Jim McGovern
Encyclopedia
James Patrick "Jim" McGovern (born November 20, 1959) is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Born and raised in Worcester
, Massachusetts
, McGovern attended Worcester Academy
and received a master's degree from American University
in Washington, D.C.
. While in college he worked as a congressional aide to Senator George McGovern
, a two-time presidential candidate he campaigned for. From 1981 to 1996 he was a senior staff member for Representative Joe Moakley
.
McGovern first ran for Congress in 1994, where he lost in the Democratic primary. He ran again in 1996, defeating Republican incumbent Peter Blute. He has since been re-elected six times, four of which he was unopposed. A focus of his career has been international human rights, which he has advocated for in countries such as El Salvador
, Sudan
, and Colombia
. He is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
and has been ranked as one of the most liberal
members of Congress.
on November 20, 1959. He grew up in Worcester, where his mother Mindy was a dance instructor and his father Walter owned a liquor store. In junior high school, he first became involved in politics by campaigning for Democratic U.S. Senator
George McGovern
(to whom he is not related) in his unsuccessful 1972 presidential bid
. After graduating from Worcester Academy
he moved to Washington, D.C.
, where from 1977 to 1980, he worked as an aide to George McGovern. He attended American University
, where he received a Bachelor of Arts
in history in 1981 and a Masters of Public Administration in 1984. When George McGovern ran for president again in 1984, Jim McGovern was the state coordinator of his Massachusetts campaign branch, and he made his nominating speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention
.
In 1981 McGovern joined the Capitol Hill staff of Joe Moakley
, a Democratic U.S. Representative
from Massachusetts. He was appointed by Moakley in 1990 to lead a House task force investigating the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests and two women in El Salvador
by the Salvadoran Army
. He later advocated cutting off U.S. funding for the U.S. Army School of the Americas
, where several of the military members had been trained.
, Middlesex
, Norfolk
, and Worcester
counties. During the campaign McGovern asserted that his record as "a Washington insider" would make him a more effective representative. Despite endorsements from George McGovern, Joe Moakley, and presidential aide George Stephanopoulos
, McGovern lost in the primary to Massachusetts State Representative
Kevin O'Sullivan. In 1995, he served as an alternate member of the Interagency Council on Women.
McGovern left Moakley's office in 1996 and moved back to Worcester, again running for Congress. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, he ran against Republican incumbent Peter Blute in the general election. His campaign slogan focused on unseating House Speaker Newt Gingrich
: "To dump Newt you have to dump Blute." Blute was endorsed by The Boston Globe
and five other local papers, but McGovern won the election with 53 percent of the vote. He has never faced another contest nearly that close, and has been reelected seven times. He even ran unopposed in 2000 and 2002; he was re-elected both times with 98.8 percent of the vote.
In 2004 he was opposed by Republican Ronald A. Crews, an evangelical pastor, former Georgia
state legislator, and president of the Massachusetts Family Institute. Crews, a national conservative activist, challenged McGovern's positions on same-sex marriage
and abortion
. McGovern derided his opponent's focus on social issues, saying, "When Ron Crews gets up in the morning, the first thing he thinks about is gay marriage. ... I don't think that is the most important issue for most families. Jobs, health care, education, how to make the world a more peaceful place, those are the issues people care about." McGovern defeated Crews with 71 percent of the vote, and ran unopposed in 2006 and 2008. In the 2010 elections he faced Republican Marty Lamb, a real estate lawyer, and independent Patrick J. Barron, a Department of Mental Health administrator. He was re-elected with 57 percent of the vote.
McGovern is currently a Democratic whip for the New England region
For his first three terms, McGovern served on the House Transportation Committee
. He and Rep. John Olver
(D
-MA
), who served on the House Appropriations Committee
, would coordinate to bring extensive transportation funding to their respective districts. When criticized for his heavy use of earmarks
, McGovern was quoted in response saying, "It's not pork
. It's nourishment."
