Caucus
Political positions
[edit]Doyle voted against authorizingmilitary force in Iraqand against the $87 billion emergency spending bill to fund U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the co-founder and co-chair of the Coalition on Autism Research and Education,[13]also known as the Congressional Autism Caucus, and he offered an amendment that was included in thehealth reform lawto ensure that insurance companies cover treatments for people withautism.[14]He has also introduced legislation to provide better services for adults with autism.
Early in his career, Doyle opposed abortion, but he began to support abortion rights in the 2010s,[15]receiving more favorable ratings from interest groups likeNARALwhile scoring a 0 with groups such as theNational Right to Life Committee.[16]In the early 2000s, he voted to prohibit "partial-birth/late term abortions".[17]Doyle has also voted for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is in danger.[18]He supports using federal dollars forTitle X,family planning services, andPlanned Parenthood,with the existing provision that federal funds may not be used to perform abortions.[19]
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,[19]or repeal parts of the D.C. gun ban.[20]This has led to declining ratings fromgun rightsinterest groups such as theNRA Political Victory Fund(42% lifetime rating in 2000 to 0% in 2006) andGun Owners of America.Conversely, he has received high ratings fromgun controlgroups, receiving a 90% in theBrady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violencein 2003.[21]
Doyle supports comprehensiveimmigration reform,voting for a bill that would repeal certain green card limitations, as well as theDREAM Act.[22]These views have got him negative ratings from interest groups such asEnglish First(0%) and theFederation for American Immigration Reform(0%). His immigration reviews resonate stronger with the National Latino Congreso/William C. Velásquez Institute andAmerican Immigration Lawyers Association,from both of which he has received perfect scores.[23]
Liberalshave praised Doyle for his stance oncopyrightissues[24]and his support ofnet neutrality.He was the lead sponsor of HR 1147, theLocal Community Radio Actof 2009, which will expandlow-power broadcastingto hundreds of newcommunity radiostations. In 2010, he was given the Digital Patriot Award,[25]along withVint Cerf,one of the creators of the technology that runs theInternet.In February 2013, he became one of the sponsors of theFair Access to Science and Technology Research Actto expedite open access to taxpayer-funded research.[26]Doyle is a strong supporter of letting local governments provide Internet services in order to increase competition, improve service, and decrease prices.[27]
Doyle used his position on theHouse Energy and Commerce Committeeto lead negotiations on legislation addressingclimate changeand promoting energy independence while protecting clean domestic manufacturing.[28]He has been criticized for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the fossil fuel industry.[29]Doyle backs the CLEAN Act, which has been criticized as less aggressive than theGreen New Deal,with goals for 2050 as opposed to 2030.[30]
Doyle is an outspoken critic of the genocide inSudanandDarfur.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 has said he supportsLGBTrights, but voted for the 1996Defense of Marriage Act,[31]which prohibited same-sex marriage.[32]
On October 16, 2012, Doyle released a statement criticizing the Republican budget introduced byPaul Ryan,saying that it would "be devastating for seniors in Pittsburgh." According to his report, this budget would eliminate new preventive care benefits for 113,000Medicarebeneficiaries in the district, as well as other cuts toMedicaid,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."[33]
On December 18, 2019, Doyle voted for both articles of impeachment against PresidentDonald J. Trump.[34]
Legislation supported
[edit]Doyle has hadfour of his billspassed into law since he took office: the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000, the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, the Local Community Radio Act of 2010, and "To designate the United States courthouse located at 700 Grant Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the" Joseph F. Weis Jr. United States Courthouse ".
- Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2013 (H.R. 3675; 113th Congress)– a bill that would make a number of changes to procedures that theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) follows in its rulemaking processes.[35]The FCC would have to act in a more transparent way as a result of this bill, forced to accept public input about regulations.[36]Doyle argued in favor of the bill because "the FCC is charged with overseeing industries that make up one-sixth of our national economy."[36]
- Autism CARES Act of 2014– a bill that would amend thePublic Health Service Actto reauthorize research, surveillance, and education activities related toautism spectrum disorders(autism) conducted by various agencies within theUnited States Department of Health and Human Services(HHS).[37]Doyle co-sponsored the bill, saying that "every time new data is realized on autism spectrum disorders, the numbers become more and more troubling... this is why passage of the Autism Cares Act today is so important to continue research into the causes of autism."[38]
Doyle was ranked the 38th most bipartisan member of the House of Representatives during the114th United States Congress(and the third most bipartisan member of the House from Pennsylvania) in the Bipartisan Index created byThe Lugar Centerand theMcCourt School of Public Policythat 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).[39]
Personal life
[edit]Doyle isRoman Catholic.[40]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Rep. Mike Doyle will not seek re-election".October 18, 2021.
- ^"Sources: U.S. Representative Mike Doyle To Announce He Is Not Seeking Re-Election In 2022".
- ^David M. Brown,Congressman's mother inspired her children
- ^Gary Rotstein (November 8, 2006)."Anti-GOP tide costs Rep. Hart a 4th term".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.RetrievedMay 9,2008.
