Nancy Skinner
Encyclopedia
Nancy Skinner is a nationally syndicated radio and television commentator, based in Detroit, Michigan
.
She has run for political office several times, all unsuccessfully. In 2004, she was a Democratic candidate for an open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, losing in the Democratic primary election to Barack Obama
. In 2006, she ran for the United States House of Representatives
in Michigan's 9th congressional district
in the 2006 elections, losing to Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg
. In 2008, she attempted to run for the seat again, but dropped out during the primaries.
. She graduated from the University of Michigan
in 1987, receiving a BBA degree with an emphasis in finance and accounting.
, helping to renovate Detroit's Fox Theatre and relocate the Little Caesars
International (LCI) corporate headquarters to the Fox Office Building. She also worked on area redevelopment projects in Downtown Detroit, serving on the Grand Circus Park Redevelopment Board and helping plan for the theatre district's future.
's White House to assemble a team of ten federal agencies and the nations' leading architects and engineers to rebuild two entire towns away from the floodplain using the principles of sustainable development. Their efforts were honored with an award from President Bill Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development.
Nancy Skinner helped launch the Chicago Climate Exchange
(CCX), the first voluntary emissions trading program to address global climate change using free market principles. The exchange ran from 2003 to 2010.
weekend radio show called Ski & Skinner on WLS
in Chicago
where she was fired after announcing, on air, that she was running for the U.S. Senate. In 2000, Skinner became co-host of The Doug Stephan Show, a syndicated national morning show heard on over 400 radio stations across the United States. Skinner's show inspired two listeners, Anita and Sheldon Drobny
, to create the Air America Radio
Network featuring Al Franken
and other liberal radio hosts.
Since 1999, Skinner has been appearing regularly as a commentator on cable news channels CNN
, MSNBC
and the Fox News Channel
. When she was offered the position of morning host at Detroit's progressive
Air America talk radio station, WDTW
1310 AM, Skinner returned to her home state of Michigan, where her weekly program reached 5,000 watts in metro Detroit.
Skinner substituted for Randi Rhodes
and hosted The Randi Rhodes Show
from February 5, 2009, through February 13, 2009. On February 16, 2009, The Nancy Skinner Show debuted on the On Second Thought radio network, the successor to the Nova M Radio
network.
Troy
. Though the race became more competitive in its final weeks, Knollenberg ultimately defeated Skinner by a margin of 52 to 46 percent.
After the election, Skinner took a position with the staff of First Gentleman Daniel Mulhern, husband of Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm
. She resigned from this position in mid-2007. On October 16, 2007, Skinner officially announced that she was again running for the 9th congressional district.
On February 25, 2008, Skinner announced that she was withdrawing from the race rather than face a contentious primary with former Michigan Lottery
Commissioner Gary Peters
, who had announced his run for the seat in August 2007. (Peters went on to win the election.)
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
She has run for political office several times, all unsuccessfully. In 2004, she was a Democratic candidate for an open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, losing in the Democratic primary election to Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. In 2006, she ran for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in Michigan's 9th congressional district
Michigan's 9th Congressional District
Michigan's 9th congressional district is contained within Oakland County in the southeast areas of the state of Michigan and encompasses most of the county. It is the only congressional district to lie entirely within Oakland County....
in the 2006 elections, losing to Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg
Joe Knollenberg
Joseph "Joe" Knollenberg is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. From 1993 to 2009, he was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing ....
. In 2008, she attempted to run for the seat again, but dropped out during the primaries.
Early life
Nancy Skinner was born and grew up in Royal Oak, MichiganRoyal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
. She graduated from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1987, receiving a BBA degree with an emphasis in finance and accounting.
Urban development
After graduation, Skinner worked for the family of businessman Mike IlitchMike Ilitch
Michael "Mike" Ilitch Sr. is an American entrepreneur and owner of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers. In addition to his sports ownerships, he is the founder and owner of Little Caesars Pizza since 1959, which has become an international fast food franchise...
, helping to renovate Detroit's Fox Theatre and relocate the Little Caesars
Little Caesars
Little Caesars is a pizza chain, estimated to be the 4th largest in the United States. The Little Caesars headquarters is located in the Fox Theatre building in Downtown Detroit, Michigan.-History:...
