Bob Dold
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Robert James Dold Jr. (born June 23, 1969) is an American politician who served as the
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for from 2011 to 2013 and again from 2015 to 2017. He is a member of the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...
. Prior to his election, Dold ran his family-owned business, Rose Pest Solutions. In
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, Dold defeated Democratic Party nominee Dan Seals to replace Republican incumbent Mark Kirk in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dold was narrowly defeated by Democrat
Brad Schneider Bradley Scott Schneider (born August 20, 1961) is an American businessman and politician who became the U.S. representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district in 2017, previously holding the position from 2013 to 2015. Before he was elec ...
in
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, but regained the seat in
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, defeating Schneider in a rematch. He was again defeated by Schneider in
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
in a third contest between the two.


Early life, education, and career

Dold was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Judith Gail (née Kelley) and Robert James Dold. His ancestry includes German, Swedish, Irish, Scottish, and English. He graduated from
New Trier High School New Trier High School (, also known as New Trier Township High School or NTHS) is a public four-year high school, with its main campus for sophomores through seniors located in Winnetka, Illinois, United States, and a campus in Northfield, Illinoi ...
where he was quarterback of the football team and captain of the wrestling and lacrosse teams. He earned a BA degree from Denison University where he served as President of the Campus Governance Association and was a member of
Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...
. Dold obtained a JD degree from Indiana University where his classmates selected him to give the commencement address, and an MBA degree from Northwestern University's
Kellogg School of Management The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (also known as Kellogg) is the business school of Northwestern University, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1908, Kellogg is one of the oldest and most p ...
. Dold was an intern in the administration of Vice President Dan Quayle. He also clerked for a New York State Judge and served as an investigative counsel for the Republican-led House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections


2010

Dold ran for the open seat, as five-term incumbent Mark Kirk was retiring to run for the U.S. Senate. In his first radio ad of the general election campaign, Dold described himself as a small business owner, fiscal conservative, and social moderate. He won the primary election on February 2, 2010, and faced Democrat Dan Seals in the general election. Seals, a business consultant, had been the nominee for this seat in 2006 and 2008, losing both times to Kirk. Dold was endorsed by the '' Chicago Tribune'', whose editorial page editor, R. Bruce Dold, is not related to Bob Dold. The
US Chamber of Commerce The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the largest lobbying group in the United States, representing over three million businesses and organizations. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urging ...

'' Pioneer Press'', September 13, 2010
and the Electrical Contractors' AssociationPolitical Briefs
'' Lake County News-Sun'', July 20, 2010
also endorsed him. Former New York City mayor
Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (, ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 198 ...
and Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist campaigned for Dold. After reporting nearly equal fund-raising for the second quarter, Dold's fundraising outpaced Seals' in the third quarter, and he began the final quarter with more cash on hand. At the request of the Federal Election Commission, the Dold campaign amended its second quarter filing in September 2010 to reflect debts and expenditures that had been incurred in the second quarter but had not yet been billed when the filing period ended. Dold won the general election with 51% of the vote to Seals' 49%.


2012

The Cook Political Report named Dold one of the top 10 Republicans most vulnerable to redistricting in 2012; the 10th was already a Democratic-leaning district, and became even more so due to redistricting. The endorsement of Senator Mark Kirk, who was popular in the district at the time, was expected to help Dold. Dold had a strong cash-on-hand advantage over his opponent
Brad Schneider Bradley Scott Schneider (born August 20, 1961) is an American businessman and politician who became the U.S. representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district in 2017, previously holding the position from 2013 to 2015. Before he was elec ...
. Dold earned the endorsement of the '' Chicago Tribune'' and ''
Daily Herald Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
''. Schneider defeated Dold 51%–49%, a difference of just 3,000 votes.


2014

On May 8, 2013, Dold announced in an e-mail to supporters that he would run for his old seat in 2014. The National Republican Congressional Committee actively recruited him to run again. The race was expected to be one of the most competitive in the country, and was ranked by Roll Call as the seventh most likely flip for 2014 House rematches. Billionaire and former New York City mayor
Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
spent nearly $2 million to help Dold. Dold won the rematch by slightly more than 4,800 votes and took office at the start of the 114th Congress.


2016

Dold ran for re-election in 2016, facing a rematch with
Brad Schneider Bradley Scott Schneider (born August 20, 1961) is an American businessman and politician who became the U.S. representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district in 2017, previously holding the position from 2013 to 2015. Before he was elec ...
in the general election. He was endorsed by the
Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...
, the nation's largest LGBT civil rights organization, despite the organization having endorsed Schneider in 2014. Dold was also endorsed by ''The Chicago Tribune'' and ''The Chicago Sun-Times''. He refused to endorse Republican nominee Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and said he would instead write in an alternative candidate's name. In the general election, Dold lost to Schneider by 5 percentage points, as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won the district by nearly 30.


