Dan Maffei
Dan Maffei (b. July 4, 1968, in Syracuse, NY) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives. Maffei was first elected to the House in 2008, representing New York's 25th Congressional District. He lost his 2010 election bid, but won election in 2012 to the 24th Congressional District.[1][2]
In 2012, Maffei was one of only five House Democrats to win his seat back from freshman Republicans that had taken it two years earlier.
Maffei lost his 2014 re-election bid. He ran unopposed for the Democratic and Working Families Party nominations in the primary on June 24, 2014, but was then defeated by John Katko (R) in the general election.[3][4]
Biography
Maffei worked as a television news reporter for Channel 9 in Syracuse, and he served as a communications and policy advisor for Senators Bill Bradley and Daniel Patrick Moynihan.[5] He served in the U.S. House from 2009 to 2011 and from 2013 to 2015.
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Maffei served on the following committees:[6]
- Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
- Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Science, Space, and Technology
- Subcommittee on Oversight - Ranking Member
- Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
Key votes
113th Congress
The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[7] For more information pertaining to Maffei's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[8]
National security
NDAA
Maffei voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[9]
DHS Appropriations Act (2014)
Maffei voted in opposition of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[9]
Keystone Pipeline Amendment
Maffei voted in favor of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[9]
CISPA (2013)
Maffei voted in support of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[10] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[9]
Economy
Farm Bill
- See also: United States Farm Bill 2013
Maffei voted against the Farm Bill on July 11, 2013. The bill passed in a 216-208 vote.[11] The bill passed included farm policy, but did not include food stamps.[12]
Government shutdown
- See also: United States budget debate, 2013
On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[13] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[14] Maffei voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[15]
The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[16] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Maffei voted for HR 2775.[17]
Immigration
Morton Memos Prohibition
Maffei voted against House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status.[18] The vote largely followed party lines.[19]
Healthcare
Repealing Obamacare
Maffei has voted against attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[20]
Social issues
Abortion
Maffei voted against HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196. The purpose of the bill was to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.[21]
Previous congressional sessions
Rep. Maffei voted for the stimulus bill.[22] A total of 57 percent of U.S. voters believed that the stimulus had hurt the economy (36 percent) or had no impact (21 percent). Only 38 percent believed the stimulus helped the economy.[23]
Maffei also voted in favor of the "Cash for Clunkers" bill.[24] According to a June 2009 Rasmussen Reports poll, 54 percent of likely U.S. voters opposed Cash for Clunkers, while 35 percent supported it.[25]
Maffei supported the "Cap and Trade" bill.[26] Just after the bill’s passage, 42 percent of likely U.S. voters said that cap and trade would hurt the economy, while 19 percent believed it would help. Only 15 percent said that the bill would have no impact.[27]
Finally, Maffei voted in favor of the health care reform bill.[28] A total of 57 percent of likely voters at least somewhat favored repeal of the health care reform bill, including 46 percent who strongly favored repeal. About 35 percent of likely voters opposed repeal. A total of 51 percent of likely voters believed the health care reform bill would be bad for the country, while 36 percent believed it would be beneficial.[29]
Campaign themes
2012
Maffei listed the following campaign themes on his website:[30]
- Tax Relief
- Balanced Budget
- Retirement Security
- Iraq and Afghanistan
- Veterans
- Jobs
- Ending Bailouts
- Making Trade Work
Elections
2016
In January 2015, after losing his congressional seat to John Katko (R), Maffei announced in an interview that he would not seek to win back the seat in 2016. Maffei stated, "I have no plans to ever be involved as a candidate in electoral politics... I mean, you never say 'never.' But I just can't imagine at this point -- unlike in 2010 -- I'm not going to come run in two years for Congress again. The Democrats will need to find another candidate."[31]
2014
In 2014, Maffei lost his bid for re-election to the U.S. House to represent New York's 24th District. Maffei ran unopposed for the Democratic and Working Families Party nominations in the primary on June 24, 2014. He was then defeated by John Katko (R) in the general election.[4] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dan Maffei Incumbent | 40.3% | 80,304 | |
| Republican |  John Katko |
59.5% | 118,474 | |
| N/A | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 444 | |
| Total Votes | 199,222 | |||
| Source: New York State Board of Elections, NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns November 4, 2014," accessed August 30, 2021 | ||||
Race background
Maffei was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program was designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents during the 2014 election cycle.[32]
Biden and Clinton campaigning for Maffei
Vice President Joe Biden (D) appeared at a campaign event for Maffei in Syracuse on October 20, 2014.[33] Approximately 450 people were present at the event.[34]
Later that same month, former President Bill Clinton (D) announced that he would join Maffei at a "get-out-the-vote" event on October 14. Clinton attended similar rallies for Maffei in 2010 and 2012, attracting crowds of 800-1,000 people.[34]
Media
- In September 2014, Maffei released an ad attacking his Republican challenger, John Katko, for opposing equal pay for women.[35]
|
2012
Maffei ran for U.S. House in 2012. He was unopposed in the Democratic and Working Families Party primaries and faced incumbent Ann Marie Buerkle (R) and Ursula Rozum (G) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[36] Maffei won the election.[37]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dan Maffei |
48.8% | 143,044 | |
| Republican | Ann Marie Buerkle Incumbent | 43.4% | 127,054 | |
| Green | Ursula Rozum | 7.7% | 22,670 | |
| N/A | Write-in votes | 0.1% | 220 | |
| Total Votes | 292,988 | |||
| Source: New York State Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed September 1, 2021 | ||||
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for Dan Maffei, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2010 On November 2, 2010, Ann Marie Buerkle won election to the United States House. She defeated Daniel Maffei (D) in the general election.[38]
2008 On November 4, 2008, Dan Maffei won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Dale Sweetland (R) and Howie Hawkins (Green Populist) in the general election.[39]
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Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal Gain Index
- See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)
- See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)
The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:
PGI: Change in net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Maffei's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $-81,995 and $65,998. That averages to $-7,998.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Maffei ranked as the 418th most wealthy representative in 2012.[40] Between 2007 and 2012, Maffei's calculated net worth[41] decreased by an average of 29 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[42]
| Dan Maffei Yearly Net Worth | |
|---|---|
| Year | Average Net Worth |
| 2007 | $18,276 |
| 2012 | $−7,998 |
| Growth from 2007 to 2012: | −144% |
| Average annual growth: | −29%[43] |
| Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[44] | |
The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.
