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Peter Roskam
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2007–
Preceded byHenry Hyde
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseElizabeth Roskam

Peter James Roskam (born September 13 1961 in Hinsdale, Illinois), is a freshman Republican member of the United States House of Representatives as of 2007, succeeding 16-term Republican Henry Hyde in representing Illinois's 6th congressional district. In the 2006 November election, he was elected to congress defeating Democratic candidate and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth.

Roskam is a personal injury lawyer and a former member of the Illinois State Senate, representing Illinois' 48th District. Roskam is well known for his conservative politics.

Personal history

Roskam was born in Hinsdale, Illinois to Verlyn R. "Swede" and Martha (Jacobsen) Roskam. He was the fourth of five children and was raised in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, graduating from Glenbard West High School. Roskam received his B.A. in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

In 1984, Roskam taught history and government at All Saints High School in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. In 1985, Roskam served as a legislative assistant to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), and in 1986 as a legislative assistant to Rep. Hyde. In the late 1980s, Roskam served as the Executive Director of Educational Assistance Ltd., a scholarship program for disadvantaged children founded by his father in 1982. In 1992, Roskam was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, serving from 1993 to 1999. In 2000, he was appointed by DuPage County Republican leaders to replace the retiring Beverly Fawell in the Illinois State Senate where he served until his election to the US House of Representatives. Roskam resides in Wheaton, Illinois with his wife Elizabeth and their four children.

Roskam was a partner in the law firm Salvi, Roskam & Maher, a personal injury firm. He was named "Best Oral Advocate" by the American College of Trial Lawyers. The firm, now called Salvi & Maher, is politically notable because former Republican Senate candidate Al Salvi and former Republican House candidate Kathy Salvi are also partners in the firm. The Chicago Tribune noted that Roskam earned over $615,000 in 2005 as a personal injury trial lawyer.

Although never having served in the military himself, Roskam worked with his parents, to return 37 lost dog tags from the Vietnam War to military personnel or their surviving relatives.

Illinois General Assembly

Peter Roskam served in the Illinois General Assembly as State Representative from 1993 to 1998, and State Senator from 2000 to 2006. In the Senate Roskam served as the Republican Whip, the Republican spokesman on the Executive Committee, and a member of the Rules Committee, Environment and Energy Committee, Insurance and Pensions Committee, and Judiciary Committee. In the Senate Roskam has sponsored legislation giving the Supreme Court of Illinois authority to reverse a death penalty sentence, has sponsored legislation increasing the penalties for repeat D.U.I. offenders, and was the lead sponsor of a law to maintain courts' power to hold deadbeat parents in contempt to ensure child support. Roskam has authored or co-authored fourteen bills to cut taxes.

On another occasion in 1998, when Al Salvi was running for Illinois Secretary of State, Roskam asked the Illinois Comptroller's office for a list of state employees. At the time, Roskam told the Chicago Tribune that the request was for personal use. However, Roskam gave the list to Salvi, who used the list to send numbered campaign fund-raising tickets to state employees. The numbering allowed the campaign to keep track of who contributed and who didn't.

In January 2005, Roskam fought amending the Illinois Human Rights Act to include sexual orientation on the grounds that it would require churches and religious organizations to hire homosexuals. However, the act contains an explicit exemption for churches and religious organizations. The Illinois Senate passed the amendment 30-27-1 and on January 1, 2006, Illinois became the 16th state to have such a law.

In November 2004, Roskam voted against State Comptroller Dan Hynes' proposal to fund stem cell research. Supporters of the bill argued that it could have enticed investment befitting the state economy. Roskam faced opposition from Republican State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, State Senator and DuPage County GOP Chairman Kirk Dillard, and Republican House Minority Leader Tom Cross. Major medical and educational institutions, such as Northwestern University, supported the proposal. The proposal was defeated 29-28-1 in the Illinois Senate.

Congressional service

Roskam serves on the House Financial Services Committee and sits on its subcommittees for Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises; Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology; and Oversight and Investigations.

Roskam's voting record may be found here.

Political positions

Education

In the 1990s, Roskam supported three different state legislative plans to remove books that some parents found objectionable from public schools: one to remove the textbook series Impressions that contained texts that were said to have themes of the occult, violence, witchcraft and disrespect for parental authority from Arlington Heights schools, another to remove any book that "expressly counsels for suicide," and a third to allow local juries to determine whether a book is obscene.