McGovern has supported economic stimulus efforts during the late-2000s recession, including the Economic Stimulus Act
in February 2008 and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
(which established the Troubled Asset Relief Program) in October 2008. He supported the Obama administration's 2009 stimulus package
. Responding to Republican criticism of Democratic budgetary priorities, he chided the GOP for running up the national debt
under George W. Bush
, saying: "It is somewhat ironic that the very people who drove this economy into a ditch are now complaining about the size of the tow truck." He voted to instate the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act
in February 2010.
The Higher Education Act of 1998
included an amendment by McGovern which doubled Pell Grant
funding for two years for students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class.
As co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, McGovern is an advocate for expanding child nutrition programs both domestically and internationally. In 2007 McGovern sought and obtained $840 million in required funding for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program
in the House version of the farm bill. The House–Senate conference committee stripped most of the funding from the final bill.
McGovern has voted against major efforts to restrict illegal immigration
, including the REAL ID Act
of 2005, the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, and the Secure Fence Act of 2006
.
of military force against Iraq in October 2002. In May 2007, McGovern introduced , to "provide for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces and defense contractors from Iraq." The bill failed with a vote of 255 to 171.
He initially supported the War in Afghanistan
, but has become increasingly skeptical of the war. In June 2010 he pushed a funding amendment which would require President Barack Obama
to provide for a draw-down plan before any further funding would be authorized. "Let us not waste, you know, more resources, more lives, on a policy that quite frankly is going to lead us nowhere," said McGovern. "We need to let [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai
know that we're not a cheap date. ... We expect him to clean up his government."
McGovern has been a prominent voice against the Islamist governments of Sudan
for its prosecution of the war in Darfur
. He has been arrested twice during protests outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C. On April 28, 2006, he was one of five members of Congress arrested while protesting atrocities in the Darfur
region. Also arrested were U.S. Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee
(D-Texas), Jim Moran
(D-Virginia), Rep. John Olver
(D-Massachusetts), and Tom Lantos
(D-California). McGovern was arrested again at the Sudanese embassy on April 27, 2009, this time accompanied by Reps John Lewis (D-Georgia), Donna Edwards
(D-Maryland), Lynn Woolsey
(D-California), and Keith Ellison
(D-Minnesota).
In April 2007, he called for the United States and other countries to boycott the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China to protest the Chinese government's support of the Sudanese government and, by extension, the genocide
in Darfur
.
McGovern has traveled several times to Colombia
to meet with human rights advocates there, and has been very critical of Plan Colombia
and US military aid to that country. On March 25, 2008, the Wall Street Journal published an unsigned editorial insinuating that McGovern supported the Marxist FARC
rebels in Colombia
. The editorial accused McGovern of making "an ardent effort to do business directly with the FARC." The Journal's sole evidence was that McGovern had met with an intermediary whose letters mentioning McGovern were found on the computer of a killed FARC leader. In response, McGovern said that his concern was to help win the release of hostages held by the FARC, as requested by several families of Americans held by the FARC. He said that he had no sympathy for the rebels or for their hostage-taking.
On February 13, 2009, McGovern offered a resolution on the subject of the trial of the Iranian Bahá'í leadership co-sponsored by seven others in - "Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights" which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The situation has gathered international attention including defense of Nobel Laureate attorney Shirin Ebadi
in June after she received threats in April warning her against making speeches abroad, and defending Iran's minority Baha'i community (See Arrest of Bahá'í leaders).
In 2002 McGovern, who has made several trips to Cuba, joined the Congressional Cuba Working Group, which advocated for lowering restrictions on travel and food shipment to Cuba.
