Jim McGovern | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ranking Member of theHouse Rules Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Cole |
| In office March 16, 2018 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Louise Slaughter |
| Succeeded by | Tom Cole |
| Chair of theHouse Rules Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Pete Sessions |
| Succeeded by | Tom Cole |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Blute |
| Constituency | 3rd district (1997–2013) 2nd district (2013–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Patrick McGovern (1959-11-20)November 20, 1959 (age 65) Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | American University (BA,MPA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
James Patrick McGovern (born November 20, 1959) is an American politician who has been a member of theUnited States House of Representatives since 1997, representingMassachusetts's 2nd congressional district since 2013. ADemocrat, he is theranking member of theHouse Rules Committee, chaired theCongressional-Executive Commission on China, and is the co-chair of theTom Lantos Human Rights Commission.[1] His district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1997 to 2013, stretches fromWorcester to thePioneer Valley.
Born and raised in Worcester, McGovern attendedWorcester Academy. While in college he worked as a congressional intern and then aide toU.S. SenatorGeorge McGovern (no relation), a two-time presidential candidate for whom he campaigned.[2] From 1981 to 1996 he was a senior staff member for U.S. RepresentativeJoe Moakley. McGovern first ran for Congress in 1994, losing the Democratic primary. He ran again in 1996, defeating Republican incumbentPeter Blute.
As chairman of the board of the Congressional Hunger Center, McGovern is known as a leading voice on ending hunger and food insecurity both in the United States and globally.[3] He was a key architect of theMcGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.[4] For his work he has earned a 2016James Beard Leadership Award from the James Beard Foundation and a 2008 McGovern-Dole Leadership Award from theWorld Food Program USA.[5][6]
Another focus of McGovern's career has been international human rights, which he has advocated for in countries such asEl Salvador,Sudan,Colombia, and the region ofTibet. He is a member of theCongressional Progressive Caucus[7] and has been ranked as one of Congress's most liberal members.[8]
James Patrick McGovern[9] was born inWorcester, Massachusetts, on November 20, 1959. He grew up in Worcester, where his mother, Mindy, was a dance instructor and his father, Walter, owned a liquor store.[10][11] In junior high school, he first became involved in politics by campaigning for DemocraticU.S. SenatorGeorge McGovern (to whom he is not related) in his unsuccessful1972 presidential bid. After graduating fromWorcester Academy, he moved to Washington, D.C., where from 1977 to 1980 he worked as an aide to George McGovern.
Jim McGovern attendedAmerican University, where he received aBachelor of Arts degree inhistory in 1981 and aMaster of Public Administration in 1984. He also served as director of the Kennedy Political Union, American University's student-run speakers bureau. George McGovern ran for president again in 1984, and Jim McGovern was the state coordinator of his Massachusetts campaign branch, and made his nominating speech at the1984 Democratic National Convention.[11]
In 1981, Jim McGovern joined the Capitol Hill staff ofU.S. RepresentativeJoe Moakley.[11] In 1990, Moakley appointed him to lead a House task force investigating the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests and two women inEl Salvador by theAtlácatl Battalion, working with Salvadoran activistLeonel Gómez Vides.[12] He later advocated cutting off U.S. funding for theU.S. Army School of the Americas, where several of the military members had been trained.[11]
McGovern first ran for Congress in 1994, entering a crowded Democratic primary to represent the area then defined as Massachusetts's 3rd district.[11] The district, in central and southeastern Massachusetts, included parts ofBristol,Middlesex,Norfolk, andWorcester counties–essentially, the heart of theMetroWest region.[13] During the campaign, McGovern said his record as "a Washington insider" would make him a more effective representative. Despite endorsements from Moakley, George McGovern, and presidential aideGeorge Stephanopoulos, McGovern lost the primary toMassachusetts State RepresentativeKevin O'Sullivan,[11][14] who then lost to Republican incumbentPeter Blute.
