Mark Critz
Mark Critz (b. January 5, 1962) was a member of the U.S House representing Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District from 2011-2013. Critz was first elected in 2010, and ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 2012, losing narrowly to challenger Keith Rothfus, a Republican, in the general election on November 6, 2012.[1]
In the 2012 primary, Critz defeated Jason Altmire for the Democratic nomination in a race rated by Politico as one of the year's five ugliest member vs. member battles.[2]
Critz ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in 2014 but lost in the primary.[3]
Biography
Critz is a native of Irwin, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1987 and then worked as an aide to the late Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) for more than ten years - first as Director of Economic Development, then as District director. After Murtha's death, Critz ran for, and won the seat in a special election in May 2010. He was elected later that year for a full two-year term.[4]
Career
- 1987: Graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pa.
- 1998-2010: Aide to United States Representative John Patrick Murtha, Jr.
- 2010-2013: U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
- Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
- Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
Issues
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Critz voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats who voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[5]
Healthcare
Though he was not yet in Congress when the health care reform bill passed, Critz has stated that he would have voted against it.[6]
Jobs
Critz made job creation and fixing the economy top priorities. He advocated improving schools and job training, providing tax credits to small businesses, ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, and cutting taxes for the middle class.[7]
Energy
Critz supported the coal industry, and a national energy strategy that included domestic drilling. Critz also opposed Cap and Trade, though he did support investing in alternative energy.[8]
2012 Election
Ballot challenge
Because of redistricting, Critz faced fellow incumbent Rep. Jason Altmire (D) in the April 24, 2012, Democratic primary. The race was one of the most competitive primary races of this cycle. Critz initially challenged Altmire's right to be on the primary ballot. Candidates are required to file 1,000 valid signatures for their petitions. Altmire filed only 1,651 signatures, while candidates usually file at least twice the required amount. The Critz team argued that one of Altmire's junior staffers lives outside the district where she collected signatures, thus violating Pennsylvania law.[9]
On March 5, however, a Pennsylvania judge ruled against Critz, allowing Altmire to stay on the ballot. After the ruling, Altmire accused Critz of lowering himself to the tactics of a "prom king."[10]
Endorsements
"Honesty" |
- Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA)
- Pennsylvania AFL- CIO[13]
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)[14]
- The Beaver-Lawrence Central Labor Council[15]
- Allegheny County Labor Council
- Greater Westmoreland County Labor Council
- International Association of Fire Fighters
- Service Employees International Union
- United Steelworkers
- United Transportation Union
Ads
On March 22, 2012, it was reported that the Critz campaign had purchased a significant media buy of about $500,000 in the Pittsburgh market and $100,000 in the Johnstown market. Critz was expected to run ads until the primary election, including some negative spots against Altmire.[16]
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Ad controversy
Some House Democrats expressed frustration with an Altmire ad that attacked Critz for failing to "stand up to the Tea Party" on the conservative budget proposal. Some lawmakers viewed the ad as a distortion because in reality, Critz voted "present" with party leaders, instead of "no." House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Reps. Robert Brady (D-PA) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) all publicly defended Critz against the ad. “Manipulating those issues is a disservice to our party and certainly inaccurate about Mark,” said Schakowsky.
