Steny Hoyer | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2019 | |
| House Majority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Speaker | Nancy Pelosi |
| Whip | Jim Clyburn |
| Preceded by | Kevin McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | Steve Scalise |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Speaker | Nancy Pelosi |
| Whip | Jim Clyburn |
| Preceded by | John Boehner |
| Succeeded by | Eric Cantor |
| House Minority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
| Preceded by | Eric Cantor |
| Succeeded by | Steve Scalise |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
| Preceded by | Nancy Pelosi |
| Succeeded by | Roy Blunt |
| Chair of the House Democratic Caucus | |
| In office June 21, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Leader | Tom Foley |
| Preceded by | Bill Gray |
| Succeeded by | Vic Fazio |
| Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 1989 – June 21, 1989 | |
| Leader | Jim Wright |
| Preceded by | Mary Rose Oakar |
| Succeeded by | Vic Fazio |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's5th district | |
| Assumed office May 19, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Gladys Spellman |
| President of the Maryland Senate | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | William S. James |
| Succeeded by | James Clark Jr. |
| Member of theMaryland Senate from the 26th district | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Mike Donovan |
| Member of theMaryland Senate from the 4C district | |
| In office January 1967 – January 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Steny Hamilton Hoyer (1939-06-14)June 14, 1939 (age 86) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
| Signature | |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Hoyer honoring Mitch King, a retiring government relations manager for theUnited States Postal Service. Recorded April 22, 2009 | |
Steny Hamilton Hoyer (/ˈstɛniˈhɔɪər/STEN-eeHOY-ər; born June 14, 1939) is an American politician and retired attorney who has served as theU.S. representative forMaryland's 5th congressional district since 1981. He also served asHouse Majority Leader from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. Hoyer first attained office through a special election on May 19, 1981, and is in his 23rd House term. His district includes a large swath of rural and suburban territory southeast ofWashington, D.C. Hoyer is the dean of theMaryland congressional delegation since 2017 when SenatorBarbara Mikulski retired and the mostsenior Democrat in the House.[1]
From 2003 to 2023, Hoyer was the second-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives behindNancy Pelosi. He is a two-timeHouse majority leader, having served in the post from 2007 to 2011 underSpeaker Pelosi.[2][3] During two periods of Republican House control (2003–2007 and 2011–2019), Hoyer served asHouse minority whip, both times under Minority Leader Pelosi. Following the2018 midterm elections in which the Democrats took control of the House, Hoyer was reelected majority leader in 2019 for the116th Congress; he remained the number two House Democrat behind Speaker Pelosi. He announced on November 17, 2022, that he, along with Pelosi, would not seek a leadership position in the 118th Congress, though he would remain a member of the House.[4][5]
Hoyer was born inNew York City but grew up inMitchellville, Maryland, the son of Jean (née Baldwin) and Steen Theilgaard Høyer. His father was Danish and a native ofCopenhagen; "Steny" is a variant of his father's name, "Steen".[6] His mother was an American with Scottish, German, and English ancestry and a descendant ofJohn Hart, a signer of theUS Declaration of Independence.[7]
Steny Hoyer graduated fromSuitland High School inSuitland, Maryland. In 1963, Hoyer received hisBachelor of Arts degreemagna cum laude and graduatedOmicron Delta Kappa from theUniversity of Maryland, College Park. He was a member of theSigma Chi fraternity.[8] He earned hisJuris Doctor from theGeorgetown University Law Center in 1966.[8]
From 1962 to 1966, Hoyer was a member of the staff of U.S. senatorDaniel Brewster; also on Brewster's staff at that time wasNancy Pelosi.[9]
In 1966, Hoyer won a newly created seat in theMaryland State Senate, representingPrince George's County–based Senate district 4C.[10] The district, created in the aftermath ofReynolds v. Sims, was renumbered as the 26th in 1975,[8][11] the same year that Hoyer was electedpresident of the Maryland State Senate, the youngest in state history.[12]
From 1969 to 1971, Hoyer served as the first vice president of theYoung Democrats of America.[13]
In 1978, Hoyer sought the Democratic nomination forlieutenant governor of Maryland as the running mate of then acting GovernorBlair Lee III, but lost toSamuel Bogley, 37%–34%.[14] The same year, Hoyer was appointed to the Maryland Board of Higher Education, a position he held until 1981.[8]




