From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Steve King
Steve King
Steve King 1967.[1] He attended Northwest Missouri State University
from 1967 to 1970,[2] taking courses toward becoming a
wildlife officer.[1] He does not have a college degree.[3]
In 1975, he founded King Construction, an earth moving
company. King founded the Kiron Business Association in
the 1980s. His involvement with the Iowa Land Improve-
ment Contractors’ Association led to regional and nation-
al offices in that organization and a growing interest in
public policy.[1]
Iowa Senate
From 1996 to 2002, King served as an Iowa State Senator,
representing the 6th district.[2] King worked as the Chair-
man of the State Government Committee and Vice Chair-
man of the Oversight Budget Committee. He was a part
of the Appropriations Committee, Judiciary Committee,
Business and Labor Committee, and the Commerce Com-
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives mittee. He assisted in eliminating the inheritance tax, en-
from Iowa’s 5th district
Iowa’s forcing workplace drug testing, strengthening parental
Incumbent
rights, passing tax cuts for working residents of Iowa, and
passing a law that made English the official language in
Assumed office Iowa.[4]
January 3, 2003
Preceded by Tom Latham
U.S. House of Representatives
Personal details
Born May 28, 1949 (1949-05-28)
Committee assignments
Storm Lake, Iowa • • Subcommittee on Department Operations,
Political party Republican
Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry
• Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities
Spouse(s) Marilyn and Risk Management
Children three • Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
• Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture
Residence Kiron, Iowa • • Subcommittee on the Constitution
Occupation Construction contractor • Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship,
Refugees, Border Security, and International Law
Religion Roman Catholic
(Vice Chairman) [5]
•
Steven Arnold "Steve" King (born May 28, 1949) is the
• Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus
U.S. Representative for Iowa’s 5th congressional district,
• Republican Study Committee
serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Par-
• Tea Party Caucus
ty.
The district is located in the western part of the state
and includes Sioux City and Council Bluffs. Political positions
King is considered an outspoken fiscal and social conser-
Early life, education and career vative. After winning the 2002 Republican nomination,
he said that he intended to use his seat in Congress to
King was born on May 28, 1949 in Storm Lake, Iowa. The
"move the political center of gravity in Congress to the
son of a state police dispatcher and a homemaker, King
right."[6]
graduated from Denison Community High School in
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Steve King
During the 110th Congress, King voted with the ma- "must also enact marriage license residency require-
jority of the Republican Party 90.9% of the time.[7] King ments so that Iowa does not become the gay marriage
has continuously voted for Iraq War legislation, and has Mecca." [17] King, along with others, mounted a campaign
supported surge efforts and opposed a time table for against the retention of all three Iowa Supreme Court
troop withdrawals. judges who ruled on the gay marriage case. King bought
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave $80,000 of radio across the state calling for Iowans to vote
King a ’B’ grade, based on the key veterans’ legislation "no" on the judges. Subsequently, all three judges were
that came to a vote during the 110th Congress. King was not retained.[18]
the only US Representative from Iowa who did not re-
ceive an ’A’ or ’A+’ from IAVA. For reference, former POW Federal spending
John McCain received a D in the same report. [8] King fought against Medicare and Medicaid paying for
He was the only Representative from Iowa to score a number of medications such as Viagra, which he de-
100 percent on the joint Family Research Council Action/ scribed as "recreational drugs".[19] King also has voted
Focus on the Family Action Congressional Scorecard in against each stimulus bill in the U.S. House of Represen-
the second session of the 109th Congress. In the 109th tatives, saying, “Our economy will not recover because
United States Congress, and again in the 110th Congress, government spends more. It will recover because people
King chairs the Conservative Opportunity Society, an or- produce more.”[20]
ganization founded by Newt Gingrich and others con- King gained prominence by being one of 11 in
sisting of Republican members of Congress committed Congress to vote against the $52 billion Katrina Aid pack-
to representing the conservative agenda in the House of age citing fiscal responsibility and the government need-
