Michael Forbes

Michael Forbes
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 1st district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	George J. Hochbrueckner
Succeeded by	Felix Grucci
Personal details
Born	(1952-07-16) July 16, 1952 Riverhead, New York
Political party	Republican (until July 17, 1999) Democratic (since July 17, 1999)
Religion	Roman Catholic clergy

Michael Patrick Forbes (b. July 16, 1952, Riverhead, New York) is a politician from the state of New York.

Early life and career

Michael Patrick Forbes was born on 16 July 1952 at Riverhead, Long Island, New York to Kenneth and Jane (née Morrissey) Forbes. He is the grandson of Carrie Bowman, a Broadway actress and T. Harold Forbes, actor and song and dance man and later, well-known New Rochelle and Long Island, NY newspaper publisher. Forbes graduated from the SUNY Albany, received an honorary doctorate from Long Island University and, more recently, spent five years in formation and theological studies for the Permanent Diaconate in the Catholic Diocese of Austin. Forbes got his start in politics as an assistant to New York State Assembly Speaker Perry B. Duryea.^[1] He was a senior aide to Republicans U.S. Sen. Al D'Amato and U.S. Rep. Connie Mack. Forbes was also heavily involved as a board member with the not-for-profit Camp Agawam, a summer camp in Raymond, Maine.^[2]

Congress

In 1994, Forbes ran on three ballot lines for the House of Representatives: Republican, Conservative, and Right to Life. Campaigning as a fiscal conservative, he defeated popular incumbent George Hochbrueckner by six percentage points. Forbes got a seat on the powerful Appropriations committee, unusual for a freshman Representative, due to his ties with new House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In December 1996, after Gingrich was cited for gross campaign irregularities,^[3] Forbes became the first Republican to announce he was not going to vote for Gingrich for speaker. ^[4] Forbes voted for moderate Rep. Jim Leach instead. Despite his record of support for a number of President Clinton's programs, Forbes voted for the Clinton impeachment.^[5]

Party switch

On July 17, 1999, Forbes switched to the Democratic Party after chastising national Republicans for being "tone deaf" to the needs of average Americans. While embraced nationally by President Bill Clinton, Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. Max Cleland, and other Senate and House Democrats, New York's liberal Democrats (particularly chairwoman Judith Hope) refused to welcome Forbes into the Democratic Party because he would not change his long held belief in prohibiting abortion. ^[6]

Forbes became a target of the Republican party and activist liberal New York Democrats. They recruited a 71-year-old librarian, Regina Seltzer, to challenge Forbes in a Democratic primary. Seltzer won a court ruling halting state Democratic Party ads for Forbes.^[7]

Lost primary

Seltzer won the primary election by 35 votes after national and state Republicans funneled $250,000 to the Seltzer effort. Seltzer was then defeated by Republican Felix Grucci in the November election. Grucci served a single term in Congress. He was defeated in 2002 by Democrat Tim Bishop, who served until 2015.

Later career

Forbes is married to Barbara Forbes and has four children and five grandchildren. In recent years, Forbes has worked in public relations, opening his own firm. He also has blogged for the Huffington Post.^[8] He also went through years of formation and theological study to become a Permanent Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church. He was ordained clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin by Bishop Joe S. Vasquez on April 13, 2013. He serves at Saint William Catholic Church. ^[9]

References

Biographies

• Michael Forbes at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Michael P. Forbes Biography at jhu.edu

Party switch

• Rep. Michael Forbes May Switch Parties
• Parties Switched and Friends Lost, but No Regrets

Lost primary

• New Tally Confirms an Upset in Primary