LBI and Ballotpedia are hiring.
Voting box.svg.png
2013 Convention Preview: Virginia's GOP delegates to choose nominees for lt. gov and AG this weekend!




Tim Holden

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Share this article:  E-mail this story Bookmark with Facebook Share on Google+ Share on twitter.com

Tim Holden
Tim Holden.jpg
U.S. House, Pennsylvania, District 17
Retired Representative
In office
January 3, 1993-2013
PartyDemocratic
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 2, 2010
First electedNovember 3, 1992
Term limitsN/A
Education
Bachelor'sBloomsburg University, 1980
Personal
BirthdayMarch 5, 1957
Place of birthPottsville, PA
ReligionRoman Catholic
Websites
Office website

Contents

Tim Holden (b. March 5, 1957) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Pennsylvania. Holden was first elected in 1992.

Holden faced a tough race in 2012, as redistricting made the 17th district more strongly Democratic. Holden lost to Matt Cartwright in the April 24 Democratic primary.

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Holden was a "centrist Democratic follower".[1]

Career

BallotpediaAvatar bigger (transparent background).png
 		The information about this individual is current as of when his or her last campaign ended. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors
  • 1980: Graduated from Bloomsburg State University, Bloomsburg, Pa.
  • 1985-1993: Served as sheriff of Schuylkill County, Pa.
  • 1993-Present: U.S Representative from Pennsylvania

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2011-2012

Issues

Political positions

Voting Record

Since his election to Congress in 1992, Holden has missed 3 percent of all roll call votes. The median is 2.4 percent.[2]

A February 2012 analysis by National Journal found that out of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, Holden ranks number 185 in liberal rankings. The ranking means Holden is the 185th most liberal member of the House. [3]

Health Care

In 2010, Holden was one of 39 Democrats in the House to vote against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[4] Holden said he voted against the bill because of its cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and because of its taxes on health care benefits. "

Excerpt: "I do believe we need health care reform, but I think we could have done it incrementally, closing the doughnut hole in Medicare, negotiating drug prices to reduce them and eliminating lifetime caps. They intend to use the $500 billion in Medicare and Medicaid cuts to pay for the subsidies and to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. You can't do both with it. I spent a lot of time talking to providers. They're losing money on Medicare and Medicaid now. Further reductions are going to affect their ability to provide care for seniors."[5]

Foreign Policy

Holden bucked the party trend in 2002 by voting to authorize use of U.S. force in Iraq. Later, In 2007, Holden strongly opposed the troop surge. In 2011, however, Holden voted against a resolution requiring the president to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan immediately. When crisis arose in Libya in the spring of 2011, Holden voted against a resolution banning President Obama from using sending armed forces without Congressional approval.[6]

Excerpt: "My commitment to our brave men and women is unwavering. However, I disagree with deploying more than 20,000 more U.S. combat troops in Iraq. The president has consistently said that the size of the force would be determined by military leaders on the ground. Yet the two previous leaders on the ground do not support the addition of more troops. ...Our troops have done their job and performed with great courage and honor. The solution in Iraq can no longer be resolved militarily. We must win both politically and diplomatically."[7]

Energy

In 2006, Holden voted against opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration. Then, in 2007, he voted in favor of extending a moratorium on offshore drilling. A year later in 2008 appeared to change his position when he told a local newspaper he wanted to "drill everywhere. I’m for offshore drilling," said Holden at the time. "It needs to be part of a multipronged approach.”[8] In 2011, he broke with party ranks by voting to allow drilling in the outer continental shelf.