He is the current co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
, formerly the Human Rights Caucus.
record on abortion
. He voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
in October 2003 and the Unborn Victims of Violence Act
in February 2004. He supports stem cell research
, having voted in favor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act
in 2005, 2007, and 2009. He voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
of 2007, which would have prevented employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
. He voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment
, which would have constitutionally outlawed same-sex marriage
, in 2004 and 2006, and co-sponsored the Respect for Marriage Act
of 2009, which would allow the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages.
and progressive
causes. "It's no secret that I'm a liberal," he said in 2010. "I didn't poll any of this stuff, but I am who I am." Political interest groups generally rank McGovern as one of the most liberal members of Congress. The National Journal
ranked him among the seven most liberal representatives. Since 1997, the liberal advocacy group Americans for Democratic Action
has given him an average vote rating of 98.5 percent, whereas its conservative counterpart, the American Conservative Union
, has given him an average vote rating of 2.5 percent. The United States Chamber of Commerce
, which advocates for business-oriented policies, has given McGovern a 35 percent lifetime rating.
. They have two children, Patrick and Molly. He has two sisters, who are teachers in the Worcester public school system. In November 2010 he underwent surgery to remove his thyroid gland after being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer
, from which he is expected to recover.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Born and raised in Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, McGovern attended Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in...
and received a master's degree from American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. While in college he worked as a congressional aide to Senator George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
, a two-time presidential candidate he campaigned for. From 1981 to 1996 he was a senior staff member for Representative Joe Moakley
Joe Moakley
John Joseph "Joe" Moakley was a Democratic congressman from the Ninth District of Massachusetts, a seat held two years earlier by Speaker John William McCormack. Moakley was the last chairman of the U.S...
.
McGovern first ran for Congress in 1994, where he lost in the Democratic primary. He ran again in 1996, defeating Republican incumbent Peter Blute. He has since been re-elected six times, four of which he was unopposed. A focus of his career has been international human rights, which he has advocated for in countries such as El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. He is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the largest caucus within the Democratic caucus in the United States Congress with 83 declared members, and works to advance progressive issues and positions....
and has been ranked as one of the most liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
members of Congress.
Early life
James Patrick McGovern was born in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
on November 20, 1959. He grew up in Worcester, where his mother Mindy was a dance instructor and his father Walter owned a liquor store. In junior high school, he first became involved in politics by campaigning for Democratic U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
(to whom he is not related) in his unsuccessful 1972 presidential bid
George McGovern presidential campaign, 1972
George McGovern, a United States Senator from South Dakota, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an ultimately unsuccessful bid for the 1972 presidential election.-Leading up to the announcement:...
. After graduating from Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in...
he moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where from 1977 to 1980, he worked as an aide to George McGovern. He attended American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
, where he received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in history in 1981 and a Masters of Public Administration in 1984. When George McGovern ran for president again in 1984, Jim McGovern was the state coordinator of his Massachusetts campaign branch, and he made his nominating speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention
1984 Democratic National Convention
The 1984 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California from July 16 to July 19, 1984, to select a candidate for the 1984 United States presidential election. At the convention Walter Mondale was nominated for President and Geraldine...
.
In 1981 McGovern joined the Capitol Hill staff of Joe Moakley
Joe Moakley
John Joseph "Joe" Moakley was a Democratic congressman from the Ninth District of Massachusetts, a seat held two years earlier by Speaker John William McCormack. Moakley was the last chairman of the U.S...
, a Democratic U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Massachusetts. He was appointed by Moakley in 1990 to lead a House task force investigating the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests and two women in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
by the Salvadoran Army
Atlacatl Battalion
The Atlacatl Battalion, a former Salvadoran Army unit, was a rapid-response, counter-insurgency battalion created in 1980 at the U.S. Army's School of the Americas, then located in Panama. It was implicated in some of the most infamous incidents of the Salvadoran Civil War...
. He later advocated cutting off U.S. funding for the U.S. Army School of the Americas
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation , formerly the United States Army School of the Americas is a United States Department of Defense educational and training facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia in the United States...
, where several of the military members had been trained.
Congressional record
McGovern first ran for Congress in 1994, running in a crowded Democratic primary to represent . The district, located in central and southeastern Massachusetts, includes the city of Worcester and parts of BristolBristol County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families residing in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile . There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile...
