Joe Walsh (Illinois politician)
Encyclopedia
William Joseph "Joe" Walsh (born December 27, 1961) is the Republican
U.S. Representative
for Chicago, Illinois's northwest suburban . He has served in Congress since January 2011 after defeating three-term incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean by a margin of 291 votes in a surprising upset. He received little Republican Party support for his bid against Bean, but was a Tea Party favorite. Previously, Walsh ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 and for the Illinois General Assembly in 1998. He called himself a moderate Republican in the 1990s, but he is now a conservative and a Tea Party movement
activist.
During his first months in Congress, Walsh emerged as a sharp critic of Democratic President Obama, accusing him of lying, siding with the Palestinians, bankrupting the United States, and burdening the younger generations with debt. Walsh has appeared frequently on television to criticize the administration and to promote his views that taxes should not be increased, and that government spending should be greatly reduced. Walsh has maintained a no-compromise approach to legislating. He consistently voted against raising the federal debt ceiling and authored a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution. During his 2010 campaign as a fiscal conservative and following his election to Congress, personal financial issues were reported by the media such as past due child support, a recent condo foreclosure, and tax liens from the 1990s. Walsh explained that these issues have made him more attuned to the struggles of the average voter.
Walsh's district has been redrawn for 2012 by the Democratic-dominated state legislature and he and nine other Illinois Republican U.S. Representatives are suing in federal court, claiming that the new borders discriminate against Latino and Republican voters. Walsh has said he will be running in 2012, but has not announced which district he will be seeking to represent.
Before winning elected office, Walsh's raised funds for groups promoting school vouchers to allow children to receive public funds to attend private schools. He also administered a private scholarship fund for low income high school students. In addition, he helped start fiscally conservative political organizations and served as a consultant for a political action committee
aimed at electing more Republicans to state legislatures. Walsh is a native of the northwestern suburbs of Chicago, and holds a master's degree
in public policy
from the University of Chicago.
, the fifth of nine children. He graduated from Barrington High School
in 1980 where he was the class president and active in sports. He attended Grinnell College
then earned a Bachelor of Arts
in English from the University of Iowa
in 1985. In the mid 1980s, he embarked on an acting career, taking lessons in stage, theater and television at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
in New York and Los Angeles
. He later completed a Master of Public Policy
at the University of Chicago
's Harris School of Public Policy Studies
in 1991.
Described as a "former social worker" by The New York Times, CNN, and Human Events Walsh worked with the Jobs for Youth
program in the inner-city Chicago area, teaching high school dropouts basic academic and job skills. He later taught American government and American history at Oakton Community College
and the Hebrew Theological College
.
Walsh has been married twice, and has five children.
.
He raised nearly $1 million over a five year period for the Fabretto Children's Foundation, an international charity which uses education and micro-enterprise to deliver Nicaragua
n children from poverty
.
He also worked on state and local government policy issues for The Heartland Institute, a libertarian free-market think tank based in Chicago. Walsh helped launch fiscally conservative organizations such as the Legislative Education Action Drive and the Americans for Limited Government
; organization that are dedicated to limiting government and electing fiscal conservatives to state legislatures. He also did consulting work with the United Republican Fund, an Illinois-state PAC
helping to elect Republican state legislators.
He has also raised venture capital
for a living, according to the Chicago Tribune with his campaign website indicating that he worked for Ravenswood Advisors, a Chicago boutique
investment
banking group which raised early-stage investment capital for new and small businesses. However, he never made much money and has pointed to salaries of $30,000 to $40,000 a year in the past. In 2010, he had a negative net worth of $317,498 according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
During his early months in Congress, he emerged as a sharp critic of the Democrats' and President Obama's fiscal policies, and posted a YouTube
video in which he accused Obama of bankrupting the country. He also vowed, "I won’t place one more dollar of debt upon the backs of my kids and grandkids unless we structurally reform the way this town [Washington, D.C.] spends money!" He became a frequent fixture on cable TV, advocating a "no compromise" approach to deficit reduction that rejects any tax increases on the wealthy. He consistently voted against raising the federal debt ceiling and authored a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution.