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "Yes" Holden 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.[9]

Elections

2012

See also: Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district elections, 2012

Holden ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Pennsylvania's 17th District. He lost the April 24 Democratic primary to Matt Cartwright.[10]

In 2002, Holden beat the odds by defeating a Republican congressman, and has been fending off GOP challengers ever since. But after redistricting, the 17th district became much more Democratic, meaning that instead of fending off a challenger from the right, Holden faced a strong challenge from the left. Moreover, his primary challenger, attorney Matt Cartwright, is a wealthy self-funder and well-known throughout the district.[11]

In a March 30, 2012 article from The Washington Post, Holden was listed as the 6th most likely incumbent to lose his primary.[12] New territory from the redistricting process allowed Holden to gain a more Democratic district, after losing most of the most heavily Republican leaning areas of the district previously.[12] However, that new territory also drew new intra-party opposition from lawyer Matt Cartwright in the primary.[12][13]

Ads


"Holden campaign ad"

In March 2012, the Holden campaign purchased an $85,000 television ad buy. The 30-second ad emphasizes Holden's record of supporting American troops and protecting seniors.[14]

On April 4, 2012, Holden released his first negative campaign ad against opponent Matt Cartwright.[15]


"Holden negative campaign ad"

Holden also released a another negative ad that attacks Cartwright's wealth.[16]


"Bored"

Endorsements

  • Former PA Gov Ed Rendell (D)[17]
  • PA Sen. Bob Casey (D)[18]
  • Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty
  • Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton
  • Easton Mayor Sal Panto
  • Luzerne County Democratic Committee[19]

Targeted

Holden was targeted for defeat by the Campaign for Primary Accountability. On April 6, the group launched a $70,000 ad buy with a negative ad tying Holden to Wall Street.[20] A Holden spokesman said the Campaign for Primary Accountability, which spent $200,000 in the race, contributed to Holden's loss to Matt Cartwright in the primary.[21]


"Who Does Congressman Tim Holden Look out for?"

Holden was also targeted by the Blue America PAC. The group is buying billboard space to criticize Holden for supporting weakened regulations for hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking."[22]

Holden was also targeted by the environmental group, League of Conservation Voters. The group purchased $230,000 worth of ad time against Holden. The 30-second TV ad compares Holden to former President George W. Bush when it comes to energy policy. "Congressman Tim Holden voted for Bush's energy plan that gave billions in taxpayer subsidies to big oil companies," says the ad's narrator. "But Congressman Holden voted against President Obama's plan to increase funding for clean energy."[23]


"Say 'No' to Tim Holden"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Holden won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Dave Argall in the general election.[24]

U.S. House of Representatives, Pennsylvania Congressional District 17 Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark.jpgTim Holden Incumbent 55.5% 118,486
     Republican Dave Argall 44.5% 95,000
Total Votes 213,486

2008

On November 4, 2008, Holden won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Toni Gilhooley in the general election.[25]

U.S. House of Representatives, Pennsylvania Congressional District 17 Election, 2008
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Toni Gilhooley 36.3% 109,909
     Democrat Green check mark.jpgTim Holden Incumbent 63.7% 192,699
Total Votes 302,608

2006

On November 7, 2006, Holden won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Matthew A. Wertz in the general election.[26]

U.S. House of Representatives, Pennsylvania Congressional District 17 Election, 2006
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Matthew A. Wertz 35.5% 75,455
     Democrat Green check mark.jpgTim Holden Incumbent 64.5% 137,253
Total Votes 212,708

2004

On November 2, 2004, Holden won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Scott Paterno and Russ Diamond in the general election.[27]

2002

On November 5, 2002, Holden won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Scott Paterno and Russ Diamond in the general election.[28]

Polls

2012 Election

A Thirty-Ninth Street Strategies internal Cartwright poll, conducted April 2-5, 2012, showed Cartwright with a single-digit lead over incumbent Rep. Holden.[29]

Pennsylvania's Congressional District 17, 2012
Response [1]
(April 2-5, 2012)		Average
Tim Holden (D) 36% 36%
Matt Cartwright (D) 42% 42%
Number polled 600 600
Margin of error +/-4.0 4%
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Campaign donors

Throughout his career in the House, Holden has raised more than $500,000 each from Building Trade Unions, Industrial Unions, and Transportation Unions.[30]

Holden's top three contributors throughout his career are the PMA Group, which gave $102,075; Carpenters & Joiners Union, which gave $97,950; and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which contributed $94,325.[31]

2010

Holden won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Holden's campaign committee raised a total of $1,363,850 and spent $1,864,924.[32]

His top 5 contributors between 2009-2010 were:

Analysis

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Holden paid his congressional staff a total of $970,964 in 2011. Overall, Pennsylvania ranked 34th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[33]

Net worth

See also: Net Worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Holden's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $290,020 to $804,000. That averages to $547,010 which was lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[34]

Percentage voting with party

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Tim Holden voted with the Democratic Party 71.1% of the time, which ranked 184 among the 192 House Democratic members in December 2011.[35]

Personal

Tim Holden is married to Gwen.

