Adam Kinzinger

Adam Kinzinger
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 16th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded by Don Manzullo
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 11th district
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by Debbie Halvorson
Succeeded by Bill Foster
Personal details
Born Adam Daniel Kinzinger
(1978-02-27) February 27, 1978
Kankakee, Illinois, U.S.
Political party Republican
Education Illinois State University (BA)
Military service
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Air Force
Years of service 2003–present
Rank Major
Battles/wars Operation Iraqi Freedom
War in Afghanistan

Adam Daniel Kinzinger[1] /ˈkɪnzɪŋər/ (born February 27, 1978)[2] is the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 16th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was first elected to Congress in 2010, winning election to represent Illinois's 11th congressional district. After redistricting, he was re-elected to Congress in 2012, 2014, and 2016 to represent Illinois's 16th congressional district.

Early life, education, and early political career

Kinzinger was born in 1978 in Kankakee, the son of Betty Jo, an elementary school teacher, and Rus Kinzinger, a CEO of faith-based organizations.[3][4] He was raised in Bloomington, Illinois. He graduated from Normal Community West High School in 1996 and earned a bachelor's degree from Illinois State University in 2000.

In 1998, while a student at Illinois State, Kinzinger ran for election as a County Board member in McLean County, Illinois. He won, defeating an incumbent County Board member. Kinzinger remained on the board until 2003.[5]

Kinzinger worked as an intern for former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald shortly after his graduation from Illinois State, as part of a program offered there.[6]

Military service

In 2003, Kinzinger joined the United States Air Force. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in November 2003 and later awarded his pilot wings. Kinzinger was initially a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot and flew missions in South America, Guam, Iraq and Afghanistan. He later switched to flying the RC-26 surveillance aircraft and was stationed in Iraq twice.[7]

Kinzinger has served in the Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, and Air National Guard and was progressively promoted to his current rank of Major.[8]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

In January 2009, Kinzinger met Republican U.S. Congressmen Mike Pence, Mark Kirk, and Peter Roskam to discuss a possible run for Congress.[9] Kinzinger decided to run in Illinois' 11th congressional district, held by Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson. He started campaigning full-time in May 2009, when he returned home from his 3rd tour in Iraq. In the early autumn, Kinzinger held eight town halls across the 11th congressional district that were attended by nearly 2,000 people. He was endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. On February 2, 2010, Kinzinger won the five-candidate Republican primary with 64% of the vote.[10]

In the general election, he was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. On November 2, 2010, Kinzinger defeated Halvorson 57%–43%.[11]

2012

After redistricting, Kinzinger's district was eliminated, and a large slice of its territory was merged with the Rockford-based 16th District, represented by fellow Republican Don Manzullo, a 67-year-old politician first elected in 1992. Kinzinger had represented 31% of the district, while Manzullo had represented at least 44% of the district, prior to redistricting. In the March Republican primary, Kinzinger defeated Manzullo, 56%–44%.[12] In the general election, Kinzinger defeated Democrat Wanda Rohl, 62%–38%.[13]

2014

In 2014, Kinzinger was targeted by the Club for Growth.[14] In the Republican primary, he faced David Hale, a nurse and founder of the Rockford Tea Party. Kinzinger won with 78% of the vote.[15][16]

In the general election, Kinzinger faced Democratic nominee Randall Olsen; he won with 71% of the vote.[17][18]

2016

Kinzinger won the March 2016 Republican primary with 100% of the vote.[19] No candidates filed for the Democratic primary for his seat.

On August 3, 2016, Kinzinger announced publicly that he would not support GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. "I'm an American before I'm a Republican," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, adding that "I'm a Republican because I believe that Republicanism is the best way to defend the United States of America… [Trump] throws all of these Republican principles on their head." Kinzinger noted, however, that he also would not support Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and was mulling other options.[20]

Kinzinger introduced the U.S. House version of the bipartisan bill Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act.[21] The United States Senate version was written in March 2016 by U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Rob Portman.[22] After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, worries grew that Russian propaganda spread and organized by the Russian government swayed the outcome of the election, and representatives in the U.S. Congress took action to safeguard the National security of the United States by advancing legislation to monitor incoming propaganda from external threats.[22][23] On November 30, 2016, legislators approved a measure within the National Defense Authorization Act to ask the U.S. State Department to take action against foreign propaganda through an interagency panel.[22][23] The legislation authorized funding of $160 million over a two-year-period.[22] The initiative was developed through the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act.[22]

Tenure

Kinzinger speaking at Hudson Institute.

