John Kline | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Education Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | George Miller |
| Succeeded by | Virginia Foxx |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Luther (redistricted) |
| Succeeded by | Jason Lewis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Paul Kline Jr. (1947-09-06)September 6, 1947 (age 78) Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Christine Lewis (divorced)Vicky Sheldon |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Rice University (BA) Shippensburg University (MPA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1969–1994 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War Operation Restore Hope |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Meritorious Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Vietnam Service Medal (3) Vietnam Campaign Medal Presidential Service Badge Navy Commendation Medal |
Kline supporting the E. Clay Shaw Jr. Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2013. Recorded September 17, 2013 | |
John Paul Kline Jr. (born September 6, 1947) is an American politician who served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromMinnesota's 2nd congressional district from 2003 to 2017. The district included most of the southern suburbs of theTwin Cities. A member of theRepublican Party, Kline served as the Chairman of theHouse Committee on Education and the Workforce from 2011 until 2017. Kline retired from Congress at the end of his term in January 2017.[1]
Kline was born inAllentown, Pennsylvania,[2] the son of Litta Belle (née Rodman) and John Paul Kline, Sr. He is a 1965 graduate ofW. B. Ray High School inCorpus Christi, Texas. He earned a B.A. in biology atRice University in 1969 and a Master of Public Administration fromShippensburg University of Pennsylvania in 1988.
Before his election toCongress, Kline was a 25-year careercommissioned officer in theU.S. Marine Corps, where he was a senior military aide to PresidentsCarter andReagan and was responsible for carrying the President'sfootball.[3] During his military career, Kline was aNaval Aviator who served as ahelicopter pilot inVietnam, commanded all Marine aviation forces inOperation Restore Hope in Somalia, flew "Marine One," the Presidential helicopter, inHMX-1, and served as Program Development Officer atHeadquarters Marine Corps. He received numerous medals and commendations, including theDefense Superior Service Medal, four awards of theLegion of Merit, theMeritorious Service Medal, theNavy Commendation Medal, three awards of theVietnam Service Medal, theVietnam Campaign Medal, and thePresidential Service Badge.[4] Kline retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel.
Kline and his second wife, Vicky, live inBurnsville, Minnesota.[5] Kline has two children and four grandchildren. Kline was previously married to Christine Lewis.[6]
Kline supported PresidentBush's plan to increase troop levels inIraq in January 2007.[8]
During Kline's 2008 bid for reelection he discussed his opposition toearmarks and his refusal to request them for his district.[9]
In 2006, Kline voted to maintain the legal definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.[10] He voted for the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013.[11]
Kline opposed restrictions on gun ownership.[12][13] He voted to repeal parts of the firearms ban forWashington, D.C.[14] He described himself as "a collector of antique guns and a staunch supporter of theSecond Amendment".[15]
Kline stated, "Job creation is our nation's no. 1 challenge and Congress must make it our no. 1 priority."[16] He spoke in support ofeducation reform designed to encourage parent involvement and teacher accountability.[17] He opposed any tax increases and stated that such strategies must be taken "off the table."[18] In remarks made to fellow representatives, Kline said, "we are watching a massive growth of government power, size, and spending, and I deem that unacceptable."[19]
In 2013 Kline proposed a bill that, among other adjustments, changed the rate on subsidizedStafford loans from 3.4% to 5.9%. The bill linked the rate of interest to the rate of US borrowing.[20]
Kline voted to repeal theAffordable Care Act.[21] His campaign site stated that "he opposed Obamacare because it is a seriously flawed law that was too big, was passed too fast, and does too much harm."[22]
On April 1, 2014, Kline introduced theSuccess and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 10; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend andreauthorize both the Charter School Programs and the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Initiatives under Title V of theElementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 through fiscal year 2020 and combine them into a single authorization.[23][24] It was intended to streamline and improve the grants process and increase the funding for these programs from $250 million to $300 million.[25] The bill passed in the House on May 7, 2014.[24]
Kline made his first run for office in 1998, when he challenged 6th DistrictDemocratic incumbentBill Luther and lost, taking 46% of the vote. He sought a rematch in 2000 and lost by only 5,400 votes, whileGeorge W. Bush narrowly carried the district.
After the 2000 census, Minnesota's congressional map was radically altered, though the number of districts was unchanged. The old 28-county 2nd District was dismantled, and a new 2nd District was created in the Twin Cities' southern suburbs. At the same time, the 6th District was pushed slightly north and made significantly more Republican than its predecessor. The remapping left the home of the 2nd District's freshman incumbent, RepublicanMark Kennedy, just inside the reconfigured 6th District. Realizing this, Kline immediately filed for the Republican nomination in the new 2nd District; his home had been drawn into this district. After some consideration, Luther opted to run in the 2nd as well, even though it was thought to lean slightly Republican.
During the campaign, Luther came under fire when one of his supporters, Sam Garst, filed for the race under the banner of the "No New Taxes Party." This was done in retaliation for an ad theNational Republican Congressional Committee ran in support of Kline that accused Luther of being soft on crime. Luther subsequently admitted that his campaign had known about Garst'sfalse flag campaign.[26] Kline gained considerable momentum from this, and ultimately won handily, taking 53% of the vote to Luther's 42%.
Kline then defeated DemocraticBurnsville City CouncilwomanTeresa Daly to win a second term in 2004 and formerFBISpecial agent andwhistleblowerColeen Rowley, one ofTime magazine's "Persons of the Year", with 56% of the vote in 2006. In 2008 Kline defeated formerWatertown mayorSteve Sarvi and increased his margin of victory to over 57% of the vote.
Kline accepted $11,000 in political contributions from former congressmanRandy "Duke" Cunningham's PAC. After Cunningham's indictment on fraud charges, Kline donated the money to charity.[27]
Kline's reelection in 2012 made him the 40th U.S. Representative from Minnesota to win six House terms.[28]
On September 3, 2015, Kline announced that he would not seek reelection in 2016.[1][29]
In the 2014 election cycle, Kline's largest campaign contributor was theApollo Group, a corporation that owns several for-profit educational institutions. The corporation gave $33,100 to Kline's campaign.[30]
In 2014, he was the "winner" of comedianBill Maher's "Flip a District" from a group of 16 semifinalists nominated by viewers nationwide.[31][32]
TheStar Tribune reported Kline planned to raise $100,000 to counteract the notoriety brought by Maher's campaign. Kline's spokesman said, "Minnesotans are tired of sleazy and slimy politics" but Kline's opponent "certainly isn't." Kline's opponent,Mike Obermueller, reported a 700% increase in fundraising.[33]
In 2014 Kline again faced Democrat Mike Obermuller. This time incumbent Kline defeated Obermuller by a 17-point margin.[34]
In 2012, Kline defeated DemocratMike Obermueller by 8%.[35]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's 2nd congressional district 2003–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Education Committee 2011–2017 | 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 |
| Education and Labor (1867–1883) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Education (1883–1947) | ||
| Labor (1883–1947) | ||
| Education and Labor* (1947–) | ||
| Note | * Alternately namedEconomic and Educational Opportunities in 104th Congress andEducation and the Workforce in 105th through 109th and 112th through 115th Congresses. | |
