| Mike Doyle | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | William Coyne |
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| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Rick Santorum |
| Succeeded by | Timothy F. Murphy |
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| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Doyle |
| Residence | Forest Hills, Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater | Penn State University |
| Occupation | insurance agent |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Michael F. "Mike" Doyle (born August 5, 1953) is an American politician and Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district (map) since 1995. The district is based in Pittsburgh and includes most of Allegheny County.
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Life
Doyle was born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania and graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1975 with a degree in Community Development. Doyle worked in the steel mills during his time in college. After college he worked as an insurance agent and was elected to the Swissvale Borough Council in 1977. In 1978 he worked as chief of staff to Pennsylvania State Senator Frank Pecora. Like his mentor Pecora, Doyle was once a Republican who later switched parties to become a Democrat.
In 1994, Doyle was elected to Congress as a Democrat from the state's 18th District, which at the time was located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. The incumbent Republican, Rick Santorum, was elected to the United States Senate. Doyle won by almost 10 points, and one of the few bright spots in a bad year for Democrats. He was reelected three times with no substantive opposition.
In 2002 Doyle’s district was combined with the Pittsburgh-based district of fellow Democrat William J. Coyne. The state legislature allegedly reconfigured the district map in order to elect more Republicans from the state. In the process, they drew most of western Pennsylvania's heavily Democratic areas into just two districts—the reconfigured 14th District and the 12th District of John Murtha. The potentially explosive situation of having two Democratic incumbents face each other in the primary was defused when Coyne announced his retirement (even though the district contained more of Coyne's former territory than Doyle's) leaving Doyle as the sole incumbent. The new district is by far the most Democratic district in western Pennsylvania, and Doyle was completely unopposed in 2002 and 2004; in 2006 and 2008, his only opposition was Green Party candidate Titus North.[1][2]
While in Washington, DC, Doyle lives at the C Street facility of The Family, a controversial conservative organization which operates the property as a tax-exempt church and a residence for several congressmen and senators. The building became notorious during a series of political sex scandals in 2009, in which current or former residents John Ensign, Mark Sanford, and Chip Pickering admitted to adulterous affairs.[3][4][5]
Congressional committee assignments
Positions
Doyle is considered to be somewhat more moderate than conventional wisdom would suggest for such a heavily Democratic district. He opposes abortion, supported a constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration, and supported a bill limiting federal death penalty appeals. However, he supports LGBT issues.
He voted against authorizing military force in Iraq and against the $87 billion emergency spending bill to fund US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, Doyle is an outspoken critic of the alleged genocide in Sudan and Darfur. In a rally on April 28th 2007, he urged President Bush to uphold his promise of sending 20,000 peacekeepers to Darfur. He drew loud cheers when he said, "If we can have a surge in Iraq, there needs to be one in Sudan."
Doyle has been praised for his stance on copyright issues, and is supportive of net neutrality. He is the lead sponsor of HR 1147, the Local Community Radio Act of 2009 which will expand low-power broadcasting to hundreds of new community radio stations.
See also
References
- ^ Gary Rotstein (2006-11-08). "Anti-GOP tide costs Rep. Hart a 4th term". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06312/736544-177.stm. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- ^ "Veteran pair: Doyle and Murtha deserve new House terms". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2008-10-24. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08298/922391-192.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- ^ Collins, Michael (2009-07-10). "Wamp, housemates hurt by links to scandals". Knoxville News Sentinel. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jul/10/c-street-group-hurt-by-links-to-scandals/. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ Gilgoff, Dan (June 24, 2009). "Sanford Cites Secretive Christian Group's Role in Helping Confront Affair." US News and World Report. Retrieved on July 13, 2009.
- ^ Belz, Emily; Pitts, Edward Lee (June 26, 2009). "The C Street house". World Magazine. http://www.worldmag.com/webextra/15584. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
External links
- Congressman Mike Doyle official U.S. House site
- Doyle for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
- Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rick Santorum |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district 1995–2003 |
Succeeded by Tim Murphy |
| Preceded by William J. Coyne |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district 2003– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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