Joe Hoeffel

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Joe Hoeffel

Joseph M. "Joe" Hoeffel III (pronounced "Huffle") (born September 3, 1950) is a Democratic U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
politician from the state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
. He served three terms in Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
representing the Montgomery County

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2000, the population was 750,097. A 2005 United States Census estimate placed the population at 795,618, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania , and List of the most populous counties in the United States....
-based 13th congressional district

Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district

The 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, covering eastern Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, and is currently vice-chair for the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

Hoeffel was born in Philadelphia. He attended Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private nonsectarian university located in Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States. Although chartered by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1869, Boston University traces its roots to the establishment of the Newbury Biblical Institute in Newbury, Vermont in 1839....
and received his Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a first professional degree graduate degree and professional doctorate in law degree. The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century as a degree similar to the old European doctor of law degree and the legal studies counterpart to the M.D....
degree from Temple University

Temple University

Temple University is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Temple University was founded in 1884 by Dr....
. He has been married for 26 years to Francesca Hoeffel.

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Encyclopedia

Joseph M. "Joe" Hoeffel III (pronounced "Huffle") (born September 3, 1950) is a Democratic U.S.

United States

U.S. state

Pennsylvania

United States Congress

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district

Boston University

Juris Doctor

Temple University

Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Abington Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 56,103 at the 2000 census....
, a suburb of Philadelphia, and have two children.

His grandfather, also named Joseph M. "Joe" Hoeffel, served as coach of the Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the NFC North of the National Football Conference in the National Football League and are the third-oldest franchise in the NFL....
in 1921.

Political career

Hoeffel served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania....
from 1977 through 1985, and was the first Democrat to represent the Abington area since World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
.

He gave up his seat in a bid for the 13th Congressional District in 1984, and was defeated by longterm incumbent Lawrence Coughlin

Lawrence Coughlin

Robert Lawrence Coughlin was a Republican Party member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Lawrence Coughlin was born in Wilkes-Barre, PA....
. Hoeffel sought a rematch in 1986, and was defeated again. After several years out of politics, Hoeffel won a seat on the Montgomery County Commission in 1991. In a surprise to the political establishment, Hoeffel supported Republican Mario Mele for Commission chairman over Jon D. Fox

Jon D. Fox

Career in Congress

In 1996, Hoeffel made a third run at Congress taking on his former colleague on the Montgomery County Commission, Jon D. Fox

Jon D. Fox

Jon D. Fox was a Republican Party member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Jon Fox was born in Abington, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA in 1969, and earned a Juris Doctor from the Delaware School of Law , in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1975....
, now a freshman Congressman. That year, Fox hung onto his seat by an 84-vote margin. However, in 1998, in his fourth attempt, Hoeffel broke through. Hobbled by a tough Republican primary and the fallout from the impeachment

Impeachment

Impeachment is the first of two stages in a specific process for a legislative body to consider whether or not to forcibly remove a government official from office....
of President Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....
, Fox could not hang on a second time. Hoeffel won by more than 5,000 votes. Hoeffel became only the second Democrat to represent the Montgomery County-based district in 86 years.

He won re-election twice, though not without difficulty. In 2000 he won an expensive race against Republican State Senator Stewart Greenleaf

Stewart Greenleaf

Stewart J. Greenleaf is a Republican Party member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the Pennsylvania Senate, District 12 since 1979....
, becoming the first Democrat to serve more than one term in the district in decades. In 2002, he defeated wealthy ophthalmologist Melissa Brown

Melissa Brown

Melissa Brown is an ophthalmologist from Flourtown, Pennsylvania who is a member of the Republican Party . She was also a three-time candidate for the US House of Representatives....
by less than expected; the 13th had been made somewhat more Democratic with the addition of part of Philadelphia.

In Congress, Hoeffel was a member of two House committees: the International Relations and the Transportation and Infrastructure.

On July 20, 2004, Hoeffel became the third sitting U.S. Congressman in one week, following Charles Rangel and Bobby Rush

Bobby Rush

Bobby Lee Rush is an Politics of the United States from Illinois. A Democratic Party , he has served in the United States House of Representatives as the member from Illinois' 1st congressional district since 1993....
, to be arrested for trespassing while protesting alleged human rights

Human rights

Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, i...
violations in front of the Sudan

Sudan

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
ese Embassy. U.S. Senator Arlen Specter

Arlen Specter

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
race, criticized the arrest

Arrest

An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the investigation and prevention of crime. The term is Anglo-Norman language in origin and is related to the French word arr?t, meaning "stop"....
as a publicity

Publicity

Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , product and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment....
stunt.

Rather than holding onto his seat, Hoeffel decided in 2004 to run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Arlen Specter

Arlen Specter

Arlen Specter is the senior senator United States Senate from Pennsylvania and a member of the United States Republican Party. Elected in 1980, he is currently the Seniority in the United States Senate as well as 5th most senior Republican in this body....
. In the election held on November 2, 2004, Hoeffel was defeated by more than ten points to Specter, 53%-42%, and only carried four counties. Hoeffel was at a considerable disadvantage because of Specter's popularity in the Philadelphia suburbs.

