Chaka Fattah
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| Chaka Fattah | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Lucien Blackwell |
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| In office January 3, 1989 – August 31, 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Freeman Hankins |
| Succeeded by | Vincent Hughes |
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| In office January 3, 1983 – November 30, 1988 |
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| Preceded by | Nicholas A. Pucciarelli |
| Succeeded by | Louise Bishop |
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| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | i) Michelle Fattah ii) Renee Chenault-Fattah |
| Children | Frances Fattah Cameron Fattah Chandler Fattah Chaka Fattah Jr. |
| Residence | Philadelphia |
| Alma mater | Community College of Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Legislator |
| Religion | Baptist |
Chaka Fattah (born Arthur Davenport on November 21, 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), has served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1994, representing the 2nd congressional district of Pennsylvania (map), which includes North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, a very small portion of Northeast Philadelphia and Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County.
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[edit] Public life
He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1983 to 1988 and as a State Senator from 1988 to 1994. He has served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 2nd district in Pennsylvania, since 1995, after defeating Lucien Blackwell in the 1994 Democratic primary.
In November 2006, he declared his candidacy for Mayor of Philadelphia[1], where two-term incumbent Mayor John F. Street was barred from re-election by term limits, amid pressure from Democratic voters to keep his Congressional seat in order to maintain a Philadelphia representative on the powerful Appropriations Committee in the House. His candidacy announcement took place next to the recently-completed Microsoft School of the Future in the city's Parkside neighborhood to emphasize his campaign platform of better educational opportunities for city youth.
After emerging as a mayoral candidate, Fattah came under fire from the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police for his repeated calls to grant a new trial to Mumia Abu-Jamal, who murdered police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981[2]; he also was criticized for possibly unethical campaign spending, based on new campaign finance rules adopted by the city of Philadelphia. The Fattah campaign defended itself, claiming that it had followed less restrictive federal rules in spending the money,[3] but eventually returned a portion of the excess contributions to the exploratory committee following a settlement with the city's Board of Ethics.[3] Fattah eventually came in fourth in the Democratic primary, close behind fellow Congressman Bob Brady but well behind former city councilman Michael Nutter, who went on to win the fall general election handily.
Congressman Fattah, who represents an overwhelmingly Democratic district, opposed the War in Iraq and supports Congressman John Murtha's call for troop withdrawal.[4] He has publicly supported the “Bring Our Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Act” a bill that called for bringing the troops home within six months and transitioning the Iraqis to self government.
He endorsed Barack Obama for President in 2008.[5] He has also proclaimed that NASA's voting contest for naming rights for a module on the International Space Station should be honored by naming one "Colbert" in honor of TV personality Stephen Colbert. [6][7]
In 2002, he was named to the PoliticsPA list of Best Dressed Legislators, noting his "excellence in haberdashery."[8]
[edit] Committee assignments
[edit] Personal
Fattah's parents, David Fattah (born Russell Davenport) and Sister Falaka Fattah (born Frances Brown, also known as Queen Mother Falaka Fattah), are community activists in West Philadelphia, where they are building an "urban Boys' Town" through their organization, the House of Umoja.[9] Chaka Fattah has lived all his life in the city, attending Overbrook High School, the Community College of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government, where he received an MGA in 1986.[10]
He has four brothers.[citation needed]
He is the father of three daughters, Frances, Cameron, & Chandler and one son, Chaka Fattah Jr. His two youngest daughters go to private school.[citation needed]
He has been married twice.[citation needed] His current wife is Renee Chenault-Fattah, a local Philadelphia television news broadcaster on WCAU-TV (NBC 10).[citation needed]
He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.[citation needed] Representative Fattah is a Prince Hall Freemason, Scottish Rite.[citation needed]
[edit] Election Results
- 2008 Race for US House[11]
- Chaka Fattah (D) (inc.), 89%
- Adam Lang (R), 11%
- 2007 Democratic Primary for Mayor of Philadelphia
- Michael Nutter 106,805 36.64%
- Tom Knox 71,731 24.61%
- Bob Brady 44,474 15.26%
- Chaka Fattah 44,301 15.20%
- Dwight Evans 22,782 7.82%
- Totals 291,492 100%
- 2006 Race for US House
- Chaka Fattah (D) (inc.), 89%
- Michael Gessner (R), 9%
- 2004 Race for US House
- Chaka Fattah (D) (inc.), 88%
- Stewart Bolno (R), 12%
- 2002 Race for US House
- Chaka Fattah (D) (inc.), 88%
- Tom Dougherty (R), 12%
- 2000 Race for US House
- Chaka Fattah (D) (inc.), 98%
- Ken Krawchuk (Libertarian), 2%
- 1998 Race for US House
- Chaka Fattah (D) (inc.), 86%
- Anne Marie Mulligan (R), 14%
- 1996 Race for US House
- Chaka Fattah (D) (inc.), 88%
- Larry Murphy (R), 12%
- 1994 Race for US House
- Chaka Fattah (D), 79%
- Lawrence Watson (R), 18%
[edit] Ideological ratings
- Americans for Democratic Action — 90% for 2005.
- AFL-CIO — 92% for 2005.
- National Journal — Composite Liberal Score of 83% for 2005.[12]
- National Right to Life Committee - 9% pro-life[13]
[edit] References
- ^ It’s official: Chaka Fattah is in the mayor’s race Philadelphia Inquirer
- ^ Fattah draws FOP wrath over Abu-Jamal issue The Philadelphia Daily News
- ^ a b Fattah campaign may have used 'exploratory' $ The Philadelphia Inquirer
- ^ An Interview with Congressman Chaka Fattah The Philadelphia Jewish Voice
- ^ TheHill.com - Endorsements 2008
- ^ Chaka Fattah Supports Stephen Colbert
- ^ Stephen Colbert Banned from Politics
- ^ "Sy Snyder's Best Dressed Legislators". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-08-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20020803093934/www.politicspa.com/FEATURES/best_dressed.htm.
- ^ House of Umoja House of Umoja Website
- ^ Chaka Fattah educational background Philadelphia Daily News
- ^ "2008 General Election: Official Returns". Pennsylvania Department of State. November 4, 2008.
- ^ Representative Chaka Fattah (PA) Project Vote Smart
- ^ http://www.ontheissues.org/PA/Chaka_Fattah.htm
[edit] External links
- Congressman Chaka Fattah official U.S. House site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
- Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
- Famous Prince Hall freemasons
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lucien E. Blackwell |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district 1995 – present |
Incumbent |
| Pennsylvania State Senate | ||
| Preceded by Freeman Hankins |
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 7th District 1989–1994 |
Succeeded by Vincent Hughes |
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Nicholas A. Pucciarelli |
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 192nd District 1983–1988 |
Succeeded by Louise Bishop |
