Jon Runyan

Jon Runyan

Republican Party

Prior offices

U.S. House New Jersey District 3

Successor: Tom MacArthur

Predecessor: John Adler

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Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $10,398,023

Education

High school

Carman-Ainsworth High School

Bachelor's

University of Pennsylvania

Personal

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Professional Football Player

Jon Daniel Runyan (b. November 27, 1973, in Flint, MI) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey. Runyan was elected by voters from New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District. He was first elected in 2010 and served two consecutive terms.

Runyan did not seek re-election in 2014.^[1]

Runyan played football in the NFL from 1996-2010.^[2]

Biography

Runyan was born in Flint, Michigan, and graduated from Carman-Ainsworth High School.^[3] From 1992-1995, he studied kinesiology at the University of Michigan on a football scholarship, and later took classes in entrepreneurial management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.^[4]

Runyan was drafted while in college by the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) in 1996 and helped the Titans reach the Super Bowl in 2000. Runyan then signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played as an offensive tackle, helping to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance in 2005. Jon retired from football at the end of the 2010 season.^[2]

He was identified as one of 13 people who played in at least one Super Bowl before running for elected office or serving in government. Click here for more information.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Runyan's academic, professional, and political career:^[2][3]

• 1992-1995: Pursued undergraduate degree in kinesiology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Runyan also studied entrepreneurial management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
• 1996-2010: NFL player for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and the Philadelphia Eagles
• 2011-2015: U.S. Representative from New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Runyan served on the following committees:^[5]

• Armed Services Committee
  • Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
  • Subcommittee on Seapower & Projection Forces
• Natural Resources Committee
  • Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs
• United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Chair
  • Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

2011-2012

Runyan served on the following committees:^[6]

• Armed Services Committee
  • Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
  • Subcommittee on Readiness
• Veterans Affairs Committee
  • Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Health
• Natural Resources Committee
  • Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.^[7] For more information pertaining to Runyan's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.^[8]

National security

NDAA

Runyan supported HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.^[9]

DHS Appropriations

Runyan supported HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.^[9]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Runyan opposed House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.^[9]

CISPA (2013)

Runyan supported HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.^[10] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.^[9]

Economy

Farm Bill

See also: United States Farm Bill 2013

Runyan supported the Farm Bill on July 11, 2013. The bill passed in a 216-208 vote.^[11] The bill passed included farm policy, but did not include food stamps.^[12]

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.^[13] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.^[14] Runyan voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.^[13]

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.^[15] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Runyan voted for HR 2775.^[16]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Runyan supported House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status.^[17] The vote largely followed party lines.^[18]

Healthcare

Repealing Obamacare

Runyan supported all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.^[19]

Social issues

House vote on abortion ban

On June 18, 2013, the House voted 228-196, mostly along party lines, to approve a ban on late-term abortions, or abortions occurring after 20 weeks of pregnancy^[20][21] A number of members crossed over party lines in their votes. The vote was largely symbolic as the Senate is not expected to take up the bill and the White House has threatened to veto the legislation.^[22] Runyan was one of six Republican members who voted against the ban.

Government affairs

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit.^[23] Runyan joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.^[24][25]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Runyan voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 85 Republicans that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.^[26]

Campaign themes

2012

Runyan listed seven campaign issues on his website.^[27]

• Economic Growth & Fiscal Responsibility: "Taxes are too high and the career politicians have spent and borrowed too much. Jon believes that the only way to create jobs and revitalize our economy is to cut taxes, rein in spending and reduce the size and cost of government."

• Standing Up for Veterans & Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst: "As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Jon has protected local jobs and small businesses by fighting to expand the mission at Joint Base McGuire, Dix, Lakehurst, which is the 2nd largest employer in New Jersey and critical to South Jersey’s local economy. He’s been an outspoken opponent of excessive cuts to defense and military preparedness."

• Repealing & Replacing Obamacare: "Jon kept a campaign promise made in 2010 to vote in favor of repealing Obamacare because it hasn’t delivered on the promises that were made when it was passed. Millions of Americans will lose their current coverage even if they like it; the law diverts money from Medicare; it doesn’t lower health insurance costs for consumers; and it increases taxes on middle-class families and small businesses."

• Protecting Women & Children: "As a happily married father of three – including two young girls – protecting women and children is more than a convenient campaign slogan to Jon. While some politicians like to talk about doing what is best for women and children, Jon has taken action. That is why he authored a bipartisan measure aimed at better protecting victims of domestic violence and their children."

• Preserving Medicare & Social Security: "The career politicians in Washington have allowed key social safety net programs like Medicare and Social Security to drift closer and closer to insolvency, while burying their heads in the sand and pretending a problem doesn’t exist. Jon has decided to tackle the issue head-on."