Fifth district CongresswomanGladys Spellman fell into a coma shortly before the 1980 election. She was reelected, but it soon became apparent that she would never regain consciousness, and Congress declared her seat vacant by resolution in February 1981. Hoyer narrowly won a crowded seven-way Democraticprimary, beating Spellman's husband, Reuben, by only 1,600 votes. He defeated a better-fundedRepublican,Bowie Mayor[15] Audrey Scott, in the May 19special election. 56%–44%, earning himself the nickname "boy wonder".[16][17][18] In the 1982 general election, Hoyer was reelected to a full term with 80% of the vote.[19] He has faced only one relatively close contest since then, when he defeated futureGovernor of MarylandLarry Hogan with 53% of the vote in 1992.[20] His second-lowest margin of victory was his 1996 race against Republican State DelegateJohn Morgan, when he received 57% of the vote.[21] Hoyer has been reelected 14 times with no substantive opposition and is the longest-serving House member ever from Maryland.[12]
Hoyer supports and has led theMake It In America plan linking the domestic manufacturing industry and overall U.S. economic success.[22]
Hoyer ispro-choice onabortion rights.[23] He voted against thePartial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in 2003. (However, at the height of national polarization after theSupreme Court's intention to overturnRoe v. Wadeleaked, Hoyer controversially endorsed a pro-life incumbent House member over his pro-choiceprimary challenger.[24]) Hoyer supportsaffirmative action andLGBT rights. He is rated "F" by theNRA Political Victory Fund, indicating that he tends to vote in favor ofgun control.[25][26][27]
In 2008, Hoyer said he opposed providing immunity to telecom companies, but then negotiated a bill, which SenatorsPatrick Leahy andRuss Feingold called a "capitulation", that would provide immunity to any telecom company[28] that had been told by theGeorge W. Bush administration that its actions were legal.[29][30][31] "No matter how they spin it, this is still immunity", saidKevin Bankston, a senior lawyer for theElectronic Frontier Foundation, aprivacy rights group that sued over Bush's wiretapping program. "It's not compromise, it's pure theater."[32]
In June 2010, Hoyer brought up the idea that Congress could temporarily extend middle-class tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, suggesting that making them permanent would cost too much. President Obama wanted to extend them permanently for people making less than $200,000 a year and families making less than $250,000.[33]
Hoyer voted against the impeachment of PresidentBill Clinton in 1999. In 2019 and 2021, Hoyer voted to impeach PresidentDonald Trump.[34]
In February 2021, Hoyer made a speech in Congress that has been viewed online more than two million times, criticizing a Facebook post by U.S. RepresentativeMarjorie Taylor Greene. The post featured a gun-toting Greene next to three members of the "Squad"—RepresentativesIlhan Omar,Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, andRashida Tlaib—with the caption "Democrats' Worst Nightmare". In his speech, Hoyer compared Greene's words with those of RepresentativeSteve King, who was removed from the Judiciary and Agriculture Committees in 2019 after comments he made toThe New York Times questioning whywhite supremacy was considered offensive. Hoyer said that, in both posts, Greene had promoted baseless conspiracy theories far more offensive and incendiary than the comment that led Republicans to strip King of his committee roles. He asked his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to "do the decent thing" and strip Greene of her committee roles. The vote succeeded, with 11 Republicans joining Democrats to pass the motion to remove.[35]
Hoyer supports civilian nuclear cooperation with India.[36]
Hoyer initially supported theIraq War and was recognized by the DLC for his vocal leadership on this issue. After the war became publicly unpopular, he said he favored a "responsible redeployment".[37] But he repeatedly supported legislation to continue funding the war without deadlines for troop withdrawal, most recently in return for increased funding of domestic projects.[38]
Hoyer is a supporter of Israel, and has often been allied withAmerican Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In September 2007, he criticized RepresentativeJim Moran for suggesting that AIPAC "has pushed [the Iraq] war from the beginning", calling the comment "factually inaccurate".[39] In January 2017, he voted for a House resolution condemningUN Security Council Resolution 2334, which calledIsraeli settlement building in the occupiedPalestinian territories a flagrant violation of international law and a major obstacle to peace.[40]
Hoyer supported President Trump's decision torecognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.[41] In 2023, he voted with an overwhelming bipartisan majority to provide Israel with whatever support is necessary in the "barbaric war" in Gaza started by Hamas and other terrorists following theOctober 7 attacks.[42][43]
Hoyer has said that a nuclear Iran is "unacceptable" and that the use of force remains an option.[44]
In January 2019, Hoyer opposed Trump's planned withdrawal ofU.S. troops from Syria andAfghanistan as "impulsive, irresponsible, and dangerous".[45] He supports former PresidentObama's call for authorizing limited but decisive military action in response to the Assad regime's alleged use of chemical weapons.
