Steny Hoyer

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Steny Hoyer

Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 3, 2007
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Whip Jim Clyburn
Preceded by John Boehner
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Leader Nancy Pelosi
Preceded by Nancy Pelosi
Succeeded by Roy Blunt
Incumbent
Assumed office 
May 19, 1981
Preceded by Gladys Spellman
In office
1975–1978
Governor Marvin Mandel
Blair Lee, III (acting)
Preceded by William S. James
Succeeded by James A. Clark, Jr.
In office
1966–1979
Born June 14, 1939 (1939-06-14) (age 70)
New York City, New York
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Judith Hoyer (widowed)
Children Susan Hoyer
Stefany Hoyer
Anne Hoyer
Residence Mechanicsville, Maryland
Alma mater University of Maryland, College Park
Georgetown University Law Center
Profession Attorney
Religion Baptist

Steny Hamilton Hoyer (pronounced /ˈstɛni ˈhɔɪ.ər/; born June 14, 1939) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Maryland's 5th congressional district since 1981. On November 16, 2006, Hoyer was elected as House Majority Leader over John Murtha of Pennsylvania.[1][2] He is the first Marylander to become Majority Leader.[3]

Contents

[edit] Early life and family

Hoyer was born in New York City but grew up in Mitchellville, Maryland. His mother, Jean Baldwin, was American, and his father, Steen Theilgaard Høyer, was Danish and a native of Copenhagen; "Steny" is a variant of his father's name, "Steen",[4] and Hoyer is an anglicized form of the fairly common Danish surname "Høyer". He graduated from Suitland High School in Suitland, Maryland. In 1963, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he also became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.[5] He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. in 1966.[5] In the 1960s, Hoyer interned for Senator Daniel Brewster (D-Maryland), along with current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.[6]

Hoyer has three daughters: Susan, Stefany, and Anne from his marriage to his wife, Judy Pickett Hoyer, who died in 1997. Hoyer also has two granddaughters, one grandson and a great-granddaughter (born on November 2, 2006). His wife was an advocate of early childhood education, and child development learning centers in Maryland have been named in her honor ("Judy Centers").[7] She also suffered from epilepsy, and the Epilepsy Foundation of America sponsors an annual public lecture in her name.[8] Hoyer, too, has been an advocate for research in this area, and the Epilepsy Foundation presented him in 2002 with their Congressional Leadership Award.[9]

[edit] Non-political career

Hoyer also serves on the Board of Trustees for St. Mary's College of Maryland[5] and is a member of the board of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems', a non profit that supports international elections.[10]

[edit] Maryland Senate career

In 1966, Hoyer won a seat in the Maryland State Senate, representing Prince George's County, Maryland.[5] In 1975, Hoyer was elected President of the Maryland State Senate, the youngest in state history.[11] In 1978, Hoyer sought the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Maryland but lost out to Samuel Bogley. In the same year Hoyer was appointed to the Maryland Board of Higher Education, a position he served in until 1981.[5]

[edit] Career in the House of Representatives

[edit] Ascent to Majority Leader

An earlier congressional portrait of Hoyer.

After Maryland Representative Gladys Spellman fell into a coma, her seat was declared vacant in 1981. Hoyer defeated Spellman's husband in the primary election, and then defeated a better funded Republican candidate in the general election, earning himself the nickname of "boy wonder".[12]

Hoyer has served as chair of the Democratic Caucus, the fourth-ranking position among House of Representatives Democrats, from 1989 to 1994; the former co-chair (and a current member) of the Democratic Steering Committee; and as the chief candidate recruiter for House Democrats from 1995 to 2000. He also served as Deputy Majority Whip from 1987 to 1989.[5] On November 14, 2002, Hoyer was unanimously elected by his colleagues in the Democratic Caucus to serve as the House Democratic Minority Whip, the second-highest-ranking position among House Democrats.[11] Now as the Democratic Majority Leader he is the highest-ranking member of Congress in Maryland history, and the longest-serving House member from southern Maryland in history.[11]

Nancy Pelosi became the Speaker of the House in January 2007. Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, was elected by his colleagues to be House Majority Leader for the 110th Congress. He was successful in his bid for the leadership position against fellow Democrat John Murtha of Pennsylvania by a vote of 149-86 within the caucus.[1][13]

[edit] Campaign fundraising

Then-President George W. Bush meets with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer on November 9, 2006.

