Joe Donnelly
| Joe Donnelly | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2007– |
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| Preceded by | Chris Chocola |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | September 29 1955 Massapequa, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jill Donnelly |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Joseph "Joe" Donnelly (born September 29, 1955[1]) is an American politician who in 2006 was elected to Congress as a Democrat in Indiana's 2nd congressional district. He defeated the Republican incumbent, Chris Chocola, in a rematch of their 2004 race.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Notre Dame Law School, Donnelly lives in Granger, Indiana.
Early life, education, and career
Joe Donnelly was born in Massapequa, New York.[2] He graduated from Notre Dame in 1977 and remained in South Bend to obtain his law degree, which he did in 1981. He practiced law until 1996, when he opened Marking Solutions, a printing and rubber stamp company.[3]
Donnelly and his wife, Jill, and have a son and a daughter. They reside in Granger, Indiana.
Early political career
Donnelly held two public positions before deciding to run for Congress. From 1988 to 1989 he served on the Indiana State Election Board, which was charged with ensuring accurate election results. He served on a local school board from 1997 to 2001, serving as president of the board from 2000 to 2001.[4]
He ran a campaign for Indiana attorney general in 1988, but lost at the Democratic state convention. He also ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Indiana State Senate in 1990.[5]
On the issues
Donnelly campaigned on a platform of seeking to improve the lot of the middle-class citizens of his district, promising to revise trade agreements to make them more fair to American workers, to raise the minimum wage, and to allow Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices.
In July of 2007, Donnelly (D) and 221 other House members in [voting for HR 2956], the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act.
This legislation contained a deadline by which all U.S. forces must be redeployed from Iraq. One of the arguments used by
proponents of the measure is that the controversial surge plan-instituted by President Bush-is not working.
Donnelly breaks with the mainstream of the national Democratic Party on some social issues, holding pro-life and pro-gun rights positions. Donnelly is a member of Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative Democrats in Congress.
Congressional elections
Donnelly has twice run for U.S. Congress in Indiana's 2nd Congressional district.
2004
Donnelly ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination in the second district, where he faced off against incumbent Chris Chocola.[6] Chocola was helped by several fundraising visits from President George W. Bush, and was able to outspend Donnely by a two to one margin, $1.4 million to $700,000. Donnelly lost the election, 54%-45%.[7]. Due to his relatively late entrance into the contest, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) did not offer much support to Donnelly's 2004 campaign. This would change in 2006, when the race was identified by the DCCC as a "Red-to-Blue" contest and sent extra funds were sent from out of the district in an effort to win back control of the House of Representatives.
2006
On May 2, 2006, Donnelly defeated Steve Francis for the Democratic nomination, setting up a rematch against Chris Chocola.[8]
Because Chocola was a strong supporter of George W. Bush, the race was expected to be more competitive than in 2004 in light of Bush's waning popularity. The website Moveon.org identified Donnelly as a top contender to defeat a Republican incumbent in the house, and began running its "Red-Handed" ads against Chocola early in the campaign.[1] Chocola still maintained a significant money advantage over Donnelly, but in 2006, Donnelly had enough to maintain a competitive advertising presence throughout the campaign.
The campaign was heated, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sponsoring ads attacking Chocola as being beholden to monied interests in the insurance, pharmaceutical, and energy industries. Chocola returned fire by attacking Donnelly over a late tax filing and by attempting to link him to liberal House leader Nancy Pelosi.[2]
On November 7, 2006, Donnelly defeated Chris Chocola by 15,145 votes, or 8% of a substantially larger total of votes relative to 2004. [3] The key difference between the 2006 and 2004 elections for Donnelly lay in the results within St. Joseph County, the location of South Bend and by far the largest county in the district. Traditionally reliably Democratic, voters in the county chose Donnelly over Chocola by only a few hundred votes in the 2004 election. In 2006, however, Donnelly amassed 58% of the county's votes, generating a 14,000-vote margin.
Donnelly has been named to the House Financial Services Committee for the 110th Congress.[9]
References
- ^ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/pre-election/state_districts/IN.html?SITE=OKTULELN&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
- ^ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/pre-election/state_districts/IN.html?SITE=OKTULELN&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT#2
- ^ http://www.donnellyforuscongress.com/index.php?about
- ^ http://www.donnellyforuscongress.com/index.php?about
- ^ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/pre-election/state_districts/IN.html?SITE=OKTULELN&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT#2
- ^ http://www.in.gov/serv/sos_primary04?page=office&countyID=-1&partyID=-1&officeID=5&districtID=2&districtshortviewID=2&candidate=
- ^ http://www.thepeoplechoose2006.org/site/race/show/31
- ^ http://www.in.gov/serv/sos_primary06?page=office&countyID=-1&partyID=-1&officeID=5&districtID=2&districtshortviewID=2&candidate=
- ^ Democratic Party in the House of Representatives
External links
- U.S. Congressman Joe Donnelly House of Representatives website
- Joe Donnelly at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission — Congressman Joseph Simon Donnelly campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Joe Donnelly issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Joe Donnelly campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Joe Donnelly (IN) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Joe Donnelly profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Joe Donnelly voting record
- Joe Donnelly for Congress campaign website
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Chris Chocola |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 2nd congressional district 2007–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Indiana's delegation to the 110th United States Congress |
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| Senators: Representative(s): Pete Visclosky (D), Joe Donnelly (D), Mark Souder (R), Steve Buyer (R), Dan Burton (R), Mike Pence (R), Julia Carson (D), Brad Ellsworth (D), Baron Hill (D) All 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 — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
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