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Nick Rahall
Ranking Member of the House Transportation Committee
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	John Mica
Succeeded by	Peter DeFazio
Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Richard Pombo
Succeeded by	Doc Hastings
Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	George Miller
Succeeded by	Don Young
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Ken Hechler
Succeeded by	Evan Jenkins
Constituency	4th district (1977–1993) 3rd district (1993–2015)
Personal details
Born	Nicholas Joseph Rahall II (1949-05-20) May 20, 1949 (age 75) Beckley, West Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Melinda Rahall (Second wife)
Education	Duke University (BA) George Washington University
Nick Rahall's voice Rahall speaks on the 2006 Sago Mine disaster Recorded February 8, 2006

Nicholas Joseph Rahall II (/reɪˈhɑːl/ RAY-hall; born May 20, 1949) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2015. He is the longest-serving member ever of the United States House of Representatives from the state of West Virginia.

He began his political service in the early 1970s working in the cloak room of the U.S. Senate, as a staff member in the Senate Office of the Majority Whip from 1971–1974, and as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1972 and 1976. He was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976 to represent the now-defunct 4th congressional district. He became the representative for the 3rd congressional district when reapportionment was completed following the 1990 census. He was re-elected for nineteen terms, serving from January 3, 1977 to January 3, 2015.

His district included the southern, coal-dominated portion of the state, including Huntington, Bluefield, and Beckley. Rahall was the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Rahall lost re-election in 2014 to Evan Jenkins. As of 2024, he is the last Democrat to have represented West Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Early life, education, and early career

Rahall was born in Beckley, West Virginia, the son of Mary Alice and Nicholas Joseph Rahall. He is a Presbyterian of Lebanese Protestant descent, whose grandparents immigrated from Lebanon.

His family owned radio station WWNR, which his father started with his uncles Farris, Sam, and Deem, and expanded to own other radio stations in a number of states.

Rahall graduated in 1971 from Duke University. He attended graduate school at the George Washington University, but did not graduate. He then worked as a sales rep for his family's radio station, WWNR. He served as president of the Mountaineer Tour and Travel Agency in 1974, and was president of West Virginia Broadcasting.

He went to work as staff assistant for the late U.S. Senator Robert Byrd who he identifies as a mentor.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

1970s–90s

Rahall was elected to Congress in 1976 in the 4th district, succeeding Ken Hechler who ran for governor. Rahall won the district primary with a plurality of 38%. Hechler lost the primary for governor, and attempted a write-in campaign for the congressional seat. Rahall won the general election with 46% of the vote, while Hechler got 37%.

In 1978, Hechler challenged Rahall in the Democratic primary, and Rahall won with 56% of the vote. He was re-elected 17 times. Hechler later became the West Virginia Secretary of State, and ran against Rahall in the primary in 1990. Rahall defeated him, receiving 57% of the vote.

In 1990, Rahall defeated Republican insurance agent Marianne Brewster with just 52% of the vote, the second-lowest winning percentage of his career. The district was redrawn after the 1990 census, becoming the 3rd district, due to changes to the state's population.

2010

In 2010, he defeated Republican former State Supreme Court Justice Spike Maynard with 56% of the vote, his lowest percentage since 1990.

2012

In the 2012 election, Rahall defeated Republican Rick Snuffer with 53.5% of the vote. His eight-point margin of victory was his narrowest since 1990.

2014

In 2014, Rahall faced a primary challenge from fellow Democrat and retired Army officer Richard Ojeda. Rahall won the primary with 66.4% of the vote.

He faced Republican State Senator Evan Jenkins in the November general election. Jenkins had served in the state legislature for 20 years as a Democrat, but had switched parties. Jenkins and Rahall had contributed to each other's campaigns in the decade's previous election cycles.

Rahall was considered one of the most "endangered" House Democrats by the House Democratic campaign committee. He received an endorsement from the NRA.

As of September 18, 2014, the race was rated a "toss up" by both University of Virginia political professor Larry Sabato, of Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Stu Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report. As of October 2, managing editor Kyle Kondik of Sabato's Crystal Ball said the race was still a toss-up, calling it "Super close, super expensive and super nasty." The Rahall campaign outspent the Jenkins campaign in the election by a two-to-one ratio.