Gun politics

Roskam sponsored a bill in the state Senate which would have allowed retired military and police personnel to carry concealed weapons. He has gained the endorsement of the National Rifle Association (NRA), for being a supporter of gun rights. On July 15 2006, Roskam was the featured guest at a NRA support rally for him in Addison, Illinois.

While in the state Senate, Roskam sponsored gun legislation with two major components. One part called for the destruction of background check records within 90 days of a gun's purchase. The other part closed the so-called "gun show loophole" by requiring background checks on potential gun purchasers at gun shows. The Tribune noted that gun-control advocates were supportive of closing the gun-show loophole; however, Roskam received criticism from police for the proposed destruction of background check records. Police use those records to investigate straw purchasers who buy guns for criminals and to prepare themselves when serving a warrant or making an arrest at a home.

Immigration

Roskam supported the H.R. 4437 House bill on immigration reform. He has called the S. 2611 Senate bill, the "Ted Kennedy amnesty bill", and has opposed it as "making a mockery of the law". Roskam supports sending United States National Guard troops to the border and supports Republican House legislation to make illegal presence in the country a felony and require the building of fences along 700 miles of border. On October 26, Roskam appeared at a press conference with U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, who the Chicago Sun Times called "one of the most polarizing figures on the issue."

The Iraq War

On September 21 2006, Roskam said that the US should "stay the course" and that US troops should not return home until Iraq is safe. He criticized his opponent Tammy Duckworth's views on withdrawal, saying "the Sixth district is not a cut-and-run district." On October 23 2006, Roskam said it was a mistake the U.S. didn't go in with full force in Iraq. Later, Roskam expressed support for quarterly status reports to Congress on Iraqi troop training.

O'Hare Airport

Roskam opposes plans to expand O'Hare International Airport, and instead favors building a third regional airport in Chicago's southern suburbs. The expansion is opposed by a consortium of local communities and by congressman Jesse Jackson Jr and former representative Henry Hyde Many business groups, including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, support O'Hare expansion. Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, a Republican from Illinois, supports O'Hare expansion, as does the local Republican leadership from DuPage County.

Social Security and Medicare

On May 20, 2005, Roskam and six other Illinois senators missed a vote in the Illinois Senate on a non-binding resolution urging the United States Congress to protect Social Security and reject private accounts. The resolution passed 32-19-1, but no action was taken in the Illinois House. Roskam has said in a WBBM post debate press conference, "I am against privatizing Social Security, I am against raising taxes for Social Security benefits, and I'm against benefit reductions for Social Security.

According to a direct mailing by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Peter Roskam will protect Social Security by opposing any plans that reduce benefits. Roskam told The Hill that he opposes any measures that would add private savings accounts or slice up the current program to create a private account. However, Roskam responded to a National Taxpayers Union questionnaire stating he would "work and vote for Social Security Choice that will allow younger workers to have the choice of investing much of their Social Security taxes in regulated individual retirement accounts."

On January 12, 2007, Roskam voted along with the majority of his party against the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, which would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.

Stem-cell research

Roskam supports adult and umbilical cord stem cell research. Roskam has argued against embryonic stem cell research in the Illinois Senate, even if privately funded, and voted against the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act in Congress. Describing the issue in 2004, Roskam said, "You're being asked to take one human life and cast it aside for the benefit of another."

Taxes

Roskam advocates renewing the national 2003 tax cuts, and has sponsored or co-sponsored fourteen pieces of legislation for lower taxes, including child tax credits and reducing the income tax, and has stated support for a research and development tax credit. As an Illinois General Assembly legislator, Roskam authored and supported several pieces of tax reduction legislation. Americans for Tax Reform named Roskam "Hero of the Taxpayer" in 2005 for his opposition to HB-755 which would have raised income and sales taxes by 67% or nearly $7 billion.

Other positions

Peter Roskam opposes abortion except when the life of the mother is at risk, making no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. Roskam also supports the death penalty, opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions, and supports allowing the use of earmarks in federal budgeting.