He wrote a column in The Daily Caller
stating that President Barack Obama
is "not Israel's friend" and should not have criticized Israel for continuing to build settlements in the occupied territories. Walsh also argued that most American Jews are liberal and therefore, side with the Palestinians and vague ideas of peace, instead of with Israel. He stated that in order to achieve peace in the Middle East, the U.S. must publicly choose Israel's side, so that Palestinians will "face the combined wrath of Israel and the United States".
Walsh also criticized Obama's immigration policies, saying the president had made only token efforts toward securing the borders. In May 2011, while holding a toy alligator in his hand, Walsh announced on the House floor that he would support tough border legislation even if it involved building moats and filling them with alligators.
Walsh has also said that Obama was elected "because he pushed that magical button: a black man who was articulate, liberal, the whole white guilt, all of that."
and the Tea Party Caucus
.
On July 28, 2011, the Chicago Sun-Times
reported that Walsh's ex-wife, Laura, was suing him for $117,437 for past due child support dating from 2005 for three of the children. Walsh allegedly told his ex-wife that he did not have the money because he was out of work but he reportedly loaned $35,000 to his 2010 campaign, and allegedly enjoyed foreign vacations in earlier years. Walsh's attorney said that Walsh did not owe "anywhere near that amount," and that he had had no more problems paying child support than "any other average guy". Walsh and his ex-wife were reportedly trying to work out a settlement of the disputed past due amount as of late July 2011. On November 3, 2011, the Sun-Times further noted that "Joe Walsh was the only Illinois congressman to be named a 'True Blue' member of Congress for 'unwavering support of the family' by the Family Research Council
Action committee [on November 2]."
In August 2011, the Chicago Tribune
reported that Walsh lost his driving privileges from mid-April to mid-July of 2011 because he let his insurance lapse. In response, Walsh criticized the Tribune for "wast[ing] time and ink scrutinizing [his] driving record over the last 22 years rather than Washington's unsustainable spending"
In September 2011, Walsh was among 19 Congresspeople criticized for ethics violations in CREW's (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
) annual report.
In November 2011, Walsh was videotaped meeting with his constituents, becoming visibly aggressive and swearing at a constituent who questioned him. He later apologized for being "too passionate."
On November 19, 2011, Walsh was discussing the Occupy movement
describing it as composed of "generally spoiled, pampered, unfocused, clueless young people and a smattering of other people who don’t understand this country and are advocating anti-American solutions." When a constituent pointed out that veterans have also taken part in the Occupy movement
, Walsh responded "I don't know how many veterans are part of the Occupy protest," he said. "I can't imagine it's many. But anyone who would advocate socialist solutions to certain problems in this country ... they don't understand this country."
Following the president's state of the union speech, Walsh remarked that he did not believe there should be a social safety net because it is not in the Constitution.
According to the Chicago Tribune
, Walsh used to be more socially liberal in the past, favoring abortion rights and gun control in his failed 1996 Congressional bid.
and faced longtime Democratic liberal incumbent Sidney R. Yates
, age 87, in the general election—ultimately losing to Yates, 63 percent to 37 percent. Walsh campaigned by riding his bicycle through the district. He engaged in self-admitted "outrageous" stunts during the campaign which included paying the doorman at Yates' Chicago apartment building $1,000 for being the first person to spot Yates in his district, and throwing a birthday party for Yates that included a cake decorated with 87 candles. Walsh denied he was trying to play the "age card". Yates responded that his own age was not a factor, and that Walsh was too young and inexperienced for the job. Yates also commented that the district was too liberal for Walsh, and tried to tie Walsh to conservative Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich
. In response, Walsh distanced himself from Gingrich and said he considered himself a "moderate Republican"; he also ran as an abortion pro-choice
candidate in the liberal-leaning district.
