Pat Toomey

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Patrick J. Toomey
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 15th district
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Paul McHale
Succeeded by	Charlie Dent
Born	November 17, 1961 (1961-11-17) (age 48) Providence, Rhode Island
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Kris Toomey
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website	http://www.toomeyforsenate.com/

Patrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. (born November 17, 1961) is an American politician. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, a Republican representing the Lehigh Valley-based 15th congressional district from January 1999 to January 2005, when he retired after running for a seat in the United States Senate. From 2005 to 2009, he served as president of the Club for Growth, a 501(c)(4) organization with an affiliated Political Action Committee, which focuses on limited government and free-enterprise advocacy.

On April 15, 2009, Toomey announced his intention to run for the Republican nomination in the Pennsylvania Republican senatorial primary.^[1].

[edit] Early life and career

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Toomey was raised by working-class Catholic parents, and was one of six children. Through scholarships, he was able to attend La Salle Academy and later, Harvard University. After graduating from Harvard with a political science degree, Toomey was hired by Chemical Bank in 1984, where he was involved in currency swap transactions. In 1986, Toomey was hired by Morgan, Grenfell & Co., where he dealt in multiple foreign currencies, interest rates, and currency-related derivatives.^[2] In 1991, Toomey resigned from the firm when it was acquired by Deutsche Bank in order to avoid the decreased flexibility and entrepreneurship that the acquisition would have caused.^[2] The same year, Toomey and two younger brothers, Steven and Michael, opened Rookie's Restaurant in Allentown, Pennsylvania.^[2]

Toomey often cites his experience as a small-business owner in the Lehigh Valley when criticizing what he refers to as excessive government regulation and taxes.

In 1994 Toomey was elected to Allentown's newly established Government Study Commission. During his term, Toomey drafted a new charter for the Commission requiring a super-majority for any tax increase.^[3] The charter was approved by Allentown voters on April 23, 1996.^[4]

In November 1997, Toomey married Kris Ann Duncan. They have two children, Bridget and Patrick, Jr.

[edit] Congressional career

In 1998, Toomey ran for the 15th District seat being vacated by the Democratic incumbent Paul McHale against state Senator and future Allentown Mayor Roy C. Afflerbach. Toomey won by an unexpectedly wide ten-point margin.

Since his first days as a freshman Congressman, Toomey has strong advocated deregulation of the financial services industry: "The trend in deregulation, beginning in the early 1980s, is one of the biggest reasons for the sustained economic expansion. I would like to see us continue to deregulate on many fronts, including the financial services industry,” he stated in the spring of 1999.^[2]

While serving on the House Banking Committee, Toomey, in 1999, helped write House Resolution 10, which led to the repeal of parts of the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act.^[2][3] The repeal of the Act, which had regulated the separation of banks and investment firms, allowed the creation of huge companies that combined banking and investment operations. President Barack Obama and others have pointed to the repeal of Glass-Steagall as a significant cause of the current global financial crisis, on the grounds that it opened up the door for the financial sector to form so-called too big to fail financial services giants like AIG.^[3]

Toomey was reelected two more times by relatively comfortable margins. While the 15th has historically been a Democratic district, it has a fairly strong tinge of social conservatism.

In 2002, he was named to the PoliticsPA list of Best Dressed Legislators.^[5] During the 2002 election, Toomey's website was praised as among the best of the 2002 election cycle.^[6]

Toomey did not run for reelection to his House seat in 2004, fulfilling a pledge that he had signed in 1998 to serve only three terms.^[7]

[edit] Campaign for Senate, 2004

In 2004, he challenged incumbent Senator Arlen Specter in the Republican primary election. Aided by $2 million of advertising from the Club for Growth, Toomey's campaign theme was that Specter was too moderate, especially on fiscal issues. Toomey frequently denounced Specter as a liberal spendthrift.

However, most of the state's Republican establishment closed ranks behind Specter. This included Pennsylvania's other Senator, Rick Santorum.

Toomey lost by a 1.7% margin after an eleventh-hour endorsement of the incumbent, Specter, by President George W. Bush.^[8]

[edit] Post-congressional career

U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey addresses the Philadelphia Tea Party on April 18, 2009.

In January 2005, Toomey became president of the Club for Growth, which had greatly supported his 2004 race against Specter. In August 2007, Toomey also joined the board of the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives.

[edit] Campaign for Senate, 2010

On April 15, 2009, Toomey announced his intention to once again challenge Specter in the Republican senatorial primary.^[1] On April 28, 2009, Specter announced that he was switching parties and would run as a Democrat in 2010^[9]. Specter's withdrawal left Toomey as the front runner for the 2010 Republican nomination. ^[10]

Toomey is considered by many^[who?] to be the front-runner for the Republican nomination, and Rasmussen polling in December 2009 reports that Toomey defeats potential opponents Arlen Spector and Joe Sestak by four and six point margin respectively.^[11]

[edit] Political positions

Based on his three terms in Congress, the conservative American Conservative Union (ACU) has assigned him a lifetime congressional rating of 97%,^[12] and the liberal Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) a lifetime "Liberal Quotient" of 6%.^[13] As tracked by special interest groups monitoring key votes on relevant issues, he has been rated:^[14]

• 0% by the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), indicating what the LCV considers to be an anti-environmental voting record. (Dec 2003)
• 6% by the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA), indicating what the ARA considers to be an anti-retiree voting record (1999 - 2004)^[15]
• 13% by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), indicating what the AFL-CIO considers to be an anti-labor voting record. (Dec 2003)
• 13% by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), indicating what the ACLU considers to be an anti-civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)
• 17% by the National Education Association (NEA), indicating what the NEA considers to be an anti-public education voting record. (Dec 2003)
• 25% by the American Public Health Association (APHA), indicating what APHA considers to be an anti-public health voting record. (Dec 2003)
• 30% by Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE), indicating what CURE considers to be an anti-rehabilitation voting record. (Dec 2000)
• 44% by Peace Action (formerly the Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy), indicating the percentage that Toomey voted in accordance with what Peace Action considers to be pro-peace and pro-disarmament positions, on votes that the organization deems most important on these issues.^[16]
• 72% by the libertarian Cato Institute on trade policy votes, indicating what the Institute considers to be a pro-free trade voting record. (Dec 2002)
• 78 (68 Personal Liberty, 89 Economic) by the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) on its 'Liberty Index', indicating what the RLC considers to be a libertarian-leaning voting record. (1999-2004)
• 90% by the United States Chamber of Commerce, indicating what the Chamber considers to be a pro-business voting record. (Dec 2003)
• "A" by the National Rifle Association (NRA), indicating what the NRA considers to be a pro-gun rights voting record. (Dec 2003)
• 100% by the Christian Coalition of America (CCA), indicating what the CCA considers to be a "pro-values" voting record. (Dec 2003)
• 100% by the National Right to Life Committee, indicating what the National Right to Life Committee considers to be a pro-life voting record.^[17]

[edit] Electoral history

2004 U.S. Senate election — Republican Primary

• Arlen Specter (R) (inc.), 51%
• Pat Toomey (R), 49%

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Toomey for Senate U.S. Senate campaign website

• Pat Toomey at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress