Todd Russell Platts

Todd Russell Platts
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 19th district
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Bill Goodling
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 196th district
In office January 5, 1993 – November 30, 2000
Preceded by	Ruth Harper
Succeeded by	Beverly Mackereth
Personal details
Born	(1962-03-05) March 5, 1962 York, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Leslie Platts
Residence	York, Pennsylvania
Alma mater	Shippensburg University, Pepperdine University
Occupation	attorney
Religion	Episcopalian
Signature

Todd Russell Platts (born March 5, 1962) is a former U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 19th congressional district, serving from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district, since redrawn and renumbered, encompassed south-central Pennsylvania, including all of York and Adams Counties, and a large portion of Cumberland County. York, Hanover, Gettysburg and Carlisle were some of the prominent cities and towns included. In January 2012, Platts announced his intention to retire from Congress.

Early life and education

Platts was born in York, Pennsylvania, on March 5, 1962. He graduated from York Suburban Senior High School in 1980. He continued his education locally, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in 1984. He then attended Pepperdine University School of Law, and graduated Cum Laude with a Juris Doctorate degree in 1991.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Platts was first elected to public office in November 1992, to represent the 196th legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The election marked the first time that the 196th district was fought on its present boundaries; following the 1990 census, the approved legislative reapportionment plan moved it out of Philadelphia, and into its present boundaries.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Platts was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, after narrowly winning a crowded Republican primary, and easily defeating college professor Jeff Sanders, the Democratic nominee, in the general election. He replaced Congressman Bill Goodling, who chose not to run for re-election that year.

Platts ran unopposed by the Democratic Party during the 2002 and 2004 elections, although in 2002, he faced opposition in the Republican primary, most notably from Tom Glennon. He faced York College professor and decorated Vietnam Veteran Phil Avillo, Jr., the Democratic nominee, and Derf Maitland of the Green Party in the 2006 election. [1]. Platts won 64% of the vote to Avillo's 33% and Maitland's 3%. In 2008, Platts and Avillo faced off again. With 66.7% of the vote, Platts became the most electorally successful Republican Congressional candidate in the Northeast.

2008

• United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2008#District 19

2010

• United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2010#District 19

Platts was challenged by Democratic nominee Ryan Sanders and Independent Patriots nominee Joshua Monighan. Platts was re-elected to a sixth term with 72% of the vote.

Tenure

As a Congressman, Platts supported many of President George W. Bush's initiatives, tax cuts, drilling in ANWR, the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, the Iraq War, and a ban on same-sex marriage.

He opposed any version of Bush's school voucher proposal, supported offshore oil drilling, supported increasing government regulated fuel efficiency standards for automobiles, voted for the Matthew Shepard Act, a hate crimes prevention bill, and supported the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation. In 2006, the National Journal political index describes him as having a moderate voting record despite the relatively conservative nature of his district, although the district does include some exurbs of Baltimore, Maryland. That journal gave him "conservative" ratings of 53% (economy), 65% (social issues) and 73% (foreign policy) in the 2004 congress. Platts' district went 64-36 for Bush in 2004. He has broken with his party on several issues, for example supporting President Obama's expansion of SCHIP and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

He is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership and supports stem-cell research. Early in his political career, after his initial election to the Pennsylvania House, Platts was pro-choice. However, he later changed his views and became pro-life. He remains so to this day, and he has a pro-life voting record as a Congressman.

Platts has consistently voted against bail-outs of the financial industry and the automakers. He also voted against the economic stimulus legislation, the fiscal year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, and fiscal year 2010 Budget Resolution.

Platts was one of fifteen Republican House members to vote in favor of repealing the United States military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on openly gay service members.

Along with nearly all other Republican members of the US House of Representatives, Mr. Platts voted to support The Path to Prosperity, the budget put forward by U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI). However, the next year he joined nine other Republicans in voting against Rep. Ryan's budget.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
  • Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
• Committee on Education and the Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations

Source

Caucus Memberships

• Congressional Arts Caucus

External links

Media related to Todd Platts at Wikimedia Commons

• Congressman Todd Russell Platts official U.S. House site
• Todd Platts for U.S. Congress official campaign site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• 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
• Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• 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
• Profile at SourceWatch

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by William F. Goodling	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 19th congressional district 2001–2013	Succeeded by District dissolved
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Preceded by Ruth Harper	Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 196th District 1993–2000	Succeeded by Beverly Mackereth