for the 58th district seat in the Illinois House of Representatives
, which represents the Chicago North Shore suburbs of Wilmette
and Evanston, Illinois
. Walsh again ran as pro-choice on abortion. He drove a yellow school bus throughout the district during his campaign to focus attention on the issue of public school funding. He criticized incumbent Schoenberg for voting in favor of Republican Governor Jim Edgar
's school-funding reform bill that would have increased state income taxes but given property tax relief to North Shore homeowners. Walsh lost to Schoenberg, 62 percent to 38 percent.
to run for the United States House of Representatives
in the . The district includes parts of the northwest Chicago
suburbs: Arlington Heights
, Schaumburg
, Gurnee
, Palatine
, Mundelein
, Zion
, Barrington
, McHenry
, and Woodstock
.
In February 2010, Walsh won the Republican primary election, taking about 34 percent of the vote in a six-person field and moving into the district from "far outside" two months later. The Republican establishment refused to put much stock into the district with National Republican Congressional Committee
member Tom Erickson saying, "In the primary, we had really liked Dirk Beveridge or Maria Rodriguez. Those are the two candidates who we thought really had the potential to make this a very competitive race." Walsh's campaign responded that that GOP establishment was "a bit tone deaf when it comes to independent, conservative reform candidates".
For the general election, Walsh faced incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean
, who was first elected in 2004, when she defeated Republican incumbent Phil Crane
. In 2006, Bean had been re-elected with 51 percent and in 2008 with 60 percent of the vote. Bean was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune
, the Chicago Sun-Times
, The Daily Herald, and the Lake County News-Sun.
Walsh criticized Bean for her 2010 votes in favor of the health care reform act
and against the Stupak–Pitts Amendment
. He described himself as a Tea Party
conservative activist. and obtained many endorsements including from two Tea Party organizations and conservative radio talk show host Tom Roeser
.
The national Democratic and Republican parties did not compete or spend any money in the district, and the state GOP did not help Walsh. As a result, during the 2010 election cycle, Walsh's campaign raised only one-quarter as much as Bean's. He spent about $603,000 and ended the campaign about $362,000 in debt according to campaign finance reports, (with much of the debt due to post election ballot counting of the close race). As late as October, The New York Times
forecast that Bean had an 88 percent chance at winning re-election. Even CQ Politics had the election as Safe Democrat. Despite the lack of funding and his longshot status, Walsh narrowly defeated Bean by a margin of 291 votes out of more than 202,000 cast with the close race not called until two weeks after Election Day when provisional ballots were counted. Green Party
candidate Bill Scheurer of Lindenhurst
, collected a total of 6,494 votes.
, and IL-08 was reconfigured to make it lean more Democratic. Walsh and nine other Republican Illinois Congressman filed a lawsuit alleging that the new borders discriminate against Republican and Latino voters. On September 21, Walsh announced that if the Democratic-drawn district lines hold in federal court, he would run for election in the 14th Disrtict, notably against incumbent Republican Randy Hultgren
.
In late July 2011, Walsh was endorsed by the Club for Growth
to run in the still heavily Republican IL-14 against Republican incumbent Hultgren. However, after several ethics issues regarding Walsh emerged (notably, being accused of failing to pay child support, and driving on a suspended license), the Club for Growth distanced itself from Walsh, stating that "character matters and we'll learn what the facts are on him", before they make a decision.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
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...
for Chicago, Illinois's northwest suburban . He has served in Congress since January 2011 after defeating three-term incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean by a margin of 291 votes in a surprising upset. He received little Republican Party support for his bid against Bean, but was a Tea Party favorite. Previously, Walsh ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 and for the Illinois General Assembly in 1998. He called himself a moderate Republican in the 1990s, but he is now a conservative and a Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
activist.
During his first months in Congress, Walsh emerged as a sharp critic of Democratic President Obama, accusing him of lying, siding with the Palestinians, bankrupting the United States, and burdening the younger generations with debt. Walsh has appeared frequently on television to criticize the administration and to promote his views that taxes should not be increased, and that government spending should be greatly reduced. Walsh has maintained a no-compromise approach to legislating. He consistently voted against raising the federal debt ceiling and authored a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution. During his 2010 campaign as a fiscal conservative and following his election to Congress, personal financial issues were reported by the media such as past due child support, a recent condo foreclosure, and tax liens from the 1990s. Walsh explained that these issues have made him more attuned to the struggles of the average voter.