McGovern left Moakley's office in 1996 and moved back to Worcester, again running for Congress. This time, he won the nomination unopposed and faced Blute in the general election. His campaign slogan focused on unseating House SpeakerNewt Gingrich: "To dump Newt you have to dump Blute."[15] Blute was endorsed byThe Boston Globe and five other local papers, but McGovern won the election with 53% of the vote.[10][16] He has never faced another contest nearly that close, and has been reelected 13 times. He ran unopposed in 2000 and 2002.[16]
In 2004, he was opposed by RepublicanRonald A. Crews, an evangelical pastor, formerGeorgia state legislator, and president of theMassachusetts Family Institute. A nationalconservative activist, Crews challenged McGovern's positions onsame-sex marriage andabortion. McGovern derided his opponent's focus on social issues, saying, "When Ron Crews gets up in the morning, the first thing he thinks about is gay marriage. I don't think that is the most important issue for most families. Jobs, health care, education, how to make the world a more peaceful place, those are the issues people care about."[17] McGovern defeated Crews with 71% of the vote, and ran unopposed in 2006 and 2008.[16]
In the 2010 election, McGovern faced RepublicanMarty Lamb, a real estate lawyer, and independent Patrick J. Barron, a Department of Mental Health administrator.[18][19] He was reelected with 57% of the vote.[20]
When Massachusetts lost a district in the 2010 census, McGovern's district was renumbered as the2nd district and pushed west toAmherst and thePioneer Valley. He ran unopposed in 2012, 2014, and 2016.
McGovern took over the top Democratic position on theHouse Rules Committee whenLouise Slaughter died.[21] After the2018 midterm elections in which Democrats won the House majority, McGovern became chair.
Called the "Speaker's Committee" because it is the mechanism that the Speaker of the House uses to maintain order and control of the House Floor, the Rules Committee is often considered the most powerful committee in Congress.[22] As chair, McGovern can influence the introduction and consideration of almost every piece of legislation that comes to a vote.[23]
One of McGovern's first actions as chair was to pass a sweeping set of reforms to the House Rules. He wrote at the time that his changes were designed to "usher in a new era of clean government".[24] McGovern also said the rules changes were "the result of unprecedented bipartisan outreach" and that he had met with "both Democrats and Republicans to seek their input on potential changes".[25]
TheNational Journal reported that McGovern had used his Capitol Hill experience to help position himself as "a power broker in the Democratic caucus". In 2001, McGovern's mentor,Joe Moakley, at the time dying of cancer, askedDick Gephardt to help McGovern attain a seat on the Rules Committee. He was given a commitment for the next available Democratic seat.
On the Rules Committee, McGovern has been able to use his experience with House procedures to his advantage. With Republicans comprising the majority of the panel, he "showed a sharp partisan edge as he embraced parliamentary maneuvers that led to cries of outrage" from Republican members.[citation needed]
As chair, McGovern played a central role in devising procedures the House adopted for thefirst impeachment of Donald Trump.[26] At the time, McGovern wrote inThe Boston Globe that "[t]he House will ensure the public-facing phase of this inquiry is transparent and will stand the test of time."[27] He later explained his decision to vote for impeachment by saying, "I often think about kids today getting involved in the political process just like I did back in 1972. What will they think if we say that the president’s actions don’t matter?"[28]
He supportedimpeaching Trump again for inciting theJanuary 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.[29]
On April 30, 2022, McGovern accompanied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and three other U.S. representatives on a secret trip toKyiv, Ukraine, and met with PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky. The delegation pledged billions of dollars in military aid.[30]
For his first three terms, McGovern served on theHouse Transportation Committee. He and RepresentativeJohn Olver, who served on theHouse Appropriations Committee, coordinated to bring extensive transportation funding to their districts. When criticized for his heavy use ofearmarks, McGovern responded, "It's notpork. It's nourishment."[31]
McGovern supported economic stimulus efforts during thelate-2000s recession, including theEconomic Stimulus Act in February 2008[32] and theEmergency Economic Stabilization Act (which established theTroubled Asset Relief Program) in October 2008.[33] He supported theObama administration's2009 stimulus package.[34] Responding to Republican criticism of Democratic budgetary priorities, he chided the GOP for running up thenational debt underGeorge W. Bush, saying: "It is somewhat ironic that the very people who drove this economy into a ditch are now complaining about the size of the tow truck."[35] He voted to instate theStatutory Pay-As-You-Go Act in February 2010.[36]
McGovern was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[37]