, Middlesex
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
, Norfolk
Norfolk County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Adams National Historical Park* Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area * Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site* John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site-Demographics:...
, and Worcester
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
counties. During the campaign McGovern asserted that his record as "a Washington insider" would make him a more effective representative. Despite endorsements from George McGovern, Joe Moakley, and presidential aide George Stephanopoulos
George Stephanopoulos
George Robert Stephanopoulos is an American television journalist and a former political advisor.Stephanopoulos is most well known as the chief political correspondent for ABC News – the news division of the broadcast television network ABC – and a co-anchor of ABC News's morning news...
, McGovern lost in the primary to Massachusetts State Representative
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
Kevin O'Sullivan. In 1995, he served as an alternate member of the Interagency Council on Women.
McGovern left Moakley's office in 1996 and moved back to Worcester, again running for Congress. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, he ran against Republican incumbent Peter Blute in the general election. His campaign slogan focused on unseating House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
: "To dump Newt you have to dump Blute." Blute was endorsed by The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
and five other local papers, but McGovern won the election with 53 percent of the vote. He has never faced another contest nearly that close, and has been reelected seven times. He even ran unopposed in 2000 and 2002; he was re-elected both times with 98.8 percent of the vote.
In 2004 he was opposed by Republican Ronald A. Crews, an evangelical pastor, former Georgia
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
state legislator, and president of the Massachusetts Family Institute. Crews, a national conservative activist, challenged McGovern's positions on same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in the United States
The federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses...
and abortion
Abortion in the United States
Abortion in the United States has been legal in every state since the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, on January 22, 1973...
. McGovern derided his opponent's focus on social issues, saying, "When Ron Crews gets up in the morning, the first thing he thinks about is gay marriage. ... I don't think that is the most important issue for most families. Jobs, health care, education, how to make the world a more peaceful place, those are the issues people care about." McGovern defeated Crews with 71 percent of the vote, and ran unopposed in 2006 and 2008. In the 2010 elections he faced Republican Marty Lamb, a real estate lawyer, and independent Patrick J. Barron, a Department of Mental Health administrator. He was re-elected with 57 percent of the vote.
McGovern is currently a Democratic whip for the New England region
Committee assignments
- Committee on AgricultureUnited States House Committee on AgricultureThe U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
- Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Credit
- Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk ManagementUnited States House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk ManagementThe House Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management is a subcommittee within the House Agriculture Committee. The subcommittee oversees program and markets for major commercial crops, such as cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains , soybeans, oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, and...
- Committee on RulesUnited States House Committee on RulesThe Committee on Rules, or Rules Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. Rather than being responsible for a specific area of policy, as most other committees are, it is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor...
Domestic policy
United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. John Mica currently chairs the committee.-History:...
. He and Rep. John Olver
John Olver
John Walter Olver is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early in his career, he was a chemistry professor and served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court....
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
-MA
United States Congressional Delegations from Massachusetts
These are complete tables of congressional delegations from Massachusetts to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Eleven of the twelve members of the current delegation are Democrats and one is a Republican.-United States Senate:...
), who served on the House Appropriations Committee
United States House Committee on Appropriations
The Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
, would coordinate to bring extensive transportation funding to their respective districts. When criticized for his heavy use of earmarks
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
, McGovern was quoted in response saying, "It's not pork
Pork barrel
Pork barrel is a derogatory term referring to appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district...
. It's nourishment."
McGovern has supported economic stimulus efforts during the late-2000s recession, including the Economic Stimulus Act
Economic Stimulus Act of 2008
The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 was an Act of Congress providing for several kinds of economic stimuli intended to boost the United States economy in 2008 and to avert a recession, or ameliorate economic conditions. The stimulus package was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on January...
in February 2008 and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of , commonly referred to as a bailout of the U.S. financial system, is a law enacted in response to the subprime mortgage crisis...
