Darin LaHood

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Darin McKay LaHood (born July 5, 1968) is a Republican politician from Peoria, Illinois, who is the United States Representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district. Prior to being elected to Congress, he was a member of the Illinois Senate representing the seven-county 37th legislative district.

LaHood is the son of Ray LaHood, the former United States Secretary of Transportation and before then the seven term congressman from the district his son currently represents. He has called himself a fiscal conservative focused on budget issues.

While Ray was a moderate Republican, Darin is considered more conservative.

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Early life

LaHood was born in Peoria, Illinois to Ray and Kathy LaHood, as the eldest of four siblings, and went to Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute. He graduated from Loras College in Iowa and received his J.D. from John Marshall Law School.

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Career as an attorney

LaHood was a prosecutor in the Tazewell County state's attorney's office and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada in Las Vegas. On returning to Peoria in 2005, he took up private law practice; as of 2011 he is in the Peoria law firm of Miller, Hall & Triggs.

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Political career

LaHood ran for Peoria County state's attorney in 2008, losing to incumbent Kevin Lyons by a margin of 43,208 to 36,449. He was also involved in several other Republican campaigns, including Bill Brady's 2010 campaign for governor and Dan Rutherford's campaign for Illinois Treasurer.

LaHood was appointed to the Illinois Senate on February 27, 2011, at the age of 42. He took office March 1, the day after Dale Risinger retired. When appointed, LaHood announced he would run for election to a full term in 2012, which he won, running unopposed.

U.S. House of Representatives

2015 special election

On July 7, 2015, LaHood defeated Mike Flynn 69%-28% in the GOP Primary to become the Republican candidate for Illinois's 18th congressional district, replacing Aaron Schock. He faced the Democratic candidate Rob Mellon in the September 10 special general election, easily defeating him with a large percentage of the vote. He was sworn in by House Speaker John Boehner on September 17, 2015.

2016 election

In the November 8, 2016 general election, LaHood defeated Democratic candidate Junius Rodriguez by a margin of 250,506 (72.1%) to 96,770 (27.9%).

Tenure

LaHood was appointed to two House committees after his special election win in September 2015. He currently serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

On May 25, 2016, LaHood introduced legislation through the Science, Space, and Technology Committee that approved the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Modernization Act of 2016. The NITRD Program was originally authorized by the High Performance Computing Act of 1991. NITRD is the federal government's primary research portfolio on transformative high-end computing, high-speed networking, high capacity systems software, cybersecurity, and related advanced information technologies.

Darin LaHood drew criticism from constituents for declining to hold an open town hall during the February 2017 recess. Constituents from across the 18th congressional district gathered in Bloomington Normal and Jacksonville to request a town hall to discuss a variety of issues, including access to health care, immigration laws, and the freedom of the press. LaHood spoke to the demonstrators outside the Farm Bureau building in Peoria who had come to push for a town hall, LaHood stated, "We live in a democracy, people may not always agree with me and that's why I have to go before voters like I did in November. I was fortunate to receive 72 percent of the vote in that election. But this is part of the process."

LaHood is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership.

He is a member of the Republican Study Committee.

Legislature

LaHood voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. In an letter to the editor in the State Journal Register, LaHood stated that the bill would help his constituents save money and make businesses more competitive globally, including State Farm Insurance, John Deere, and other local businesses.

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Political positions

Domestic issues

Environment

LaHood believes that humans "play a role" regarding climate change and that there is "no doubt about that." He supports clean energy.

Health care

LaHood opposes "able-bodied working men" from accessing Medicaid. Regarding single-payer healthcare, LaHood would consider a bill if it was "fiscally sound" and benefited his constituents.

Russian inference investigations

LaHood supports the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Technology

LaHood opposes net neutrality and believes that revoking it has "zero effect" on privacy or data collection.

Economic issues

Tax reform

LaHood supports tax reform, specifically around corporate loopholes. In April 2017, he stated he would not vote for any tax cut bill unless it was "revenue neutral" so it would not add to the deficit. In December, LaHood voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which, according to the Congressional Budget Office, will add $1.414 trillion to the national debt.

International issues

Immigration

LaHood supports immigration reform, including shortening the time that it takes for people to legally enter the United States. He is "100 percent supportive" of expanding the number of individuals allowed to immigrate to the country.

Social issues

Cannabis

LaHood has a "F" rating from NORML for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes. He opposes the legalization of marijuana, even for medicinal purposes. LaHood opposes veterans having access to medical marijuana if recommended by their Veterans Health Administration doctor and if it is legal for medicinal purposes in their state of residence. He believes the legalization of medical marijuana increases it's illegal use and abuse by teenagers and that it is addictive.

Donald Trump

LaHood believes that Trump should release his tax returns and will vote in favor of requiring it if a bill is presented to the House. Regarding Trump's visits to Mar-a-Lago, LaHood believes "more business should be conducted in the White House than in Florida."