Walsh's district has been redrawn for 2012 by the Democratic-dominated state legislature and he and nine other Illinois Republican U.S. Representatives are suing in federal court, claiming that the new borders discriminate against Latino and Republican voters. Walsh has said he will be running in 2012, but has not announced which district he will be seeking to represent.
Before winning elected office, Walsh's raised funds for groups promoting school vouchers to allow children to receive public funds to attend private schools. He also administered a private scholarship fund for low income high school students. In addition, he helped start fiscally conservative political organizations and served as a consultant for a political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
aimed at electing more Republicans to state legislatures. Walsh is a native of the northwestern suburbs of Chicago, and holds a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
from the University of Chicago.
Early life, education, and early career
Walsh was born and raised in the Chicago, Illinois suburb of North BarringtonNorth Barrington, Illinois
North Barrington is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Neighborhoods:There are a few neighborhoods in...
, the fifth of nine children. He graduated from Barrington High School
Barrington High School (Lake County, Illinois)
Barrington High School is a public four-year high school located in Barrington, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Barrington Community Unit School District 220.-Original structure:...
in 1980 where he was the class president and active in sports. He attended Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
then earned 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 English from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in 1985. In the mid 1980s, he embarked on an acting career, taking lessons in stage, theater and television at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
__notoc__The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute is an acting school located at 115 East 15th Street between Union Square East and Irving Place in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, as well as at 7936 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California...
in New York and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He later completed a Master of Public Policy
Master of Public Policy
The Master of Public Policy , one of several public policy degrees, is a master's level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus on the systematic analysis of issues related to public policy and the...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
's Harris School of Public Policy Studies
Harris School of Public Policy Studies
The Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies is the public policy school of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is one of the top policy schools in the United States. It is located on the University's main campus in Hyde Park...
in 1991.
Described as a "former social worker" by The New York Times, CNN, and Human Events Walsh worked with the Jobs for Youth
Jobs for Youth/Chicago
Jobs for Youth/Chicago, Inc. is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that helps young men and women from low income homes between the ages of 17 and 24 to prepare for, find, and keep jobs. Most of the youth JFY serves are from Chicago’s inner city...
program in the inner-city Chicago area, teaching high school dropouts basic academic and job skills. He later taught American government and American history at Oakton Community College
Oakton Community College
Oakton Community College is a two-year community college with campuses in Skokie, Illinois and Des Plaines, Illinois. District 535 serves 450,000 residents in northeast Cook County, Illinois...
and the Hebrew Theological College
Hebrew Theological College
The Hebrew Theological College, known as "Skokie Yeshiva," is a Yeshiva in Skokie, Illinois which also functions as a private university on campus. The primary focus of the Yeshiva is to teach Torah and Jewish traditions...
.
Walsh has been married twice, and has five children.
Fundraising and advocacy career
Walsh's congressional website indicates his career has been dedicated to advocacy for a range of causes, "most notably advancing market-based solutions to education reform and urban poverty". He ran the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund, a Chicago-based privately funded school voucher program which gives private high school scholarships to low-income students. He raised funds for two leading organizations advocating school choice; the American Education Reform Council, and the Milton and Rose Friedman FoundationThe Foundation for Educational Choice
The Foundation for Educational Choice is an Indianapolis-based non-profit organization dedicated to the issue of school choice and committed to assisting education reform efforts. The Foundation was founded in 1996 by Nobel laureate Milton Friedman and his wife, economist Rose Director Friedman,...
.
He raised nearly $1 million over a five year period for the Fabretto Children's Foundation, an international charity which uses education and micro-enterprise to deliver Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n children from poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
.