Hoyer is a former chair of theCommission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. During a AIPAC-led August 2025 summer trip to Israel amid theGaza humanitarian crisis, Hoyer said in a video recorded for AIPAC, "What we found is that contrary to world opinion, Israel has been doing everything it possibly can to ensure that there’s minimal damage to civilians who are not part of Hamas's army, Unfortunately, the world is not seeing that. The world has got a view that I don't think is accurate." Hoyer was referred to as an long-term unofficial leader to AIPAC-led trips.[46]
Hoyer voted for theAbandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987.[47] The Act asserts United States title to certain abandoned shipwrecks located on or embedded in submerged lands under state jurisdiction, and transfers title to the respective state, thereby empowering states to manage these cultural and historical resources more efficiently, with the goal of preventingtreasure hunters and salvagers from damaging them. PresidentRonald Reagan signed it into law on April 28, 1988.[48]
On February 28, 2014, Hoyer introduced the billto amend the National Law Enforcement Museum Act to extend the termination date (H.R. 4120; 113th Congress).[49] The bill would extend until November 9, 2016, the authority of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a nonprofit organization, to construct a museum on federal lands in theDistrict of Columbia honoring law enforcement officers.[50]
Hoyer is a prolific fundraiser for House Democrats. He has been the top giver to fellow party members in the House. In the 2008 election cycle, he contributed more than $1 million to the party and individual candidates as of July 14, 2008.[51]
For the119th Congress:[52]


Hoyer served as chair of theDemocratic Caucus, the fourth-ranking position among House Democrats, from 1989 to 1994; a former co-chair of the Democratic Steering Committee; and as the chief candidate recruiter for House Democrats from 1995 to 2000. He also served as Deputy MajorityWhip from 1987 to 1989.[8]
WhenDavid E. Bonior resigned as minority whip in early 2002, Hoyer ran in the race to succeed him but lost toNancy Pelosi. After the 2002 midterm elections, Pelosi ran to succeedDick Gephardt as minority leader, leaving the minority whip post open again.[55] On November 14, 2002, Hoyer's colleagues in the Democratic Caucus unanimously elected him minority whip, the second-highest-ranking position among House Democrats.[12]
Pelosi became theSpeaker of the House in January 2007. Hoyer was elected by his colleagues to be House Majority Leader for the 110th Congress, defeatingJohn Murtha ofPennsylvania by a vote of 149–86 within thecaucus, despite Pelosi's endorsement of Murtha.[2][56] Hoyer was the first Marylander to become Majority Leader[57] and became the highest-ranking federal lawmaker in Maryland history.[12] In this post, Hoyer was the House Democrats' floor leader and ranked second in the leadership, after the Speaker.
The day after the 2010 midterm elections, in which the Democrats lost control of the House, Hoyer had a private conversation with Pelosi and said he would not challenge her for minority leader.[58] He ran for minority whip, but was challenged by outgoing Majority WhipJim Clyburn (the top House Democrats wanted to remain in the leadership, but the minority party in the House has one less position). Hoyer is moderate while Pelosi and Clyburn are more liberal, and a significant number of Hoyer's would-be supporters in the House who were moderate and conservative Democrats had been defeated for reelection.[59][60][61] TheCongressional Black Caucus backed Clyburn, while 30 House Democrats have supported Hoyer.[62][63] Hoyer received further support from outgoing Foreign Affairs Committee ChairmanHoward L. Berman, Financial Services Committee ChairmanBarney Frank, and outgoing Energy and Commerce Committee ChairmanHenry A. Waxman.[64] Pelosi intervened in the contest by supporting Hoyer as Minority Whip, while creating an "Assistant Leader" position for Clyburn, which would keep him as the third-ranking Democrat in the House behind Pelosi and Hoyer (the existing "Assistant to the Leader" post formerly held byChris Van Hollen is not officially part of the House leadership and was directly appointed by the Minority Leader).[65][66]
Hoyer and theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) have been criticized for picking their preferred candidates through an undemocratic process. In 2018, it was reported that Hoyer sought to influence the primary race inColorado's 6th congressional district. He was recorded urging progressive candidateLevi Tillemann to drop out of the race. Hoyer acknowledged that the DCCC had already identified its preferred candidate and discouraged a candid discussion about his weaknesses.[67] On November 28, 2018, Hoyer was selected to return as House Majority Leader.[4][5]
| Year | Office | Election | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Congress, 5th district | Special | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 42,573 | 55.81 | Audrey Scott | Republican | 33,708 | 44.19 | ||||||||||||
| 1982 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 83,937 | 79.58 | William Guthrie | Republican | 21,533 | 20.42 | ||||||||||||
| 1984 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 116,310 | 72.18 | John Ritchie | Republican | 44,839 | 27.82 | ||||||||||||
| 1986 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 82,098 | 81.93 | John Sellner | Republican | 18,102 | 18.07 | ||||||||||||
| 1988 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 128,437 | 78.63 | John Sellner | Republican | 34,909 | 21.37 | ||||||||||||
