John Tierney

John Tierney

Democratic Party

Prior offices

U.S. House Massachusetts District 6

Successor: Seth Moulton

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Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $1,362,504

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 9, 2014

Education

High school

Salem High School

Bachelor's

Salem State College

Law

Suffolk University

Personal

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Attorney

John F. Tierney (b. September 18, 1951, in Salem, MA) was previously a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District. Tierney was first elected to the House in 1996 and served nine terms. Tiereny lost his bid for re-election in Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District to Seth Moulton in the primary election on September 9, 2014.

Prior to his congressional carreer, Tierney earned his law degree from Suffolk University and practiced over 20 years as a partner in the law firm of Tierney, Kalis and Lucas.

Biography

Tierney earned his bachelor's degree from Salem State College and his J.D. from Suffolk University. He went on to be a partner in a law firm for two decades before launching his political career. He was also a member of the Salem, MA, Chamber of Commerce from 1976 to 1996, and its president in 1995. From 1992 to 1997, he was a trustee of his alma mater, Salem State College.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Tierney's academic, professional, and political career:

• 1997-2015: U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District
• 1976-1996: Member of Salem Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Tierney served on the following committees:

• Committee on Education and the Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Subcommittee on National Security Chair

2011-2012

Tierney was a member of the following House committees:

• Committee on Education and the Workforce
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Ranking Member

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. For more information pertaining to Tierney's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.

National security

NDAA

Tierney voted in opposition of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.

DHS Appropriations

Tierney voted in opposition of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.

Economy

Farm bill

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, known as the Farm Bill. The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill provides for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop. However, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states. Tierney voted with 102 other Democratic representatives against the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the protection of the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Tierney joined with the majority of the Democratic party and voted in favor of the bill.

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201. At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference. Tierney voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Tierney voted for HR 2775.

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Tierney voted against House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status. The vote largely followed party lines.

Healthcare

Repealing Obamacare

Tierney has voted against all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Social issues

Abortion

Tierey voted against HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196. The purpose of the bill was to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Tierney 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 who voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257-167 vote on January 1, 2013.

Issues

Economy

King Amendment

Tierney signed a letter sent to Collin Peterson in August 2013, asking him to keep Steve King's amendment out of the final Farm Bill. The "Protect Interstate Commerce Act" amendment prevents states from applying their own laws on agricultural products to agricultural products from another state. King introduced the amendment in response to a law in California, requiring a larger size cage for egg-producing chickens. King represents Iowa, which is a large egg producer.

Earmarks

A Washington Post investigation in February 2012 revealed that 33 members of Congress helped direct more than $300 million in earmarks to public projects in close proximity to commercial and residential real estate owned by the lawmakers or their family members. According to the report, Tierney has helped direct about $3.5 million toward a 950-space parking garage and commuter rail station in Salem, Mass. The facility will be located roughly 1/4 mile from a commercial building Tierney co-owns.

Elections

2014

See also: Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District elections, 2014

Tierney lost his bid for re-election to Seth Moulton in the Democratic primary on September 9, 2014.

Tierney was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents during the 2014 election cycle.

Tierney made Roll Call's "Ten Most Vulnerable" list. He narrowly won election in 2012, even though Obama had a wide margin of victory in the district. He was plagued by ethics violations throughout the election cycle.

U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Seth Moulton	50.8%	36,575
John Tierney Incumbent	40.1%	28,915
Marisa DeFranco	6%	4,293
John Devine	2.1%	1,527
John Gutta	1%	691
All others	0%	36
Total Votes		72,037
Source: Massachusetts Elections Division

2012

See also: Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District elections, 2012

Tierney won re-election in 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Massachusetts' 6th District. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. He defeated Richard Tisei in the November 6th election.

According to the website Daily Kos, this race was one of nine top-ballot 2012 races that contained Libertarian candidates who received more total votes than was the difference between the Democratic winner and the GOP runner-up. In this case, Daniel Fishman took in over 13,000 more votes than the number that separated Tierney and Tisei.

U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John Tierney Incumbent	46.4%	180,942
	Republican	Richard Tisei	45.3%	176,612
	Libertarian	Daniel Fishman	4.3%	16,739
	N/A	All Others	0.1%	514
	N/A	Blank Votes	3.9%	15,045
Total Votes				389,852
Source: Massachusetts Secretary of State "Return of Votes"

Race background

According to the Washington Post, Massachusetts' 6th was a battleground district in 2012, with redistricting making it less solidly Democratic. Furthermore, Tierney faced PR issues and Republican Richard Tisei was a strong candidate with the potential to be the first openly gay, non-incumbent Republican congressman.