He also worked on state and local government policy issues for The Heartland Institute, a libertarian free-market think tank based in Chicago. Walsh helped launch fiscally conservative organizations such as the Legislative Education Action Drive and the Americans for Limited Government
Americans for Limited Government
Americans for Limited Government describes itself as a non-partisan, nationwide network committed to advancing free-market reforms, private property rights and core American liberties...
; organization that are dedicated to limiting government and electing fiscal conservatives to state legislatures. He also did consulting work with the United Republican Fund, an Illinois-state PAC
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
helping to elect Republican state legislators.
He has also raised venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
for a living, according to the Chicago Tribune with his campaign website indicating that he worked for Ravenswood Advisors, a Chicago boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
banking group which raised early-stage investment capital for new and small businesses. However, he never made much money and has pointed to salaries of $30,000 to $40,000 a year in the past. In 2010, he had a negative net worth of $317,498 according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Tenure
Several days before being sworn into Congress, The New York Times criticized Walsh for his willingness to accept donations from political action committees and lobbyists. After being sworn in, Walsh announced that consistent with his opposition to government provided health care and the 2010 health care reform legislation, he would not accept congressional health care benefits, despite the fact that his wife has a pre-existing condition.During his early months in Congress, he emerged as a sharp critic of the Democrats' and President Obama's fiscal policies, and posted a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video in which he accused Obama of bankrupting the country. He also vowed, "I won’t place one more dollar of debt upon the backs of my kids and grandkids unless we structurally reform the way this town [Washington, D.C.] spends money!" He became a frequent fixture on cable TV, advocating a "no compromise" approach to deficit reduction that rejects any tax increases on the wealthy. He consistently voted against raising the federal debt ceiling and authored a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution.
He wrote a column in The Daily Caller
The Daily Caller
The Daily Caller is a news website based in Washington, D.C., United States, with a focus on politics, original reporting and breaking news, founded by journalist and political pundit Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel, former adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney...
stating that 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...
is "not Israel's friend" and should not have criticized Israel for continuing to build settlements in the occupied territories. Walsh also argued that most American Jews are liberal and therefore, side with the Palestinians and vague ideas of peace, instead of with Israel. He stated that in order to achieve peace in the Middle East, the U.S. must publicly choose Israel's side, so that Palestinians will "face the combined wrath of Israel and the United States".
Walsh also criticized Obama's immigration policies, saying the president had made only token efforts toward securing the borders. In May 2011, while holding a toy alligator in his hand, Walsh announced on the House floor that he would support tough border legislation even if it involved building moats and filling them with alligators.
Walsh has also said that Obama was elected "because he pushed that magical button: a black man who was articulate, liberal, the whole white guilt, all of that."
Committee assignments
For the 112th Congress, Walsh has been appointed to leadership positions on the House Homeland Security subcommittee on Transportation Security (vice chairman), and the House Small Business subcommittee on Economic Growth (chairman). A list of all of his committee assignments follows:- Committee on Homeland SecurityUnited States House Committee on Homeland SecurityThe U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Its responsibilities include U.S...
- Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
- Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications
- Subcommittee on Transportation Security (Vice Chair)
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives
- Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs
- Committee on Small BusinessUnited States House Committee on Small BusinessThe United States House Committee on Small Business is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.-History:On December 4, 1941, the U. S...
- Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology
- Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations
Other memberships
Walsh holds other memberships related to his work as a congressman including: the Congressional Hockey Caucus, the House Republican Israel Caucus, the Republican Study CommitteeRepublican Study Committee
The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...
and the Tea Party Caucus
Tea Party Caucus
The Tea Party Caucus is a caucus of the United States House of Representatives and Senate launched and chaired by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on July 16, 2010. The caucus is dedicated to promoting what it considers fiscal responsibility, adherence to the movement's interpretation of...
.