Ultimately, Rahall was defeated, with 44.7% of the vote to Jenkins' 55.3% of the vote. In the process, he lost a number of areas that had reliably supported him for years.

Having served 19 terms in the House, the 65-year-old Rahall qualified for a Congressional pension of about $139,000 a year.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials

Political issues

Mining

In 2010 Rahall introduced legislation to improve mine safety. Rahall opposed legislation designed to end mountaintop removal mining, a process often used in West Virginia.

Rahall's policies involving mountaintop removal mining have been criticized as reflected by author and journalist Jeff Biggers in "The Blog" in The Huffington Post, with the link between mountaintop removal mining and flooding, as well as the billions of pounds of explosives used since 2004, being given as examples.

Environmental issues

Rahall accepts anthropogenic climate change as real and has stated that to reject the scientific consensus regarding it is "to just put your head in the sand."

Rahall called the Environmental Protection Agency "callous", attacked Barack Obama's greenhouse gas rule as "disastrous", and filed legislation to block the president's climate agenda, but in the summer of 2013 he attended a ceremony to rename the EPA headquarters and has praised EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. Rahall, alongside three other Democrats, supported a GOP bill that would limit EPA authority on CO₂ emissions, the Energy Tax Prevention Act. He commented on this, saying: "I am dead set against the E.P.A.'s plowing ahead on its own with new regulations to limit greenhouse gases." He also voted against the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

In 2007, Rahall introduced the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which banned incandescent light bulbs. Despite introducing the legislation, Rahall voted against the bill on final passage. As a result of the legislation, as of January 1, 2014, incandescent light bulbs between 40 watts and 150 watts are illegal to manufacture or import.

In 2013, Rahall voted for the Progressive Caucus's budget, which included provisions for a carbon tax. The budget failed to pass.

Foreign policy

Rahall and another Congressman of Arab descent traveled to Syria and ignored State Department policy by meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whom Rahall had known for years. Queen Noor of Jordan presented Rahall with the first Najeeb Halaby Award for public service.

Rahall opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Rahall had traveled to Baghdad just before the Iraq War with the intention of convincing Iraqi leaders to allow the U.N. to inspect Iraq's weapons and have access to every site. He said that Tariq Aziz had accepted all of Bush's demands, and that "Bush said the war was not inevitable, but we now know that wasn't true. Iraqis did allow for complete access but Bush's mind was already made up. Iraqis were damned if they did and damned if they didn't .... We were falsely led into this war."

In 2004, it was reported that Rahall feared that Syria would be attacked by Bush before the November elections. He said that "They're using the same rhetoric against the Syrians they used against Iraqis.... We now have the Syrian Accountability Act. All this despite the State Department's admission that Syria helped us capture key al-Qaeda operatives and helped save American lives." As for Saudi Arabia, Rahall said that the U.S. "wouldn't dare" attack that country: "The Kingdom has been a key ally for decades."

Israel

Rahall has expressed concern about America's relationship with Israel. He said, "Israel can't continue to occupy, humiliate and destroy the dreams and spirits of the Palestinian people and continue to call itself a democratic state."

Rahall, along with other Lebanese-American lawmakers, expressed concern with a bipartisan resolution supporting Israel in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict without adding language urging restraint against civilian targets. He helped draft a resolution that urged "all parties to protect innocent life and civilian infrastructure."

Rahall was the only member of the House to oppose the 1993 resolution urging Arab states to end their Arab boycott of Israel.

Rahall was the most senior of five Arab American lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Endorsement of Barack Obama

In 2008, Rahall endorsed Barack Obama, saying Obama understood the needs and aspirations of West Virginians. He was also Chair of the Arab Americans for Obama group. Explaining his position, Rahall cited Senator Byrd, who said "I work for no President. I work with Presidents." In an interview with Keith Olbermann, Rahall said that Obama had the courage and conviction to win the presidency, and that the then-senator was a true agent for change.

