Tom O'Halleran
Thomas Charles O'Halleran is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for since 2017. Beginning his political career as a Republican, he was the Arizona State Senator from the 1st district from 2007 to 2009. In 2015, he became a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life and education
O'Halleran was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and graduated from Providence St. Mel School. He attended Lewis University for one year before joining the Chicago Police Department. O'Halleran later attended DePaul University for one year.Early career
O'Halleran served with the Chicago Police Department from 1966 to 1975. He then became a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, operating his own futures trading business with a focus in futures contracts on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes.Arizona Legislature
O'Halleran, then a Republican, served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006. He then served in the Arizona State Senate, representing the 1st District from 2007 to 2009. In a 2008 primary election, he was unseated by Steve Pierce.After leaving the Arizona State Legislature, O'Halleran hosted a radio show on KAZM in Sedona.
In 2014 he left the Republican Party, citing its policies on education, water, and child welfare as reasons for his resignation. He then ran for the 6th District State Senate seat as an Independent, losing by 3%.
U.S. House of Representatives
2016 campaign
On August 6, 2015, O'Halleran announced his candidacy as a Democrat for Arizona's 1st congressional district.He explained his switch of party affiliation as a result of his positive attitude toward government, and, in particular, of his support for government regulations that would increase the use of wind and solar energy.
In May 2016, O'Halleran was named to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red to Blue list, indicating that his race was a priority for the group.
On August 30, 2016, O'Halleran beat Miguel Olivas in the Democratic primary. He faced Republican Paul Babeu and Green Party candidate Ray Parrish in the general election on November 8, 2016. O'Halleran won, receiving 51% of the vote to Babeu's 44%.
He is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
2018 campaign
O'Halleran ran unopposed in the 2018 Democratic primary. In the November 2018 general election, he defeated Republican Wendy Rogers with 54% of the vote.Committee assignments
- Committee on Agriculture
- * Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit
- * Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry
- * Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- *Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- *Subcommittee on Energy
- *Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce
Caucus memberships
- Blue Dog Coalition
- New Democrat Coalition
- Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
Political positions
Abortion
According to On the Issues, in 2016 both the Christian Coalition Voter Guide and Vote Smart inferred that O'Halleran would support pro-choice legislation.Energy and oil
According to On the Issues, in 2008 O'Halleran introduced HB 2613, an act which would add property tax incentives for businesses using renewable energy. In July 2020, he tweeted his opposition to uranium mining in and near the Grand Canyon. Also in July 2020, he tweeted his sponsorship of the Flexible Financing for Rural America Act of 2020.A June 2020 tweet from O'Halleran said that he "asked former Dept. of Energy Secretary Moniz about incorporating former coal workers into the clean energy sector."
Foreign policy
According to On the Issues, in 2017 O'Halleran "signed two-state solution despite Israeli settlements on West Bank."Government reform
According to On the Issues, O'Halleran's 2016 campaign website stated that he wanted to "reform campaign finance" and "ban luxury trips paid for by special interests."Government spending
In March 2018, O'Halleran criticized the Trump administration for seeking to cut funding for such agencies and programs as the Economic Development Administration, the Rural Business and Cooperative Service, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Community Development Block Grants, Rural Water and Wastewater Grants, Indian Community Development Block Grant, the Rural Economic Development Program, Essential Air Service, and Native American Housing Block Grants.Gun policy
After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, O'Halleran, who had long supported expanded background checks but opposed an assault-weapon ban, suggested he might shift toward a stronger position on gun control. “At times you have to look at yourself in the mirror and do the right thing and say forget about the political consequences," he said, but admitted he was concerned about those consequences.Health care
According to On the Issues, O'Halleran's 2016 campaign website said that he would "protect Social Security and Medicare from those who support dangerous schemes to privatize the programs, hand them over the Wall Street or turn them into 'vouchers.'" The 2016 Christian Coalition Vote Guide inferred that he would oppose repealing mandated health insurance.Homeland security and veterans
According to On the Issues, O'Halleran's 2016 campaign website said that "In many cases, the VA lacks the medical specialists to care for all the vets who need treatment. In these cases, veterans should be able to get the care they need outside the VA system, on the VA's dime."Immigration
When President Donald Trump ordered a travel ban on visitors and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim nations in January 2017, O'Halleran said that the order "does not represent our nation's values" and that it violated the Constitution and "the bedrock ideals of our democracy."In April 2017, O'Halleran criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions's tougher new guidelines on expelling illegal immigrants who belong to criminal gangs. "I have no problem with getting the felons out of the country," O'Halleran said. "But some of these people that they're taking out of the country, they have children that are Americans, and they have not had a violent felony conviction. Here we are, taking mothers away from their children."
O'Halleran was part of a group of Arizona Democrats who, in an August 2017 letter to President Trump, urged him not to pardon former Maricopa County chief Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who had been convicted in a federal court of racially profiling Latinos as part of border patrols.