Representatives.[9] ing a comprehensive plan for spending aid money. The
In November 2010 King endorsed Michele Bachmann Sioux City Journal wrote the following about King’s vote:
for House Republican Conference Chair.[10]
"In September, we took our congressman, Steve
Abortion King, to task for voting against a $52 billion aid
King scored a 100% rating with the National Right to Life package for victims of Hurricane Katrina. King -
Committee.[11] who was just one of 11 members of Congress who
voted against the package which passed both hous-
Gun control es and was signed by President Bush - based his
vote on the need for "fiscal responsibility." He said
King supports a broad legal latitude for individual gun
the federal government needed to develop a com-
ownership.[12]
prehensive plan for spending aid dollars, including
input from members of Congress, before more mon-
Race and gender
ey was appropriated. He earlier had voted for a
King opposes race based quotas and affirmative action. $10.5 billion emergency aid package. Well, after
King has stated: “There’s been legislation that’s been reading an Associated Press story about a report
brought through this House that sets aside benefits for that details how perhaps hundreds of millions of
women and minorities. The only people that it excludes dollars in Katrina disaster aid have been misspent,
are white men...Pretty soon, white men are going to no- it appears we were wrong and King was right about
tice they are the ones being excluded.” [13] his vote on the $52 billion." [21]
Steve King said on the floor of the House on June 14,
2010 that racial profiling is an important component of
Illegal immigration
law enforcement: "Profiling has always been an impor-
tant component of legitimate law enforcement. If you King is against illegal immigration.[citation needed]. He is
can’t profile someone, you can’t use those common sense considered a likely candidate to chair the House Immi-
indicators that are before your very eyes."[14] As an ex- gration subcommittee in the Republican-majority House
ample of profiling, King described an instance when a of Representatives.
taxi driver would stop for him before he had to hail a cab, In April 2006, conservative members of Congress pro-
just because he was in a business suit.[15] posed strengthening law enforcement against illegal im-
migration to the United States. When asked if "the US
Same sex marriage economy simply couldn’t function without" the presence
of illegal immigrants, King said that he rejected that posi-
On April 3, 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that a
tion "categorically". He said "they", referring to the 77.5
state ban on same-sex marriage violated the Iowa consti-
million people between the ages of sixteen and sixty-five
tution.[16] King soon commented that the judges "should
in the United States who are not part of the workforce,
resign from their position" and the state legislature
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Steve King
"could be put to work and we could invent machines to also won all 32 counties in the 5th District for the second
replace the rest."[22] election cycle in a row.[27]
King said that "members of Congress that vote for a
guest-worker plan ... will be supporting an amnesty plan
and they should be branded with the scarlet letter ’A’ and
Remarks about Barack Obama
pay for that amnesty in the ballot box in November [elec- On March 7, 2008, during his press engagements to an-
tions]". nounce his reelection campaign, King made remarks
about Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate
Political lobbying Barack Obama and his middle name, saying:
On February 26, 2010, King went to the House floor to
"I don’t want to disparage anyone because of their
protest the Democrats’ handling of health care reform
race, their ethnicity, their name - whatever their
and said: "Lobbyists do a very effective and useful job on
religion their father might have been," I’ll just say
this Hill ...There’s a credibility there in that arena that I
this: When you think about the optics of a Barack
think somebody needs to stand up for the lobby, and it is
Obama potentially getting elected President of the
a matter of providing a lot of valuable information." [23]
United States -- I mean, what does this look like to
the rest of the world? What does it look like to the
Political campaigns world of Islam? I will tell you that, if he is elected
president, then the radical Islamists, the al-Qaida,
In 2002, after redistricting took 5th District incumbent
the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be
and fellow Republican Tom Latham out of the district,
dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they
King ran in a four-way Republican primary for the seat.