Roskam named lawsuit reform as a top priority. During a 1995 push for tort reform in the Illinois General Assembly, Roskam voted for the reform measure despite promises to the contrary. Terrence Lavin, a member of the Illinois Bar Association who became its president in 2003, said that Al Salvi and Roskam promised, "We will never, ever vote for tort reform", when they solicited a $25,000 donation to a political action committee. Roskam later reimbursed much of the money collected after he voted to support the reforms. During the 2006 campaign, Roskam was accused by Duckworth's campaign manager, Jon Carson of soliciting frivolous lawsuits via his Yellow Pages ads.

Roskam supports CAFTA. In 2005, Roskam received a 67% rating from the Illinois Environmental Council. In 2004 he scored 100%, while in 2003 he scored 40%. In November 2006, Roskam expressed opposition to raising the national minimum wage from $5.15 per hour, referring to possible effect on small businesses, and voted against a bill to increase the national minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour over two years in Congress.

1998 Congressional campaign

Roskam ran for Congress in 1998 in Illinois' 13th Congressional District (Map) to replace retiring Congressman Harris W. Fawell, but lost in the Republican primary to Judy Biggert. Roskam received 40% of the vote to Biggert's 45%.

In 1999, at Biggert's request, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigated a mailing sent out by a Political Action Committee (PAC), the Campaign for Working Families (CWF), in support of Peter Roskam. The FEC did not find the Roskam campaign at fault, but CWF was found to have violated election law. The PAC was led by conservative Gary Bauer.

2006 Congressional campaign

The 6th congressional district

In March 2006, Roskam, running unopposed, won the republican nomination to attempt to fill Henry Hyde's open seat. His opponent in the November general election was Iraq War veteran, Democrat Tammy Duckworth. Hyde endorsed Roskam. The competitive race was called "the nation's most-watched congressional contest" by Eric Krol of the Daily Herald.

On November 7 2006, Roskam defeated Duckworth by a margin of 51% to 49%.

Events leading up to the 2006 election

In 2005, Roskam held a media event with and received support from Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

In August 2006, the Roskam campaign used Republican Party stances for an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) survey. The answers related to Medicare, Social Security, insurance plans and retirement. Democratic opponents characterized it as plagiarism.

Fall 2006

On September 10 2006, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that "Roskam is trying to use immigration as an issue against his Democratic rival, Tammy Duckworth, in their race for the House seat being vacated by Republican Henry Hyde."

Controversy erupted on September 21 2006 when Roskam used the term "cut-and-run" in reference to Duckworth's Iraq strategy. Duckworth lost both her legs and the use of one arm when her helicopter was shot down over Iraq in 2004. Roskam said: "The Sixth Congressional District is not a cut-and-run district."

A fundraiser for Roskam and David McSweeney was held on October 12 2006 at the Chicago Hilton. President George W. Bush and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert headlined the event.

On October 24, actor and Parkinson's disease sufferer Michael J. Fox appeared at a fundraiser for Roskam's opponent, Tammy Duckworth at Arrowhead Golf Course in Wheaton, supporting Duckworth's stance on embryonic stem cell research.Roskam held a simultaneous press conference featuring a cancer survivor who was treated with his own cells.

On October 30, Roskam attended a fundraiser with Senator John McCain. McCain had co-sponsored the immigration bill that Roskam attacked as "amnesty".

Roskam placed television ads that accused Duckworth of wanting to raise Social Security payroll taxes. According to the Daily Herald, the AARP mailed out thousands of letters to the Sixth District denouncing the ad as misleading.

Endorsements

In May 2006, the Teamsters labor union endorsement of Roskam was announced by John Coli, President of Joint Council 25. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 also endorsed Roskam for the congressional seat. The largest union in the state, the Illinois AFL-CIO, gave Roskam a rating of 23% in 2005 and 15% in 2004, and endorsed Duckworth.

The VFW endorsed Roskam over his war veteran opponent. The VFW relied on former Republican state Senator Ray Soden of Wood Dale to choose which candidate to endorse. On November 3, according to the Washington Post, the Veterans of Foreign Wars angered some Illinois veterans by endorsing Roskam over his Iraq War veteran opponent.

The candidates debated on WTTW/Channel 11 (October 23), WBEZ radio (October 19), WBBM radio (September 24), and at the College of DuPage (12 October).