In defending the ad, Altmire told The Hill newspaper, “It’s 100 percent accurate. My ad says he did not vote against the Tea Party budget, and he didn’t. ...No. It’s not technically correct. It’s 100 percent correct. My ad says he didn’t vote against the Tea Party budget. He didn’t. Thank you, good talking to you." Before, Critz had said that he would endorse Altmire if he won the primary. Now, that may change. "It’s this Medicare ad,” said Critz. “I’m very frustrated by that, because it’s very misleading. And for him to pick that issue and turn it into a negative ad upsets me because it really undermines what we’re trying to do as a party to protect Medicare. It angers me.”[19]
Polls
2012 General Election
Mark Critz vs. Keith Rothfus | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Mark Critz (D) | Keith Rothfus (R) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
Democratic Poll (September 23-25, 2012) | 52% | 41% | 7% | +/-4.9 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
McLaughlin & Associates Poll (September 19-20, 2012) | 38% | 38% | 24% | +/-4.9 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
Benson Strategy Group Poll (July 9-11, 2012) | 44% | 38% | 18% | +/-4.9 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
PoliticsPA (June 13-15, 2012) | 46% | 36% | 18% | +/-4.9 | 402 | ||||||||||||||
AVERAGES | 45% | 38.25% | 16.75% | +/-4.9 | 400.5 | ||||||||||||||
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
2012 Democratic Primary Polls
Jason Altmire vs. Mark Critz | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Jason Altmire (D) | Mark Critz (D) | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||||
[1] (January 10-15, 2012) | 50% | 43% | +/-4.4 | 503 | |||||||||||||||
[2] (February 2-5, 2012) | 47% | 37% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
[3] (March 12-14, 2012) | 55% | 31% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
[4] (March 22-25, 2012) | 45% | 38% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
[5] (April 13-15, 2012) | 43% | 39% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||||||
AVERAGES | 48% | 37.6% | +/-4.8 | 420.6 | |||||||||||||||
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
Elections
2014
Critz announced on August 15, 2013, that he would run for office as Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in 2014. He failed to win the Democratic nomination in the primary on May 20, 2014.[3]
Before entering the race for lt. governor, Critz had seriously considered a bid to re-claim the U.S. House seat which he narrowly lost to Keith Rothfus in the 2012 elections.[20]
Results
Critz lost to Mike Stack in the primary.
Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
![]() |
46.8% | 351,627 | ||
Mark Critz | 15.9% | 119,334 | ||
Mark Smith | 14.6% | 109,519 | ||
Brad Koplinski | 11.9% | 89,524 | ||
Brandon Neuman | 10.8% | 81,438 | ||
Total Votes | 751,442 | |||
Election results via Pennsylvania Department of State. |
Endorsements
Race background
On February 26, 2013, PoliticsPA and The Hill previewed three 2014 House races in Pennsylvania which showed competitive promise because of a number of predictive factors, such as open seats, high stakes primary challenges and/or vulnerability to partisan switch. Pennsylvania's 12th is a traditionally Democratic district; however, recent years have seen its borders redrawn and it has become more Republican. In 2012, fallout from 2010 redistricting dovetailed with a strong turnout for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, paved the way for Republican challenger Keith Rothfus to oust Democratic incumbent Rep. Mark Critz in the general election.
Fresh off his successful challenge, Rothfus (R) was expected to face Critz in a re-match in 2014. Critz lost by a margin of four percentage points, while President Barack Obama lost the district vote by a much wider margin of 17 percentage points. Thus many Democrats, viewing Critz as a casualty of sharing the ticket with Obama in 2012, were optimistic about their party's chances for re-claiming the seat with Critz on board.[23] Critz announced on August 15, 2013, that he would run for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in 2014 instead.[3]
2012
Critz ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Pennsylvania's 12th District. He defeated Jason Altmire in the April 24 Democratic primary and lost to Republican Keith Rothfus in the November 6 general election.[24]
Politico rated the 12th District race between Critz and Jason Altmire one of the five ugliest member vs. member battles.[25]
The Washington Post listed the House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania in 2012 as one of the 10 states that could determine whether Democrats would retake the House or Republicans would hold their majority in 2013.[26] Ohio tied with Pennsylvania for 9th on the list.[26] Critz was considered one the vulnerable incumbents.[27]
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mark Critz Incumbent | 48.3% | 163,589 | |
Republican | ![]() |
51.7% | 175,352 | |
Total Votes | 338,941 | |||
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" |
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
---|---|---|
![]() |
51.2% | 32,384 |
Jason Altmire Incumbent | 48.8% | 30,895 |
Total Votes | 63,279 |
2010
On November 2, 2010, Critz won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Tim Burns in the general election.[29]
2010 Special Election