Hoyer is a prolific fundraiser for House Democrats. He is the top giver to fellow party members in the House. He has given over $1 million to the party and individual candidates over the current election cycle as of July 14, 2008, according to CQ Moneyline. [14]

In March 2007, the Center for Public Integrity reported that Hoyer's political action committee "raised nearly $1 million for congressional candidates [in the 2006 election cycle] by exploiting what experts call a legal loophole." The Center reported:

Campaign finance disclosure records show that the Maryland Democrat used his leadership political action committee — AmeriPAC — as a conduit to collect bundles of checks from individuals, and from business and union interests. He then passed more than $960,000 along to 53 House candidates and another quarter of a million to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, data compiled from the Center for Responsive Politics Web site show. Federal law generally prohibits political action committees, including leadership PACs, which are run by politicians, from receiving more than $5,000 each year from a single donor or giving more than $10,000 to a single candidate ($5,000 each for the primary and the general election). But Hoyer collected as much as $136,000 from one labor union committee and distributed more than $86,000 to a single Congressional race.[15]

The only media to cover the report, the Capital News Service (Maryland), quickly pointed out how common and legal the practice is:

"That's like saying somebody who deducts mortgage interest on their taxes is exploiting a tax loophole," said Nathaniel Persily, a campaign finance expert and University of Pennsylvania Law School professor. "What exactly is the problem?" "Bundling is very common," said Steve Weisman, of the George Washington University's Campaign Finance Institute. What Hoyer, a lawyer, did was perfectly legal, the Federal Election Commission said, too. In fact, his insistence on detailed reporting made tracking the funds easier. [16]

[edit] Massa controversy

In March 2010, Rep. Eric Massa resigned from Congress against allegations of sexual harassment of his staff members. The House Ethics Committee is actively investigating at what point did Hoyer find out about the allegations surrounding Rep. Massa, as Hoyer never reported the allegations. In the course of the investigation, several Hoyer aides were interviewed by the House Ethics Committee.[17][18]

[edit] 2008 election

Hoyer won re-election against Republican Collins Bailey in November 2008 by a 74%-26% vote.[19]

[edit] Positions

[edit] Domestic issues

Hoyer speaks during the second day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.
  • Abortion: Hoyer is pro-choice.[20]
  • Social Issues: He voted against the Partial-Abortion ban bill in 2003. Hoyer supports affirmative action and gay rights.
  • Gun Rights: Hoyer opposes unrestricted gun ownership.[clarification needed] He is rated F by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun control voting record
  • Privacy: Hoyer claimed to oppose providing immunity to telecom companies but has come under fire for negotiating a bill, described by Senators Patrick Leahy and Russ Feingold as a "capitulation", that would provide immunity to any telecom company [21]that had been told by the Bush administration that their actions were legal.[22][23][24][25] “No matter how they spin it, this is still immunity,” said Kevin Bankston, a senior lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy rights group that has sued over President Bush's wiretapping program. “It’s not compromise, it’s pure theater.” [26]

In a USA Today opinion piece regarding health care reform that was published August 10, 2009 Steny Hoyer wrote that "Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American." (http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/08/unamerican-attacks-cant-derail-health-care-debate-.html)

[edit] Position on international affairs

  • India: Hoyer supports civilian nuclear cooperation with India. [27]
  • Iraq: Hoyer initially supported the Iraq War and was even recognized by the DLC for his vocal leadership on this issue. After the war became publicly unpopular, Hoyer said he favored a "responsible redeployment". [28] However, he has repeatedly supported legislation to continue funding for the war without deadlines for troop withdrawal, most recently in return for increased funding of domestic projects. [29]
  • Israel: Hoyer is a supporter of Israel, and has often been allied with American Israel Public Affairs Committee. In September 2007, he criticized Rep. Jim Moran for suggesting that AIPAC "has pushed (the Iraq) war from the beginning," calling the comment "factually inaccurate." [30].
  • Iran: Hoyer has stated that a nuclear Iran is "unacceptable" and that the use of force remains an option.[31]
  • Human Rights: Hoyer is a former chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.


[edit] Election history[32][33]

Year Office Election Subject Party Votes  % Opponent Party Votes  % Opponent Party Votes  %
1981 Congress, 5th district Special Steny Hoyer Democratic 42,573 55.81 Audrey Scott Republican 33,708 44.19
1982 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 83,937 79.58 William Guthrie Republican 21,533 20.42
1984 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 116,310 72.18 John Ritchie Republican 44,839 27.82
1986 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 82,098 81.93 John Sellner Republican 18,102 18.07
1988 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 128,437 78.63 John Sellner Republican 34,909 21.37
1990 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 84,747 80.66 Lee Breuer Republican 20,314 19.34
1992 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 113,280 55.0 Larry D. Hogan, Jr. Republican 92,636 45.0
1994 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 98,821 58.81 Donald Devine Republican 69,211 41.19
1996 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 121,288 56.92 John S. Morgan Republican 91,806 43.08
1998 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 126,792 65.37 Robert Ostrom Republican 67,176 34.36
2000 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 166,231 65.09 Thomas Hutchins Republican 89,019 34.86
2002 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 137,903 69.27 Joseph Crawford Republican 60,758 30.52
2004 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 204,867 68.67 Brad Jewitt Republican 87,189 29.93 Bob Auerbach Green 4,224 1.42
2006 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 168,114 82.69 Steve Warner Green 33,464 16.46 Write Ins: P.Kuhnert and Other Write-Ins 635 1,110 0.86
2008 Congress, 5th district General Steny Hoyer Democratic 253,854 73.6 Collins Bailey Republican 82,631 24.0 Darlene Nicholas Libertarian 7,829 2.3