Controversies
Following Walsh's victory in the 2010 Republican primary, it was reported that a bank had foreclosed on his condo and he had been evicted in October 2009, but that he and his family were living in a rented house in the Chicago North Shore suburb of Winnetka at the time. A GOP spokesman said that voters would likely identify with Walsh's financial troubles. He was also reportedly facing a lawsuit by a former campaign manager who claimed Walsh owed him $20,000 for services. and had had federal and state tax liens in the 1980s and 1990s (all paid by 2001). Walsh explained that the major portion of the past due taxes were on a college trust fund he received from his grandfather and that neither he nor his family had been aware that the funds were taxable. He also explained that his more recent financial struggles have made him more attuned to the difficulties faced by the average constituent.On July 28, 2011, the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
reported that Walsh's ex-wife, Laura, was suing him for $117,437 for past due child support dating from 2005 for three of the children. Walsh allegedly told his ex-wife that he did not have the money because he was out of work but he reportedly loaned $35,000 to his 2010 campaign, and allegedly enjoyed foreign vacations in earlier years. Walsh's attorney said that Walsh did not owe "anywhere near that amount," and that he had had no more problems paying child support than "any other average guy". Walsh and his ex-wife were reportedly trying to work out a settlement of the disputed past due amount as of late July 2011. On November 3, 2011, the Sun-Times further noted that "Joe Walsh was the only Illinois congressman to be named a 'True Blue' member of Congress for 'unwavering support of the family' by the Family Research Council
Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
Action committee [on November 2]."
In August 2011, the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
reported that Walsh lost his driving privileges from mid-April to mid-July of 2011 because he let his insurance lapse. In response, Walsh criticized the Tribune for "wast[ing] time and ink scrutinizing [his] driving record over the last 22 years rather than Washington's unsustainable spending"
In September 2011, Walsh was among 19 Congresspeople criticized for ethics violations in CREW's (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is a nonprofit 501 organization that describes itself as "dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials – regardless of party affiliation – who sacrifice the common good to...
) annual report.
In November 2011, Walsh was videotaped meeting with his constituents, becoming visibly aggressive and swearing at a constituent who questioned him. He later apologized for being "too passionate."
On November 19, 2011, Walsh was discussing the Occupy movement
Occupy movement
The Occupy movement is an international protest movement which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality. The first Occupy protest to be widely covered was Occupy Wall Street in New York City, taking place on September 17, 2011...
describing it as composed of "generally spoiled, pampered, unfocused, clueless young people and a smattering of other people who don’t understand this country and are advocating anti-American solutions." When a constituent pointed out that veterans have also taken part in the Occupy movement
Occupy movement
The Occupy movement is an international protest movement which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality. The first Occupy protest to be widely covered was Occupy Wall Street in New York City, taking place on September 17, 2011...
, Walsh responded "I don't know how many veterans are part of the Occupy protest," he said. "I can't imagine it's many. But anyone who would advocate socialist solutions to certain problems in this country ... they don't understand this country."
Political positions and votes
During the election season, Walsh was asked what his approach to bipartisanship would be if elected. He replied it would "not be the time right now to extend your hand across the aisle." At his press conference after incumbent Melissa Bean conceded the election on November 17, 2010, Walsh listed some of his positions:Following the president's state of the union speech, Walsh remarked that he did not believe there should be a social safety net because it is not in the Constitution.
According to the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, Walsh used to be more socially liberal in the past, favoring abortion rights and gun control in his failed 1996 Congressional bid.
1996 U.S. Congressional campaign
Walsh won the Republican nomination for Illinois' 9th congressional districtIllinois' 9th Congressional District
The 9th Congressional District of Illinois consists of all of Evanston, Skokie, Niles, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Park Ridge and Norridge. It is also made up of parts of Wilmette, Northfield, Glenview, Golf, Rosemont and Des Plaines, as well as much of the North Side of City of Chicago. It has been...
and faced longtime Democratic liberal incumbent Sidney R. Yates
Sidney R. Yates
Sidney Richard Yates was a politician from the state of Illinois.Yates was born in Chicago, Illinois and he graduated from the University of Chicago. He served in the United States Navy during World War II....