International (LCI) corporate headquarters to the Fox Office Building. She also worked on area redevelopment projects in Downtown Detroit, serving on the Grand Circus Park Redevelopment Board and helping plan for the theatre district's future.
Environmentalism
Following the great Midwestern floods of 1993, Skinner persuaded President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's White House to assemble a team of ten federal agencies and the nations' leading architects and engineers to rebuild two entire towns away from the floodplain using the principles of sustainable development. Their efforts were honored with an award from President Bill Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development.
Nancy Skinner helped launch the Chicago Climate Exchange
Chicago Climate Exchange
The now defunct Chicago Climate Exchange was North America’s only voluntary, legally binding greenhouse gas reduction and trading system for emission sources and offset projects in North America and Brazil....
(CCX), the first voluntary emissions trading program to address global climate change using free market principles. The exchange ran from 2003 to 2010.
Radio commentator
In 1998, Skinner began co-hosting a progressiveProgressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
weekend radio show called Ski & Skinner on WLS
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
where she was fired after announcing, on air, that she was running for the U.S. Senate. In 2000, Skinner became co-host of The Doug Stephan Show, a syndicated national morning show heard on over 400 radio stations across the United States. Skinner's show inspired two listeners, Anita and Sheldon Drobny
Sheldon Drobny
Sheldon Drobny is an American accountant and successful investor, best known for forming the company that later became Air America Radio.-Career:...
, to create the Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
Network featuring Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
and other liberal radio hosts.
Since 1999, Skinner has been appearing regularly as a commentator on cable news channels CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
and the Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
. When she was offered the position of morning host at Detroit's progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
Air America talk radio station, WDTW
WDTW (AM)
WDTW is a Detroit-area radio station, operating at 1310 kHz with 5,000 watts. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and airs mostly syndicated progressive talk radio programs....
1310 AM, Skinner returned to her home state of Michigan, where her weekly program reached 5,000 watts in metro Detroit.
Skinner substituted for Randi Rhodes
Randi Rhodes
Randi Rhodes is an American progressive talk radio personality, formerly featured on Air America Radio and Nova M Radio and now on Premiere Radio Networks. Her eponymous program, The Randi Rhodes Show, airs live Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm Eastern Time.-Early life:Rhodes was born in...
and hosted The Randi Rhodes Show
The Randi Rhodes Show
The Randi Rhodes Show is a three-hour radio program in the United States hosted by Randi Rhodes combining live interview, call-in and commentary with a progressive bent. The show is currently syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks. The show had previously aired over the now-defunct Air America Radio...
from February 5, 2009, through February 13, 2009. On February 16, 2009, The Nancy Skinner Show debuted on the On Second Thought radio network, the successor to the Nova M Radio
Nova M Radio
Nova M Radio, later known as On Second Thought, was a radio syndication service providing progressive talk programming. Founded as Nova M Radio by Sheldon and Anita Drobny in 2006, its stated purpose was to purchase, own, and operate underperforming radio stations in small and medium sized markets...
network.
Political campaigns
Skinner's 2006 campaign in Michigan's 9th district against Joe Knollenberg was initially seen as a long shot; her views were seen by some as somewhat too liberal to win the core of the district, the traditionally RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Troy
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
. Though the race became more competitive in its final weeks, Knollenberg ultimately defeated Skinner by a margin of 52 to 46 percent.
After the election, Skinner took a position with the staff of First Gentleman Daniel Mulhern, husband of Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm
Jennifer Granholm
Jennifer Mulhern Granholm is a Canadian-born American politician, educator, and author who served as Attorney General and 47th Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, Granholm became Michigan's first female governor on January 1, 2003, when she succeeded Governor...
. She resigned from this position in mid-2007. On October 16, 2007, Skinner officially announced that she was again running for the 9th congressional district.
On February 25, 2008, Skinner announced that she was withdrawing from the race rather than face a contentious primary with former Michigan Lottery
Michigan Lottery
The Michigan Lottery offers numerous on-line and scratch-off games, giving players a wide variety of prize possibilities. Initiated under the authority of Public Act 239 in 1972, the games collect funds to support Michigan’s public school system.- History :...
Commissioner Gary Peters
Gary Peters (Michigan politician)
Gary Peters is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Oakland County, a suburban county northwest of Detroit. He previously represented the 14th District in the Michigan Senate, and was a political science professor at...
, who had announced his run for the seat in August 2007. (Peters went on to win the election.)