(which established the Troubled Asset Relief Program) in October 2008. He supported the Obama administration's 2009 stimulus package
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
. Responding to Republican criticism of Democratic budgetary priorities, he chided the GOP for running up the national debt
United States public debt
The United States public debt is the money borrowed by the federal government of the United States at any one time through the issue of securities by the Treasury and other federal government agencies...
under George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, saying: "It is somewhat ironic that the very people who drove this economy into a ditch are now complaining about the size of the tow truck." He voted to instate the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act
The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, Title I of , , enacted on February 12, 2010, is a public law passed during the 111th United States Congress and signed by President Barack Obama...
in February 2010.
The Higher Education Act of 1998
Higher Education Act of 1965
The Higher Education Act of 1965 was legislation signed into United States law on November 8, 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society domestic agenda. Johnson chose Texas State University–San Marcos as the signing site...
included an amendment by McGovern which doubled Pell Grant
Pell Grant
A Pell Grant is money the federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree or who are not enrolled in certain post-baccalaureate programs, through participating...
funding for two years for students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class.
As co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, McGovern is an advocate for expanding child nutrition programs both domestically and internationally. In 2007 McGovern sought and obtained $840 million in required funding for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program
McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program
The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program is a food aid program authorized in the 2002 farm bill which provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities and associated financial and technical assistance to carry out preschool and school feeding...
in the House version of the farm bill. The House–Senate conference committee stripped most of the funding from the final bill.
McGovern has voted against major efforts to restrict illegal immigration
Illegal immigration to the United States
An illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
, including the REAL ID Act
REAL ID Act
The REAL ID Act of 2005, , was an Act of Congress that modified U.S. federal law pertaining to security, authentication, and issuance procedures standards for the state driver's licenses and identification cards, as well as various immigration issues pertaining to terrorism.The law set forth...
of 2005, the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, and the Secure Fence Act of 2006
Secure Fence Act of 2006
On October 26, 2006 President George W. Bush signed The Secure Fence Act of 2006 into law stating, “This bill will help protect the American people. This bill will make our borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform."...
.
Foreign policy
McGovern has vocally opposed the Iraq War since its inception. He voted against the initial authorizationIraq Resolution
The Iraq Resolution or the Iraq War Resolution is a joint resolution passed by the United States Congress in October 2002 as Public Law No: 107-243, authorizing military action against Iraq.-Contents:The resolution cited many factors to justify the use of military force against...
of military force against Iraq in October 2002. In May 2007, McGovern introduced , to "provide for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces and defense contractors from Iraq." The bill failed with a vote of 255 to 171.
He initially supported the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
, but has become increasingly skeptical of the war. In June 2010 he pushed a funding amendment which would require President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to provide for a draw-down plan before any further funding would be authorized. "Let us not waste, you know, more resources, more lives, on a policy that quite frankly is going to lead us nowhere," said McGovern. "We need to let [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
know that we're not a cheap date. ... We expect him to clean up his government."
McGovern has been a prominent voice against the Islamist governments of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
for its prosecution of the war in Darfur
War in Darfur
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
. He has been arrested twice during protests outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C. On April 28, 2006, he was one of five members of Congress arrested while protesting atrocities in the Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
region. Also arrested were U.S. Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee
Sheila Jackson Lee
Sheila Jackson Lee is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. The district includes most of inner-city Houston. She is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life and education:...
(D-Texas), Jim Moran
Jim Moran
James Patrick "Jim" Moran, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located in Northern Virginia and includes the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria, all of Arlington County, and a portion of Fairfax County.Jim Moran was...
(D-Virginia), Rep. John Olver
John Olver
John Walter Olver is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early in his career, he was a chemistry professor and served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court....
(D-Massachusetts), and Tom Lantos
Tom Lantos
Thomas Peter "Tom" Lantos was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death, representing the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a portion of southwest San Francisco...