According to the Washington Post, John Tierney was also been the target of ads from YG Action Fund, a conservative PAC supergroup. This highlights a trend in which super PACs have attempted to swing vulnerable house seats through strategic advertising. These ads were not solicited by the Tisei campaign, but his spokeswomen voiced her support for them.

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for John Tierney, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, John Tierney won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Bill Hudak (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Tierney incumbent 56.8% 142,732      Republican Bill Hudak 43% 107,930      N/A Write-in 0.2% 419 Total Votes 251,081 2008 On November 4, 2008, John Tierney won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Richard Baker (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Tierney incumbent 66.8% 226,216      Republican Richard Baker 28% 94,845      N/A Blank/Scattering 5.1% 17,406      N/A All Others 0.1% 251 Total Votes 338,718 2006 On November 7, 2006, John Tierney won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Richard Barton (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Tierney incumbent 66.4% 168,056      Republican Richard Barton 28.8% 72,997      N/A Blank/Scattering 4.6% 11,659      N/A All Others 0.2% 572 Total Votes 253,284 2004 On November 2, 2004, John Tierney won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Stephen O'Malley (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Tierney incumbent 66.3% 213,458      Republican Stephen O'Malley 28.5% 91,597      N/A Blank/Scattering 5% 16,214      N/A All Others 0.1% 467 Total Votes 321,736 2002 On November 5, 2002, John Tierney won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Mark Smith (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Tierney incumbent 64.4% 162,900      Republican Mark Smith 29.8% 75,462      N/A Blank/Scattering 5.6% 14,252      N/A All Others 0.1% 253 Total Votes 252,867 2000 On November 7, 2000, John Tierney won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Paul McCarthy (R) in the general election. U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 General Election, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Tierney incumbent 67.6% 205,324      Republican Paul McCarthy 27.5% 83,501      N/A Blank/Scattering 4.9% 14,802      N/A All Others 0.1% 218 Total Votes 303,845 1998 On November 3, 1998, John Tierney won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Peter Torkildson (R) and Randal Fritz (I) in the general election. U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 General Election, 1998 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Tierney incumbent 54.6% 117,132      Republican Peter Torkildson 42.4% 90,986      Independent Randal Fritz 3% 6,544      N/A Other 0% 44 Total Votes 214,706 1996 On November 5, 1996, John Tierney won election to the United States House. He defeated Peter Torkildson (R), Martin McNuity (I), Benjamin Gatchell (I), Randal Fritz (Conservative) and Orrin Smith (Natural Law) in the general election. U.S. House, Massachusetts District 6 General Election, 1996 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Tierney 48.1% 133,002      Republican Peter Torkildson 48% 132,642      Independent Martin McNuity 1.5% 4,195      Independent Benjamin Gatchell 0.7% 2,043      Conservative Randal Fritz 0.9% 2,532      Natural Law Orrin Smith 0.5% 1,371      N/A All Others 0.2% 594 Total Votes 276,379 1994 On November 8, 1994, Peter Torkildsen won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John Tierney and Benjamin Gatchell in the general election. U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts District 6, General Election, 1994 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Peter Torkildson incumbent 50.5% 120,952      Democratic John Tierney 47.4% 113,481      Independent Benjamin Gatchell 2.1% 4,960      N/A Other 0% 51 Total Votes 239,444

Campaign themes

2012

On his campaign website, Tierney listed eight issues. They are:

• Economy

Excerpt: "John, along with his House Democratic colleagues, has led an unprecedented effort to prevent a devastating recession from turning into a depression, while restoring the fiscal policies of the 1990s that were responsible for the longest period of post-war economic growth on record."

• Education

Excerpt: On his website, Tierney says, "A product of public primary and secondary schools, John later attended Salem State for his undergraduate and Suffolk University for law school. John is committed to ensuring our children receive a first-rate education and that they are prepared to compete in emerging industries and the new global economy."

• Energy and Environment

Excerpt: "John recognizes the immediate, worldwide threat posed by global warming and the inherent threat to our national security spawned by our dependence on foreign oil. To this end he voted to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454) on June 26, 2009. This landmark legislation takes steps to revitalize our economy by creating new jobs, increasing our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, preserving our planet and protecting our delicate wildlife by reducing the pollution that causes global warming."

• Healthcare

Excerpt: "John believes that every American should have access to quality, affordable health care. He supported the passage of historic health insurance reform that will have a real, meaningful and immediate positive impact on millions of Americans. This new law will extend coverage to 32 million more Americans while lowering long term health care costs and providing real security for those who already have insurance."