TheHigher Education Act of 1998 included an amendment by McGovern that doubledPell Grant funding for two years for students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class.[38]
As co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, McGovern is an advocate for expanding child nutrition programs both domestically and internationally.[39] In 2007, he obtained $840 million in required funding for theMcGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program in the House version of thefarm bill.[40] TheHouse–Senate conference committee stripped most of the funding from the final bill.[41]
As the co-chair of the Congressional Hunger Center, McGovern has pushed for changes to foreign aid and hunger relief programs. He proposed establishing a "hunger czar position" to take on food issues. McGovern also took part in thefood stamp challenge, which entailed living on the average $21 in food stamps for a week.[42]
McGovern supports federal funding foralternative proteins, includingplant-based foods. In 2021, McGovern and RepresentativeJulia Brownley led a letter by 46 members of Congress requesting $200 million in alternative proteins research funding for the USDA'sAgricultural Research Service.[43] In July 2023, McGovern authored the Peas, Legumes, and Nuts Today (PLANT) Act, which would have extendedagricultural subsidies to producers of common plant-based proteins and established anagricultural marketing program for plant-based foods.[44][45]
McGovern has expressed support for the California farmanimal welfare lawProposition 12, which prohibits the sale of products from animals confined inbattery cages,gestation crates, andveal crates. He criticized a July 2025House Agriculture Committee hearing that he characterized as being dominated by opponents of the law, calling it a "misrepresentation of reality" and stating that many producers benefit from higher animal welfare standards.[46]
McGovern has voted against major efforts to restrictillegal immigration, including theREAL ID Act of 2005,[47] theBorder Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005,[48] and theSecure Fence Act of 2006.[49]
McGovern believes health care is a human right. He voted for theHealth Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, ultimately pushing for a robust public option that was not included in the final measure.[42] He supportsMedicare for All.[50]
In January 2023, McGovern was one of 13 cosponsors of an amendment to theConstitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens 16 years of age or older.[51]
In 2010, McGovern said he thought theSupreme Court decisionCitizens United was wrongly decided, and that theFirst Amendment does not protect unlimited political advertising by corporations. He elaborated, saying that corporations should not "have the same equality as a regular voter". At first, he said that "the Constitution was wrong", but later said he had misspoken. On November 15, 2011, McGovern introduced thePeople's Rights Amendment, a proposal to limit the Constitution's protections to only natural persons, not corporations.[52] In January 2012, McGovern promoted his participation in a panel discussion titled "Corporations are not people."[53] On July 14, 2014, McGovern and RepresentativeTed Deutch introducedH.J. Res 119, which includes a section to address corporate personhood.
McGovern has apro-choice record onabortion. He voted against thePartial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in 2003[54] and theUnborn Victims of Violence Act in 2004.[55] He supportsstem cell research, voting for theStem Cell Research Enhancement Act in 2005, 2007, and 2009.[56] He voted for theEmployment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007, which would have prevented employment discrimination on the basis ofsexual orientation.[57] He voted against theFederal Marriage Amendment, which would have constitutionally outlawedsame-sex marriage, in 2004 and 2006,[58] and co-sponsored theRespect for Marriage Act of 2009, which would allow the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages.[59]
On January 6, 2017, McGovern objected to Alabama'selectoral votes, whichDonald Trump had won with 62.08% of the vote.[60] Because no senator joined his objection, the objection was dismissed.[61]
On July 21, 2019, McGovern calledattacks against Hong Kong's anti-extradition bill protesters "orchestrated violence against peaceful protesters" and urgedHong Kong authorities to protect thefreedom of demonstration.[62]
On October 27, 2022, McGovern and SenatorJeff Merkley urged U.S. financial executives to cancel their attendance at theGlobal Financial Leaders' Investment Summit, saying, "Their presence only serves to legitimize the swift dismantling of Hong Kong's autonomy, free press, and the rule of law by Hong Kong authorities acting along with the Chinese Communist Party."[63]
On July 31, 2024, theChinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcedsanctions over McGovern, alleging his frequent interference in China's "internal affairs."[64][65]
McGovern has vocally opposed theIraq War since its inception.[11] He voted against theinitial authorization of military force against Iraq in October 2002.[66] In May 2007, McGovern introducedH.R. 2237, to "provide for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces and defense contractors from Iraq". The bill failed by a vote of 255 to 171.
