Wikipedia

John Mica

"Representative Mica" redirects here. For his brother, also a former US Representative from Florida, see Dan Mica.

John Luigi Mica (born January 27, 1943) is an American businessman, consultant and Republican politician who represented Florida's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2017. He was defeated by Democrat Stephanie Murphy in the November 8, 2016, general election while serving his 12th term in office.

John Mica
Chair of the House Transportation Committee
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byJim Oberstar
Succeeded byBill Shuster
Ranking Member of the House Transportation Committee
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byJim Oberstar
Succeeded byNick Rahall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 7th district
In office
January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2017
Preceded bySam Gibbons
Succeeded byStephanie Murphy
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 39th district
In office
1976–1980
Preceded byHarvey Matthews
Succeeded byDaniel Webster
Personal details
Born
John Luigi Mica

(1943-01-27) January 27, 1943 (age 81)
Binghamton, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpousePatricia Mica
Children2
RelativesDan Mica (brother)
EducationMiami Dade College
University of Florida (BA)
John Mica's voice
Mica addresses reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration
Recorded May 21, 2009

Early life, education, and business career

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Mica was born in Binghamton, New York, and grew up in Florida. He was educated at Miami Edison High School, Miami-Dade Community College and the University of Florida, where he received a degree in education and was a member of Delta Chi fraternity and Florida Blue Key. He has been a businessman serving in the real estate, telecommunications, government affairs and consulting fields.

Early political career

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Mica was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1976 to 1980 and served on several committees, including the Appropriations Committee. He was a staff member for Senator Paula F. Hawkins from 1981 to 1985 and became her chief of staff.

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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1992

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In 1992, Mica ran for Congress in the 7th District, previously the 4th District represented by two-term Republican Craig T. James.

 
John Mica while a member of the Florida state legislature

Mica won the Republican primary with 53% of the vote, defeating State Representative Richard Graham (34%) and Vaughn Forrest (13%).[1] In the general election, he defeated Democrat Dan Webster 56%–44%.[2]

1994–2004

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During this time period, he won re-election every two years with at least 60% of the vote.[3]

2006

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Painted Portrait of John Mica by Ned Bittinger, US House of Representatives Collection
See also: 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 7

Mica defeated Jack Chagnon 63%–37%.[4]

2008

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See also: 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 7

Mica defeated Faye Armitage 62%–38%.[5]

2010

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See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 7

Mica defeated Heather Beaven 69%–31%.[6]

2012

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See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 7

For his first 10 terms, Mica represented a district that stretched from the Orlando suburbs through Daytona Beach all the way to St. Augustine.

 
Mica with Congressman Darrell Issa on the Navigation bridge of the USS Carl Vinson in 2014.

After the 2010 Census, the bulk of Mica's territory became the 6th District. However, most of the Orange County portion, including Mica's home in Winter Park, was drawn into the new 7th District. That district had previously been the 24th District, represented by freshman Republican Sandy Adams. Although the new 7th was over 58 percent new to Mica, he defeated Adams in the Republican primary with 61 percent of the vote. In the general election, Mica defeated Jason Kendall 59%–41%.[7]

2014

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See also: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 7

Mica defeated Wes Neuman 64%–32%.[8]

2016

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See also: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 7

A court-ordered redistricting made the 7th slightly friendlier to Democrats. The new map cut out the district's share of Volusia County, while pushing it farther into Orlando.

