Paul Tonko
| Paul Tonko | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, New York, District 20 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2009-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 4 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Chris Gibson (R) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 4, 2008 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $2,711,107 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| New York State Assembly | ||
| 1983-2007 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Clarkson University | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | June 18, 1949 | |
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, New York | |
| Profession | Engineer | |
| Net worth | $8,000 | |
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Tonko is a "rank-and-file Democrat".[1]
Biography
Tonko was born in Amsterdam, New York. He earned a B.A. from Clarkson University in 1971.[2]
Career
After earning his degree, Tonko began to work as a public works engineer and state transportation agency employee. He was a member of Montgomery County's (New York) Board of Supervisors from 1976-1983, chairman of Montgomery County's (New York) Board of Supervisors in 1981, and a member of the New York State Assembly from 1983-2007. After finishing his last term, Tonko served as president of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority from 2007-2008.[3]
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Tonko serves on the following committees:[4]
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Energy and Power
- Subcommittee on Environment and Economy - Ranking Member
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
2011-2012
Tonko served on the following committees:[5]
- Budget Committee
- Science, Space and Technology Committee
- Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
- Subcommittee on Research and Science Education[6]
Issues
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Tonko voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[7]
Elections
2012
Tonko won re-election in 2012, but due to New York's redistricting, he ran in the newly redrawn 20th district.[8] He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Robert Dieterich in the November 6, 2012, general election.[9] He also ran as a Working Families and Independence candidate.[10] [11]
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for Paul Tonko, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Tonko is available dating back to 2008. Based on available campaign finance records, Tonko raised a total of $2,711,107 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 23, 2013.[14]
| Paul Tonko's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 20) |  |
$974,898 | |
| 2010 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 21) | |
$987,959 | |
| 2008 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 21) | |
$748,250 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $2,711,107 | |||
Individual breakdown
2012
Tonko won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Tonko's campaign committee raised a total of $974,899 and spent $820,271.[15]
| U.S. House of Representatives, New York's 20th Congressional District, 2012 - Paul Tonko Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $974,899 |
| Total Spent | $820,271 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $43,939 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $41,622 |
| Top contributors to Paul Tonko's campaign committee | |
| American Crystal Sugar | $20,000 |
| Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $12,500 |
| General Electric | $11,600 |
| American Federation of Teachers | $10,000 |
| American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Public Sector Unions | $67,000 |
| Building Trade Unions | $54,500 |
| Health Professionals | $47,850 |
| Industrial Unions | $46,000 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $42,474 |
2010
| U.S. House, New York, 2010 - Paul Tonko Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $987,959 |
| Total Spent | $813,619 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $43,939 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $41,622 |
| Top contributors to Paul Tonko's campaign committee | |
| Service Employees International Union | $15,000 |
| General Electric | $11,500 |
| Fiber Glass Industries | $11,450 |
| State of New York | $10,660 |
| American Crystal Sugar | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Public Sector Unions | $61,500 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $56,543 |
| Building Trade Unions | $50,000 |
| Health Professionals | $41,800 |
| Misc Manufacturing & Distributing | $37,450 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Tonko missed 21 of 3,363 roll call votes from Jan 2009 to Apr 2013, which is 0.6% of votes during that period. This is better than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. [17]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Tonko paid his congressional staff a total of $961,575 in 2011. Overall, New York ranked 28th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[18]
Staff bonuses
According to an analysis by CNN, Tonko is one of nearly 25% of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Tonko's staff was given an apparent $15,934.00 in bonus money.[19]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Tonko's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $1,001 to $15,000. That averages to $8,000, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic House members in 2011 of $5,107,874. His average net worth did not change from 2010.[20]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Tonko's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $1,001 to $15,000. Averaging to a net worth of $8,000 which was lower than the average net worth of Democrats in 2010 of $4,465,875.[21]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Tonko tied with one other member of the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking 98th in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[22]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Tonko tied with 19 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking 1st in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[23]
Percentage voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Paul Tonko has voted with the Democratic Party 94.5% of the time, which ranked 39th among the 192 House Democratic members as of December 2011.[24]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Paul + Tonko + New York + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Paul Tonko News Feed
- House Subcommittee Holds TSCA Oversight Hearing - Environmental Expert (press release)
- Clean Diesel's Key Role as a Sustainable Energy Source To Be Highlighted at ... - Wall Street Journal
- Tonko Pushes for Private Property Protection and Environmental Safeguards in ... - RealEstateRama (press release)
- GEA to Showcase Geothermal Energy at Congressional Expo and Forum - AltEnergyMag (press release)
- Halfmoon-Waterford Fire District No. 1 dedicates new fire truck - cnweekly
- Shaker student's photo wired in - Spotlight News
- Rep. Maloney Introduces Bill to Name USPS Facility After CIA Officer Gregg ... - Targeted News Service (subscription)
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Personal
Tonko is a lifelong resident of the city of Amsterdam, New York.[25]
External links
- Congressman Paul D. Tonko official U.S. House site
- Paul Tonko for Congress official campaign site
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Tonko" Accessed May 24, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "TONKO, Paul, (1949 - )"
- ↑ Congressman Paul D. Tonko, Representing the 21st District of New York "Biography"
- ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress"
- ↑ U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson, 20th District of New York "Biography"
- ↑ Congressman Paul D. Tonko, Representing the 21st District of New York "Biography"
- ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ (Schenectady) Daily Gazette "Tonko campaign flush with funds," April 18, 2012
- ↑ AP/CSPAN "New York-Summary Vote Report," June 26, 2012
- ↑ New York Board of Elections "2012 Candidate List" Accessed October 17, 2012
- ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map, New York"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Paul Tonko" March 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Paul Tonko 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed March 1, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Paul Tonko 2010 Election Data," Accessed December 23, 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Paul Tonko" Accessed April 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Paul Tonko," Accessed October 1, 2012
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Congressional bonuses in a time of cuts," March 8, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org "Paul Tonko (D-NY), 2011," accessed February 21, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Paul Tonko (D-NY), 2010," Accessed October 1, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," March 7, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ Congressman Paul D. Tonko, Representing the 21st District of New York "Biography"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Chris Gibson |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York District 20 2013–Present |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by Michael R. McNulty |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York District 21 2009–2013 |
Succeeded by Bill Owens |
| Preceded by Gail Shaffer |
New York State Assembly - New York District 105 1983-2007 |
Succeeded by George Amedore |
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