• Reducing Our Dependence on Foreign Oil & Lowering Energy Costs: "Jon believes we must expand domestic energy production through an “all of the above” approach that will lower energy costs for consumers. He supports the use of renewable energies like wind, solar and nuclear, while also increasing domestic oil and gas production through more offshore drilling."

• Putting a Priority on Conservation & The Environment: "Burlington and Ocean Counties are home to some of our nation’s most beloved natural treasures including the Delaware River, the Pinelands National Reserve, Barnegat Bay and Ocean County’s beautiful beaches. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, Jon is working hard to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy these natural wonders."

Elections

2014

See also: New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2014

Runyan announced on November 6, 2013, that he would not run for re-election in 2014. He said, "After a great deal of thought and discussions with my family, I have decided not to seek re- election in 2014. Politics shouldn’t be a career and I never intended to make it one."^[1]

Several sources suggested that Runyan was frustrated with the gridlock in Congress and the October shutdown.^[28]

2012

See also: New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2012

Runyan ran for re-election in 2012.^[29] He ran unopposed in the Republican primary and faced Democrat Shelley Adler in the general election.^[30]

U.S. House, New Jersey District 3 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Shelley Adler	44.9%	145,506
	Republican	Jon Runyan Incumbent	53.7%	174,253
	No Slogan	Christopher Dennick, Jr.	0.1%	280
	Legalize Marijuana	Robert Edward Forchion	0.6%	1,965
	No Slogan	Frederick John Lavergne	0.2%	770
	Bob's for Jobs	Robert Shapiro	0.3%	1,104
	None of Them	Robert Witterschein	0.2%	530
Total Votes				324,408
Source: New Jersey Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Race background

New Jersey's 3rd was considered to be "Leaning Republican" in 2012, according to the New York Times race ratings. The district became slightly more Democratic between 2010 and 2012, and Adler was thought to have a fundraising advantage.^[31] When drafting the new district map, the Republicans were able to cut the town of Cherry Hill out of the 3rd District and replace it with Brick Township, where the ratio of registered Democrats to Republicans was much smaller. Analysis of the registered voters in the newly-formed district suggested an advantage for Runyan. While the number of registered Democrats still exceeded the number of Republicans, the independent voters in the district consistently leaned Republican.^[32]

Push for bipartisanship

In the run up to the election, many Republicans tried to show that they were bipartisan and willing to work with Democrats. Runyan started to run ads for his November campaign that emphasized his willingness to work with both parties in Washington. In a poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News, results found that nearly 44 percent of Americans blamed Republicans for the deadlock in Congress. As a consequence, Republicans tried to hold on to their districts by showing themselves to be more bipartisan.^[33]

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Jon Runyan, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Jon Runyan won election to the United States House. He defeated John H. Adler (D), Peter DeStefano (New Jersey Tea Party), Russ Conger (Libertarian) and Lawrence J. Donahue (Your Country Again) in the general election.[34] U.S. House, New Jersey District 3 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Jon Runyan 50% 110,215      Democratic John H. Adler incumbent 47.3% 104,252      New Jersey Tea Party Peter DeStefano 1.5% 3,284      Libertarian Russ Conger 0.7% 1,445      Your Country Again Lawrence J. Donahue 0.5% 1,113 Total Votes 220,309

Polls

2012

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Runyan's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $4,975,047 and $15,820,999. That averages to $10,398,023, which is higher than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Runyan ranked as the 43rd most wealthy representative in 2012.^[35] Between 2009 and 2012, Runyan's calculated net worth^[36] increased by an average of 1 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.^[37]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Runyan received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Leadership PACs industry.

From 2009-2014, 20.9 percent of Runyan's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.^[40]

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Runyan was a centrist Republican as of July 2014.^[41] This was the same rating Runyan received in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.^[42]

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Runyan missed 86 of 2,714 roll call votes from January 2011 to July 2014. This amounts to 3.2 percent, which is worse than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of July 2014.^[41]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Runyan paid his congressional staff a total of $878,478 in 2011. Overall, New Jersey ranked 42nd in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.^[43]

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Runyan ranked 208th in the liberal rankings in 2013. Although he is a Republican, Runyan's liberal ranking was higher than his conservative ranking.^[44]

2012

Runyan ranked 219th in the conservative rankings in 2012.^[45]

2011

Runyan ranked 181st in the conservative rankings in 2011.^[46]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Runyan voted with the Republican Party 87.3 percent of the time, which ranked 219th among the 234 House Republican members as of July 2014.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

2013

Runyan voted with the Republican Party 88.2 percent of the time, which ranked 225th among the 234 House Republican members as of June 2013.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Runyan currently resides in Mount Laurel Township with his wife Loretta and three children, Jon, Jr., Alyssa and Isabella.^[4]

Runyan lists his religious affiliation as Roman Catholic.^[47]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Jon + Runyan + New Jersey + House

See also

• United States House of Representatives
• New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2012
• New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District
• List of U.S. Congress incumbents who did not run for re-election in 2014

External links

Footnotes

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