In 2010 Kinzinger signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes.[24]

In 2013, Kinzinger sponsored the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013, H.R. 235 in the 113th Congress.[25] This legislation would make it easier for veterans with emergency medical technician training in the military to get civilian licenses to perform the same job outside of the military. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote on February 12, 2013 and was referred to the United States Senate.[26]

On June 5, 2014, Kinzinger introduced a bill (H.R. 4801; 113th Congress) which would require the United States Secretary of Energy to prepare a report on the effects that thermal insulation has on both energy consumption and systems for providing potable water in federal buildings.[27][28] Kinzinger argued that "with the federal government being the single largest consumer of energy in the country, doing our best to maximize the potential savings from improved insulation systems is a commonsense step I think everybody can agree on."[28]

Kinzinger is a member of both the Republican Study Committee and the more moderate Republican Main Street Partnership.[29]

Conservative Review graded Kinzinger's 2016 voting record as an "F", with a Liberty Score of 35%. Out of 247 Republicans in the House of Representatives, 37 received a lower grade (had a more liberal voting record).[30] The American Conservative Union (ACU) awarded Kinzinger a somewhat higher score, giving him a Lifetime Rating of 59.60 out of 100.[31] Kinzinger was ranked as the 40th most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 114th United States Congress (and the third most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois) in the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy that ranks members of the United States Congress by their degree of bipartisanship (by measuring the frequency each member's bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and each member's co-sponsorship of bills by members of the opposite party).[32]

Kinzinger voted yes on the 2017 GOP Healthcare Bill, a bill that would repeal major parts of Obamacare [33]

In December 2017, Kinzinger voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[34] He supported the act believing that "economic growth is stagnant" and that the tax plan will "provide tax relief to families, small businesses, and individuals here in IL-16 and across the country, and to give our economy the jump start it so desperately needs." Kinzinger estimates, thanks to the bill, that at least 70 percent of his constituents will keep more of their money and that 37,000 new jobs will be created in Illinois.[35]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

Domestic issues

Gun law

Kinzinger is in favor of allowing concealed carry of firearms across state lines where concealed carry is legal.[39]

Health care

Kinzinger supports the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare").[39]

Economic issues

Kinziger opposes the Dodd Frank Act.[39]

International issues

Immigration

Kinzinger supports penalizing sanctuary cities.[39]

Social issues

Abortion

Kinzinger opposes late term abortion and the use of federal funds for abortion or health coverage that funds abortion.[39]

Cannabis

Kinzinger has a "B" rating from NORML for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes. Kinzinger supports veterans having access to medical marijuana if recommended by their Veterans Health Administration doctor and if it is legal for medicinal purposes in their state of residence.[40]

Personal life

In 2006, the Wisconsin Red Cross named Kinzinger "Hero of the Year" for wrestling a knife-wielding man to the ground and disarming him. The man had cut the throat of a woman on a street in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[41] Recalling the event in an interview, Kinzinger said "The whole time it was, to me, kind of a done deal that I was going to get stabbed in the process, but I knew that this wasn't something I could wake up to ... everyday with that memory that I watched her die."[42] The woman survived. For this act Kinzinger also received the United States Air Force Airman's Medal and the National Guard's Valley Forge Cross for Heroism.[43]

In 2011, Kinzinger was ranked 5th on The Hill's annual "50 Most Beautiful People" list, which ranks anyone who regularly works on Capitol Hill.[44]

In 2011, Kinzinger became engaged to a fellow pilot, Air Force Captain Riki Meyers; the engagement was called off in 2012.[45][46]