- ^"Veteran pair: Doyle and Murtha deserve new House terms".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.October 24, 2008.RetrievedNovember 5,2008.
- ^"Candidate Listing"(PDF).PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE.RetrievedOctober 24,2014.
- ^"Rep. Mike Doyle".OpenSecrets.
- ^Boockvar, Kathy."Pennsylvania Elections – Office Results | Representative in Congress".electionreturns.pa.gov.Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.RetrievedJune 2,2020.
- ^"Mike Doyle wins Pennsylvania 18th Congressional District".Pittsburgh's Action News 4.WTAE Pittsburgh.Archivedfrom the original on November 28, 2022.
- ^"Member / Officer post-travel disclosure form"(PDF).Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on December 21, 2016.
- ^"Membership".Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived fromthe originalon June 12, 2018.RetrievedMarch 13,2018.
- ^"90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members".Citizen´s Climate Lobby.RetrievedNovember 22,2018.
- ^[1]ArchivedJuly 7, 2010, at theWayback Machine
- ^Rob Cullen (May 27, 2010)."Health reform and autism — What If Post".Whatifpost.com.Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2010.RetrievedNovember 16,2012.
- ^"Mike Doyle's Voting Records on Issue: – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart".Project Vote Smart.
- ^"Mike Doyle's Ratings and Endorsements – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart".Project Vote Smart.
- ^"Mike Doyle, Jr.'s Political Summary on Issue: Abortion".Vote Smart.RetrievedSeptember 13,2021.
- ^Deitch, Charlie (January 23, 2020)."On Roe v. Wade anniversary, primary challenger calls out Rep. Mike Doyle for backing Hyde Amendment".Pennsylvania Capital-Star.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 13,2021.
- ^ab"Mike Doyle, Jr. - Political Courage Test - Project Vote Smart".Archived fromthe originalon June 5, 2012.RetrievedNovember 20,2012.
- ^"Mike Doyle's Voting Records on Issue: – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart".Project Vote Smart.
- ^"Mike Doyle's Ratings and Endorsements – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart".Project Vote Smart.
- ^"Mike Doyle's Voting Records on Issue: – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart".Project Vote Smart.
- ^"Mike Doyle's Ratings and Endorsements – The Voter's Self Defense System – Vote Smart".Project Vote Smart.
- ^"The 463: Inside Tech".
- ^Line: By Steve Smith (May 3, 2010)."Consumer Electronics – Computer Retailers – Camera Retailers – CES".twice.com. Archived fromthe originalon March 24, 2012.RetrievedNovember 16,2012.
- ^"Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Mike Doyle and Kevin Yoder Introduce Bill Expanding Access to Federally Funded Research - Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren".Archived fromthe originalon October 25, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 23,2013.
- ^Crawford, Susan (June 27, 2014)."How Cities Can Take On Big Cable".Bloomberg News. Archived fromthe originalon July 1, 2014.RetrievedJuly 26,2014.
- ^Sheppard, Kate (June 26, 2009)."Pelosi cracks the whips to get climate bill passed".Grist. Archived fromthe originalon June 22, 2011.RetrievedNovember 16,2012.
- ^Lynn, Hannah (January 13, 2020)."Candidate Jerry Dickinson backs Green New Deal, criticizes Rep. Mike Doyle's lack of support".Pittsburgh City Paper.RetrievedMay 8,2022.
- ^Lynn, Hannah (January 9, 2020)."Rep. Mike Doyle backs the CLEAN Future Act. How does it compare to the Green New Deal?".Pittsburgh City Paper.Archivedfrom the original on January 10, 2020.RetrievedMay 8,2022.
- ^"Meet the Democrats Who Voted for the Defense of Marriage Act".Reason.com.June 27, 2013.RetrievedMay 8,2022.
- ^"Completed Federal Questionnaire From MIKE DOYLE Who Is Seeking Re-Election To The United States House Of Representatives In District 14".Stonewalldemocrats.org. Archived fromthe originalon October 13, 2012.RetrievedNovember 16,2012.
- ^"Republican Budget Would Devastate Pittsburgh's Seniors".
- ^"WHIP COUNT: Here's which members of the House voted for and against impeaching Trump".Business Insider.
- ^"H.R. 3675 – CBO".Congressional Budget Office. January 29, 2014.RetrievedMarch 10,2014.
- ^abKasperowicz, Pete (March 11, 2014)."House votes for more transparency at the FCC".The Hill.RetrievedMarch 12,2014.
- ^"CBO – H.R. 4631".Congressional Budget Office. June 20, 2014.RetrievedJune 24,2014.
- ^Marcos, Cristina (June 24, 2014)."House votes to reauthorize autism support programs".The Hill.RetrievedJune 25,2014.
- ^The Lugar Center – McCourt School Bipartisan Index(PDF),The Lugar Center,March 7, 2016,retrievedApril 30,2017
- ^"Religious affiliation of members of 115th Congress"(PDF).Pew Research Center.Archived(PDF)from the original on March 25, 2023.
External links
[edit]
- Biographyat theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office)at theFederal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsoredat theLibrary of Congress
- ProfileatVote Smart
- AppearancesonC-SPAN
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