Keith Rothfus
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's12th district
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Mark Critz
Succeeded by	Conor Lamb (redistricted)
Personal details
Born	Keith James Rothfus (1962-04-25)April 25, 1962 (age 63) Endicott, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Elsie Rothfus
Children	6
Education	Buffalo State College (BS) University of Notre Dame (JD)

Keith James Rothfus/ˈrɒθfəs/ (born April 25, 1962)^[1] is an American lawyer and politician who served as theU.S. representative forPennsylvania's 12th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He succeededDemocratic RepresentativeMark Critz, whom he defeated in the2012 election.^[2][3] Prior to serving in Congress, he worked as an attorney. After new congressional district maps were released by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in February 2018, Rothfus became a candidate inPennsylvania's 17th congressional district, where he was defeated for re-election by the incumbent from the18th district, DemocratConor Lamb.

Rothfus was born in 1962 inEndicott, New York. He graduated fromWest Seneca West Senior High School in 1980. He graduated from theState University of New York College at Buffalo with a bachelor's degree ininformation systems. He later earned hisJuris Doctor from theUniversity of Notre Dame Law School in 1994.^[4]

For most of his adult life, Rothfus has been a corporate attorney. He was employed by theUnited States Department of Homeland Security from 2006 to 2007. He has also been a member of theEdgeworth, Pennsylvaniazoning board. He serves on the board of directors of the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania.^[1][5]

Rothfus decided to run for Congress inPennsylvania's 4th congressional district. In the Republican primary, he defeated U.S. AttorneyMary Beth Buchanan 65%–35%.^[6] Rothfus challenged Democratic U.S. CongressmanJason Altmire, losing 51%–49%.^[7][8]

After redistricting, most of the 4th District was merged with theJohnstown-basedPennsylvania's 12th congressional district. Rothfus won the Republican primary unopposed. In the general election, he faced incumbent DemocratMark Critz, who had defeated incumbent Jason Altmire in the Democratic primary. Rothfus led Critz in fundraising for the second half of 2012. It was a highly competitive election, with outside groups spending nearly $10 million.^[9]

Rothfus defeated Critz 52%–48%.^[8][10][11] Although Critz had retained the bulk of his former territory, he could not overcome the significantly redder hue of the redrawn district.^[12] Rothfus took office when the113th Congress convened on January 3, 2013.

Rothfus sought a second term in the U.S. House in 2014. He was re-nominated in the May 20 Republican primary and faced Democratic nominee Erin McClelland in the general election. He defeated McClelland 59%–41%, winning a second term.^[13]

Rothfus sought a third term in the U.S. House in 2016. He again faced Democratic candidate Erin McClelland in the general election. He defeated McClelland 62%–38%, winning a third term.^[14]

For his first three terms, Rothfus represented a district stretching from the northwestern suburbs of Pittsburgh toJohnstown. After thePennsylvania Supreme Court threw out the old congressional map as unconstitutional and replaced it with a map of its own, Rothfus' district was renumbered as the17th District. It lost its eastern portion, including the area around Johnstown, and reconfigured as a more compact district in the northern and western suburbs of Pittsburgh.^[15] In the process, it lost its last connection toJohn Murtha, who had represented the 12th from 1972 until his death in 2010.

DemocratConor Lamb, who wona special election for the neighboring18th District, had his home drawn into the new 17th and filed to run for a full term there on March 20.^[16] On paper, the new 17th is far less Republican than its predecessor; President Trump carried the old 12th by 20 points, but would have carried the new 17th by just 2.5 points.^[17] In the November 2018 general election, Rothfus was defeated by Lamb. Lamb won 56% of the vote to Rothfus's 44%.^[18][19]

The political action committeeAmerica First Policies bought advertisements in support of Rothfus's campaign.^[20]

• Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• United States House Judiciary Committee

• Friends of Wales Caucus

Rothfus, aconservative, was a member of theRepublican Study Committee.^[21]

On July 20, 2017, Rothfus introduced H.J.Res.111, which nullifies a rule submitted by theConsumer Financial Protection Bureau.^[22]

In early 2017, efforts were made to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Approximately 130 of Rothfus's constituents requested a town hall to discuss their concerns about removed/reduced health coverage. Frustrated citizens sponsored and invited Rothfus to a town hall; he declined.^[23] Some of Rothfus's constituents reportedly started a PAC to motivate him to meet with them.^[24] On June 3, activists and constituents purportedly frustrated with Rothfus's refusal to host a town hall interrupted a Chamber of Commerce meeting that Rothfus was attending.^[25]

Along with CongressmanJuan Vargas (D-CA), Rothfus introduced the "Fight Illicit Networks and Detect Trafficking Act" (or the FIND Trafficking Act), H.R. 6069. On July 17, 2018, the House passed the S.488, the JOBS and Investor Confidence Act of 2018, which contained the text of the FIND Trafficking Act. The FIND Trafficking Act directs theComptroller of the Currency to study how virtual currencies can facilitate human trafficking.^[26]

On September 12, 2018, a bill that Rothfus had introduced, the State Insurance Regulation Preservation Act (H.R. 5059), passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation would tailor the supervision of theFederal Reserve overholding companies that ownthrifts (savings and loans banks). The bill streamlines regulator's approach to insurance savings and loan holding companies (ISLHCs) by enacting several reforms.^[27]

In 2015, he signed onto a resolution which would amend the U.S. Constitution so that only marriages between men and women are legal.^[28] Rothfus has a 0 rating from theHuman Rights Campaign, an LGBT rights advocacy group.^[29]

In 2013, Rothfus voted against a bill to provide disaster relief funding to victims ofHurricane Sandy. Referring to the bill's funding offsets for theNational Flood Insurance Program, he said it was "irresponsible to raise an insolvent program's debt ceiling without making reforms."^[30]

In January 2017, Rothfus issued a statement in support ofPresident Trump's executive order on refugees.^[31]

In May 2017, Rothfus voted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act,^[32][33][34] including provisions to defund Planned Parenthood.^[35] The bill included an exemption for Congress that was later removed,^[36] and the MacArthur amendment, which allowed states to opt out of covering preexisting conditions.^[37]

Rothfus resided with his wife, Elsie, and their six children inSewickley, Pennsylvania in 2012.^[1] He is a survivor of appendix cancer.

He and his family attended St. James Catholic Church inSewickley.^[38]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toKeith Rothfus.

• Appearances onC-SPAN

• 1962 births
• 21st-century United States representatives
• Buffalo State University alumni
• Catholic politicians from Pennsylvania
• Catholics from New York (state)
• Living people
• Notre Dame Law School alumni
• People from Edgeworth, Pennsylvania
• People from Endicott, New York
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• United States Department of Homeland Security officials

• CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from July 2018
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• People appearing on C-SPAN