The 7th had already been a marginal district, even though Mica had been elected twice from this district without serious difficulty. Mitt Romney narrowly won it over Barack Obama in 2012, with 51 percent of the vote.[9] In contrast, had the redrawn 7th existed in 2012, Obama would have won it with 49.4 percent.[10]

In the general election, Mica lost to Democrat Stephanie Murphy by a margin of 51%–49%.[11]

Tenure

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In November 1997, Mica was one of eighteen Republicans in the House to co-sponsor a resolution by Bob Barr that sought to launch an impeachment inquiry against President Bill Clinton.[12][13] The resolution did not specify any charges or allegations.[13] This was an early effort to impeach Clinton, predating the eruption of the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal. The eruption of that scandal would ultimately lead to a more serious effort to impeach Clinton in 1998.[14] On October 8, 1998, Mica voted in favor of legislation that was passed to open an impeachment inquiry.[15] On December 19, 1998, Mica voted in favor of all four proposed articles of impeachment against Clinton (only two of which received the needed majority of votes to be adopted).[16][17][18][19]

Policy positions

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Abortion

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Mica opposes abortion. Regarding taxpayer funding of abortion through Planned Parenthood, he has said "I think the majority of Americans would oppose public, federal dollars going into abortion."[20]

Economic issues

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Mica voted against the 2009 stimulus.[21] He has brought federal money for Florida highways, SunRail, the Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the University of Central Florida.[22]

Transportation

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Mica supports Amtrak privatization.[23] In 2009, he earmarked $13 million for the Central Florida Commuter Rail, which was supported by a client of Mica's daughter.[24]

Mica has been opposed to the federal government contributing any additional funds towards repairing the Washington DC Metrorail system.[25]

Marijuana

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As chairman of the House Oversight Committee's subcommittee on government operations, Mica convened a hearing on marijuana legalization in 1999.[26] It was the first such hearing since 1988. Mica opposes the legalization of recreational marijuana.[27][28] Another such hearing was held by Mica in 2014 on the same subject, with multiple drug experts providing input.[29]

Electoral history

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Florida's 7th congressional district election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Mica (inc.) 149,656 63.08
Democratic John F. Chagnon 87,584 36.92
Total votes 237,240 100.00
Republican hold
Florida's 7th congressional district election, 2008[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Mica (incumbent) 238,721 62.0
Democratic Faye Armitage 146,292 38.0
Total votes 385,013 100.00
Republican hold
Florida's 7th congressional district election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Mica (Incumbent) 184,868 69
Democratic Heather Beaven 82,999 31
Total votes 267,867 100
Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Mica (incumbent) 32,119 61.2
Republican Sandra Adams (incumbent) 20,404 38.8
Total votes 52,523 100.0
Florida's 7th congressional district, 2012 [31]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Mica (incumbent) 185,518 58.7
Democratic Jason H. Kenall 130,479 41.3
Independent Fred Marra (write-in) 13 0.0
Total votes 316,010 100.0
Republican hold
Republican primary results[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Mica (incumbent) 32,084 72.2
Republican David Smith 8,316 18.7
Republican Don Oehlrich 2,285 5.1
Republican Kelly Shirley 1,786 4.0
Total votes 44,471 100.0
Florida's 7th congressional district, 2014[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Mica (incumbent) 144,474 63.6
Democratic Wes Neuman 73,011 32.1
Independent Al Krulick 9,679 4.3
Total votes 227,164 100.0
Republican hold
Republican primary results [34]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Mica (incumbent) 38,528 77.2
Republican Mark Busch 11,407 22.8
Total votes 49,935 100.0
Florida's 7th congressional district, 2016 [35]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stephanie Murphy 182,039 51.5
Republican John Mica (incumbent) 171,583 48.5
Independent Mike Plaskon (write-in) 33 0.0
Total votes 353,655 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

Committee assignments

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Mica was chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from January 3, 2011, to December 2012.

Personal life

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Mica is married to Patricia, a schoolteacher, and has two grown children. He lives in Winter Park, Florida. He is the brother of former Representative Daniel A. Mica, while his other brother, David, is a former ranking staffer of Senator Lawton Chiles.[36] He is a member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees and the Coast Guard Academy Board of Visitors.[37][38] He is an Episcopalian.[39]

