Joe Knollenberg
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| Joe Knollenberg | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 5, 1993– |
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| Preceded by | Dale Kildee |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | October 28, 1933 (age 73) Mattoon, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sandie Knollenberg |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Joseph (Joe) Knollenberg (born November 28, 1933) is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan, representing Michigan's 9th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Knollenberg was born in Mattoon, Illinois and graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1955. After graduation, he served in the United States Army from 1955 to 1957. He became an insurance agent and moved to Oakland County, Michigan in 1967.
In 1992, Knollenberg was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 11th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives for the 103rd Congress. He replaced William Broomfield, who was not a candidate for reelection. He served in that district from January 3, 1993 to 2003 when redistricting moved him to the 9th district. Knollenberg has supported North American Free Trade Agreement and President George W. Bush's steel tariffs, although he did ask for a review of the tariffs after hearing of price increases. Knollenberg was reelected to his seventh term in 2004 with 58% of the vote. Knollenberg was re-elected to his eighth term in 2006 with 51.6% of the vote. [1]
Knollenberg is on the United States House Committee on Appropriations. He serves as Ranking Member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, The Judiciary, District of Columbia. He also is on the sub-committee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs.
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[edit] 2008 election
In January 2006, Congressman Knollenberg announced his intent to seek re-election in 2008. Knollenberg spent $2.7 million to keep his seat in the House. [2]
Although his past Democratic challengers have not received support from the national party, Knollenberg's seat has now been identified as a "target" for the Democrats in 2008. [3] The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting Congressional Districts where Republicans garnered less than 55% of the vote. [4]
[edit] 2006 election
Knollenberg was challenged in the 2006 Republican primary by moderate Republican Patricia Godchaux. Democratic candidate Nancy Skinner, a former radio-talk show host, was her party's nominee for the 9th district. Matt Abel of the Green Party and Adam Goodman of the Libertarian Party were third-party candidates also in the race.
Despite troubling poll numbers, Knollenberg's election was widely considered to be relatively easy given the traditionally Republican leanings of Troy, the largest city in his district. Final results showed that Knollenberg won 51.5% of the vote [1] securing his seat for the 110th Congress. Skinner received 46.2% of the vote. Abel received .9%, and Goodman received 1.3%
[edit] Family
Knollenberg has two sons with his wife, Sandy. One of them, Stephen Knollenberg, is a gay [5] interior designer with offices in Birmingham, Michigan, and Washington, D.C. [6] His father's Congressional voting record reflects positions contrary to those of gay civil rights groups (although he has voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment). [7] Some political analysts speculate that Knollenberg's other son, Marty Knollenberg, may eventually run for election to succeed his father when his father retires.[citation needed] Marty Knollenberg was elected in November 2006 by a 58% - 42% margin to the Michigan State House of Representatives in the 41st District representing Troy and Clawson.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b 9th District Representative in Congress 2 Year Term (1) Position Files In OAKLAND County. Election Results, GENERAL ELECTION, November 07, 2006. Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections (November 27, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-03-25.
- ^ "Knollenberg shifts role after nearly losing seat", Detroit Free Press, December 25, 2006.
- ^ Rehman, Marc. "Michigan GOP Rep. Knollenberg Draws Democrats’ Scrutiny for 2008", The New York Times, January 30, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.
- ^ Price, Deb. "Dems slap bulls-eye on 2 GOP U.S. Reps", The Detroit News, January 31, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.
- ^ Steve Knollenberg. Artifacts & Disclosures: Michigan's LGBT Heritage. Lavender Information and Library Association. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.
- ^ Stephen Knollenberg. www.stephenknollenberg.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.
- ^ U.S. Congress and Scorecards: Evaluate Your Members of Congress. Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.
[edit] External links
- Congressional website
- Campaign Web site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
| Preceded by Robert W. Davis |
United States Representative for the 11th Congressional District of Michigan 1993 – 2003 |
Succeeded by Thad McCotter |
| Preceded by Dale Kildee |
United States Representative for the 9th Congressional District of Michigan 2003 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
