Mary Jo Kilroy

Mary Jo Kilroy was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 15th district of the State of Ohio from 2009 to 2011.

Energy
Kilroy supports expanding tax credits for those who buy vehicles powered by alternative fuels and build infrastructure that supports the alternative energy vehicles,expanding refining capacity and refocusing government resources on developing more alternative energy technologies and making them commercially viable.Kilroy also supports making oil companies use their unused land in the U.S, or face losing the leases;other oil companies will get to bid on the land, and the profits can be invested in alternative energy. She does not support tax breaks for oil companies.

Kilroy supports a market based cap and trade policy to reduce carbon emissions and tax credits and incentives for people to install energy saving technologies in their homes and businesses. She also believes that it is important for all Americans to get involved by doing their part, such as getting reusable grocery bags and energy saving bulbs.

Taxes
Kilroy says she will ease the burden on the middle class by expanding the college tuition tax credit and increasing the child care and elder care tax credit. She supports providing transitional heath care for workers between jobs and incentives to save for retirement by offering matching contributions to retirement savings accounts.

Iraq War
Kilroy does not support the war in Iraq, and wants the troops withdrawn as soon as possible. She also believes that Iraqi government needs to do its share of the work.

Veterans
Kilroy supports expanding veteran's benefits to ensure that they are receiving proper healthcare including treatment for mental health disorders such as PTSD and TBI, reducing the amount bureaucracy in the VA that prevents veterans from receiving benefits in a timely manner, and ensuring the veterans have access to good jobs when they return from war.

The Economy
Kilroy says she will work to end tax breaks to companies who outsource jobs to other countries, and fix trade agreements so that American can maintain its manufacturing advantages.

Healthcare
Kilroy says she will support a universal healthcare system where the coverage is portable, covers pre-existing conditions, allows for a choice in doctors, and preventative medicine is utilized to reduce costs.

Bio
The daughter of a pipefitter, Kilroy was born April 30, 1949, in Euclid, Ohio. She received her undergraduate degree from Cleveland State University and her J.D. at Ohio State University. She was a partner in a law firm as well as a member of the Columbus School Board and Columbus City Council before running for U.S. Congress. She also served as a Franklin County Commissioner from 2000 to 2007. She and her husband, Robert Handelman, have two daughters.

2006 elections
Kilroy's challenge to Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce was seen as a possible opportunity for Democrats to pick up a congressional seat and as a bellwether race for the election, particularly given Pryce's leadership position in the Republican congressional delegation.

Two debates were scheduled for the 2006 congressional race. The first was held September 18th and the second was on October 12th. In the first, Kilroy and Pryce discussed the war in Iraq, the war on terror, taxes, social security, the federal deficit and President Bush.

The second debate, which took place at Ohio State University, was vitriolic. Kilroy referred to Pryce as a "right-wing apologist" and said that "Deborah Pryce continues to distort my record." Meanwhile Pryce described her opponent as a "far left" fringe Democrat" and said that Kilroy, "spews lies and misinformation."

Kilroy's race against Pryce was very close, as Pryce held a lead of 3,536 votes after an initial count. The count did not, however, take into account 19,000 absentee and provisional ballots from the district. After the additional ballots were counted, Pryce was certified as the winner.

2008 elections
Kilroy won the Democratic nomination to challenge for retired incumbent Rep. Deborah Pryce's (R-Ohio) vacant seat in the 2008 congressional elections. Kilroy defeated Republican challenger Steve Stivers in November 2008 general elections.

Money in politics
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External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on Ohio’s 15th Congressional District
 * Kilroy for Congress, official campaign site.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Psychobilly Democrat
 * Franklin County Young Democrats
 * As Ohio Goes
 * Writes Like She Talks

External articles

 * Karen Tumulty, "Campaign '06: No Politics is Local in Ohio," Time, October 16, 2006.
 * James Nash, "Pryce, Kilroy trade jabs on Iraq, Bush, tax cuts," Columbus Dispatch, September 19, 2006.
 * Darrel Rowland, "Sparks fly as Kilroy, Pryce spar," Columbus Dispatch, October 13, 2006.