- Jim Himes
-
The Honorable
James A. Himes
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's 4th districtIncumbent Assumed office
January 3, 2009Preceded by Chris Shays Personal details Born July 5, 1966
Lima, PeruNationality American Political party Democratic Party Spouse(s) Mary Himes Residence Greenwich, Connecticut Alma mater Harvard University (B.A., 1988)
Oxford University (M.Phil., 1990)Profession Affordable housing executive Religion Presbyterian Website Congressman Jim Himes James A. "Jim" Himes (born July 5, 1966) is an American businessman and U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 4th congressional district, serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district incorporates portions of Fairfield and New Haven counties in southwestern Connecticut, including the cities of Bridgeport and Stamford.
Contents
Early life and education
Himes was born July 5, 1966 in Lima, Peru,[1] to American parents, where his father worked for the Ford Foundation[2] and UNICEF.[3] He spent his early childhood in Lima and Bogotá, Colombia.[2] After the divorce of his parents, Himes, his mother, and his two sisters moved to Pennington, New Jersey,[2][4] where Himes attended and graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School.[3]
In 1984,[citation needed] Himes attended Harvard University where he was the captain of the Lightweight crew and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1988.[1] Himes studied for a degree in Latin American studies as a Rhodes scholar at the University of Oxford,[2] and graduated with a Master of Philosophy in 1990.[1]
Professional career
In 1995, Himes began working at Goldman Sachs as a banker in Latin America and New York. He was eventually promoted to vice president. In 2003, Himes began working for the non-profit Enterprise Foundation (currently Enterprise Community Partners), and later began running their metropolitan New York operations. In 2007, he was named vice president of Enterprise.
Himes was appointed a Commissioner of the Greenwich Housing Authority in 2002, and served for two years as chairman of the board. He has also served as a board member of Aspira of Connecticut in Bridgeport, a board member of the Fairfield County Community Foundation, and as an advisory board member of Family Assets, LLp of Bridgeport.
He was also an elected member of the Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation and served as the Chairman of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee.[5]
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments
Issues
Abortion
Planned Parenthood gives Himes a 100% pro choice rating[6]. He voted against the Stupak-Pitts Amendment in the Affordable Health Care for America Act that was intended to prevent any federal funds from paying for any health care plan with abortion coverage[7][8].
Defense
Himes states that “we should reduce our presence in Afghanistan as rapidly as possible and reshape our mission to focus exclusively on counterterrorism”, yet requiring “presence in the region, but one considerably smaller than that required by our present strategy of nation-building.”[9] He believes in a nuclear weapon free world, and readily supports sanctions against Iran. He voted for the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010.[9]He supports a two state solution between Israel and Palestine. [9]
Education
Himes believes that early childhood education is “the most intelligent investment a nation can make in its future”, and voted to double funding for Early Head Start Program[10]. He stated in 2008 that No Child Left Behind “is well-intentioned because it focuses on education, but it must be reformed.”[11] Rep. Himes also co-authored an amendment to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act that promoted the financial literacy of students.[12]
Environment
Environment America has given Himes a 100% rating, indicating his strong support for the environment.[13] He believes that “By creating the right set of financial incentives and supporting a broad range of research and development, we can deliver the energy our economy requires to thrive while protecting our planet.”[14] He also voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act[8].
Gun Rights
Himes voted against H.R. 627 which allowed loaded guns into national parks[8]. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gives him a 100% lifetime score for his support of more gun regulations[15].