Ethical issues

In 2004, the Los Angeles Times ran an article about Rahall and his sister, lobbyist Tanya Rahall. They reported that she made $15,000 per month as a lobbyist for Qatar, and that "the person she frequently lobbies is ... her older brother and one of Qatar's biggest champions in Washington." Rahall said "our paths cross professionally, but not across any lines appropriately established by law or House rules." In May 2003, a year after his sister took on Qatar as a client, Rahall sponsored a resolution praising Qatar's "years of democratic reform"; according to one academic study from 2011, "For over three years, the country virtually had its own congressman in Washington, Nick Rahall (D-WV)".

In February 2005, Rahall used Congressional stationery to write a letter to a Fairfax County judge, David Stitt, asking for leniency for his son, Nick Rahall III, who was facing felony robbery charges. According to the House ethics manual: "Official stationery ... may be used only for official purposes." Rahall acknowledged that he should not have used Congressional stationery for his letter, but said it was not the same type that he uses for official or committee business. Rahall added he may have drawn the wrong paper "n the emotions", and that he would reimburse the Treasury Department for the cost of the paper. The United States House Committee on Ethics did not launch an inquiry into the incident.

Rahall was one of seven Democrats and twelve Republicans listed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in its annual "Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report" in 2011. Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director, said: "Rep. Rahall abused his position to help his son and sister in clear violation of the House ethics rules." Rahall's spokeswoman said: "There is as little merit to these allegations today as there was then."

Electoral history

Personal life

Rahall and his second wife, Melinda Ross of Ashland, Kentucky, married in 2004. They have three children from his previous marriage, and three grandchildren.

In 2008, Rahall appeared on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives which featured Hillbilly Hot Dogs of Lesage, West Virginia. Rahall introduced the hot dog that's named after him on the menu, Rahall's Red Hot Weenie.

In July 2009, Rahall jumped out of a plane to show his support for the coal industry. The event was intended to show the importance of the coal industry to both West Virginia and the United States as a whole. The act confused some, who questioned the reasoning behind the jump. It was noted that Rahall is involved with coal lobbyists and also receives contributions from the airline industry.

After leaving office, he became involved in political reform efforts, including joining nine other former members of Congress to co-author a 2021 opinion editorial advocating reforms of Congress.

See also

• List of Arab and Middle-Eastern Americans in the United States Congress

References

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9. Kristina Peterson (August 8, 2013). "Some Democrats Waver on Immigration". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
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11. Mannix Porterfield (January 17, 2012). "Former W.Va. governor Hulett Smith passes at 93". Register Herald. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
12. "WWNR". Beckley Post-Herald; The Raleigh Register from Beckley, West Virginia. November 14, 1971. p. 26. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
13. "Nick Rahall for The United States House of Representatives WV3". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
14. "Congressional Directory for the 113th Congress (2013–14), February 2014". U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 289–90. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
15. ^ Martinson, Erica (June 26, 2014). "Coal fires up West Virginia House race". Politico.
16. Huber, Tim (October 26, 2010). "Rahall, Maynard spar in debate". Herald Dispatch.
17. "WV District 4 – D Primary Race – May 11, 1976". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
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20. "Candidate – Nick Joe Rahall II". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
21. "WV District 4 – D Primary Race". Our Campaigns. May 8, 1990. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
22. "Final election results: Pennsylvania through Wyoming (including U.S. territories)". USA TODAY. November 8, 1990. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012.
23. "WV District 4 Race – Nov 6, 1990". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
24. Workman, Jim (November 3, 2010). "Rahall is elected to 18th straight term in Congress". The Register-Herald. Beckley, WV. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
25. Joshua Miller (October 18, 2011). "Snuffer Moves Toward Bid for Rahall Seat". Roll Call. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
26. "West Virginia Congressional District 3 election results". Decision 2012. NBC News. December 2, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
27. Justin Sink (January 18, 2014). "Manchin's State of Union guest to challenge Rep. Nick Rahall". The Hill. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
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29. Jim Workman (May 13, 2014). "Rahall, Jenkins set to face off in 3rd District Congressional Race". West Virginia Illustrated. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
30. Boucher, Dave (July 30, 2013). "Nick Rahall, Evan Jenkins contributed to each other's campaigns". Charleston Daily Mail. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
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46. ^ Hanley, Delinda (June 2004). "Congressman Nick Rahall Assesses Impact Of Iraq and Israel on U.S. Elections". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. pp. 29, 59. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
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48. ^ Neubauer, Chuck (June 17, 2004). "A Sibling Symbiosis in the Capitol; A lobbyist for Qatar is sister to a congressman who is a key advocate for the Arab monarchy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
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56. "Democrat Nick Rahall misused official stationery". Associated Press. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
57. "Rahall Admits to Using Congressional Stationary to ask Judge for Favor". WSAZ News Channel 3. August 12, 2010. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
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60. "Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) Named One of the Most Corrupt Members of Congress". 2011. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
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66. "About Nick Rahall – Nick Rahall for U.S. Congress". nickrahall.com. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
67. Lavender, Dave (October 29, 2008). "Hillbilly Hot Dogs owners featured in host's cookbook and best of episode". Herald-Dispatch (Huntington, WV). Retrieved May 23, 2014.
68. "Nick Rahall Jumps From a Plane for Coal. Here's Why". Washington Independent. July 20, 2009. Archived from the original on August 28, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
69. Goldstein, Katherine (August 20, 2009). "Rep. Nick Rahall Jumps Out Of A Plane For The Coal Lobby". The Huffington Post.
70. "We Know Congress Needs Reform". West Virginia Gazette. August 13, 2021.