On May 18, 2010, Critz won election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Tim Burns and Demo Agoris in the general election.[30]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Analysis
Political positions
Voting Record
A February 2012 analysis by National Journal found that out of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, Critz ranks number 169 in liberal rankings. The ranking means that out of the 192 Democrats in the House, Critz is the 169th most liberal member.[31]
Bill sponsorship
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Critz was a "centrist Democratic follower."[32]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Critz paid his congressional staff a total of $917,219 in 2011. Overall, Pennsylvania ranked 34th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[33]
Staff bonuses
According to an analysis by CNN, Critz was one of nearly 25 percent of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Critz's staff was given an apparent $25,166.52 in bonus money.[34]
Net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Critz's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $235,017 to $750,000. That averages to $429,508.50 which was lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[35]
National Journal vote rankings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.In 2012, Critz ranked 166th among Democratic Representatives in the liberal rankings in 2011.[36][37]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.In 2011, Critz ranked 169th among Democratic members of the U.S. House in the liberal rankings in 2011.[38]
Voting with party
Mark Critz voted with the Democratic Party 73.8 percent of the time, which ranked 177 among the 192 House Democratic members as of December 2011.[39]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Mark Critz is married to Nancy. They have 2 children.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Mark + Critz + Pennsylvania + Lieutenant + Governor"
See also
External links
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "2012 House Race Results," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Congress 2012: The 5 ugliest member vs. member battles" accessed April 18, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Sentinel, "ex-Rep. Mark Critz seeking Dem nod for lieutenant governor," August 15, 2013 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; name "ltgov14" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Official campaign website, "About Mark" accessed March 22, 2012
- ↑ U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "Dem Critz holds Murtha's Pa. seat" accessed April 7, 2012
- ↑ Campaign website, "Creating Jobs" accessed April 7, 2012
- ↑ Campaign website, "Protecting and Creating Western Pennsylvania Energy Jobs" accessed April 7, 2012
- ↑ Roll Call, "Pennsylvania: Court Hearing Friday on Mark Critz’s Ballot Challenge" accessed March 22, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Jason Altmire wins, calls Mark Critz tactics like ‘prom king’" accessed March 22, 2012
- ↑ PoliticsPA, "NRA Backs Critz," October 8, 2012
- ↑ PoliticsPA "Breaking: Clinton Backs Critz" accessed April 12, 2012
- ↑ Keystone Politics, "AFL-CIO Joins Chorus Attacking Altmire’s Attack Ad" accessed March 29, 2012
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Early Returns" accessed March 22, 2012
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Early Returns" accessed March 22, 2012
- ↑ PoliticsPA "Critz Goes All In" accessed March 22, 2012
- ↑ PoliticsPA "Critz TV Ad Goes Negative a Teensy Bit (With Video)" accessed March 28, 2012
- ↑ PoliticsPA "New Critz Ad Hits Back Against Altmire" accessed April 3, 2012
- ↑ The Hill, "Altmire ads unfair, say Dem colleagues" accessed April 20, 2012
- ↑ The Hill, "Source: Former Rep. Mark Critz wants to run again," February 26, 2013
- ↑ Keystone Politics, "Steelworkers Endorse Mark Critz for Lieutenant Governor," October 3, 2013
- ↑ Politics PA, "Critz Endorsed by Building & Construction Council," December 9, 2013
- ↑ The Hill, "Source: Former Rep. Mark Critz wants to run again," February 26, 2013
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2012 General Primary Unofficial Returns," April 24, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "Congress 2012: The 5 ugliest member vs. member battles" accessed April 18, 2012
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Washington Post, "The 10 states that will determine control of the House in 2012," accessed April 25, 2012
- ↑ New York Times"House Race Ratings" accessed October 3
- ↑ Pennsylvania Secretary of State 2012 Official Primary Results
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ North Carolina Secretary of State, "Official Returns" accessed March 22, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House" accessed February 24, 2012
- ↑ GovTrack, "Critz" accessed May 23, 2012
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Mark Critz," accessed September 24, 2012
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Congressional bonuses in a time of cuts," accessed March 8, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Mark Critz (D-Pa), 2010," accessed September 24, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 21, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Conservative Scores by Issue Area," February 21, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by John Murtha |
U.S. House of Representatives - Pennsylvania District 12 2010–2013 |
Succeeded by Keith Rothfus (R) |