did on September 11 because they will declare vic-
His most prominent opponents were fellow state senator
tory in this War on Terror. Additionally, his mid-
John Redwine and State House Speaker Brent Siegrest.
dle name (Hussein) does matter. It matters because
The 5th, then as now, was so heavily Republican that it
they read a meaning into that in the rest of the
was generally thought whoever won the Republican pri-
world...If he were strong on national defense and
mary was all but assured of victory in November.
said ’I’m going to go over there and we’re going to
King won the primary election with 30% of the vote,
fight and we’re going to win, we’ll come home with
short of the 35 percent required by Iowa law to be named
a victory,’ that’s different. But that’s not what he
the outright winner. Subsequently, a nominating con-
said. They will be dancing in the streets if he’s elect-
vention was held which King won on the third ballot.[24]
ed president. That has a chilling aspect on how dif-
King easily won election in November over Council Bluffs
ficult it will be to ever win this Global War on Ter-
city councilman Paul Shomshor, and he was reelected al-
ror." [28]
most as handily in 2004.
In 2006, King won re-election in the 2006 general
Then on March 10, King defended his comments to The
election against Democrat Schulte and Independent can-
Associated Press, saying "(Obama will) certainly be
didates Roy Nielsen and Cheryl Broderson with 59 per-
viewed as a savior for them.... That’s why you will see
cent of the vote.[25]
them supporting him, encouraging him."[29]
Obama said he did not take the comments too seri-
2008 ously, describing King as an individual who thrives on
See also: United States House of Representatives elec- making controversial statements to get media coverage.
tions in Iowa, 2008#Fifth District He said, "I would hope Senator McCain would want to dis-
In 2008, King had been seen as a possible challenger for tance himself from that kind of inflammatory and offen-
Tom Harkin’s Senate seat, but on March 7, he announced sive remarks." The McCain campaign disavowed King’s
that he would run for a fourth House term. King was op- comments, saying "John McCain rejects the type of poli-
posed by Democratic nominee Rob Hubler and Indepen- tics that degrades our civics…and obviously that extends
dent candidate Victor Vara. King won with 60 percent of to Congressman King’s statement."[29]
the vote and for the first time won all 32 counties in his In mid-January 2009, King acknowledged that terror-
district.[26] ists were not dancing in the streets, and in fact "They
have made statements against Obama." He also said that
2010 he found Obama’s decision to use his middle name, "Hus-
See also: United States House of Representatives elec- sein", when he is sworn in as the 44th President of the
tions in Iowa, 2010#District 5 United States on January 20, 2009, to be "bizarre" and “a
King ran against Democratic nominee Matt Campbell and double-standard."[30]
won with his highest percentage yet of 66 percent. King Steve King said on a radio show on June 14, 2010 that
President Obama’s policies favor black people. On G. Gor-
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Steve King
don Liddy’s radio show, King said, "The president has [18] http://theiowarepublican.com/home/2010/11/04/
demonstrated that he has a default mechanism in him the-winners-of-the-2010-election/
[19] "House Rejects Coverage of Impotence Pills". The
that breaks down the side of race - on the side that favors
the black person."[31] New York Times. June 25, 2005.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/25/politics/
References 25viagra.html. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
[20] "U.S. Rep. King: Opposes bill stimulating
[1] ^ "Steve King (R)". The Washington Post. government". IowaPolitics.com. 2009-02-13.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ http://iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=149103.
elections/2004/candidates/22395/. Retrieved Retrieved 2010-08-23.
2010-07-11. [21] http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2006/
[2] ^ "Steve King". KCCI. http://www.kcci.com/ 02/15/news_opinion/editorial/
politics/1650801/detail.html. Retrieved 9728fcc742d6f621862571160015945e.txt
2010-07-11. [22] Robin Lustig, interviewing King on the BBC’s
[3] Monarez, Justin Anthony (2009-12-21). "5 percent programme ’The World Tonight’ on BBC Radio 4
in Congress lack college degree". Scripps Howard [23] Vaida, Bara (2010-03-01). "Rep. King: "Lobbyists Are
News Service. http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/ Useful"". National Journal.
49955. Retrieved 2010-12-16. http://undertheinfluence.nationaljournal.com/
[4] "U.S. House Of Representatives District 5". Lyon 2010/03/lobbyists-are-useful-says-rep.php.
County Reporter. 2006-10-25. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-Ek- [24] Giroux, Gregory L., King Promises Rightward
AAAAIBAJ&sjid=O_YFAAAAIBAJ&pg=763,14311618&dq=steve+king+chairman+of+the+state+government+committee+and+vice+c
Movement for Iowa , CQ Daily Monitor, 7/5/2002.
Retrieved 2010-07-12. [25] "Iowa Statewide Election Summary" (pdf),
[5] "Surprise Choice for Immigration Panel". The New November 9, 2006. Retrieved November 15, 2006.
York Times. January 7, 2011. [26] Office of the Iowa Secretary of State
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/ [27] http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/elections/2010/
surprise-choice-for-immigration-panel/. Retrieved usreporr.pdf
January 8, 2011. [28] "Local News: King announced bid for fourth term
[6] Thompson, Kate. Fifth District Republicans Crown (03/08/08)". Spencer Daily Reporter. 2008-03-08.
Their King. Sioux City Journal, 2002-06-30. http://www.spencerdailyreporter.com/story/
[7] "Votes Database - Steve King". Washington Post. 1316727.html. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/ [29] ^ "Rep. King defends comments on Obama". USA
members/k000362/. Retrieved 2008-10-11. Today. March 11, 2008. http://www.usatoday.com/
[8] [1] news/politics/election2008/2008-03-10-king-
[9] allbusiness.com obama_N.htm. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
[10] Derek Wallbank Paulsen says yes; Bachmann sews [30] Daniel Libit (January 15, 2009). "King: Obama
up MN delegation support for leadership bid ’bizarre’ to use ’Hussein’". Politico.
MinnPost.com November 5, 2010 http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/
[11] "Steve King on Abortion". Ontheissues.org. 17506.html.
http://www.ontheissues.org/House/ [31] Steve King Says Obama "Favors the Black Person"
Steve_King_Abortion.htm#06n-NRLC. Retrieved (CBS News, 6/15/10)
2010-08-23.
[12] "Steve King on Gun Control". Ontheissues.org.
http://www.ontheissues.org/House/
External links
Steve_King_Gun_Control.htm. Retrieved • U.S. Congressman Steve King official U.S. House site
2010-08-23. • Steve King for U.S. Congress official campaign site
[13] "Why is the GOP slighting Hispanics? (page 2)". • Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/ States Congress
25745_Page2.html. Retrieved August 4, 2009. • Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
[14] King: Racial profiling is important for law • Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings
enforcement (Des Moines Register, 6/15/10) at Project Vote Smart
[15] Rep. Steve King Tells Congress He Is A Victim Of • Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
Profiling As A White Man In A Suit • Congressional profile at OpenCongress
[16] Des Moines Register • Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
[17] The Iowa Independent • Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Steve King
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Succeeded by
Tom Latham from Iowa’s 5th congressional district Incumbent
2003–Present
United States order of precedence
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority Succeeded by
Jeb Hensarling 211th John Kline
R-Texas R-Minnesota
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at Persondata
LegiStorm.com
Name King, Steve
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal
Election Commission Alternative names
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Short description
Money in State Politics Date of birth May 28, 1949
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
Place of birth Storm Lake, Iowa
• Appearances at the Internet Movie Database
• Profile at Notable Names Database Date of death
• Profile at SourceWatch Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_King"
Categories: 1949 births, Living people, Members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa, Northwest
Missouri State University alumni, Iowa Republicans, American businesspeople, Iowa State Senators, American an-
ti–illegal immigration activists, People from Buena Vista County, Iowa, People from Crawford County, Iowa
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