External links

• West Virginia & Regional History Center at West Virginia University, Congressman Nick J. Rahall II papers
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN

v t e Chairs of the United States House Committee on Natural Resources
Gregg Boyle Gregg Boyle Morrow McKee Robertson Poindexter Anderson Rankin Scott Isacks Wickliffe Clay Boon Casey Corwin Mason Morrow Johnson Morrow Chapman Morrow Davis McClernand Collamer Bowlin Hall Disney Bennett W. Cobb Thayer Potter Julian Ketcham Townsend Sayler Morrison Converse Pound T. Cobb Holman Payson McRae Lacey Mondell J. T. Robinson Ferris Sinnott Colton Evans De Rouen J. W. Robinson Peterson Welch Somers Peterson Murdock A. Miller Engle Aspinall Haley Udall G. Miller Young Hansen Pombo Rahall Hastings Bishop Grijalva Westerman

v t e Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia
1st district	Blair C. Hubbard Duval J. J. Davis B. Wilson Goff Pendleton Atkinson Pendleton Dovener W. Hubbard J. W. Davis Neely Rosenbloom Bachmann Ramsay Schiffler Ramsay Schiffler Neely Love Ramsay R. Mollohan Moore R. Mollohan A. Mollohan McKinley C. Miller
2nd district	Brown Sr. Latham Kitchen McGrew Hagans Faulkner Martin Hoge W. Wilson Dayton T. Davis Sturgiss Brown Jr. Bowers Allen Bowman Randolph M. Snyder Staggers Sr. Benedict Staggers Jr. Wise Capito Mooney Moore (elect)
3rd district	Whaley Polsley Witcher Hereford Kenna C. Snyder Alderson Huling Dorr Johnston Gaines Littlepage Avis Littlepage Reed Wolverton O'Brien Wolverton Hornor Edmiston Rohrbough Bailey Rohrbough Bailey Slack Hutchinson Staton Wise Rahall Jenkins C. Miller
4th district	Gibson C. Hogg Jackson C. Smith Capehart W. Miller Freer Hughes Woodyard Hamilton Moss Woodyard Johnson Woodyard Hughes R. Hogg Johnson Ellis Burnside Neal Burnside Neal Hechler Rahall
5th district	Hughes Cooper Goodykoontz Lilly Strother Shott John Kee E. Kee James Kee
6th district	Littlepage Echols Taylor England J. Smith Hedrick Byrd Slack
At-large	Sutherland

• 1949 births
• American politicians of Lebanese descent
• Presbyterians from West Virginia
• American radio executives
• Businesspeople from Beckley, West Virginia
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia
• Duke University alumni
• George Washington University alumni
• Lebanese Protestants
• Living people
• Middle Eastern Christians
• Politicians from Beckley, West Virginia
• Woodrow Wilson High School (Beckley, West Virginia) alumni
• 20th-century West Virginia politicians
• 21st-century West Virginia politicians
• 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives