Randy Kuhl

Template:Short description Template:Infobox officeholder John Randolph Kuhl Jr.<ref>Report of receipts FEC and disbursements fec.gov</ref> (born April 19, 1943) is an American Republican politician. He is a former member of the New York State Assembly, the New York State Senate, and the United States House of Representatives. Kuhl represented New York's 29th congressional district for two terms before being defeated for reelection by Eric Massa in 2008.

Early life and education

Kuhl was born in Hammondsport, New York. He graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York with a B.A. in civil engineering in 1966, and then got a J.D. degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 1969. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1970.<ref name="BIPAC">"Meet the Freshmen of the House of Representatives", BIPAC, November 2004. Retrieved September 24, 2006.</ref> He is an Episcopalian.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

New York State Legislature

File:Patricia McGee and Randy Kuhl.png

Kuhl and Patricia McGee were allies in the New York State Senate.

Kuhl was a member of the New York Assembly from 1981 to 1986, sitting in the 184th, 185th and 186th New York State Legislatures. In November 1986, after the retirement of William T. Smith, Kuhl ran for Smith's Senate seat and won.Template:Citation needed

Kuhl was a member of the New York State Senate from 1987 to 2004, sitting in the 187th, 188th, 189th, 190th, 192nd, 193rd, 194th, 195th and 196th New York State Legislatures. He was appointed the Senate's Assistant Majority Leader for Operations at the beginning of the 1995 legislative session.<ref name="BIPAC"/>

One of Kuhl's signature issues in the state legislature was Upstate secession.<ref name=Tierney>Tierney, John (1999-05-24) The Big City; The Moochers From Upstate? Cut 'Em Loose, New York Times</ref> He regularly introduced a bill "to let New York City, Long Island and Westchester and Rockland Counties became a separate state called New York; the rest of the counties would become West New York. At least one poll in upstate has found the idea to be wildly popular."<ref name=Tierney/> Kuhl summed up his secessionist views by saying that "his constituents in the Finger Lakes region often wonder, 'Why don't you just cut the City of New York off and let it drift out to sea?'"<ref name=Tierney/>

In 1997, while serving as a state senator, Kuhl was arrested and convicted of driving while intoxicated. His driver's license was revoked for six months.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

House of Representatives

2004 election

In 2004, Kuhl ran for the House seat of retiring U.S. Representative Amo Houghton, a Republican multimillionaire who had displayed a moderate bent during 18 years in Washington.<ref name="wbfo.org">Template:Cite web</ref> In the Republican primary, Kuhl, who was supported by Houghton,<ref>Crestia DeGeorge, "The race for Amo Houghton's seat", Rochester City News (weekly)</ref> defeated Monroe County Legislator Mark Assini.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then defeated 27-year-old Democrat Samara Barend in the general election.<ref name="wbfo.org"/>

2006 election

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Kuhl's Democratic opponent in the 2006 elections was former Navy officer Eric Massa of Corning, a former Republican.

In March 2006, Kuhl invited President George W. Bush to Canandaigua.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2006, Kuhl welcomed Vice President Dick Cheney to a major fundraiser in Rochester. Kuhl agreed with Cheney's assessment that combating terrorists around the world was the top issue in the campaign. According to Kuhl, bad news from the war zone should be countered by a frank discussion of reality. Regarding his Finger Lakes and Southern Tier constituents, Kuhl said, "They don't necessarily understand the full importance of our presence there".<ref>Robert J. McCarthy, "Cheney beats war drums stumping for Kuhl", Buffalo News, September 23, 2006</ref>

Preliminary results from the November election showed Kuhl narrowly beating Massa by a margin of approximately 5,600 votes (out of about 193,000 cast).<ref>Election results from "CBS News" Template:Webarchive, November 7, 2006</ref> Massa had initially refused to concede the election and was expected to file a challenge, but on November 15, 2006, Massa conceded the election and contacted Kuhl to congratulate him.<ref>"Massa concedes, calls to congratulate Kuhl" Template:Webarchive, Elmira Star Gazette, November 15, 2006</ref> According to the final election results, which were certified by the New York State Board of Elections on December 14, 2006, Kuhl won by a margin of 6,033 votes (out of 206,121 cast).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2008 election

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Kuhl's again faced Democratic nominee and former Navy officer Eric Massa, losing the rematch by a narrow 51%-49% margin, roughly reversing the outcome of the 2006 elections. Kuhl finished behind Massa in Cattaraugus County, a county Kuhl carried by a 56%-44% margin in 2006 (and one that voted for presidential candidate John McCain in 2008), likely contributing to the loss.<ref>Unofficial election results Template:Webarchive from the Cattaraugus County Board of Elections</ref> Because the race was so close, Kuhl did not concede the election until November 21, 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Political positions

Kuhl was considered a fairly reliable conservative who generally voted against abortion rights, gun control and tax increases. He was, however, a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership.Template:Citation needed

Kuhl supported making then-President Bush's tax cuts permanent. In addition, he also advocated for a 10-cent reduction in federal gasoline taxes.<ref>KUHL REINTRODUCES GAS PRICE RELIEF BILL Template:Webarchive</ref>

In September 2007, Kuhl was noted in the news as being one of the most outspoken opponents of a plan by then-New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to allow illegal aliens to apply for driver's licenses.<ref>Milton, Pat. New York to allow illegal immigrants to get drivers' licenses. Associated Press. 22 September 2007.</ref> He also became a prominent opponent of the SCHIP expansion, a stance for which he earned significant animosity from various groups including MoveOn, the Service Employees International Union, and even former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.<ref>Miller, Rick. Kuhl battered for voting against SCHIP. Olean Times Herald. 15 October 2007.</ref>

During his time as a state senator, Kuhl was an advocate of New York City secession and unsuccessfully introduced several bills to separate Upstate New York from downstate.<ref>"The Big City; The Moochers From Upstate? Cut 'Em Loose", John Tierney, The New York Times, May 24, 1999</ref>

External links

• Congressman Randy Kuhl official campaign site
• OpenSecrets.org – John R. Kuhl Jr campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart – Representative John R. 'Randy' Kuhl Jr. (NY) profile
• Template:C-SPAN
• Washington Post – Congress Votes Database: Randy Kuhl voting record

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