External links


References

  1. ↑ Gov Track "Holden" Accessed May 25, 2012
  2. ↑ govtrack.us "Rep. Tim Holden" Accessed April 7, 2012
  3. ↑ National Journal "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House" Accessed March 25, 2012
  4. ↑ Pennlive.com "After voting against health care reform, U.S. Rep. Tim Holden says legislation needs work" Accessed March 25, 2012
  5. ↑ readingeagle.com "Rep. Tim Holden says cuts in Medicare and Medicaid convinced him to vote no" Accessed March 25, 2012
  6. ↑ On the Issues "War and Peace" Accessed March 25, 2012
  7. ↑ Youtube "Iraq Troop Surge Debate : Tim Holden - Anti Surge" Accessed March 25, 2012
  8. ↑ Politico "Dems yielding to pressure on drilling" Accessed March 25, 2012
  9. ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  10. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State "2012 General Primary Unofficial Returns," April 24, 2012
  11. ↑ Roll Call "Redistricting Makes Blue Dog Holden an Underdog" Accessed April 22, 2012
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 The Washingotn Post "The next Jean Schmidt? The top 10 House incumbents who could lose their primaries" Accessed April 1, 2012
  13. ↑ Pennsylvania Dept of State "2012 Official Primary Results"
  14. ↑ The Morning Call "Ad wars begin for Rep. Holden and his primary foe" Accessed March 25, 2012
  15. ↑ PoliticsPA "Holden Ad Blasts Cartwright Over ‘Kids for Cash’ " Accessed April 6, 2012
  16. ↑ PoliticsPA "New Holden Ad Dings Cartwright’s Wealth " Accessed April 7, 2012
  17. ↑ PoliticsPA "Rendell Backs Holden" Accessed April 22, 2012
  18. ↑ citizensvoice.com "Holden piles up endorsements in 17th congressional district race" Accessed April 22, 2012
  19. ↑ PoliticsPA "Luzerne Dems Back Holden, Vinsko" Accessed March 25, 2012
  20. ↑ PoliticsPA "Super PAC Launches Anti-Holden Ad" Accessed April 7, 2012
  21. ↑ Wall Street Journal blog "Anti-Incumbent Super PAC Claims a Win in Pennsylvania," April 25, 2012
  22. ↑ The Borys Blog Accessed April 7, 2012
  23. ↑ Lehigh Morning Call "League of Conservation Voters targets Congressman Tim Holden" Accessed April 21, 2012
  24. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  25. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  26. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
  27. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004"
  28. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002"
  29. ↑ PoliticsPA "Cartwright Poll: Cartwright Leads Holden 42-36" Accessed April 9, 2012
  30. ↑ opensecrets.org "Top Industries" Accessed April 7, 2012
  31. ↑ opensecrets.org Accessed April 21, 2012
  32. ↑ Open Secrets "Tim Holden 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 16, 2011
  33. ↑ LegiStorm, "Tim Holden," Accessed September 24, 2012
  34. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Tim Holden (D-Pa), 2010," Accessed September 24, 2012
  35. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
Political offices
Preceded by
Gus Yatron 		U.S. House of Representatives - Pennsylvania District 6
2003–1993 		Succeeded by
Jim Gerlach
Preceded by
George Gekas 		U.S. House of Representatives - Pennsylvania District 17
2003–present 		Succeeded by
-
v • d • e
Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress
SenatorsCongressLogo.png
Representatives
Other states' delegations
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Retrieved from "http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Tim_Holden&oldid=1782855"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Encyclopedia
Calendars
Get Involved
Donate
Toolbox