, age 87, in the general election—ultimately losing to Yates, 63 percent to 37 percent. Walsh campaigned by riding his bicycle through the district. He engaged in self-admitted "outrageous" stunts during the campaign which included paying the doorman at Yates' Chicago apartment building $1,000 for being the first person to spot Yates in his district, and throwing a birthday party for Yates that included a cake decorated with 87 candles. Walsh denied he was trying to play the "age card". Yates responded that his own age was not a factor, and that Walsh was too young and inexperienced for the job. Yates also commented that the district was too liberal for Walsh, and tried to tie Walsh to conservative Speaker of the House, 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....
. In response, Walsh distanced himself from Gingrich and said he considered himself a "moderate Republican"; he also ran as an abortion pro-choice
Pro-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....
candidate in the liberal-leaning district.
1998 Illinois House of Representative campaign
In 1998, Walsh challenged incumbent Democrat Jeffrey SchoenbergJeffrey Schoenberg
Jeffrey Schoenberg is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 9th district since 2003. He earlier served for six terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, first elected to that position in 1990.- Senate career :...
for the 58th district seat in the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
, which represents the Chicago North Shore suburbs of Wilmette
Wilmette, Illinois
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...
and Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. Walsh again ran as pro-choice on abortion. He drove a yellow school bus throughout the district during his campaign to focus attention on the issue of public school funding. He criticized incumbent Schoenberg for voting in favor of Republican Governor Jim Edgar
Jim Edgar
James Edgar is an American politician who was the 38th Governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999 and Illinois Secretary of State from 1981 to 1991. As a moderate Republican in a largely blue-leaning state, Edgar was a popular and successful governor, leaving office with high approval ratings...
's school-funding reform bill that would have increased state income taxes but given property tax relief to North Shore homeowners. Walsh lost to Schoenberg, 62 percent to 38 percent.
2010 U.S. Congressional campaign
On September 28, 2009, Walsh launched an exploratory committeeExploratory Committee
In the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to United States Presidential hopefuls, prior to the primaries.Exploratory...
to run for the United States House of Representatives
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...
in the . The district includes parts of the northwest Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
suburbs: Arlington Heights
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census....
, Schaumburg
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
, Gurnee
Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28,834 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 30,772 in 2005. The village borders the city of Waukegan and is considered a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Gurnee is perhaps best known for being the location of...
, Palatine
Palatine, Illinois
Palatine is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a northwestern residential suburb of Chicago. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 65,479, making it the sixth-largest community in Cook County and the 16th-largest in the state of Illinois at that time...
, Mundelein
Mundelein, Illinois
Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 31,064.-History:The community now known as Mundelein has been inhabited since at least 1650, when the Potowatami Indians were known to have been trading with French fur traders....
, Zion
Zion, Illinois
Zion is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,866 at the 2000 census, and estimated at 24,303 as of 2005. The city was founded in July 1901 by John Alexander Dowie. He also started the Zion Tabernacle of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, which was the only...
, Barrington
Barrington, Illinois
Barrington is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois and Lake County, Illinois. The population was 10,327 at the 2010 census. Located approximately northwest of Chicago, the area features wetlands, forest preserves, parks and horse trails in a country-suburban setting...
, McHenry
McHenry, Illinois
McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. In 2005, its population was estimated to be 24,631. McHenry was at one time the county seat of McHenry County...
, and Woodstock
Woodstock, Illinois
Woodstock is a far northwest suburb of Chicago in McHenry County, Illinois. The population was 20,151 at the 2000 census. The 2010 Census shows 24,770 residents. It is the county seat of McHenry County...
.
In February 2010, Walsh won the Republican primary election, taking about 34 percent of the vote in a six-person field and moving into the district from "far outside" two months later. The Republican establishment refused to put much stock into the district with National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives....
member Tom Erickson saying, "In the primary, we had really liked Dirk Beveridge or Maria Rodriguez. Those are the two candidates who we thought really had the potential to make this a very competitive race." Walsh's campaign responded that that GOP establishment was "a bit tone deaf when it comes to independent, conservative reform candidates".
