Jackie Walorski

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Jackie Walorski
Jackie Walorski 117th Congress portrait.jpg
Ranking Member of the House Ethics Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Preceded byKenny Marchant
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Indiana's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded byJoe Donnelly
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
from the 21st district
In office
January 5, 2005 – November 16, 2010
Preceded byRichard W. Mangus
Succeeded byTimothy Wesco
Personal details
Born (1963-08-17) August 17, 1963 (age 58)
South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Dean Swihart
​
(m. 1995)​
EducationTaylor University (BA)
WebsiteHouse website

Jacqueline R. Walorski /wəˈlɔːrski/ (born August 17, 1963) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Indiana's 2nd congressional district since 2013. She is a member of the Republican Party, and she was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing Indiana's 21st district, from 2005 to 2010. In 2010, Walorski won the Republican nomination for Indiana's 2nd congressional district, but narrowly lost in the general election to Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly. In 2012, Walorski won the seat after Donnelly vacated it to run for the U.S. Senate.

Early life, education, and career[]

Born in South Bend, Indiana on August 17, 1963,[1] Walorski grew up with her two older brothers in the city's Gilmer Park neighborhood. Her mother, Martha C. (née Martin), worked as a meat cutter at a local grocery store, and her father, Raymond B. Walorski, worked as a firefighter and owned an appliance store.[2][3] She has Polish and German ancestry.[4] As a child, she attended Hay Elementary School and graduated from Riley High School in 1981.[2] She then attended Liberty Baptist College from 1981 to 1983, and graduated from Taylor University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and public administration in 1985.[5]

Early career[]

Walorski began her career as a television reporter for WSBT-TV, a CBS affiliate in South Bend, from 1985 to 1989, and was the executive director of the St. Joseph County Humane Society from 1989 to 1991.[6] Walorski was appointed as the director of institutional advancement at Ancilla College in 1991, a position she held until she was appointed as the director of membership at the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce in 1996.[5] She later worked as the director of annual giving at Indiana University South Bend from 1997 to 1999.[4]

Walorski moved to Romania in 2000 and founded Impact International, a foundation to provide medical supplies and attention to impoverished children.[7] Walorski did Christian missionary work in Romania before returning to the U.S. in 2004.[8]

Indiana House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

In 2004, Walorski ran for a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives after incumbent Republican State Representative Richard Mangus decided to retire. She ran for Indiana's 21st District, a district which represented the suburban area between South Bend and Elkhart. Walorski defeated Democrat Carl H. Kaser 64%–36%.[9] In 2006, she won a second term with 53% of the vote.[10] In 2008, she won a third term unopposed.[11]

Tenure[]

During her tenure in the Indiana House, Walorski was a sponsor of Indiana's Voter ID law, requiring voters to present Government issued identification during in person voting.[4] The Voter ID law led to many lawsuits and was brought before the Supreme Court, where the law was upheld in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, and is cited as helping the expansion of Voter ID laws in other states.[12]

Walorski has been criticized for missing a committee vote and the opportunity for stopping the Daylight Saving Time bill from passing out of committee, even though that bill died on the House floor.[13][14] After a different bill passed introducing DST, she authored and introduced a bill to rescind DST, a measure that ended up dying.[14]

Walorski authored legislation combating identity theft, including in 2006 when she sponsored a bill requiring companies to notify customers who are Indiana residents, of any security breaches that could cause identity theft, identity deception or fraud, and making it a Class C felony and imposing a $50,000 fine on anyone who has the identities of over 100 persons.[15] With Walorski saying that "Identity theft is the most rapidly growing crime in the United States. We need to find a solution to this problem before it gets any bigger in Indiana."[16]

Committee assignments[]

  • Republican Study Committee[17]

Walorski became active in the caucus and was appointed as Assistant Floor Leader. She served on the Family, Children, & Human Affairs and the Public Policy committees.[18]

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

2010
See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana § District 2

On January 31, 2009, Walorski formally announced her bid to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Joe Donnelly in Indiana's 2nd congressional district. Walorski won the Republican primary on May 4, 2010[19] with 61% of the votes,[20] defeating opponents Martin Dolan, Jack Jordan, and Tony Zirkle.[21] She was defeated, 48%–47% on November 2, 2010 by Donnelly.[22]

2012
See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana § District 2

On March 22, 2011, Walorski announced that she would run for Indiana's 2nd Congressional District again. Over the Indiana legislature's 2011-2013 legislative session, the predominantly Republican Indiana House and Senate redrew Indiana's congressional districts. After redistricting, the newly drawn 2nd district included all Elkhart County, Walorski's home county, and the demographics of the new district included more registered Republican voters.[23] Had the district existed under these lines in 2008, Barack Obama would have won it by just 0.3 percentage point, 49.6 percent to John McCain's 49.3 percent.[24] In contrast, he won the old 2nd with 54 percent of the vote.[25]

Incumbent Democratic Congressman Donnelly decided not to seek re-election, opting instead to run for the U.S. Senate.[26] Walorski ran against Libertarian candidate Joe Ruiz of Mishawaka[27] and Democratic candidate Brendan Mullen of Granger, an Iraq War veteran.

On May 8, 2012, Walorski easily won the primary election with 73% of the vote, winning all 10 counties in the 2nd District.[28]

Walorski defeated Mullen 49%–48%,[29] likely helped by Mitt Romney carrying her district with 56 percent of the vote.[30] She took office on January 3, 2013. At the same time, Donnelly was elected to the Senate.[31]

Walorski has received endorsements from the National Federation of Small Business and the U.S. and Indiana Chambers of Commerce.

Committee assignments[]

Caucus memberships[]

Political positions[]

Defense[]

On May 25, 2018, Walorski introduced legislation to double the death gratuity paid to the families of service members killed on active duty. The legislation would increase the current death gratuity of $100,000 to $200,000. Under the bill, at least 60% of the benefit would be paid to the surviving spouse. Service members could choose how the remaining 40 percent would be disbursed. The bill would also cap death benefits for members of Congress at $74,000. This would result in a payment of about $100,000 less than what would be paid under the current system.[36]

Health care[]

Walorski voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.[37]

Economy[]

Walorski has advocated privatizing Social Security. In March 2010 she said, "I think the one thing we have to do is the thing that Bush actually tried to do a couple years ago, which is privatize Social Security and allow people to invest in their own retirement."[38]

Walorski voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[39]

In 2018, Walorski said she opposed the Trump tariffs on goods imported from American allies. She said that such duties threaten American businesses and workers. These include a 25-percent tariff on steel and a 10-percent tariff on aluminum. Walorski also asked that system for granting exclusions for certain kinds of products be accelerated.[40]

Abortion[]

In 2015, Walorski rejected the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill banning Late termination of pregnancy, an abortion procedure given beyond 20 weeks into a pregnancy.[41] In 2013, Walorski had said she would support a ban on late-term abortions.[42]

In October 2017, Walorski asked the Indiana State Department of Health to deny an application to open an abortion clinic in South Bend. Walorski said the clinic would undermine efforts to reduce the number of abortions in the area.[43]

Interest group ratings[]

Walorski was given a "D" rating in 2016 from marijuana legalization advocacy group NORML for her voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.[44]

Walorski has a 63 percent rating from Heritage Action for America based on her conservative voting record.[45]

Immigration[]

Walorski supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries. She believes that it "will allow our national security officials to examine the vetting process and strengthen safeguards to prevent terrorists from entering our homeland."[46]

Texas v. Pennsylvania[]

In December 2020, Walorski was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[47] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[48][49][50]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Walorski and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[51][52] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Walorski and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[53]

Personal life[]

In 1995, Walorski married her husband, Dean Swihart, a schoolteacher in Mishawaka.[18] She resides in Jimtown, an unincorporated suburban community west of Elkhart, and is a member of South Gate Church, an Assemblies of God megachurch in South Bend.[54]

Honors[]

Walorski has been awarded the following foreign honor:

  • Star of Romania Ribbon.PNG Commander of the Order of the Star of Romania, Romania (June 8, 2017)[55][56]

Electoral history[]

2004
Indiana House of Representatives, 21st District, 2004 [57]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jackie Walorski 13,745 64%
Democratic Carl H. Kaser 7,728 36%
Turnout 21,437
Republican hold Swing
2006
Indiana House of Representatives, 21st District, 2006 [58]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jackie Walorski 8,899 53%
Democratic Robert Kovach 7,980 47%
Turnout 16,879
Republican hold Swing
2008
Indiana House of Representatives, 21st District, 2008 [59]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jackie Walorski 17,605 99%
N/A Clyde James (Write-in) 232 1%
Turnout 17,837
Republican hold Swing
2010
Indiana's 2nd congressional district election, 2010 [60]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Joe Donnelly (incumbent) 91,341 48%
Republican Jackie Walorski 88,803 47%
Libertarian Mark Vogel 9,447 5%
Turnout 189,591 41%
Democratic hold Swing
2012
Indiana's 2nd congressional district election, 2012 [61]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jackie Walorski 134,033 49%
Democratic Brendan Mullen 130,113 48%
Libertarian Joe Ruiz 9,326 3%
N/A Kenneth R. Luntz, Jr. (Write-in) 3 0%
Turnout 273,475 56%
Republican gain from Democratic Swing
2014
Indiana's 2nd congressional district election, 2014 [61]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jackie Walorski (incumbent) 85,119 59%
Democratic Joe Bock 55,331 38%
Libertarian Jeff Petermann 3,992 3%
Turnout 144,442
Republican hold Swing
2016
Indiana's 2nd congressional district election, 2016 [61]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jackie Walorski (incumbent) 164,355 59%
Democratic Lynn Coleman 102,401 37%
Libertarian Ron Cenkush 10,601 4%
Turnout 277,357
Republican hold Swing
2018
Indiana's 2nd congressional district election, 2018 [61]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jackie Walorski (incumbent) 125,499 55%
Democratic Mel Hall 103,363 45%
No party Richard Wolf (Write-in) 27 0
Turnout 228,889
Republican hold Swing
2020
Indiana's 2nd congressional district, 2020[62]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jackie Walorski (incumbent) 183,601 61.5
Democratic Pat Hackett 114,967 38.5
Total votes 298,568 100.0
Republican hold