| 1990 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 84,747 | 80.66 | Lee Breuer | Republican | 20,314 | 19.34 | ||||||||||||
| 1992 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 113,280 | 55.0 | Larry J. Hogan, Jr. | Republican | 92,636 | 45.0 | ||||||||||||
| 1994 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 98,821 | 58.81 | Donald Devine | Republican | 69,211 | 41.19 | ||||||||||||
| 1996 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 121,288 | 56.92 | John S. Morgan | Republican | 91,806 | 43.08 | ||||||||||||
| 1998 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 126,792 | 65.37 | Robert Ostrom | Republican | 67,176 | 34.36 | ||||||||||||
| 2000 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 166,231 | 65.09 | Thomas Hutchins | Republican | 89,019 | 34.86 | ||||||||||||
| 2002 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 137,903 | 69.27 | Joseph Crawford | Republican | 60,758 | 30.52 | ||||||||||||
| 2004 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 204,867 | 68.72 | Brad Jewitt | Republican | 87,189 | 29.25 | Bob Auerbach | Green | 4,224 | 1.42 | Steve Krukar | Constitution | 1,849 | 0.62 | ||||
| 2006 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 168,114 | 82.69 | Steve Warner | Green | 33,464 | 16.46 | Peter Kuhnert | Constitution | 635 | 0.31 | Other write-ins | 1,110 | 0.55 | |||||
| 2008 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 253,854 | 73.65 | Collins Bailey | Republican | 82,631 | 23.97 | Darlene Nicholas | Libertarian | 7,829 | 2.27 | Write-ins | 377 | 0.11 | |||||
| 2010 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 155,110 | 64.26 | Charles Lollar | Republican | 83,575 | 34.62 | H. Gavin Shickle | Libertarian | 2,578 | 1.07 | Write-ins | 120 | 0.05 | |||||
| 2012[70] | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 238,618 | 69.40 | Tony O'Donnell | Republican | 95,271 | 27.71 | Bob Auerbach | Green | 5,040 | 1.47 | Arvin Vohra | Libertarian | 4,503 | 1.31 | ||||
| 2014[71] | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 144,725 | 64.03 | Chris Chafee | Republican | 80,752 | 35.72 | Write-ins | 563 | 0.25 | |||||||||
| 2016[72] | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 242,989 | 67.38 | Mark Arness | Republican | 105,931 | 29.37 | Jason Summers | Libertarian | 11,078 | 3.07 | Write-ins | 606 | 0.18 | |||||
| 2018 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 213,796 | 70.28 | William Devine III | Republican | 82,361 | 27.07 | Patrick Elder | Green | 4,082 | 1.34 | Jacob Pulcher | Libertarian | 3,592 | 1.18 | ||||
| 2020[73] | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 274,210 | 68.75 | Chris Palombi | Republican | 123,525 | 30.97 | Write-ins | 1,104 | 0.28 | |||||||||
| 2022 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 182,478 | 65.90 | Chris Palombi | Republican | 94,000 | 33.94 | Write-ins | 442 | 0.16 | |||||||||
| 2024 | Congress, 5th district | General | Steny Hoyer | Democratic | 283,619 | 67.75 | Michelle Talkington | Republican | 133,985 | 32.01 | Write-ins | 999 | 0.24 |
Hoyer has three daughters from his marriage to Judy Pickett Hoyer, who died of cancer in February 1997.[74] In June 2012, after Hoyer announced his support ofsame-sex marriage, his daughter Stefany Hoyer Hemmer came out as a lesbian in an interview with theWashington Blade.[75] A widower for 26 years, Hoyer married Elaine Kamarck, a Clinton administration official and the director of the Center for Effective Public Management at theBrookings Institution, in June 2023.[76][77]
Judy Hoyer was an advocate ofearly childhood education, and child development learning centers in Maryland have been named in her honor ("Judy Centers").[78] She also suffered fromepilepsy, and theEpilepsy Foundation of America sponsors an annual public lecture in her name.[79] Steny Hoyer, too, has been an advocate for research in this area, and in 2002 the Epilepsy Foundation gave him its Congressional Leadership Award.[80]
Hoyer serves on the board of trustees forSt. Mary's College of Maryland[8] and is a member of the board of theInternational Foundation for Electoral Systems, a nonprofit that supports international elections.[81] He is also an Advisory Board Member for theCenter for the Study of Democracy.[82]
Hoyer is a member of a Baptist church.[83]
On August 13, 2024, Hoyer suffered a mild stroke.[84]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Maryland Senate 1975–1978 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's 5th congressional district 1981–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theJoint Helsinki Commission 1987–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theJoint Helsinki Commission 1991–1993 | |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Administration Committee 1999–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | House Minority Whip 2003–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | House Majority Leader 2007–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Eric Cantor | House Minority Whip 2011–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | House Majority Leader 2019–2023 | |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice Chair of the House Democratic Conference 1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of the House Democratic Conference 1989–1995 | |
| Preceded by | House Democratic Deputy Leader 2003–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Most seniorDemocrat in theU.S. House of Representatives 2017–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 3rd | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States | |