PGI: Donation Concentration Metric
Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Maffei received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.
From 2005-2014, 26.8 percent of Maffei's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[45]
| Dan Maffei Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $10,452,269 |
| Total Spent | $8,999,804 |
| Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $846,560 |
| Leadership PACs | $614,520 |
| Securities & Investment | $502,004 |
| Lobbyists | $483,551 |
| Health Professionals | $354,191 |
| % total in top industry | 8.1% |
| % total in top two industries | 13.98% |
| % total in top five industries | 26.8% |
Analysis
Ideology and leadership
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Maffei was a rank-and-file Democrat as of August 2014.[46] This was the same rating Maffei received in June 2013.
Like-minded colleagues
The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[47]
|
Maffei most often voted with: |
Maffei least often voted with: |
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Maffei missed 42 of 2,775 roll call votes from January 2009 to August 2014. This amounts to 1.5 percent, which is better than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of August 2014.[46]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.
2013
Maffei ranked 186th in the liberal rankings in 2013.[48]
Voting with party
The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.
2014
Maffei voted with the Democratic Party 78.1 percent of the time, which ranked 191st among the 204 House Democratic members as of August 2014.[49]
2013
Maffei voted with the Democratic Party 78.7 percent of the time, which ranked 195th among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[50]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Maffei is married to Abby Davidson-Maffei. They live in DeWitt, New York.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Dan + Maffei + New York + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- New York
- United States congressional delegations from New York
- United States House of Representatives
- New York's 24th Congressional District elections, 2014
- New York's 24th Congressional District
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ The New York Times, "Election brings seasoned politicians to congress," December 8, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Political comeback kids to take seats again in the House," November 18, 2012
- ↑ Associated Press, "New York - Summary Vote Results," accessed June 24, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 New York State Board of Elections, "New York State Unofficial Election Night Results," accessed November 9, 2014
- ↑ Campaign website, "Bio," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress," accessed March 3, 2013
- ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 112th Congress," accessed September 5, 2013
- ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 113th Congress," accessed March 4, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Project Vote Smart, "Representative Maffei's Voting Records on National Security," accessed October 10, 2013
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "Bill Summary & Status - 113th Congress (2013 - 2014) - H.R.624," accessed August 27, 2013
- ↑ Vote Smart, "Maffei on agriculture," accessed October 10, 2013
- ↑ New York Times, "House Republicans Push Through Farm Bill, Without Food Stamps," accessed September 17, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "H.AMDT.136," accessed August 28, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Representative Maffei's Voting Records on Immigration," accessed October 10, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Representative Maffei's Voting Records on Issue: Health and Healthcare," accessed October 10, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Maffei on abortion," accessed October 10, 2013
- ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 46," accessed January 28, 2009
- ↑ Rasmussen, "38% Say Stimulus Plan Helped Economy, 36% Say It Hurt," accessed August 24, 2010
- ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 314," accessed June 9, 2009
- ↑ Rasmussen, "54% Oppose 'Cash for Clunkers' Plan To Spur Purchase of Greener Cars," accessed June 23, 2009
- ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 477," accessed June 26, 2009
- ↑ Rasmussen, "42% Say Climate Change Bill Will Hurt The Economy," accessed June 30, 2009
- ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 165," March 21, 2010
- ↑ Rasmussen, "61% Favor Repeal of Healthcare Law," accessed September 20, 2010
- ↑ Campaign website, "Issues," accessed October 12, 2012
- ↑ Syracuse, "U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei in exit interview: I won't seek public office again," accessed January 6, 2015
- ↑ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "DCCC Chairman Steve Israel Announces 2013-2014 Frontline Members," accessed March 5, 2013
- ↑ Syracuse Media Group, "VP Joe Biden to campaign in Syracuse for U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei," accessed October 14, 2014
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Syracuse, "Bill Clinton will campaign in Syracuse for U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei," accessed October 23, 2014
- ↑ YouTube, "Family," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ AP/CSPAN, "New York-Summary Vote Report," June 26, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, New York," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Dan Maffei (D-NY), 2012," accessed February 18, 2014
- ↑ This figure represents the average annual percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or their first year in office (as noted in the chart below) to 2012, divided by the number of years calculated.
- ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
- ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
- ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Rep. Dan Maffei," accessed September 26, 2014
- ↑ 46.0 46.1 GovTrack, "Dan Maffei," accessed August 12, 2014
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Dan Maffei," accessed August 12, 2014
- ↑ National Journal, "2013 Congressional Vote Ratings," accessed August 12, 2014
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard L. Hanna |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York District 24 2013-2015 |
Succeeded by John Katko |
| Preceded by James T. Walsh |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York District 25 2009–2011 |
Succeeded by Ann Marie Buerkle |