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Democrats defy Pelosi, elect Hoyer House leader". Reuters. November 16, 2006. http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&symbol=&storyID=2006-11-16T165944Z_01_N16319060_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-CONGRESS-LEADERS-HOYER.xml&WTmodLoc=InvArt-C2-NextArticle-1. Retrieved 2006-11-16. 
  2. ^ Alexander Mooney (November 16, 2006). "Hoyer beats out Murtha for majority leader". CNN Political Ticker (CNN.com). http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/11/hoyer-beats-out-murtha-for-majority.html. Retrieved 2006-11-16. 
  3. ^ About the Majority Leader, Office of the House Democratic Majority Leader.
  4. ^ Jessica Valdez. "For Hoyer, a Balancing of Roles". The Washington Post. August 28, 2004.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat), U.S. Representative. Maryland Archives. Accessed November 18, 2006
  6. ^ Jonathan Weisman and Lois Romano (November 16, 2006). "Pelosi Splits Democrats With Push For Murtha". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111501521.html. Retrieved 2006-11-16. 
  7. ^ "The Judy Center website". http://www.judycenter.com/. Retrieved 2006-11-18. 
  8. ^ "Epilepsy Foundation announcement of Judith Hoyer lectureship program". January 28, 2002. http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/epilepsyusa/appropriations.cfm?renderforprint=1&. Retrieved 2006-11-18. 
  9. ^ "Epilepsy Foundation Recognizes the Honorable Steny H. Hoyer For Longstanding Support". Epilepsy Foundation. March 26, 2002. http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/aboutus/pressroom/n031502a.cfm. Retrieved 2006-11-18. 
  10. ^ "Board". IFES. 2009. http://www.ifes.org/board.html. Retrieved Oct. 16, 2009. 
  11. ^ a b c Biography of Congressman Steny Hoyer. From the official website of Steny Hoyer. Accessed November 18, 2006
  12. ^ Shailagh Murray "Political Pragmatism Carried Hoyer to the Top". The Washington Post, page A6. Friday, November 17, 2006.
  13. ^ "CNN: Scramble is on to replace Congressional leaders". CNN.com. November 9, 2006. http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/08/congress.new.leader/. Retrieved 2006-11-09. 
  14. ^ "Hoyer Is a Giver" (in English). Congressional Quarterly. July 14, 2008. http://www.cq.com/document/display.do?dockey=/cqonline/prod/data/docs/html/news/110/news110-000002916307.html@allnews&pub=news&print=true. 
  15. ^ Bergo, Sandy (March 27, 2007). "Passing The Buck: House majority leader exploited campaign cash loophole" (in English). Center for Public Integrity. http://www.publicintegrity.org/report.aspx?aid=819. 
  16. ^ MURRET, PATRICIA (March 21, 2007). "Hoyer Exploited Campaign Finance Law Loophole, Report Says" (in English). Capital News Service. http://somd.com/news/headlines/2007/5612.shtml. 
  17. ^ "Pelosi's Office in the Loop on Massa Months Ago". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/11/pelosis-office-loop-massa-months-ago-sexual-allegations-persist/. Retrieved 2010-03-11. 
  18. ^ "Ethics panel interviewing Democratic aides on Massa". Politico. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34595.html. Retrieved 2010-03-17. 
  19. ^ "Ron Paul endorses Hoyer challenger" (in English). Politicker. July 3, 2008. http://politicker.com/ron-paul-endorses-hoyer-challenger. 
  20. ^ "Steny Hoyer on the Issues". On The Issues. http://ontheissues.org/House/Steny_Hoyer.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  21. ^ Hess, Pamela, Associated Press[1] June 20, 2008
  22. ^ Greg Sargent. "Steny Hoyer Says Some Strong Words Against Telecom Immunity". TPM Election Central. http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2007/10/steny_hoyer_says_some_strong_words_against_telecom_immunity.php. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  23. ^ Bob Fertik. "Wiretapping: Impeachment Not Immunity". Democrats.com. http://democrats.com/wiretapping-impeachment-not-immunity. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  24. ^ Kagro X. "Hoyer: I've lost all control". DailyKos. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/18/133218/573/108/537903. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  25. ^ Glenn Greenwald. "Targeting Steny Hoyer for his contempt for the rule of law". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/06/17/hoyer/index.html. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
  26. ^ NY Times Advertisement
  27. ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll541.xml
  28. ^ Rep. Steny Hoyer :: newsroom
  29. ^ Hill Close To Deal on War Funds - washingtonpost.com
  30. ^ "Hoyer takes aim at Moran’s AIPAC comment". thehill.com. http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/hoyer-takes-aim-at-morans-aipac-comment-2007-09-18.html. Retrieved 2007-09-19. 
  31. ^ "Democrats: Nuclear Iran unacceptable". jpost.com. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467674368&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull. Retrieved 2007-01-08. 
  32. ^ Congressional Quarterly Voting and Elections Collection
  33. ^ [2]