McGovern initially supported theWar in Afghanistan, but became increasingly skeptical of it. In June 2010, he pushed a funding amendment to require PresidentBarack Obama to make a draw-down plan before any further funding would be authorized. "Let us not waste, you know, more resources, more lives, on a policy that quite frankly is going to lead us nowhere", McGovern said. "We need to letAfghan PresidentHamid Karzai know that we're not a cheap date. We expect him to clean up his government."[67]
McGovern has been a prominent voice against the Islamist governments ofSudan for its prosecution of thewar in Darfur. He has been arrested three times, twice during protests outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C. On April 28, 2006, he was one of five members of Congress arrested while protesting atrocities inDarfur,[68] along withSheila Jackson Lee,Jim Moran,John Olver, andTom Lantos. McGovern was arrested again at the Sudanese embassy on April 27, 2009, this time accompanied by RepresentativesJohn Lewis,Donna Edwards,Lynn Woolsey, andKeith Ellison.[69] He was arrested again on March 16, 2012, alongsideGeorge Clooney, during a protest outside the Sudanese embassy against the Bashir regime in Sudan.[70]
In April 2007, he called for the U.S. and other countries to boycott the2008 Olympic Games inBeijing to protest the Chinese government's support of the Sudanese government and, by extension, the genocide in Darfur.[71]
McGovern has traveled several times toColombia to meet with human rights advocates, and has been very critical ofPlan Colombia and US military aid to that country. On March 25, 2008,The Wall Street Journal published an unsigned editorial suggesting that McGovern supported theFARC rebels inColombia. According to theJournal, an investigation of the computer hard drive of the recently killedRaúl Reyes, second-in-command of the FARC, had turned up material indicating "an ardent effort" by McGovern "to do business directly with the FARC." The article said that McGovern had been "working with an American go-between, who has been offering the rebels help in undermining Colombia's elected and popular government."[72] In response, McGovern said that his concern was to help win the release of hostages held by the FARC, as requested by several of their families.[73] He said he had no sympathy for the rebels.
On February 13, 2009, McGovern offered a resolution on the subject of the trial of the IranianBaháʼí Faith leadership co-sponsored by seven others inH.Res. 175.[74] The situation has gathered international attention, including defense of Nobel Laureate attorneyShirin Ebadi[75] after she received threats warning her against making speeches abroad, and defending Iran's minority Baháʼí community.[76]
McGovern advocates normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba.[77] He accompaniedPresident Barack Obama to Cuba in 2016.[78] He said at the time that "Americans have long been ready for a 21st-century approach to Cuba and with our two nations working together, we can create new opportunities for American businesses, increase travel and exchange, and support efforts in Cuba to advance democratic reforms and promote human rights.”[78] He also joinedSecretary of State John Kerry on a 2019 trip to reopen the U.S. embassy in Havana.
In 2000, McGovern met with the Cuban grandmothers of five-year-oldElian Gonzalez.[79] Elian's mother had drowned while trying to escape from Cuba with the boy. Although Elian reached Florida safely, McGovern advocated for his return to his father's custody in Cuba.[80]
In 2002 McGovern joined the Congressional Cuba Working Group, which advocated for loweringrestrictions on travel and food shipment to Cuba.[11] He is the current co-chair of theTom Lantos Human Rights Commission (formerly the "Human Rights Caucus").[81] His work on human rights issues earned him the Washington Office on Latin America's "Human Rights Award" in 2007.[82]
On November 18, 2013, McGovern introduced House Resolution 418.[83] The resolution calls on the government ofMyanmar to end the persecution and discrimination of theRohingya people within its borders and calls on the U.S. government and the international community to pressure the Burmese to do so.[83][84] The resolution was in response to allegations of Burmese Buddhistattacks on Rohingya Muslims earlier in 2014.[84] McGovern argued that "the Burmese government needs to recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic group. The situation is dire and rapidly deteriorating."[84]
In 2023, McGovern was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed PresidentJoe Biden to remove U.S. troops fromSyria within 180 days.[85][86]
In 2023, McGovern was among 49 Democrats to break with PresidentJoe Biden, by voting for a ban oncluster munitions toUkraine.[87][88]
After thedrone strikes on aid workers from World Central Kitchen in April 2024,Mark Pocan, Jim McGovern,Jan Schakowsky,Nancy Pelosi and 36 more members of Congress from the Democratic party urged U.S. PresidentJoe Biden in an open letter to reconsider planned arms shipments to the Israeli military.[89][90]
On April 25, 2018, 57 House members, including McGovern,[91] released a condemnation ofHolocaust distortion inUkraine andPoland.[92] They criticized Poland'snew Holocaust law and Ukraine's2015 memory laws glorifyingUkrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its leaders, such asRoman Shukhevych.[91][better source needed]