After Congress

Many speculated that Hoeffel would attempt to run against U.S. Senator Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum

Richard John Santorum, Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a former United States Senate from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania....
in 2006. However, Hoeffel endorsed Bob Casey, Jr.

Bob Casey, Jr.

Robert Patrick Casey, Jr. , better known as Bob Casey, Jr. or Bob Casey is the Senate seniority United States Senate from Pennsylvania, and a member of the Democratic Party ....
in that race; Casey went on to defeat the two-term incumbent by a landslide.

Hoeffel announced that he would run for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Lieutenant Governor is elected every four years along with the Governor and Attorney General....
in March 2006 against incumbent Catherine Baker Knoll

Catherine Baker Knoll

Catherine Baker Knoll was an United States politician and member of the Democratic Party . She was the 30th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania of Pennsylvania, serving under List of Governors of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell from 2003 to 2008....
and dropped out of the race a day later. Governor Ed Rendell

Ed Rendell

Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an Politics of the United States and Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party , was elected List of Governors of Pennsylvania of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003....
convinced Hoeffel that the Democratic ticket needed geographic balance; Knoll is from Allegheny County; Rendell is from Philadelphia. The Democratic Committees of Bucks and Chester Counties had overwhelmingly voted to endorse him over Knoll.

In July 2006, Rendell named Hoeffel the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development where he would oversee the International Commerce Office of the DCED.

In February 2007, Hoeffel announced that he would resign his post in order to run for the Montgomery County Commission with incumbent Ruth Damsker. Hoeffel's and Damsker's opponents were incumbent Jim Matthews

Jim Matthews

James R. "Jim" Matthews is an elected public official in Pennsylvania. Matthews is a member of the United States Republican Party. He currently serves on the Board of Commissioners of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania....
and district attorney Bruce Castor

Bruce L. Castor, Jr.

Bruce L. Castor, Jr. is an American lawyer and Republican Party politician from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. Castor was district attorney for Montgomery County from January 2000 through January 2008 when he took a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners....
.

Hopes were high that the Democrats could win majority control on the commission due to party gains in the county and a fractured Republican team. Hoeffel finished second, behind Castor, winning a seat on the Commission, but his running mate fell short, keeping control in Republican hands. However, thanks to a deal with Matthews, Hoeffel became Vice Chairman of the Commission, in exchange for supporting Matthews' bid to become Chairman over Castor.

Hoeffel is a member of the Dean Dozen

Dean Dozen

The "Dean Dozen" in Politics of the United States, was the collective term for six groups of 12 candidates endorsed by Democracy for America, the political action committee led by former Governor of Vermont and U.S....
, a group of candidates for local and national office (although numerically far more than twelve, but grouped in twelves) endorsed by former presidential candidate Howard Dean

Howard Dean

Howard Brush Dean III is an United States Politics of the United States and physician from the U.S. state of Vermont. He served six terms as Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination....
and his Democracy for America

Democracy for America

Democracy for America is the largest progressive political action committee in the United States with over 725,000 members. DFA is a grassroots force working to change the country and the Democratic Party from the bottom-up....
organization.

He is an endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network

Genocide Intervention Network

The Genocide Intervention Network is a non-profit organization that "envisions a world in which the global community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide and mass atrocities....
.

Electoral history

Libertarian Party (United States)

The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. More than 200,000 voters are registered with the party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties....
| align="right" |4,930 | align="right" |2% | | |Bill Ryan | |Natural Law | align="right" |525 | align="right" |<1% | |- |1998 | | | | align="right" |95,105 | |52% | | |Jon D. Fox

Jon D. Fox

Jon D. Fox was a Republican Party member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Jon Fox was born in Abington, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA in 1969, and earned a Juris Doctor from the Delaware School of Law , in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1975....
| align="right" |85,915 | |47% | | |Thomas Patrick Burke | |Libertarian

Libertarian Party (United States)

The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. More than 200,000 voters are registered with the party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties....
| align="right" |3,470 | align="right" |2% | | | | | | |- |2000 | | |Joseph M. Hoeffel | align="right" |146,026 | |53% | | | | align="right" |126,501 | |46% | | |Ken Cavanaugh | |Libertarian

Libertarian Party (United States)

The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971. More than 200,000 voters are registered with the party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties....
| align="right" |4,224 | align="right" |2% | | | | | | |- |2002 | | |Joseph M. Hoeffel | align="right" |107,945 | |51% | | | | align="right" |100,295 | |47% | | |John P. McDermott | |Constitution

Constitution Party (United States)

The Constitution Party is a conservative United States political party. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party in 1992. The party's official name was changed to the Constitution Party in 1999; however, some state affiliate parties are known under different names....
| align="right" |3,627 | align="right" |2% | | | | | |

|+ Pennsylvania Senator (Class III)

List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania

Constitution Party (United States)

Libertarian Party (United States)

External links