Tenure


Reputation

Dold is a
moderate Republican Moderate Republicans may refer to: * Within the United States Republican Party: ** Moderate Republicans (Reconstruction era), active from 1854 to 1877 ** Moderate Republicans (United States, 1930s–1970s) or Rockefeller Republicans ** Moderate Rep ...
who had a centrist voting record in Congress. The non-partisan organization GovTrack has ranked Dold in the political center of Congress. ''
National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes da ...
'' did a comprehensive study of key votes in the House, ranking Dold as one of the most independent members of Congress. The district had traditionally elected moderate Republicans, such as Dold and his predecessors
John Edward Porter John Edward Porter (June 1, 1935 – June 3, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district from 1980 to 2001. Career before Congress Before his election to Congress, ...
and Mark Kirk. Dold is an original member of the No Labels movement which, Dold stated, he hoped would help to end the gridlock in Washington, DC. Dold is a member of the
Tuesday Group The Republican Governance Group, originally the Tuesday Lunch Bunch and then the Tuesday Group until 2020, is a group of moderate Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It was founded in 1994 in the wake of the Republican tak ...
, an informal caucus of moderate Republicans in the U.S. House. In 2015, Dold was elected co-chair of the Tuesday Group. An editorial in ''The Daily Herald'' noted Dold's spirit of bipartisanship and called for more Bob Dolds in Congress. According to '' Roll Call'', Dold has moved further to the center during his second term in Congress. In fact, in 2015,
The Lugar Center Richard Green Lugar (April 4, 1932 – April 28, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in Indianapolis, Lugar graduated from De ...
, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit founded by former Senator
Richard Lugar Richard Green Lugar (April 4, 1932 – April 28, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in Indianapolis, Lugar graduated from De ...
released a Bipartisan Index in cooperation with Georgetown University, ranking Congressman Dold the fifth most bipartisan congressman (out of 438) in the
114th Congress The 114th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from Ja ...
.


Political positions

Dold supports abortion rights. In 2012, Dold introduced H.R. 5650, the Protecting Women's Access to Health Care Act, which prevents lawmakers from blocking funds to
Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...
. He has voiced support for stem cell research. Dold voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which permanently extended most of the Bush middle class tax cuts. He has stated his support for gay marriage and immigration reform. He became the first House Republican to support the Equality Act, which would amend the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...
to include a ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Regarding the Affordable Care Act, he has stated his desire to improve the law rather than fight to repeal or defund it. Dold has said the Affordable Care Act was right to require insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions and to allow students to stay on a parent's insurance to age 26. Upon his return to the House in 2015, Dold became one of just three Republican Congressmen to vote against repeal of the Affordable Care Act – the first time any elected Republicans at the federal level voted against such a measure. Dold supports gun control measures. In 2015, he signed onto a bipartisan bill that would expand background checks for gun purchasers. He accepts the
scientific consensus on climate change There is a strong scientific consensus that the Earth is warming and that this warming is mainly caused by human activities. This consensus is supported by various studies of scientists' opinions and by position statements of scientific org ...
and believes steps should be taken to address the issue. In 2016, Dold introduced a bill to create a grant to expand the availability of naloxone, a heroin overdose antidote.


Personnel

Upon taking office in 2011, Dold hired former lobbyist Eric Burgeson, who grew up in Illinois' 10th district, as his congressional
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
. Burgeson and Dold had previously worked together on Sen.
Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his te ...
's 1996 presidential campaign. Dold instituted a policy that "staff may not work on matters of substance with former clients." In his second term in office, his chief of staff was James Slepian.


Committee assignments

Dold was originally appointed to the Committee on Financial Services for the 114th Congress, but after the resignation of fellow Illinois Republican Aaron Schock, Dold was chosen to replace him on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. * Committee on Ways and Means ** Subcommittee on Human Resources ** Subcommittee on Social Security ;Previous * Committee on Financial Services **
Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises The U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets is a subcommittee of the House Committee on Financial Services. It was previously known as the Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets. Jurisdicti ...
** Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity


Personal life

Dold is married and has three children. He resides in Kenilworth, Illinois and runs Rose Pest Solutions, the oldest pest control company in the country.LinkedIn Profile
Retrieved August 18, 2010.
Dold attends Kenilworth Union Church and is a scoutmaster for Kenilworth
Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...
Troop No. 13.
Abdon M. Pallasch, '' Chicago Sun-Times'', September 28, 2010


Electoral history


References


External links

* * * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dold, Bob 1969 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American businesspeople American people of English descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Scottish descent American people of Swedish descent Businesspeople from Evanston, Illinois Denison University alumni Indiana University Maurer School of Law alumni Kellogg School of Management alumni Living people New Trier High School alumni People from Kenilworth, Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois