Peter T. King
| Peter King | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Mrazek |
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Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee
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| In office 2005–2007 |
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| Preceded by | Chris Cox |
| Succeeded by | Bennie Thompson |
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| In office 1981–1993 |
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Member of the Hempstead Town Council
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| In office 1977–1981 |
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| Born | April 5, 1944 New York City, New York |
| Political party | Republican, Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Rosemary Weidl |
| Residence | Seaford, New York |
| Alma mater | St. Francis College University of Notre Dame Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army National Guard |
| Years of service | 1968-1974 |
| Unit | 69th Infantry Regiment(New York) |
Peter T. King (born April 5, 1944) is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of New York, currently the United States Congressman for the state's 3rd Congressional District. Along with Chris Lee, who represents New York's 26th congressional district, King is one of only two Republicans to represent the state of New York at the federal level. King was considered a possible candidate for United States Senate in 2010,[1] but has decided to run again for his congressional seat.[2] However, in January of 2010, King said he was reconsidering a Senate run.[3]
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[edit] Early life
King was born in Manhattan and raised in Sunnyside, Queens, New York. His family has Irish roots that trace back to County Galway and County Limerick. His father, Peter King, was a New York City police officer.
King graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn in 1965 and earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1968. Upon graduating from law school, he worked for the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office until Democrat Denis Dillon was elected district attorney in 1974 (like King, Dillon would later become a staunch conservative Republican and involved in the Northern Ireland peace process).[citation needed] King served in the 69th Infantry Regiment of the New York National Guard from 1968 until he was honorably discharged in 1974.
[edit] Early political career
Peter King first ran for public office in 1977, when he ran for Hempstead Town Council in Hempstead, New York. He won the at-large seat with the backing of the then-powerful Nassau County Republican Party "machine"[citation needed] led by Joseph Margiotta. In 1981, he successfully ran for Nassau County Comptroller. He was successfully re-elected in 1985 and 1989. As Comptroller, he displayed intense independence, often criticizing the budget proposals of County Executives Francis Purcell and later County Executive Thomas Gulotta, both Republicans.[4] In 1986, he ran a long-shot campaign[clarification needed] for New York State Attorney General against incumbent Democrat Robert Abrams. King lost by a 2-1 margin.
[edit] Support of the IRA
In the 1980s, King frequently traveled to Northern Ireland to meet with IRA members.[5] In 1982, speaking at a pro-IRA rally in Nassau County, New York, King said: “We must pledge ourselves to support those brave men and women who this very moment are carrying forth the struggle against British imperialism in the streets of Belfast and Derry.”[5][6] A Northern Irish judge ordered King ejected from the former's courtroom, describing him as “an obvious collaborator with the IRA”.[5] He became involved with NORAID, an organization that the British, Irish and US governments accuse of financing IRA terrorist activities and providing them with weapons.[5][7][8][9] He was banned from appearing on British TV for his pro IRA views and refusing to condemn IRA activity in the UK.[5]
In 2000, he called then-presidential candidate George W. Bush a tool of "anti-Catholic bigoted forces."[5]
He stopped supporting the IRA after being offended by Irish public opposition to the invasion of Iraq,[5] labelling it as begrudgery rather than suspicion of and opposition to the war.
In 2008, King spoke in defense of bail for a fugitive IRA member, Pól Brennan, who had escaped from prison in the UK and been detained in Texas 15 years later. The IRA member, who had broken out of prison during the Maze Prison escape and entered America illegally,[10] was being held without bail after his work permit expired; King said: "My experience dealing with (Irish) republicans is that they don't jump bail in this country. They honor their commitments."[11]
[edit] Years in Congress
King first came under the national spotlight during the Impeachment of Bill Clinton. King was one of few Republicans in the House to argue that the President should not be removed from office.[12] He voted against all four articles of impeachment, one of only four Republicans to do so (The others being Amo Houghton, also of New York, Connie Morella of Maryland, and Chris Shays of Connecticut).
On November 4, 1999, King voted in favor of the deregulatory Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.[13]
In 2000, King supported John McCain as the Republican nominee for President[14] over Texas governor George W. Bush, even though Bush carried King’s home state of New York in the primaries. As a result, King was unpopular with the Bush administration until September 11, 2001.[15] New York's Third Congressional District lost over 150 residents on 9/11, many of whom King knew personally.[citation needed] King worked extensively with the administration and supported its decision to invade Iraq.
In the time since, King has met with the White House as well as the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,[clarification needed] and held Congressional hearings on funding for the New York City Fire Department and first responder programs[16] with witnesses such as Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Police Chief Ray Kelly in attendance.
Funding for New York has increased across the board in all major homeland security grant programs over the last two years,[when?] including a new program created with the intent of protecting the New York metropolitan area from radiological devices. In 2007, King helped restore $20M to the Securing the Cities program.[17]
After House Appropriators attempted to cut the program in half, King introduced an amendment on the House floor restoring the program to its full $40M funding level. Transit security funding went up $97M since FY ’06 to $151M for the current fiscal year, along with port security being increased $17M from ’06 to ’08. In total, homeland security funding for New York has increased over $176 million since the funding cuts of 2006.[citation needed]
In February 2006, King was the first Republican to come out against the proposed Dubai Ports World deal that would have transferred management of some American ports to DPW, a company owned by the United Arab Emirates. With the support of New York senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer as well as New Jersey senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, the deal was suspended despite strong lobbying by former Long Island Congressmen Ray McGrath and Tom Downey to support the proposed deal. After DPW withdrew its name from the plan, King drafted the Security and Accountability For Every Port Act (SAFE Port). The bill was introduced and received overwhelming bipartisan support except from Congressmen Ed Markey (D-MA) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ). Markey claimed that the Republican legislation was weak and did not help to prevent any future terrorist attack, which caused a yelling match between King and Markey to ensue during the floor debate of the bill.[citation needed]
The 3rd congressional district is made up of middle-class and upper middle-class communities in eastern Nassau County, such as Merrick, Bellmore, Hicksville, Levittown, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Farmingdale, Seaford, and Wantagh, as well as some South Shore Suffolk County towns like Amityville, Copiague, Lindenhurst, West Babylon, Babylon, and West Islip. The district also includes the cities of Long Beach and Glen Cove.
[edit] Committee assignments
- Committee on Financial Services
- Committee on Homeland Security (Ranking Member)
- As Ranking Member of the full committee, King may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.
- United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
[edit] Campaigns
When Democratic Congressman Robert Mrazek announced his short-lived candidacy for Senate against Republican incumbent Alphonse D'Amato in 1992, King ran for the now vacant 3rd Congressional District seat. Despite being outspent 5-to-1,[18] King won 50% to 47%. From 1993-2008, he sometimes faced only token opposition,[19] while in other races, he ran against those who could self-finance their campaigns. Yet, while King would be outspent in those races, he would win by double-digit margins.[20] In 2006, originally Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg was going to run against King but when he dropped out two days after his announcement, fellow legislator Dave Mejias ran instead. While many pundits and Long Island’s local newspaper, Newsday, believed this race would be close due to dissatisfaction with Bush,[21] King defeated Mejias 56 to 44%. King again sought re-election to Congress in 2008. The Democrats fielded 25-year-old newcomer Graham Long in a long-shot bid to defeat King.[22] King won the 2008 election with 64% of the vote.
In the 2008 presidential election, King encouraged candidate John McCain to bring up the subject of William Ayers and Ayers' association with Barack Obama.[23]
[edit] Possible 2010 Senate campaign
After briefly contemplating running for Governor of New York in 2010,[24] King announced that he was seriously thinking of running for the U.S. Senate in a special election for the last two years of the term won in 2006 by Hillary Clinton, who had since been appointed Secretary of State.[25] King had contemplated running for Senate in 2000 against Hillary Clinton,[26] and even created an exploratory committee in 2003 to challenge Chuck Schumer.[27] Both times he ended up deciding against them. King said there would be no primary with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as the latter would instead opt to throw his support behind King and possibly explore a gubernatorial bid.[28]
When Kirsten Gillibrand, the congresswoman representing New York's 20th congressional district in the House, was appointed to fill the seat until the special election by Governor David Paterson, King said he would consider holding off on making a run for the seat: "If he appointed Caroline Kennedy, I was ready to file papers right away because she’s a superstar and you can’t let her build a head of steam – and she was totally unqualified in my perspective. With Kirsten, she’s entitled to be given an opportunity to build a record for the state."[29] However, two days after the Gillibrand pick, King demanded Paterson justify his selection of the congresswoman, saying there were more qualified candidates.[30] In August 2009, King ruled out a senate run. However, in January of 2010, he said he was reconsidering a run.[3]
[edit] Controversial comments
In a September 2007 interview with the website Politico.com, King said that "There are too many mosques in this country... There are too many people sympathetic to radical Islam. We should be looking at them more carefully and finding out how we can infiltrate them."[31] A few days later, King said that he had been misquoted:
| “ | The quote was taken entirely out of context by Politico. My position in this interview, as it has been for many years, is that too many mosques in this country do not cooperate with law enforcement. Unfortunately, Politico was incapable of making this distinction.[31] | ” |
On July 5, 2009, shortly after the death of Michael Jackson, King made a video statement calling the late entertainer a "child molester". He also chided the media for its coverage of Jackson's death:
| “ | Let’s knock out the psychobabble. He was a pervert, a child molester, he was a pedophile. And to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what does it say about us as a country? I just think we’re too politically correct. No one wants to stand up and say we don’t need Michael Jackson. He died, he had some talent, fine. There’s men and women dying every day in Afghanistan. Let’s give them the credit they deserve.[32][33] | ” |
Due to the high-profile nature of Jackson's death, King's statement generated national media coverage and widespread criticism. In reaction to the controversy, King said he felt "an obligation to speak out. I believe I'm articulating the views of a great majority of the American people".[34]
[edit] Political positions
King opposes the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[35] He opposed the 2009 economic stimulus package[36] and the Lillie Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.[37] He voted for the Wall Street bailout and he has been a vocal opponent of illegal immigration.[38]
Despite his earlier refutations of George W. Bush,[5][14] King later became a Bush supporter: "Look, we have not been attacked in seven years and it's not because of luck."[38] Although he supported John McCain for president, King opposed McCain's 2007 effort to enact a path to citizenship for current illegal immigrants and also opposed McCain's calls for an end to torture methods used during terrorist suspect interrogations.[38] Unlike McCain, King supports congressional earmarks.[38] King has supported the Iraq War since 2002.[38] The New York Times wrote that King was "the Patriot Act's most fervent fan."[39]
On December 27, 2009, King commented on reports that Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who had allegedly tried to set off a suicide bomb on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, had subsequently confessed to being trained and equipped in Yemen.[40] King commented on how rumors of the confession should affect the repatriation of the Yemeni captives in Guantanamo.
“I think it’s a major mistake. I don’t think Guantanamo should be closed, but if we’re going to close it I don’t believe we should be sending people to Yemen where prisoners have managed to escape in the past….Obviously, if [Abdulmutallab] did get training and direction from Yemen, it just adds to what is already a dangerous situation.”
On May 27, 2010, the House of Representatives moved to vote to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Representative King voted against the repeal of this policy.
[edit] Personal life
King resides in Seaford, New York with his wife, Rosemary King, with whom he has two adult children and one grandson. King has two siblings, Kevin and Barbara. He is an author of three novels that are loosely based on his years in Congress: Terrible Beauty, Deliver Us From Evil, and Vale of Tears.
[edit] Electoral history
Third party candidates omitted, so percentages may not add up to 100%.
| New York's 3rd U.S. Congressional District[41] | ||||
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| Year | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| 2008 | Peter T. King (R) | 135,648 | 64.02% | |
| Graham Long (D) | 76,918 | 35.08% | ||
| Year | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| 2006 | Peter T. King (R) | 101,787 | 56.04% | |
| David Mejias (D) | 79,843 | 43.95% | ||
| 2004 | Peter T. King (R) | 171,259 | 62.96% | |
| Blair Mathies (D) | 100,737 | 37.03% | ||
| 2002 | Peter T. King (R) | 121,537 | 71.88% | |
| Stuart Finz (D) | 46,022 | 27.22% | ||
| 2000 | Peter T. King (R) | 143,126 | 59.52% | |
| Dal LaMagna (D) | 95,787 | 39.84% | ||
| 1998 | Peter T. King (R) | 117,258 | 64.29% | |
| Kevin Langberg (D) | 63,628 | 34.88% | ||
| 1996 | Peter T. King (R) | 127,972 | 55.29% | |
| Dal LaMagna (D) | 97,518 | 42.13% | ||
| 1994 | Peter T. King (R) | 115,236 | 59.23% | |
| Norma Grill (D) | 77,774 | 39.98% | ||
| 1992 | Peter T. King (R) | 124,727 | 49.56% | |
| Steve Orlins (D) | 116,915 | 46.46% | ||
[edit] See also
[edit] 1986 NYS Republican ticket
- Governor: Andrew O'Rourke
- Lieutenant Governor: E. Michael Kavanagh
- Comptroller: Edward Regan
- Attorney General: Peter T. King
- U.S. Senate: Alfonse D'Amato
[edit] References
- ^ Should Rep. Peter King replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate?
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ a b O'Brien, Michael (2010-01-04). "Rep. Pete King rethinking Senate run - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room". Thehill.com. http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/74191-rep-pete-king-reconsidering-senate-run. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Newsday, 4/10/83, Nassau Budget Watchers Begin to See Red
- ^ a b c d e f g h Maloney, Ed (2005-06-25). "Rep. King and the IRA: The End of an Extraordinary Affair?". New York Sun. http://www.nysun.com/national/rep-king-and-the-ira-the-end-of-an-extraordinary/15853/.
- ^ http://www.spectator.co.uk/alexmassie/archive/2007/June/
- ^ "Law: Passing the Hat for the Provos". Time. 1979-11-26. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,946419,00.html?promoid=googlep. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- ^ "Rich friends in New York". BBC News. 2001-09-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1563119.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- ^ "Decommissioning in the summer - Ahern". BBC News. 1998-04-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/northern_ireland/latest_news/77699.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- ^ Riley, John (2008-06-23). "Pete King: Illegal ex-IRA fugitives are good bail risks!". Newsday blog. http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2008/06/pete_king_illegal_exira_fugiti.html. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ Sieff, Kevin (2008-06-22). "Former IRA member's case draws attention of politicians". Brownsville Herald. http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/member-87856-attention-politicians.html. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "King Stays In Clinton's Corner - Irish Voice | HighBeam Research - FREE trial". Highbeam.com. 1998-12-15. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22219000.html. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ "GovTrack: House Vote on Conference Report: S. 900 [106th]: Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act". Govtrack.us. 1999-11-04. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h1999-570. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ a b USA Today. 2000-02-22. http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/e1221.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- ^ CNN Early Edition interview, 2/21/2000
- ^ "U.S. Representative Peter King (R-Ny) Holds A Joint Hearing With The Management, Integration And Oversight Committee On First Responder Anti-Terrorism Training". Political/Congressional Transcript Wire. 2005-08-05. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32332492_ITM.
- ^ "City Gets $29 Million To Prevent Nuclear Attacks". New York Sun. 2008-09-17. http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-gets-29-million-to-prevent-nuclear-attacks/85991/.
- ^ Newsday, 10/21/1992, Well Financed 1st Run For Congress
- ^ OpenSecrets.org, 1998 Race Profile, 2000 Race Profile, 2002 Race Profile, 2004 Race Profile
- ^ Newsday 9/19/1996, Tweezerman's Offbeat Campaign Makes Sense, Newsday, 9/28/2000, Candidates Seeking Comeback Campaigns
- ^ Palmer, J. Jioni (2006-10-22). "King rides against wave". Newsday. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-21874440.html.
- ^ Democrats take longshot against King
- ^ Gordon, Craig (2008-10-15). "Wednesday's debate: Do-or-die time for McCain?". Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usdeba155883988oct15,0,1063654.story. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ New York Times 04/01/08
- ^ Madore, James T (2008-12-10). "King plans to run against Clinton replacement in 2010". Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-stking105959213dec10,0,1474017.story. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ The Washington Post. 2000-05-22. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/junkie/archive/junkie051900.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- ^ Lambert, Bruce (2003-01-07). "Long Island Congressman Considers Senate Run". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60B11FC3E5A0C748CDDA80894DB404482. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- ^ Giuliani Senate run not happening, congressman says
- ^ Peter King praises Gillibrand
- ^ Rep. Peter King calls on Paterson to justify Senate pick
- ^ a b "Rep. King: There are 'too many mosques in this country'". The Crypt's Blog - Politico.com.
- ^ Epstein, Reid (July 5, 2009). "Peter King doesn't stop 'til he has enough (Spin Cycle)". Newsday.com. http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2009/07/peter_king_doesnt_stop_til_he.html. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "New York Congressman Blasts Jackson as 'Pervert, Low-Life'". Fox News. 2009-07-06. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/06/new-york-congressman-blasts-jackson-pervert-low-life/.
- ^ "Sharp reaction to Peter King's statements on Jackson". Newsday.com. 2009-07-06. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/politics/ny-usking0712947209jul06,0,5775344.story. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ King, Peter (2009-02-26). "THE REAL GITMO: 100% HUMANE". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/seven/02262009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/the_real_gitmo__156978.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "WINNERS & LOSERS Stimulus Edition". Crain's New York. 2009-02-01. http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090201/SMALLBIZ/302019969. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 37". US House of Representatives. 2009-01-27. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll037.xml. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ a b c d e Epstein, Reid (2008-10-26). "King, lone LI Republican, stands firmly with Bush". Newsday (Los Angeles Times). http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/ny-usking265897586oct26,1,6051296,full.story. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ Finn, Robin (2006-10-15). "THE ISLAND; Terrorist Nest? Or an Oasis Of Tolerance?". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D04E7DC1030F936A25753C1A9609C8B63. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ Josh Gerstein (2009-12-27). "Bomb plot complicates Gitmo plan". Politico. Archived from the original on 2009-12-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdyn.politico.com%2Fprintstory.cfm%3Fuuid%3DCD70C0DB-18FE-70B2-A8665EFC42F4E403&date=2009-12-28.
- ^ "New York House District 3 – Previous Election Results". The Post-Standard. http://elections.syracuse.com/dynamic/external/pre-election/profilesdistricts/NY03.html?SITE=NYSYRELN&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
[edit] External links
- Official House site - U.S. Congressman Pete King
- Official Campaign Site - Re-Elect Pete King
- Peter T. King at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Profiles:
Record:
Campaign Finance:
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert J. Mrazek |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 3rd congressional district 1993– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Chris Cox California |
Chairman of House Homeland Security Committee 2005–2007 |
Succeeded by Bennie Thompson Mississippi |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Frances Sciafani |
Republican Nominee for New York State Attorney General 1986 |
Succeeded by Bernard C. Smith |