Health Care
Himes supports the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He believes in preserving Medicare and Medicaid and says we must be “prepared to equitably reform these programs to address the challenging problem of rising health care costs and ensure that these important safety net programs are here to help this generation and the next.”[16]
Transportation
=Himes co-sponsored H.R. 402, The National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2011, which would objectively fund national infrastructure projects. According to Himes it would also “attract private investment and facilitate private sector partnering with regions, states and localities to borrow from the Bank while adding its own private equity to projects.”[17] He has helped bring money to the 4th district, such as “over $70 million for safety improvements, resurfacing, enhancements, and bridge improvements to the Merritt Parkway; over $11 million for infrastructure improvements at the Steel Point project in Bridgeport that will generate thousands of new jobs; and $30 million for upgrades to Metro North’s Danbury Branch line.”[17]
Animal Rights and Wildlife Issues
In 2009-2010 the Society for Animal Protective legislation gave Himes a rating of 100% on his support of animal protection. In 2009, Himes was given a rating of 100% by the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund due to his position on wildlife action. [18]
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
In 2009-2010 the Human Rights Campaign gave Himes a rating of 100% due to his stance on human rights and liberties. This rating also extends to his position on sexual orientation and gender identity. [19]
Immigration
In 2009-2010 the American Immigration Lawyers Association gave Himes a rating of 100% due to his stance on the defense of immigrants in the U.S. [20]
Political campaigns
2008
Main article: Connecticut's 4th congressional district election, 2008In 2008 Himes faced the ten-term Republican incumbent Chris Shays in the 2008 congressional election, along with Libertarian nominee M.A.Carrano, a professional philosophy writer and systems consultant, and Green Party nominee Richard Duffee. Winning by a margin of 51 percent to 47 percent.[2], although Himes claimed only three towns in the district, he swamped Shays in Bridgeport, winning a staggering 83 percent of the vote there.[21] He was also helped by Barack Obama's massive win in that district.
Himes took office in the 111th United States Congress on January 6, 2009. He is the first Democrat to represent the district since Donald J. Irwin left office in 1969. Shays was the sole Republican congressman from New England, and Himes' win made New England's House delegation entirely Democratic for the first time in 150 years.
2010
See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2010#District 4In the 2010 election, Himes won re-election against Republican challenger State Senator Dan Debicella.[22]
Campaign Finance 2010
The campaign raised $3,660,497.57, $3,603,727 of which was spent.[23] Only 4% of that came from small individual donors, while 60% came from large individual donors. The remaining donations came mostly from Political Action Committees (34%). He did not self-finance at all. [23] His top contributor was General Electric with $57,550. Two through five respectively were Goldman Sachs, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Pullman & Comley.[23]The majority of his money, 74%, came from in-state. Only 26% came from out of state.[23]Rep. Himes disclosed 97.9% of his donations.[23]
Personal life
Himes currently lives in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich with his wife, Mary, and their two daughters. He is fluent in Spanish.[24] He is also a Member of Session of the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich.[24]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Himes, James A.". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H001047. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
- ^ a b c d e Halbfinger, David M. (2008-11-09). "‘Bullheaded’ and a Rhodes Scholar, and Now Headed to Capitol Hill". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/nyregion/10himes.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
- ^ a b Congressman Jim Himes : Biography
- ^ "Himes Reaches Out to War-Weary Republicans", Jim Himes for Congress. Accessed February 15, 2011. "He was raised by "a working single mom" in the small town of Pennington, N.J., and attended 'a decent public school.' When he brought home an A minus, his mother would ask, 'What went wrong?'"
- ^ Officers | Greenwich Democrats[dead link]
- ^ Planned Parenthood Action
- ^ Congressional Record
- ^ a b c Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives
- ^ a b c Rep. Himes' Platform: Defense
- ^ Rep. Himes' Platform: Education
- ^ Vote Smart Project: Stamford Advocate
- ^ Thomas, Library of Congress
- ^ Environment America
- ^ Rep. Himes' Platform: Energy and Environment
- ^ Vote Smart Project: Brady Campaign Evaluation
- ^ Rep. Himes' Platform: Health Care
- ^ a b Rep. Himes' Platform: Transportation
- ^ http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/106744/jim-himes
- ^ http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/106744/jim-himes
- ^ http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/106744/jim-himes
- ^ Elections Results from the Connecticut Secretary of State
- ^ AP Election Results - Courant.com
- ^ a b c d e OpenSecrets.org
- ^ a b [1][dead link]
External links
- Congressman Jim Himes official U.S. House site
- Jim Himes, Democrat for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
Chris ShaysMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's 4th congressional district
2009–presentIncumbent United States order of precedence Preceded by
Martin Heinrich
D-New MexicoUnited States Representatives by seniority
310thSucceeded by
Duncan D. Hunter
R-CaliforniaCategories:- 1966 births
- Alumni of the University of Oxford
- American Presbyterians
- American Rhodes scholars
- Connecticut Democrats
- Goldman Sachs people
- Harvard University alumni
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut
- People from Pennington, New Jersey
- Peruvian emigrants to the United States
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