Mark Critz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's12th district | |
| In office May 18, 2010 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | John Murtha |
| Succeeded by | Keith Rothfus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Stephen Critz (1962-01-05)January 5, 1962 (age 64) Irwin, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Nancy Critz |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Indiana University of Pennsylvania (BS) |
Mark Stephen Critz[1] (born January 5, 1962) is an American politician and formerU.S. Representative forPennsylvania's 12th congressional district, having served from aspecial election in May 2010 until January 2013. He is a member of theDemocratic Party. The district during his tenure, which was located in the southwestern portion of the state, stretched fromJohnstown to the southern suburbs ofPittsburgh.
Critz was the district director for the 12th's longtime congressman,John Murtha. Following Murtha's death, Critz won the May 2010 special election with 53% of the vote to complete Murtha's term. Critz was sworn in on May 20.[2] Critz won a full term in November 2010 to represent the 12th District in Congress. He was defeated in November 2012 by Republican challengerKeith Rothfus.[3][4]
Critz won the Democratic nomination for the2022 U.S. House of Representatives election inPennsylvania's 13th congressional district via write-in, but he declined to run.[5]
Critz is the son of Mary Lou (née Rybacki) and William S. Critz.[1] His father was ofSlovak descent, and his mother is of half-Polish and half-Italian ancestry.[1] Critz attendedNorwin High School inNorth Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He went on to obtain aBachelor of Science degree inManagement Information Systems fromIndiana University of Pennsylvania inIndiana, Pennsylvania.[6]
"Most of my friends, their folks worked in the mill or were small business owners," Critz told theNational Journal about his upbringing. "There were hundreds of thousands of families that relied on steel directly, and when that started to fade the area got hit pretty hard." The National Journal also wrote that, after his college graduation, Critz "struggled to find work in the decimated local economy" and he “left the region for a job managing aRoy Rogers restaurant inWilmington, Delaware” in 1987.[7] In addition to Roy Rogers, Critz served as a manager for Spherical Concepts andAmerican Eagle Outfitters.
He then took landscaping and construction jobs before becoming a volunteer forCongressmanJohn Murtha in 1994. Four years later, he took a paying job on Murtha's staff, eventually rising to the position of District Director.[8] Critz focused on district issues, serving as Murtha's liaison to theFlight 93 Memorial committee and theQue Creek Mine disaster site.[8]
PoliticsPA reported that "Critz...attended a 2005 meeting with defense contractors and lobbyists and offered the Congressman's [Murtha's] support for an earmark project that ended in the criminal convictions of three men."[9]
Critz was recognized for his service to the military when he was awarded the Patrick Henry Award by theNational Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS). It is the highest civilian award issued by theNational Guard.[10]
After Murtha's death in February 2010, Critz, with the support of Murtha's widow and the Democratic Party, decided to run for the vacant seat in a May special election. He announced on February 22, 2010, that he would resign his position with the 12th Congressional District and seek theDemocratic nomination to run in thespecial election, which was held on May 18, 2010.[11] In the wake of his selection to run in the special election, Critz released a statement saying "he would makeeconomic development his No. 1 priority in Congress."[12] On March 8, thePennsylvania Democratic Party Executive Committee followed the recommendation of the district officials by nominating Critz. Of the 49 votes cast by the Committee members, Critz received 30.[13]
Critz was endorsed byVice PresidentJoe Biden, who also campaigned for Critz in early 2010. In March 2010, Critz received the endorsement of theAFL-CIO of Pennsylvania.[14] Critz received an 86% approval rating from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)[15] In April he received an endorsement from theUnited Mine Workers.[16] The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare endorsed Critz.[17]
Critz defeated Republican businessmanTim Burns 53%-45%.[18]
In 2010, Critz spent a total of $2,428,377.66 on his campaign. His top contributors were Progeny Systems, Mepco LLC, and Concurrent Technologies.[15] Critz defeated Burns in a rematch 51%-49%.
Critz decided to run in the newly redrawn 12th district, which had been pushed to the west to absorb much of the old4th district. He defeated 4th District incumbentJason Altmire in the Democratic primary. However, Critz could not overcome the redder hue of his redrawn district, and was defeated by Altmire's 2010 opponent,Keith Rothfus, 52%-48%.[3][4][19]
In June 2022, Critz became the Democratic nominee for the redrawn 13th district, receiving 967 votes as a write-in candidate.[20] He would have faced incumbentJohn Joyce but declined to run.[21][5]
Critz voted for Congressional adjournment in Sept 2010. Adjournment foes sought an extension of theBush-era tax cuts before the November elections.[22] The adjournment resolution passed 210–209.[23] He voted against theDodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act which passed the House in July 2010 by a vote of 239–192.[24]
Critz received a 100% approval rating from both The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union.[15] In 2009, he received a 50% approval rating from the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and a 100% approval rating from the Society for Animal Protective Legislation.[15]
The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and the National Association for the Self-Employed gave Critz a 100% approval rating. He received an 85% approval rating from The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and he received a 50% approval rating from the interest group for Federally Employed Women. He opposes "Cap and Trade" andemissions trading in theAmerican Clean Energy and Security Act. On October 12, 2011, Critz voted against free trade agreements withPanama,Colombia, andSouth Korea. He says that he supportsfair trade[15]
Critz campaigned on the platform that "Social Security is a contract between the government and Americans who have spent their entire lives working, and it is one the government must honor. I will fight all schemes to gamble your social security on the stock market."[25] He opposed privatization and a higher retirement age.[15]
Critz described himself as pro-life,[25] and has received a 100% approval rating from theNational Right to Life Committee. He received a 0% approval from Planned Parenthood.[15] He voted no on July 1, 2010, to limit Afghanistan military funding to withdrawal and other specified purposes and to require a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan. He also voted no on March 17, 2011, to removing troops from Afghanistan.[15]
Critz told a radio show host on August 14, 2013, that he would be a Democratic candidate forlieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in the2014 election to challenge incumbent RepublicanJim Cawley.[26] He lost the May 20 primary to State SenatorMike Stack.[27]
Critz went on to work for the campaign of Tom Wolf, who defeated incumbent Tom Corbett.
In April 2015, Mark Critz began work as the executive director of the Pennsylvania Rural Development Council.
Critz, his wife Nancy, and their two children, reside in Johnstown.[28]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer signed by 31 Democrats, accessed October 7, 2010.| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 12th congressional district 2010–2013 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