Campaign contributions

Roskam trailed Duckworth in fundraising. Roskam raised $3.44 million vs. Duckworth's $4.52 million, but started the fall campaign with more cash on-hand, due in part to not having a primary challenger. Roskam has been more dependent on contributions from PACs: 56% of Roskam's donations and 82% of Duckworth's donations came from individuals. 87% of Roskam's contributions and 51% of Duckworth's contributions came from the state of Illinois. Top zipcodes of contributors for Roskam were Wheaton, Glen Ellyn and Hinsdale. Duckworth's top zip codes were Chicago, Winnetka and New York City.

According to FEC filings, Roskam received donations from various political action committees. As of June 30 2006, Roskam received more contributions from political committees formed by sitting legislators than any other non-incumbent Congressional candidate in the nation. A Roskam campaign spokesman credited House Speaker Dennis Hastert for those contributions: "That's related to how important is for us in this race. I think it also shows that, if elected, Peter Roskam can make an instant impact in Washington, D.C."

Electoral history

  • 2006 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 6th District
  • 1998 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 13th District Republican Primary
  • 1996 Race for Illinois State Representative - 40th district
    • Peter Roskam (R), 70.8%
    • Kevin Schuele (D), 29.2%
  • 1994 Race for Illinois State Representative - 40th district
    • Peter Roskam (R), unopposed
  • 1992 Race for Illinois State Representative 40th district
    • Peter Roskam (R), 61%
    • Pat Cullerton (D), 39%