(D-California). McGovern was arrested again at the Sudanese embassy on April 27, 2009, this time accompanied by Reps John Lewis (D-Georgia), Donna Edwards
Donna Edwards
Donna F. Edwards is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party...
(D-Maryland), Lynn Woolsey
Lynn Woolsey
Lynn C. Woolsey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all of Marin County and most of Sonoma County. She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and its co-chair...
(D-California), and Keith Ellison
Keith Ellison (politician)
Keith Maurice Ellison is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The district centers on Minneapolis. He was re-elected in 2010. Ellison is a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.He is the first Muslim to be elected to the...
(D-Minnesota).
In April 2007, he called for the United States and other countries to boycott the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China to protest the Chinese government's support of the Sudanese government and, by extension, the genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
in Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
.
McGovern has traveled several times to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
to meet with human rights advocates there, and has been very critical of Plan Colombia
Plan Colombia
The term Plan Colombia is most often used to refer to U.S. legislation aimed at curbing drug smuggling and combating a left-wing insurgency by supporting different activities in Colombia....
and US military aid to that country. On March 25, 2008, the Wall Street Journal published an unsigned editorial insinuating that McGovern supported the Marxist FARC
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
rebels in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. The editorial accused McGovern of making "an ardent effort to do business directly with the FARC." The Journal's sole evidence was that McGovern had met with an intermediary whose letters mentioning McGovern were found on the computer of a killed FARC leader. In response, McGovern said that his concern was to help win the release of hostages held by the FARC, as requested by several families of Americans held by the FARC. He said that he had no sympathy for the rebels or for their hostage-taking.
On February 13, 2009, McGovern offered a resolution on the subject of the trial of the Iranian Bahá'í leadership co-sponsored by seven others in - "Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights" which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The situation has gathered international attention including defense of Nobel Laureate attorney Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
in June after she received threats in April warning her against making speeches abroad, and defending Iran's minority Baha'i community (See Arrest of Bahá'í leaders).
In 2002 McGovern, who has made several trips to Cuba, joined the Congressional Cuba Working Group, which advocated for lowering restrictions on travel and food shipment to Cuba.
He is the current co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission is a bipartisan caucus of the United States House of Representatives...
, formerly the Human Rights Caucus.
Social issues
McGovern has a pro-choicePro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
record on abortion
Abortion in the United States
Abortion in the United States has been legal in every state since the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, on January 22, 1973...
. He voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 is a United States law prohibiting a form of late-term abortion that the Act calls "partial-birth abortion", often referred to in medical literature as intact dilation and extraction...
in October 2003 and the Unborn Victims of Violence Act
Unborn Victims of Violence Act
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004 is a United States law which recognizes a "child in utero" as a legal victim, if he or she is injured or killed during the commission of any of over 60 listed federal crimes of violence...
in February 2004. He supports stem cell research
Stem cell laws and policy in the United States
Stem cell laws and policy in the United States have had a complicated legal and political history.-Science background:Stem cells are cells found in all multi-cellular organisms. They were isolated in mice in 1981, and in humans in 1988. In humans there are many types of stem cells, each with...
, having voted in favor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act was the name of two similar bills that both passed through the United States House of Representatives and Senate, but were both vetoed by President George W. Bush and were not enacted into law...
in 2005, 2007, and 2009. He voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Employment Non-Discrimination Act
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is a proposed bill in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by civilian, nonreligious employers with at least 15 employees.ENDA has been introduced in every...
of 2007, which would have prevented employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
. He voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
, which would have constitutionally outlawed same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in the United States
The federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses...
, in 2004 and 2006, and co-sponsored the Respect for Marriage Act
Respect for Marriage Act
The Respect for Marriage Act, or RFMA , is a proposed bill in the United States Congress that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and allow the U.S. federal government to provide benefits to couples in a same-sex marriage; the bill would not compel individual states to recognize same-sex...
of 2009, which would allow the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages.