References

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  1. ^ "FL District 07 – R Primary Race – Sep 01, 1992". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  2. ^ "FL District 07 Race – Nov 03, 1992". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  3. ^ "Candidate – John L. Mica". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  4. ^ "FL – District 07 Race – Nov 07, 2006". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  5. ^ "FL – District 07 Race – Nov 04, 2008". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  6. ^ "FL – District 07 Race – Nov 02, 2010". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  7. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL District 07 Race - Nov 06, 2012". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  8. ^ "November 4, 2014 General Election Official Results". Florida Department of State Division of Elections. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  9. ^ Presidential results by congressional district for districts used in 2012 and 2014, courtesy Daily Kos
  10. ^ Presidential results by congressional district for districts used in 2016, courtesy Daily Kos
  11. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL District 07 Race - Nov 08, 2016". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  12. ^ Pace, David (6 Nov 1997). "17 in House seek probe to impeach president". Newspapers.com. The Record. The Associated Press. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  13. ^ a b Hutcheson, Ron (17 Nov 1997). "Some House Republicans can't wait for elections". Newspapers.com. Asheville Citizen-Times. Knight-Rider Newspapers.
  14. ^ Barkham, Patrick (18 November 1998). "Clinton impeachment timeline". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Roll Call 498 Roll Call 498, Bill Number: H. Res. 581, 105th Congress, 2nd Session". clerk.house.gov. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. 8 October 1998. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Roll Call 546 Roll Call 546, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. 19 December 1998. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Roll Call 545 Roll Call 545, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. 19 December 1998. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Roll Call 544 Roll Call 544, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. 19 December 1998. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  19. ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (19 December 1998). "Roll Call 543 Roll Call 543, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 6 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Martinez, Jack (September 29, 2015). "Facing Congress, Planned Parenthood CEO Defends Abortion as a Health Service". Newsweek. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  21. ^ Finley, Ben (July 20, 2012). "Florida Primary Flier Frames Republican". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  22. ^ Powers, Scott (August 30, 2016). "John Mica gets tune-up election out of the way, set for Democratic challenge in CD 7". Florida Politics. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  23. ^ Hannan, Larry (June 16, 2011). "John Mica, Corrine Brown split over privatizing Amtrak in Northeast". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  24. ^ Ward, Kenric (March 28, 2012). "Report: Two Florida Congressmen Kept Earmarks in the Family". Sunshine State News. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  25. ^ Freed, Benjamin (April 13, 2016). "Metro Chairman Tells Congress to Chip in $300 Million Per Year. Congress Yells at Metro". Washingtonian Magazine. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  26. ^ Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo; Smart, Rosanna (2017-05-08). "Medical Marijuana and Marijuana Legalization". Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. 13: 397–419. doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032816-045128. ISSN 1548-5943. PMC 6358421. PMID 28482686.
  27. ^ Itkowitz, Colby. "Rep. Mica holds (another) hearing on being stoned". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  28. ^ Fang, Marina (July 31, 2014). "Congressional Republicans Rail Against Legalization Of Marijuana". Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  29. ^ "Mixed Signals: the Administration's Policy on Marijuana, Part Four - the Health Effects and Science - United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform". United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  30. ^ "Florida Department of State Division of Elections - November 4, 2008 General Election". Secretary of State of Florida. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  31. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results".
  32. ^ "2014 Primary Election August 26, 2014 Official Results". Florida Division of Elections. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  33. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results".
  34. ^ "August 30, 2016 Primary Election Official Results". Florida Division of Elections. August 30, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  35. ^ "2016 General Election November 8, 2016 Official Results". Florida Division of Elections. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  36. ^ McCutcheon, Michael; Barone, Chuck (2013). 2014 Almanac of American Politics. The University of Chicago Press.
  37. ^ "Company Overview of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts". Bloomberg. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  38. ^ Congressional Record (V. 153, Pt. 15 ed.). Government Printing Office. July 2007.
  39. ^ "THE RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION OF EACH MEMBER OF CONGRESS" (PDF). Pew Research Center.
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Florida House of Representatives
Preceded by
Harvey Matthews
 Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 39th district
1976–1980 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 2nd congressional district
1993–2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the House Transportation Committee
2011–2013 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative 		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
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