[edit] External links

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United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Gladys Spellman		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 5th congressional district
1981–Present		 Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
William H. Gray
Pennsylvania
 Chairman of House Democratic Caucus
1989–1995		 Succeeded by
Vic Fazio
California
Preceded by
Nancy Pelosi
California
 House Minority Whip
2003–2007		 Succeeded by
Roy Blunt
Missouri
Preceded by
John Boehner
Ohio
 House Majority Leader
2007–Present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by
Howard Berman		 United States Representatives by seniority
25th		 Succeeded by
Frank Wolf
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Majority (Democratic) Minority (Republican)

Steny Hoyer (Leader)
Jim Clyburn (Whip)
John Lewis (Senior Chief Deputy Majority Whip)
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, G. K. Butterfield, Joseph Crowley, Diana DeGette, Ed Pastor, Jan Schakowsky, John S. Tanner, Maxine Waters (Chief Deputy Whips)
John Larson (Caucus Chairman)
Xavier Becerra (Caucus Vice-Chairman)
Chris Van Hollen (Campaign Committee Chairman)
Rosa DeLauro, George Miller (Steering/Policy Committee Co-Chairs)

John Boehner (Leader)
Eric Cantor (Whip)
Kevin McCarthy (Chief Deputy Whip)
Mike Pence (Conference Chair)
Thad McCotter (Policy Committee Chairman)
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Conference Vice-Chair)
John Carter (Conference Secretary)
Pete Sessions (Campaign Committee Chairman)
Representatives to the 98th–111th United States Congresses from Maryland (ordered by seniority)
98th Senate: C. Mathias | P. Sarbanes House: C. Long | P. Mitchell | M. Holt | B. Mikulski | M. Barnes | B. Byron | R. Dyson | S. Hoyer
99th Senate: C. Mathias | P. Sarbanes House: P. Mitchell | M. Holt | B. Mikulski | M. Barnes | B. Byron | R. Dyson | S. Hoyer | H. Bentley
100th Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: B. Byron | R. Dyson | S. Hoyer | H. Bentley | B. Cardin | C. T. McMillen | K. Mfume | C. Morella
101st Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: B. Byron | R. Dyson | S. Hoyer | H. Bentley | B. Cardin | C. T. McMillen | K. Mfume | C. Morella
102nd Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: B. Byron | S. Hoyer | H. Bentley | B. Cardin | C. T. McMillen | K. Mfume | C. Morella | W. Gilchrest
103rd Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: S. Hoyer | H. Bentley | B. Cardin | K. Mfume | C. Morella | W. Gilchrest | R. Bartlett | A. Wynn
104th Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: S. Hoyer | B. Cardin | K. Mfume | C. Morella | W. Gilchrest | R. Bartlett | A. Wynn | R. Ehrlich
105th Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: S. Hoyer | B. Cardin | C. Morella | W. Gilchrest | R. Bartlett | A. Wynn | R. Ehrlich | E. Cummings
106th Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: S. Hoyer | B. Cardin | C. Morella | W. Gilchrest | R. Bartlett | A. Wynn | R. Ehrlich | E. Cummings
107th Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: S. Hoyer | B. Cardin | C. Morella | W. Gilchrest | R. Bartlett | A. Wynn | R. Ehrlich | E. Cummings
108th Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: S. Hoyer | B. Cardin | W. Gilchrest | R. Bartlett | A. Wynn | E. Cummings | D. Ruppersberger | C. Van Hollen
109th Senate: P. Sarbanes | B. Mikulski House: S. Hoyer | B. Cardin | W. Gilchrest | R. Bartlett | A. Wynn | E. Cummings | D. Ruppersberger | C. Van Hollen
110th Senate: B. Mikulski | B. Cardin House: S. Hoyer | W. Gilchrest | R. Bartlett | A. Wynn | E. Cummings | D. Ruppersberger | C. Van Hollen | J. Sarbanes
111th Senate: B. Mikulski | B. Cardin House: S. Hoyer | R. Bartlett | E. Cummings | D. Ruppersberger | C. Van Hollen | J. Sarbanes | D. Edwards | F. Kratovil


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