References

  1. ↑ "Representative Adam Daniel Kinzinger (Adam) (R-Illinois, 16th) – Biography from". LegiStorm. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  2. ↑ Smith, Lauren (November 6, 2010). "112th Congress: Paul Gosar, Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. (11th District)". Congressional Quarterly. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  3. ↑ Steinbacher, Michele. "Kinzinger's win no surprise to those around him". pantagraph.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "How's it Going? - A Q&A with Illinois' 5 freshman congressmen". chicagotribune.com. June 21, 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "Adam Kinzinger For Illinois 11th — Hero, Patriot". Stop The ACLU. 2009-03-03. Archived from the original on 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  6. ↑ "Department Alumn Congressman Adam Kinzinger Awarded Outstanding Young Alumni Award". Illinois State University. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ Chuck Sweeny (2012-01-10). "Chuck Sweeny: GOP's Adam Kinzinger got politics bug early – News – Rockford Register Star – Rockford, IL". Rrstar.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  8. ↑ "Biography". Adam Kinzinger for U.S.Congress. Archived from the original on 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  9. ↑ "Illinois: First GOPer Lines Up to Take On Halvorson : Roll Call Politics". Rollcall.com. 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  10. ↑ "IL District 11-R Primary Race – Feb 02, 2010". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  11. ↑ "IL – District 11 Race – Nov 02, 2010". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  12. ↑ "IL – District 16 – R Primary Race – Mar 20, 2012". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  13. ↑ "2014 Election Results Senate: Map by State, Live Midterm Voting Updates". Politico.com. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  14. ↑ Jaffe, Alexandra (February 27, 2013). "Club for Growth targeting 9 'RINO' Republicans for primary challenges – The Hill's Ballot Box". Thehill.com. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  15. ↑ Sweeny, Chuck (September 12, 2013). "Chuck Sweeny: Tea Party's David Hale to challenge Adam Kinzinger". Rockford Register Star. Rockford, Illinois. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Official Illinois State Board of Elections Results" (PDF). Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  17. ↑ Misener, Jacob (December 5, 2013). "Democratic challenger emerges in 16th District race". The Daily Leader. Pontiac, Illinois. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Illinois General Election 2014". Illinois State Board of Elections. 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  19. ↑ "2016 Illinois primary results, March 15, 2016". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  20. ↑ "GOP congressman says he can't support Trump: 'I'm an American before I'm a Republican'". CNN. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  21. ↑ Kinzinger, Adam (May 10, 2016), "H.R.5181 - Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act of 2016", Congress.gov, United States Congress, retrieved December 9, 2016
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Timberg, Craig (30 November 2016), "Effort to combat foreign propaganda advances in Congress", The Washington Post, retrieved 1 December 2016
  23. 1 2 Porter, Tom (1 December 2016), "US House of representatives backs proposal to counter global Russian subversion", International Business Times UK edition, retrieved 1 December 2016
  24. ↑ "Americans for Prosperity Applauds U.S. House Candidate Adam Kinzinger" (PDF). Americansforprosperity.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  25. ↑ "H.R. 235 – Congress.gov". United States Congress. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Bill Summary & Status – H.R. 235 – All Congressional Actions". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  27. ↑ "CBO – H.R. 4801". Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  28. 1 2 LaFreniere, Kelsey (11 June 2014). "Alliance Vice-Chair Rep. Kinzinger Pushes For Energy Efficiency". Alliance to Save Energy. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  29. ↑ "Members". Republican Mains Street Partnership. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  30. ↑ "Liberty Scorecard - Conservative Review". conservativereview.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  31. ↑ "Federal Legislative Ratings". American Conservative Union. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  32. ↑ The Lugar Center - McCourt School Bipartisan Index (PDF), The Lugar Center, March 7, 2016, retrieved April 30, 2017
  33. ↑ Shorey, Gregor Aisch, Sarah Almukhtar, Wilson Andrews, Jeremy Bowers, Nate Cohn, K. k Rebecca Lai, Jasmine C. Lee, Alicia Parlapiano, Adam Pearce, Nadja Popovich, Kevin Quealy, Rachel; Singhvi, Anjali (2017-05-04). "How Every Member Voted on the House Health Care Bill". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  34. ↑ Almukhtar, Sarah (19 December 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  35. ↑ Westermeyer, Paul. "Kinzinger among those favoring new tax bill". Newton Press Mentor. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  36. ↑ "Members". House Baltic Caucus. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  37. ↑ "Members". Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  38. ↑ "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 Bycoffe, Aaron (30 January 2017). "Tracking Adam Kinzinger In The Age Of Trump". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  40. ↑ "Illinois Scorecard". NORML. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  41. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  42. ↑ "Adam Kinzinger saves woman's life/Milwaukee TV report". YouTube. 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  43. ↑ "Kinzinger considers challenging Halvorson in 11th CD". Illinois Review. 2009-01-16. Archived from the original on 2009-12-12. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  44. ↑ "50 Most Beautiful People for 2011". The Hill. 2011-07-27. Archived from the original on 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  45. ↑ Goodin, Emily (December 13, 2012). "Rep. Kinzinger's wedding called off". The Hill. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  46. ↑ Skiba, Katherine (December 21, 2011). "Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois gets engaged". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Debbie Halvorson		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 11th congressional district
2011–2013		 Succeeded by
Bill Foster
Preceded by
Don Manzullo		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 16th congressional district
2013–present		 Incumbent
Current U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Mike Kelly
R-Pennsylvania		 United States Representatives by seniority
217th		 Succeeded by
Raúl Labrador
R-Idaho
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