Adam Kinzinger
| Adam Kinzinger | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 16th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Donald Manzullo |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 11th district |
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| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Debbie Halvorson |
| Succeeded by | Bill Foster |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Adam Daniel Kinzinger February 27, 1978 Kankakee, Illinois, U.S.[1] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Manteno, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Illinois State University[1] |
| Occupation | U.S. Air Force pilot |
| Religion | Protestant[1] |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force, Air National Guard |
| Years of service | 2003–Present |
| Rank |  Major |
| Battles/wars | Operation Iraqi Freedom |
Adam Daniel Kinzinger[2] (born February 27, 1978) is the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 16th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.
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Early life, education, and early political career [edit]
Kinzinger was born in 1978 in Kankakee, but raised in Bloomington, Illinois. He graduated from Normal Community West High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Illinois State University in 2000. He served as an intern for former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald as part of a program offered at Illinois State.
In 2003, he joined the United States Air Force. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in November 2003 and later awarded his pilot wings. Kinzinger was initially a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot and flew missions in South America, Guam, Iraq and Afghanistan. He later switched to flying the RC-26 spy plane and was stationed in Iraq twice.[3] Kinzinger has served in the Air Force Special Ops, Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, and Air National Guard and was later promoted to Major.[4]
Kinzinger served as a County Board member in McLean County, Illinois from 1998 to 2003. Kinzinger defeated an incumbent County Board member in 1998 while still a student at Illinois State. Kinzinger served in that role until 2003 when he elected to serve full-time in the U.S. Air Force.[5]
U.S. House of Representatives [edit]
Elections [edit]
- 2010
In January 2009, Kinzinger met with Republican U.S. Congressmen Mike Pence, Mark Kirk, and Peter Roskam to discuss a possible run for Congress.[6] Kinzinger decided to run in Illinois' 11th congressional district, held by Democrat Debbie Halvorson. He started campaigning full-time in May 2009, when he returned home from his 3rd tour in Iraq. In the early autumn, Kinzinger held eight town halls across the 11th Congressional District that were attended by nearly 2,000 people. He was endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. On February 2, 2010, Kinzinger won the five-candidate Republican primary with 64% of the vote.[7]
In the general election, he was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. On November 2, 2010, Kinzinger defeated Halvorson 57%-43%.[8]
- 2012
After redistricting, he decided to run in the newly redrawn Illinois' 16th congressional district. He faced fellow U.S. Congressman Don Manzullo, a 67 year old politician first elected in 1992, in the March primary. Kinzinger currently represents 31% of the district, while Manzullo has represented at least 44% of the district in the past ten years. Kinzinger defeated the longtime incumbent 56%-44%.[9] In the general election, he defeated Democrat Wanda Rohl and won re-election to a second term, 62%-38%.[10]
Tenure [edit]
Kinzinger sponsored the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013, H.R. 235 in the 113th Congress.[11] This legislation would make it easier for veterans with emergency medical technician training in the military to get civilian licenses to perform the same job outside of the military. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote on February 12, 2013 and was referred to the United States Senate.[12]
Kinzinger is a member of both the Republican Study Committee and Republican Main Street Partnership.
Committee assignments [edit]
Personal life [edit]
In 2006, the Wisconsin Red Cross named Kinzinger "Hero of the Year" for wrestling a knife-wielding man to the ground and disarming him. The man had cut the throat of a woman on a street in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[13] Recalling the event in an ABC Milwaukee interview, Kinzinger stated "The whole time it was, to me, kind of a done deal that I was going to get stabbed in the process, but I knew that this wasn't something I could wake up to...everyday with that memory that I watched her die."[14] The woman survived. For this act Kinzinger also received the United States Air Force Airman's Medal and the National Guard's Valley Forge Cross for Heroism.
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Smith, Lauren (November 6, 2010). "112th Congress: Paul Gosar, Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. (11th District)". Congressional Quarterly. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.rrstar.com/insight/x2079019554/Chuck-Sweeny-Manzullo-challenger-Kinzinger-got-politics-bug-early
- ^ Adam Kinzinger's military service profile
- ^ "STOP the ACLU" Kinzinger runs for Congress, March 3, 2009
- ^ "Roll Call" Illinois:First GOPer Lines Up to Take Out Halvorson, January 20, 2009
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=512637
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=489035
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=734301
- ^ http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/House/2012/IL
- ^ "H.R. 235 - Congress.gov". United States Congress. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
- ^ "Bill Summary & Status - H.R. 235 - All Congressional Actions". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
- ^ Bloomington Pantagraph, "Former local board member stops knife attack", August 17, 2006
- ^ “” (2010-06-22). "Adam Kinzinger saves woman's life/Milwaukee TV report". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
External links [edit]
- Congressman Adam Kinzinger official U.S. House site
- Adam Kinzinger for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Profile at Ballotpedia
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Debbie Halvorson |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 11th congressional district January 3, 2011 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Mike Kelly R-Pennsylvania |
United States Representatives by seniority 316th |
Succeeded by Raúl Labrador R-Idaho |
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- 1978 births
- American military personnel of the Iraq War
- American military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- Illinois local politicians
- Illinois Republicans
- Illinois State University alumni
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
- People from Bloomington, Illinois
- United States Air Force officers
- Recipients of the Airman's Medal
