Patrick Toomey
| Patrick Toomey | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District From: January 3, 1999-January 3, 2005 | |||
| Predecessor | Paul McHale | ||
| Successor | Charlie Dent | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Republican | ||
| Spouse(s) | Kris Toomey | ||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||
Patrick ("Pat") Toomey (born November 17, 1961) was a three-term Congressman from Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District from 1999 through 2005, when he complied with his term-limit pledge and retired from Congress. In 2004, Toomey attempted to unseat the entrenched Arlen Specter from his Senate seat in the Republican primary. Despite being outspent by Specter, who as a liberal also received newspaper endorsements, Toomey lost the primary by just 2% of the vote. He served as the president of The Club for Growth from 2005-2009. In April 2009, Toomey announced that he would make a second attempt for the U.S. Senate, against thirty-year incumbent, now-Democrat Arlen Specter. Following Specter's defection, Toomey was the front-runner to win the primary and seek the Senate seat in the 2010 election.
A conservative, Toomey is pro-life and a strong advocate for limited government, tax cuts, and reduced wasteful spending.