See also[]

  • Women in the United States House of Representatives

References[]

  1. ^ "WALORSKI, Jackie (1963-)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b James Brosher (September 16, 2012). "Candidates stress their roots: Jackie Walorski". southbendtribune.com.
  3. ^ Consolidated Funeral Services. "Raymond B. Walorski Obituary – Palmer Funeral Homes".
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Izadi, Elahe (November 1, 2012). "Indiana, 2nd House District". Nationaljournal.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Representative Jackie Walorski's Biography". votesmart.org. March 10, 2013.
  6. ^ "Bakersfield Advocacy Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Representing the Interests of Business with Government". Bakersfield Advocacy. March 10, 2013. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013.
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  8. ^ Brian A. Howey (March 16, 2006). "HOWEY Political Report: GOP's Finest Hour? Walorski's world travels brought her to the precipice of change" (PDF). in.gov.
  9. ^ "Our Campaigns – IN State House 021 Race – November 2, 2004". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
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  12. ^ Joan Biskupic (January 6, 2008). "Voter ID case could affect election laws". usatoday.com.
  13. ^ South Bend Tribune, February 17, 2005 by Martin DeAgostino
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Tim Vandenack. "Dems blast Walorski's 2005 non-vote on daylight savings time". The Elkhart Truth. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16.
  15. ^ James Wensits (May 31, 2006). "New identity theft law to take effect July 1 in Indiana". southbendtribune.com.
  16. ^ "Legislation Would Require Companies to Notify Customers of Security Breaches". insideindianabusiness.com. January 4, 2006. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013.
  17. ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
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  23. ^ "Elkhart County Fares Well in Redistricting Changes". The Elkhart Truth. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
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  27. ^ "鹰潭涂料服务中心". www.joeruizforcongress.com.
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  40. ^ "Walorski speaks out against steel, aluminum tariffs on allies". WNDU. United States. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  41. ^ "GOP Congresswomen Get Cold Feet On Anti-Abortion Bill". Huffington Post. February 22, 2015.
  42. ^ "Walorski supports ban on late-term abortions". Huffington Post. June 20, 2013.
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  46. ^ Blake, Aaron. "Coffman, Gardner join Republicans against President Trump's travel ban; here's where the rest stand". Denver Post. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
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  53. ^ Williams, Jordan (2020-12-11). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
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External links[]

Indiana House of Representatives
Preceded by
Richard W. Mangus 		Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
from the 21st district
2005–2010 		Succeeded by
Timothy Wesco
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Joe Donnelly 		Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Indiana's 2nd congressional district
2013–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Ann Wagner 		United States representatives by seniority
195th 		Succeeded by
Randy Weber
  • v
  • t
Indiana's delegation(s) to the 113th-present United States Congress (ordered by seniority)
113th
Senate:
  • ▌D. Coats (R)
  • ▌J. Donnelly (D)
House:
  • ▌P. Visclosky (D)
  • ▌A. Carson (D)
  • ▌M. Stutzman (R)
  • ▌L. Bucshon (R)
  • ▌T. Rokita (R)
  • ▌T. Young (R)
  • ▌S. Brooks (R)
  • ▌L. Messer (R)
  • ▌J. Walorski (R)
114th
Senate:
  • ▌D. Coats (R)
  • ▌J. Donnelly (D)
House:
  • ▌P. Visclosky (D)
  • ▌A. Carson (D)
  • ▌M. Stutzman (R)
  • ▌L. Bucshon (R)
  • ▌T. Rokita (R)
  • ▌T. Young (R)
  • ▌S. Brooks (R)
  • ▌L. Messer (R)
  • ▌J. Walorski (R)
115th
Senate:
  • ▌J. Donnelly (D)
  • ▌T. Young (R)
House:
  • ▌P. Visclosky (D)
  • ▌A. Carson (D)
  • ▌L. Bucshon (R)
  • ▌T. Rokita (R)
  • ▌S. Brooks (R)
  • ▌L. Messer (R)
  • ▌J. Walorski (R)
  • ▌J. Banks (R)
  • ▌T. Hollingsworth (R)
116th
Senate:
  • ▌T. Young (R)
  • ▌M. Braun (R)
House:
  • ▌P. Visclosky (D)
  • ▌A. Carson (D)
  • ▌L. Bucshon (R)
  • ▌S. Brooks (R)
  • ▌J. Walorski (R)
  • ▌J. Banks (R)
  • ▌T. Hollingsworth (R)
  • ▌J. Baird (R)
  • ▌G. Pence (R)
117th
Senate:
  • ▌T. Young (R)
  • ▌M. Braun (R)
House:
Retrieved from ""