Tim Burns (Pennsylvania businessman)
Encyclopedia
Tim Burns is a Pennsylvania
businessman who ran as a Republican
in the 2010 special election
to represent Western Pennsylvania
's 12th congressional district
in the U.S. House of Representatives
. Burns won the party nomination but lost the November general election to Democratic incumbent Mark Critz
. On October 12, 2011, Burns announced that he would seek the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Pennsylvania U.S. Senator
Bob Casey Jr. in the 2012 election
.
; his family later moved to Johnstown, Pennsylvania
where he grew up in the Hornerstown section of the city. He graduated from Greater Johnstown High School
in 1986. In 1990, Burns obtained his Bachelor of Science
degree in Computer Science
from Indiana University of Pennsylvania
in Indiana, Pennsylvania
.
In 1992, Burns co-founded TechRx, a pharmaceutical technology company that was started in the basement of his house. The company created prescription-automation software for pharmacies that improved the process of filling prescriptions with greater accuracy. The company eventually grew to over 400 employees before it was sold in 2003 to the Atlanta company NDCHealth Corporation.
nomination to oppose then-incumbent Congressman John Murtha
in November, 2010
. Following Murtha's February 2010 death, a special election
was scheduled for May 18, 2010. Republicans from the 12th district
met on March 11, 2010, in Latrobe
, to choose their nominee. Tim Burns was nominated, receiving 85 of 131 votes cast. In a speech prior to the nomination vote, Burns referred to his support for the Tea Party movement
, articulated his positions on the current plans for health care reform
, United States energy independence and the national deficit, and described his nomination as "an opportunity to put a common sense conservative
in a seat that has long been held by a political insider". He identifies as pro-life
, staunchly opposes federal funding for elective abortion, and opposed the federal health care legislation.
Burns received endorsements from Sarah Palin
, Dick Armey
, and FreedomWorks
, a Washington, D.C.
conservative PAC run by Armey. On FoxNews's Hannity
, Tucker Carlson
said a Burns win in the district would be "a major upset for the Republicans". However, Democratic nominee Mark Critz
won, 52.6% to 45.1%.
in the general election on November 2, 2010, with Rep. Critz garnering 51% of the vote over Burns' 49%.
incumbent Bob Casey Jr. in the 2012 Pennsylvania United States Senate election.
. He has two sons, Brock and Trent, and attends St. Benedict Catholic Church.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
businessman who ran as a Republican
Republican 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...
in the 2010 special election
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district special election, 2010
The 2010 special election for the 12th congressional district of Pennsylvania was held on May 18, 2010 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Democratic U.S. Representative John Murtha. Democratic nominee Mark Critz, Murtha's former district director, defeated Republican nominee Tim Burns...
to represent Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
's 12th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is represented by Congressman Mark Critz after a special election was held on May 18, 2010 following the death of Democrat John Murtha. The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R+1...
in the U.S. 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...
. Burns won the party nomination but lost the November general election to Democratic incumbent Mark Critz
Mark Critz
Mark S. Critz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since the special election in 2010. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
. On October 12, 2011, Burns announced that he would seek the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Pennsylvania U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Bob Casey Jr. in the 2012 election
United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 2012
The 2012 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania will be held on November 6, 2012 alongside a presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent...
.
Early life, education and career
Burns was born in Morgantown, West VirginiaMorgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
; his family later moved to Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
where he grew up in the Hornerstown section of the city. He graduated from Greater Johnstown High School
Greater Johnstown High School
Greater Johnstown High School is a high school located in between the neighborhoods of Moxham, 8th Ward and Hornerstown in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the senior high school for the Greater Johnstown School District. The current Superintendent is Barbara Parkins, herself a...
in 1986. In 1990, Burns obtained his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...
in Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,895 at the 2000 census.The borough and the region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Grower's Association was...
.
In 1992, Burns co-founded TechRx, a pharmaceutical technology company that was started in the basement of his house. The company created prescription-automation software for pharmacies that improved the process of filling prescriptions with greater accuracy. The company eventually grew to over 400 employees before it was sold in 2003 to the Atlanta company NDCHealth Corporation.
2010, special
In April 2009, Burns announced his intention to seek the 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...
nomination to oppose then-incumbent Congressman John Murtha
John Murtha
John Patrick "Jack" Murtha, Jr. was an American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010....
in November, 2010
United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania, 2010
The 2010 congressional elections in Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 2010. Pennsylvania has nineteen seats in the United States House of Representatives. The election was held on the same day as many other PA elections, and the same day as House of Representatives elections in other states...
. Following Murtha's February 2010 death, a special election
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district special election, 2010
The 2010 special election for the 12th congressional district of Pennsylvania was held on May 18, 2010 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Democratic U.S. Representative John Murtha. Democratic nominee Mark Critz, Murtha's former district director, defeated Republican nominee Tim Burns...
was scheduled for May 18, 2010. Republicans from the 12th district
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is represented by Congressman Mark Critz after a special election was held on May 18, 2010 following the death of Democrat John Murtha. The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R+1...
met on March 11, 2010, in Latrobe
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
, to choose their nominee. Tim Burns was nominated, receiving 85 of 131 votes cast. In a speech prior to the nomination vote, Burns referred to his support for the Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
, articulated his positions on the current plans for health care reform
Health care reform in the United States
Health care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
, United States energy independence and the national deficit, and described his nomination as "an opportunity to put a common sense conservative
Common sense conservative
A common sense conservative is an advocate of conservative politics who adopts the rhetoric of "common sense" to frame his or her arguments. The term is almost always used to apply to domestic and fiscal policy...
in a seat that has long been held by a political insider". He identifies as pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
, staunchly opposes federal funding for elective abortion, and opposed the federal health care legislation.
Burns received endorsements from Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, Dick Armey
Dick Armey
Richard Keith "Dick" Armey is a former U.S. Representative from Texas's and House Majority Leader . He was one of the engineers of the "Republican Revolution" of the 1990s, in which Republicans were elected to majorities of both houses of Congress for the first time in four decades. Armey was...
, and FreedomWorks
FreedomWorks
FreedomWorks is a conservative non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., United States. FreedomWorks trains volunteers, assists in campaigns, and encourages them to mobilize, interacting with both fellow citizens and their political representatives....
, a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
conservative PAC run by Armey. On FoxNews's Hannity
Hannity
Hannity is a television show on the Fox News network, a replacement to the long-running show Hannity & Colmes. It is hosted by conservative political pundit Sean Hannity....
, Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson
Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is an American political news correspondent and conservative commentator for the Fox News Channel...
said a Burns win in the district would be "a major upset for the Republicans". However, Democratic nominee Mark Critz
Mark Critz
Mark S. Critz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since the special election in 2010. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
won, 52.6% to 45.1%.
2010, general
Burns ran and lost again, although by a slimmer margin, to incumbent Mark CritzMark Critz
Mark S. Critz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since the special election in 2010. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
in the general election on November 2, 2010, with Rep. Critz garnering 51% of the vote over Burns' 49%.
2012, United States Senate
On October 12, 2011, Burns announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination to challenge DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
incumbent Bob Casey Jr. in the 2012 Pennsylvania United States Senate election.
Personal life
Burns and his family reside in Eighty Four, PennsylvaniaEighty Four, Pennsylvania
Eighty Four is a small unincorporated community mostly within Somerset Township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies approximately 25 miles southwest of Pittsburgh and is in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area....
. He has two sons, Brock and Trent, and attends St. Benedict Catholic Church.
External links
- Tim Burns for Senate official U.S. Senate campaign site
- Tim Burns for Congress official congressional campaign site
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org