Political image
McGovern has aligned himself with liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and progressive
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
causes. "It's no secret that I'm a liberal," he said in 2010. "I didn't poll any of this stuff, but I am who I am." Political interest groups generally rank McGovern as one of the most liberal members of Congress. The National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
ranked him among the seven most liberal representatives. Since 1997, the liberal advocacy group Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action is an American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA works for social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research and supporting progressive candidates.-History:...
has given him an average vote rating of 98.5 percent, whereas its conservative counterpart, the American Conservative Union
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
, has given him an average vote rating of 2.5 percent. The United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce is an American lobbying group representing the interests of many businesses and trade associations. It is not an agency of the United States government....
, which advocates for business-oriented policies, has given McGovern a 35 percent lifetime rating.
Family and personal life
McGovern lives in Worcester with his wife, Lisa Murray McGovern, a former aide to U.S. Representative Gerry StuddsGerry Studds
Gerry Eastman Studds was an American Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts who served from 1973 until 1997. He was the first openly gay member of Congress in the U.S. In 1983 he was censured by the House of Representatives after he admitted to having had an affair with a 17-year-old page in...
. They have two children, Patrick and Molly. He has two sisters, who are teachers in the Worcester public school system. In November 2010 he underwent surgery to remove his thyroid gland after being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer
Papillary thyroid cancer
Papillary thyroid cancer or papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid cancer, representing 75% to 85% of all thyroid cancer cases. It occurs more frequently in women and presents in the 30-40 year age group...
, from which he is expected to recover.
Electoral history
| Democratic candidate | Republican candidate | Independent candidate | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Name | Votes | % | Name | Votes | % | Name | Party | Votes | % |
| 1996 | Jim McGovern | 135,044 | 52.9% | Peter Blute | 115,694 | 45.4% | Dale E. Friedgen | Natural Law | 3,362 | 1.3% |
| 1998 | Jim McGovern | 108,613 | 56.9% | Matthew J. Amorello Matthew J. Amorello Matthew John Amorello is a former Massachusetts state senator and former chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority who presided over the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project from 2002 to 2006... |
79,174 | 31.0% | George Phillies | Libertarian | 2,887 | 1.1% |
| 2000 | Jim McGovern | 213,065 | 98.8% | None | None | |||||
| 2002 | Jim McGovern | 155,697 | 98.8% | None | None | |||||
| 2004 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2004 The 2004 congressional elections in Massachusetts was held on November 2, 2004, to determine who would represent the state of Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives. Massachusetts had ten seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census... |
Jim McGovern | 192,036 | 70.5% | Ronald A. Crews | 80,197 | 27.2% | None | |||
| 2006 | Jim McGovern | 166,973 | 98.8% | None | None | |||||
| 2008 | Jim McGovern | 227,619 | 98.5% | None | None | |||||
| 2010 | Jim McGovern | 122,357 | 56.5% | Marty Lamb | 84,972 | 39.2% | Patrick Barron | Independent | 9,304 | 4.3% |
External links
- Congressman James P. McGovern official U.S. House site
- Re-Elect Congressman Jim McGovern official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
- US Representative Jim McGovern to Introduce Bill Ending Funding for Iraq War, via Common Dreams NewsCenterCommon Dreams NewsCenterCommon Dreams NewsCenter, often referred to simply as Common Dreams, is a 5013 nonprofit U.S. based progressive news website. Common Dreams publishes news stories, editorials and a newswire of current breaking news. Common Dreams also re-publishes relevant content from numerous other sources such...
, October 25, 2005 - The Legacy of Four Women by George McGovern & Jim McGovern, via The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, December 21, 2005 - McGovern blasts School of Americas; Holy Cross holds forum on Army training program, via School of the Americas WatchSchool of the Americas WatchSchool of the Americas Watch is an advocacy organization founded by Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois and a small group of supporters in 1990 to protest the training of mainly Latin American military officers, by the United States Department of Defense, at the School of the Americas...
, January 17, 2003