Notes

  1. ^ "About Peter". Roskam for Congress Committee.
  2. "The Story of EAL". Educational Assistance Ltd. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  3. Kadin, Deborah (January 16, 2000). "GOP leaders choose Roskam for Fawell's Senate seat". Daily Herald. Paddock Publications, Inc. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune blog. Candidate's reform talk may be adding insult to injury. June 22, 2006.
  5. Vogel, Curtis. "Husband, wife find 37 soldier IDs being sold on streets of Ho Chi Minh City". MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  6. "Roskam ready to go to bat for Sixth Congressional District". Roskam for Congress Committee. May 31, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. "Voters will judge these episodes from Roskam’s past" Eric Krol Friday, September 22, 2006 Daily Herald
  8. Suburban Chicago News. Gay Rights. (Dead link)
  9. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs5.asp?ActID=2266&ChapAct=775%A0ILCS%A05%2F&ChapterID=64&ChapterName=HUMAN+RIGHTS&ActName=Illinois+Human+Rights+Act%2E
  10. State of Illinois 93rd General Assembly. Roll call vote - SB 3186. January 10, 2005.
  11. Associated Press via The Advocate. Illinois becomes 16th state with gay rights law. January 4, 2006.
  12. Illinois Federation for Right to Life. . November 29, 2004. (Dead Link)
  13. Chicago Tribune. Illinois Senate narrowly defeats stem-cell measure. November 19, 2004.
  14. State of Illinois 93rd General Assembly. HB 3589 amendment 7. November 18, 2004.
  15. Would you, could you twist a fact? By Eric Zorn Friday, October 20, 2006 Chicago Tribune blog.
  16. "A National Knife Fight" by Joshua Green, Oct 2006 Esquire, pg. 236
  17. http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=69272
  18. "Peter Roskam's priorities" Chicago Tribune; Oct 26, 2005; pg. 24
  19. ^ "Little common ground for Roskam, Duckworth", John Biemer, September 23, 2006, Chicago Tribune
  20. "Immigration hard-liner backs Roskam's bid", Dave Newbart, October 27, 2006 Chicago Sun Times
  21. "Iraq not central in war on terror, Duckworth says" BY PAT CORCORAN ELK GROVE TIMES
  22. "Final debate focuses on the war" by Eric Krol Tuesday, October 24, 2006 Daily Herald
  23. Roskam for Congress. Door-To-Door Man. July 27, 2006.
  24. "About Us". Suburban O'Hare Commission. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  25. "Statement Before The U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee". Jesse Jackson, Jr. for Congress. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  26. Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. O'Hare Modernization Needs You. February 18, 2005.
  27. Statement of Speaker Hastert Regarding DuPage County Board Support for O'Hare Modernization. January 14, 2003.
  28. Illinois General Assembly. 94th General Assembly. Senate Joint Resolution No. 13. Roll call - Third Reading. May 20, 2005.
  29. WBBM post-debate press conference, September 22, 2006.
  30. Kaplan, Jonathan E. (2006-09-21). "'82 issues return in '06". The Hill. Retrieved 2007-03-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. Office of the Clerk, House of Representatives. H.R. 4 - Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, Roll call 23. January 12, 2007.
  32. Daily Herald. (Dead Link).
  33. Biemer, John (August 2, 2006). "Duckworth joins stem cell debate". The Chicago Tribune. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. Office of the Clerk, House of Representatives. H.R. 3 Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act - Roll Call 20
  35. "Taxes & The Economy". Roskam for Congress Committee. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  36. National Taxpayer Advocacy Group Names Roskam Hero of the Taxpayer Americans for Tax Reform 24 May, 2005
  37. "A Critical Analysis of Education Funding Reform". Illinois Policy Institute. July 2004. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  38. Koehler, Michael (2006-10-20). "House candidates debate at college" (PDF). College of DuPage Courier. p. 1. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  39. Easy to tell who’s who in 6th District By Eric Krol Thursday, September 14, 2006 Daily Herald
  40. "Associated Press election coverage". The Associated Press. September 7, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. Eric Krol (August 22, 2006). "Roskam defends federal pork support". Daily Herald. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. Krol, Eric (2006-05-13). "Roskam supports Bush on database". Daily Herald. p. 17.
  43. http://www.ilenviro.org/publications/files/2005scorecard.pdf
  44. Roskam balks at hiking minimum wage By Marni Pyke Daily Herald Saturday, November 11, 2006
  45. "Minimum pay bill advances" By Richard Simon Published January 11, 2007
  48. Krol, Eric (2006-10-12). "Debate on immigrants stokes race" (reprint). Daily Herald (in English). Paddock Publications, Inc. Retrieved 2006-10-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  49. CNN. House Election Results.
  50. National Taxpayer Advocate Group Names Roskam Hero of the Taxpayers. May 23, 2005.
  51. Fox News Channel. Candidates Duplicate in AARP Survey. August 31, 2006.
  52. St. Louis Today. (Dead link)
  53. "Duckworth camp: 'Cut and run' crude: Roskam team: He never said that" By Scott Fornek Chicago Sun-Times Sept 27, 2006
  54. "Hastert scratches New York fundraiser" BY LYNN SWEET October 8, 2006 Chicago Sun-Times. (Dead link)
  55. "Actor Michael J. Fox To Appear At Duckworth Rally", Tuesday, 24 October 2006 10:13AM wbbm780.com
  56. Michael J. Fox to appear at rally for Democrat Tammy Duckworth October 23, 2006 ABC7Chicago.com
  57. "McCain, Roskam overlook differences" October 31, 2006 Chicago Sun-Times BY Paige Winfield. (Dead link)
  58. Social "Security is late issue in House races" By Eric Krol. Daily Herald. November 02, 2006
  59. http://www.teamster.org/06news/hn_060517_5.asp
  60. Illinois AFL-CIO. Voting Record 2004-2005
  61. "Duckworth's war experience not what VFW looking for in 6th District" by Eric Krol Friday, November 03, 2006 Daily Herald
  62. VFW shakes Duckworth By John Biemer Chicago Tribune November 4, 2006
  63. "VFW Passes Over Veteran in Illinois" By Don Babwin Friday, November 3, 2006; 3:40 PM Washington Post
  64. http://www.wbez.org/election/index.asp?category=11
  65. http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?cycle=2006&id=IL06
  66. http://www.opensecrets.org/races/instate.asp?ID=IL06&cycle=2006
  67. http://www.opensecrets.org/races/zip.asp?ID=IL06&cycle=2006
  68. http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/can_give/2005_H6IL06117
  69. http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/can_give/H6IL06141
  70. http://www.roskamforcongress.com/news/view_article.cfm?id=622 "Duckworth raises $844,000 in 2nd quarter" Patrick Corcoran July 20, 2006 Pioneer Press
  71. Democratic Party of DuPage County, 1996 Election results for DuPage County.
  72. Chicago Sun-Times. Illinois House Races. Page 30. November 5, 1992.

External links

Template:Incumbent succession box
Preceded byBeverly Fawell Illinois State Senator 48th district
2000 - 2006 		Succeeded byRandy Hultgren
Preceded byDaniel Cronin Illinois State Representative 40th district
1993 - 1999 		Succeeded byRandall M. Hultgren
Illinois's current delegation to the United States Congress
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