McGovern has aligned himself with liberal andprogressive causes. "It's no secret that I'm a liberal", he said in 2010. "I didn't poll any of this stuff, but I am who I am."[104] Political interest groups generally rank McGovern as one of the most liberal members of Congress. TheNational Journal ranked him among the seven most liberal representatives in the 110th Congress[8] andGovTrack ranked him as the 33rd most politically left in the 117th Congress.[105] TheWashington Post noted numerous similarities between McGovern and his mentor, 1972 Democratic presidential nomineeGeorge McGovern: "Both are considered among the most liberal and anti-war lawmakers of their generation. The most prominent difference? They aren't related."[42]
From 1997 to 2007, the liberal advocacy groupAmericans for Democratic Action gave him an average vote rating of 98.5%, whereas itsconservative counterpart, theAmerican Conservative Union, gave him an average vote rating of 2.5%.[106] TheUnited States Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for business-oriented policies, gave McGovern a 33% lifetime rating as of 2011.[107]
McGovern lives in Worcester with his wife, Lisa Murray McGovern, a former aide to U.S. RepresentativeGerry Studds. They have a son, Patrick, and a daughter, Molly. He has two sisters, who are teachers in the Worcester public school system.[108] McGovern announced in April 2025 that his daughter Molly, who had been battling cancer, had died unexpectedly while in Italy.[109]
In November 2010, McGovern underwent surgery to remove histhyroid gland after being diagnosed withpapillary thyroid cancer, from which he has recovered.[110]
McGovern is Roman Catholic and says that his legislative initiatives such as increased spending on global nutrition and raising taxes on higher income earners originate from the Catholic Church's efforts to serve the poor.[111] He has also said that he draws inspiration fromJesuit values, and in particular from his work as a congressional staffer to investigate the1989 murders of Jesuits in El Salvador. McGovern toldAmerica magazine in 2019, "I realized that if you commit yourself to a certain set of values, a life of service, if you are committed to lifting up the poor and standing with the poor, there's something about that that can be very satisfying. It makes you feel like you're living a life that's worthwhile."[112]
| Democratic candidate | Republican candidate | Other candidate | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Candidate | Votes | Candidate | Party | Votes | |||
| 1996 | Jim McGovern | 135,047 | 52.9% | Peter Blute (Incumbent) | 115,695 | 45.4% | Dale E. Friedgen | Natural Law | 3,363 | 1.3% |
| 1998 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 108,613 | 56.9% | Matthew J. Amorello | 79,174 | 41.5% | George Phillies | Libertarian | 2,887 | 1.1% |
| 2000 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 213,065 | 98.8% | None | None | |||||
| 2002 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 155,697 | 98.8% | None | None | |||||
| 2004 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 192,036 | 70.5% | Ronald A. Crews | 80,197 | 29.4% | None | |||
| 2006 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 166,973 | 98.8% | None | None | |||||
| 2008 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 227,619 | 98.5% | None | None | |||||
| 2010 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 122,357 | 56.5% | Marty Lamb | 85,124 | 39.2% | Patrick Barron | Independent | 9,388 | 4.3% |
| 2012 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 259,257 | 98.5% | None | None | |||||
| 2014 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 169,140 | 98.2% | None | None | |||||
| 2016 | Jim McGovern (Incumbent) | 275,487 | 98.2% | None | None | |||||
| 2018 | Jim McGovern (incumbent) | 190,129 | 67.2% | Tracy Lovvorn | 92,974 | 32.8% | None | |||
| 2020 | Jim McGovern (incumbent) | 249,854 | 65.3% | Tracy Lovvorn | 132,220 | 34.6% | None | |||
| 2022 | Jim McGovern (incumbent) | 180,639 | 66.2% | Jeffrey Sossa-Paquette | 91,956 | 33.7% | None | |||
| 2024 | Jim McGovern (incumbent) | 251,441 | 68.6% | Cornelius Shea | 114,065 | 31.1% | None | |||
Meanwhile, US House Representative Jim McGovern, a co-chair of the Congressional Executive-Commission on China, condemned the "orchestrated violence against peaceful protesters" as unacceptable.
From the beginning, Representative Jim McGovern's political life was entwined with his Catholic faith. As a young aide to Democratic Representative Joe Moakley in the early 1990s, McGovern led an investigation into the murders of six Jesuits and two lay women in El Salvador. As a congressman, he has pushed for more spending on global nutrition, higher taxes on the wealthy, and other positions that, he says, derive from the Catholic Church's mission to serve the poor.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 3rd congressional district 1997–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Human Rights Commission 2008–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 2nd congressional district 2013–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Rules Committee 2019–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theJoint China Commission 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Human Rights Commission 2019–2023 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 23rd | Succeeded by |
Chairs of theU.S. House Committee on Rules (1880–present) | ||
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