For the general election, Walsh faced incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean
Melissa Bean
Melissa Luburich Bean is a former U.S. Representative for the who served from 2005 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
, who was first elected in 2004, when she defeated Republican incumbent Phil Crane
Phil Crane
Philip Miller "Phil" Crane is a former American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 2005, representing the 8th District of Illinois in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago...
. In 2006, Bean had been re-elected with 51 percent and in 2008 with 60 percent of the vote. Bean was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, The Daily Herald, and the Lake County News-Sun.
Walsh criticized Bean for her 2010 votes in favor of the health care reform act
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law is the principal health care reform legislation of the 111th United States Congress...
and against the Stupak–Pitts Amendment
Stupak–Pitts Amendment
The Stupak–Pitts Amendment was a proposed amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2010 . It was submitted by Representatives Bart Stupak and Joseph R. Pitts...
. He described himself as a Tea Party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
conservative activist. and obtained many endorsements including from two Tea Party organizations and conservative radio talk show host Tom Roeser
Tom Roeser
Thomas F. Roeser was a Chicago-based conservative writer and broadcaster, who broadcast for many years on WLS 890 AM talk radio...
.
The national Democratic and Republican parties did not compete or spend any money in the district, and the state GOP did not help Walsh. As a result, during the 2010 election cycle, Walsh's campaign raised only one-quarter as much as Bean's. He spent about $603,000 and ended the campaign about $362,000 in debt according to campaign finance reports, (with much of the debt due to post election ballot counting of the close race). As late as October, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
forecast that Bean had an 88 percent chance at winning re-election. Even CQ Politics had the election as Safe Democrat. Despite the lack of funding and his longshot status, Walsh narrowly defeated Bean by a margin of 291 votes out of more than 202,000 cast with the close race not called until two weeks after Election Day when provisional ballots were counted. Green Party
Illinois Green Party
The Illinois Green Party is a statewide political party in Illinois.The party is affiliated with the Green Party of the United States. Its stated mission and purpose are to advance the Ten Key Values of the Green Party in Illinois through political means and to support individual members and the...
candidate Bill Scheurer of Lindenhurst
Lindenhurst, Illinois
Lindenhurst is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,539 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 14,403 as of 2005...
, collected a total of 6,494 votes.
2012 U.S. Congressional re-election campaign
During the 2011 redrawing of Illinois' election districts by the Democratic controlled state legislature, Walsh's home was placed in IL-14, now represented by Republican Randy HultgrenRandy Hultgren
Randall Mark "Randy" Hultgren is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party.Hultgren previously represented the 48th district Senate seat in the Illinois General Assembly from 2007 - 2011...
, and IL-08 was reconfigured to make it lean more Democratic. Walsh and nine other Republican Illinois Congressman filed a lawsuit alleging that the new borders discriminate against Republican and Latino voters. On September 21, Walsh announced that if the Democratic-drawn district lines hold in federal court, he would run for election in the 14th Disrtict, notably against incumbent Republican Randy Hultgren
Randy Hultgren
Randall Mark "Randy" Hultgren is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party.Hultgren previously represented the 48th district Senate seat in the Illinois General Assembly from 2007 - 2011...
.
In late July 2011, Walsh was endorsed by the Club for Growth
Club for Growth
The Club for Growth is a politically conservative 527 organization active in the United States of America, with an agenda focussed on taxation and other economic issues, and with an affiliated political action committee . The Club advocates lower taxes, limited government, less government spending,...
to run in the still heavily Republican IL-14 against Republican incumbent Hultgren. However, after several ethics issues regarding Walsh emerged (notably, being accused of failing to pay child support, and driving on a suspended license), the Club for Growth distanced itself from Walsh, stating that "character matters and we'll learn what the facts are on him", before they make a decision.
Electoral history
External links
- Congressman Joe Walsh official U.S. House site
- Joe Walsh for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Joe Walsh vs. Joe Walsh: The rock star wrestles with the congressional candidate, Patrick Goldstein and James Rainey, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, January 27, 2010