Tim Holden | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of thePennsylvania Liquor Control Board | |
| In office February 17, 2015 – November 21, 2024 | |
| Appointed by | Tom Wolf |
| Preceded by | Skip Brion |
| Succeeded by | Darrell L. Clarke |
| Member of thePennsylvania Liquor Control Board | |
| In office November 13, 2013 – November 21, 2024 | |
| Appointed by | Tom Corbett |
| Preceded by | P. J. Stapleton |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Gus Yatron |
| Succeeded by | Matt Cartwright |
| Constituency | 6th district (1993–2003) 17th district (2003–2013) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Timothy Holden (1957-03-05)March 5, 1957 (age 68) St. Clair, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Gwen Holden |
| Education | Bloomsburg University (BA) |
Thomas Timothy Holden (born March 5, 1957) is an American politician fromPennsylvania who served as aDemocraticU.S. representative forPennsylvania's 17th congressional district from 1993 to 2013. Holden was thedean of thePennsylvania Congressional Delegation during the112th United States Congress.[1] On April 24, 2012, Holden was defeated in the Democratic primary in his attempt to seek re-election after the boundaries of his district were redrawn.[2] He then became chairman of thePennsylvania Liquor Control Board in 2015, a position he held until he retired at the end of his term in 2024.[3]
Holden is a lifelong resident ofSt. Clair, Pennsylvania. He graduated from St. Clair Area High School in 1975. In 1980, he earned abachelor's degree insociology fromBloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He became a licensed real estate agent, and later an insurance broker in 1983. He has worked as a probation officer and asSergeant-at-Arms for thePennsylvania House of Representatives, and was the sheriff ofSchuylkill County from 1985 to 1993.[citation needed] He identified with many ordinary working people in his district. He is aRoman Catholic.[1]
In the 1990s, he representedPennsylvania's 6th congressional district based inReading and includingBerks and Schuylkill counties. The district was populated mostly byReagan Democrats who were still willing to voteRepublican in most elections (it voted forGeorge H. W. Bush in 1992,Bob Dole in1996 and George W. Bush in2000), but Holden was re-elected four times without serious opposition.
After redistricting, incumbent Democratic U.S. CongressmanGus Yatron decided to retire. In the Democratic primary, Holden defeated theMayor of Reading, Pennsylvania, Warren Haggerty, and John Reusing 39%-32%-28%.[4] In the general election, he defeated Republican nomineeJohn E. Jones III, a local government solicitor, 52%-48%.[5]
Holden won re-election to a second term by defeating Republican nominee Fred Levering 57%-43%.[6]
Holden won re-election to a third term by defeating Republican nominee Christian Leinbach, a staffer to U.S. SenatorRick Santorum,[7] 59%-41%.[8]
Holden won re-election to a fourth term by defeating Republican nominee John Meckley 61%-39%.[9]
Holden won re-election to a fifth term by defeating Republican nominee Thomas Kopel 66%-34%.[10]
Pennsylvania lost two districts after the2000 United States census. The Republican-controlledGeneral Assembly dismantled the 6th, splitting its territory among three other districts. The legislature considered placing Holden's home in Schuylkill County in the 11th District, a heavily Democratic area in northeastern Pennsylvania. This would have forced a primary matchup withPaul Kanjorski, an eight-term Democrat who was slightly more liberal than Holden. Eventually, it moved the largest slice of Holden's old district, including his home, to the Republican-leaningHarrisburg-based 17th District, represented by 10-term RepublicanGeorge Gekas.[11]
On paper, the redrawn 17th appeared to so heavily favor Gekas that it appeared unwinnable for a Democrat, even one as conservative as Holden. To some, it was blatantgerrymandering to force Holden into retirement. Gekas retained 60% of his former territory, and George W. Bush had carried the newly drawn district with 57% of the vote in 2000.[12] However, to the surprise of many observers, Holden did not retire, instead opting to run in a district that was 65% new to him (a small corner from the even more Republican 9th District was moved to the 17th). Gekas was forced into his first real campaign ever. Holden managed to gain endorsements from much of Gekas's old base, much to Gekas's surprise. Even Gekas's hometown paper,The Patriot-News, endorsed Holden, saying that the 17th was not the same district that elected Gekas in 1982. Gekas got another rude surprise when Holden visitedAfrican-American neighborhoods, such as Uptown and Allison Hill, after finding out that Gekas had never set foot in these neighborhoods in his congressional career. He asked the residents of these neighborhoods not to vote for a congressman who didn't bother to visit them. In November 2002, in one of the biggest upsets in recent political history, Holden narrowly defeated Gekas.