• Jobs

Excerpt: "Congressman Tierney voted in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to jumpstart the economy, to create and save 3.5 million jobs, to provide 95% of workers a tax cut and to halt the recession and prevent it from slipping into a depression. ARRA, signed into law February 2009, provides billions of dollars for clean energy jobs, public schools, the rehabilitation of our decaying infrastructure and investing in the innovations that will lead our country forward. Seventy-five percent of this funding is invested within the first 18-months of the bill’s enactment."

John Tierney, "Opportunity"

• National Security

Excerpt: "John Tierney is a proven leader in the Congress in the areas of national security and foreign affairs, and has developed an international reputation as a guardian of taxpayer funds. Through his service as Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs and as a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, he has the vision and expertise necessary to push sensible national security policy during a time in which we are ensnared in two wars overseas and an economic crunch here at home."

• Veterans

Excerpt: "John is committed to ensuring that our nation’s veterans receive the medical care, benefits, and other services that they have earned in exchange for their dedicated service to our country."

• Equality

Excerpt: "John Tierney has been endorsed for re-election by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization."

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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John Tierney campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2012	U.S. House (Massachusetts, District 6)	Won	$2,133,195	N/A**
2010	U.S. House (Massachusetts, District 6)	Won	$901,893	N/A**
2008	U.S. House (Massachusetts, District 6)	Won	$735,813	N/A**
2006	U.S. House (Massachusetts, District 6)	Won	$654,168	N/A**
2004	U.S. House (Massachusetts, District 6)	Won	$743,803	N/A**
2002	U.S. House (Massachusetts, District 6)	Won	$583,528	N/A**
2000	U.S. House (Massachusetts, District 6)	Won	$739,050	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Tierney's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $575,010 and $2,149,998. That averages to $1,362,504, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Tierney ranked as the 183rd most wealthy representative in 2012. Between 2004 and 2012, Tierney's calculated net worth increased by an average of 4 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

John Tierney Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2004	$1,003,345
2012	$1,362,504
Growth from 2004 to 2012:	36%
Average annual growth:	4%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Tierney received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 1993-2014, 26.06 percent of Tierney's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

John Tierney Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$10,700,909
Total Spent	$9,311,908
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms	$983,441
Public Sector Unions	$612,900
Retired	$440,735
Leadership PACs	$379,212
Building Trade Unions	$372,600
% total in top industry	9.19%
% total in top two industries	14.92%
% total in top five industries	26.06%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Tierney was a "rank-and-file Democrat," as of August 4, 2014. This was the same rating Tierney received in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Tierney most often voted with:

• Paul Tonko
• Chris Gibson

Tierney least often voted with:

• Jim Matheson
• Randy Weber

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Tierney missed 306 of 12,089 roll call votes from January 1997 to August 2014, which is 2.5% of votes during that period. This is worse than the median of 2.5% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Tierney paid his congressional staff a total of $1,064,260 in 2011. He ranked 114th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic representative staff salaries and ranked 99th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Massachusetts ranked 2nd in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.

2013

Tierney ranked 55th in the liberal rankings in 2013.

2012

Tierney ranked 47th in the liberal rankings in 2012.

2011

Tierney ranked 26th in the liberal rankings in 2011.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Tierney voted with the Democratic Party 92.8 percent of the time, which ranked 115th among the 204 House Democratic members as of August 2014.

2013

Tierney voted with the Democratic Party 91.1 percent of the time, which ranked 146th among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Tierney and his wife, Patrice, live in Salem.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term John + Tierney + Massachusetts + House

John Tierney News Feed

See also

• Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District elections, 2012
• Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District
• United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2014
• United States congressional delegations from Massachusetts

External links

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• Biographies:
  • U.S. Congress
• Political profiles:
  • GovTrack
  • CongressMerge
  • Project Vote Smart
• Financial (federal level):
  • FEC contributions
  • OpenSecrets.org
  • LegiStorm.com
• Interest group ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions:
  • On The Issues
  • Project Vote Smart
• Public statements:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Voting record:
  • Project Vote Smart
  • Washington Post
• Media appearances:
  • C-SPAN
• Media coverage:
  • Washington Post

• Official Flickr account
• Official Youtube channel

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Peter G. Torkildsen	U.S. House of Representatives - Massachusetts, 6th District 1997-2015	Succeeded by Seth Moulton (D)

[show]

Massachusetts' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Edward Markey (D)

Elizabeth Warren (D)

Representatives

District 1

Richard Neal (D)

District 2

Jim McGovern (D)

District 3

Lori Trahan (D)

District 4

Jake Auchincloss (D)

District 5

Katherine Clark (D)

District 6

Seth Moulton (D)

District 7

Ayanna Pressley (D)

District 8

Stephen Lynch (D)

District 9

Bill Keating (D)

Democratic Party (11)