Holden ran for re-election against Republican lawyer Scott Paterno, son of legendaryPenn Statefootball coachJoe Paterno.[13] Paterno was actively supported by influential Republicans, and President Bush and Vice PresidentDick Cheney came to the district several times to support him. Nevertheless, Holden won re-election by a comfortable margin even as Bush easily carried the district. In much of the district, he was the only elected Democrat above the county level.
Holden faced Republican Matthew Wertz, anAfghanistan War veteran, in the 2006. However, Wertz dropped out of the race before the general election citing personal reasons and Holden went on to easily win re-election with 65% of the total vote.[14]
In 2008, he faced Republican Toni Gilhooley, a retiredPennsylvania State Trooper and 25-year veteran of the force, whom he defeated with 64% of the vote (one percent less than the previous election).
Holden was challenged by Republican nominee,State SenatorDave Argall,[15] whose state senate district covered much of the eastern portion of the congressional district, including Holden's home. Unlike other Democrats in Eastern Pennsylvania likePaul Kanjorski,Chris Carney andPatrick Murphy, Holden won re-election, and did so with a 12-point margin, defeating Argall 56% to 44%.
Before Holden won the general election, he faced a primary challenge within his own party from political activist Sheila Dow Ford, who ran to the left of Holden, eviscerating the Congressman for voting against theAffordable Care Act in March 2010. Holden defeated Ford by a margin of 65% to 35% in the primary to regain the Democratic nomination.
Holden's district was drastically reconfigured as a result of legislative redistricting done in the Pennsylvania legislature in late 2011 following the results of the2010 Census. The district lost Harrisburg andLebanon, along with its shares of portions ofBerks,Dauphin,Lebanon andPerry counties. To make up for the loss in population, the legislature pushed the district well to the north and east, addingScranton,Wilkes-Barre,Pittston, andEaston, among other various towns inLuzerne,Lackawanna,Carbon,Monroe andNorthampton counties. Holden now found himself running in territory that he did not know and that did not know him. The only county retained from his old district was his home county, Schuylkill County. As a result of these changes, the 17th was now considerably more Democratic than its predecessor, nearing 60 percent Democratic registration and leaving Holden vulnerable to a challenge to his left in the Democratic primary. Also, the League of Conservation Voters put Tim Holden on their "Dirty Dozen" list, targeting him for supporting then-PresidentGeorge W. Bush's energy policy, favoring oil production, and opposing PresidentObama's policies including development of clean energy.[16]
In the April 24 primary, Holden was defeated byMoosic attorneyMatt Cartwright, a considerably more liberal Democrat. Holden's opposition to thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act and climate-change legislation are believed to have contributed to his defeat.[17] He also could not overcome the demographics of the redrawn district, which was almost 80 percent new to him.[18]
Holden was a member of theBlue Dog Coalition.[19] He was a somewhatconservative Democrat who often bucked his party's voting trend, especially on social issues. For instance, he opposed abortion and gun control. However, he supported Democratic priorities on a number of issues. While Holden voted with a minority of House Democrats in favor of the authorization for the use of U.S. force inIraq in October 2002 for PresidentGeorge W. Bush, he strongly opposed Bush's "surge" policy in January 2007. While Holden voted against thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the signature legislative domestic policy achievement of PresidentBarack Obama, in March 2010, he did vote for theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law by Obama, in February 2009. While Holden voted for legislation supported by President Bush that toughened bankruptcy laws and enacted theHalliburton loophole, he voted for theDodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, signed into law by President Obama, in July 2010. According to opencongreess.com, Holden has voted with the Democratic leadership in Congress 73 percent of the time in recent years. He is ranked as one of the top fifteen most conservative Democrats in the House by theNational Journal.
In 2011, Rep. Holden became a co-sponsor of Bill H.R.3261 otherwise known as theStop Online Piracy Act.[20] Holden withdrew his co-sponsorship of SOPA on January 18, 2012.[21]
Holden was nominated to thePennsylvania Liquor Control Board byGov. Tom Corbett on June 14, 2013. He was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate on November 13, 2013. He was named chairman of the PLCB byGov. Tom Wolf on February 17, 2015. He was unanimously confirmed for a second term by the state Senate on June 29, 2016, and sworn in on July 11, 2016.[24] He continued serving until his term in 2024 expired, when he retired. He was succeeded byDarrell L. Clarke.[3]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 6th congressional district 1993–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 17th congressional district 2003–2013 | 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 |
