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Sean Patrick MaloneAmerican politician
Date of Birth: 30.07.1966
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Sean Patrick Maloney: A Political Biography
- Early Career
- Clinton Administration
- Attorney General Candidacy (2006)
- Secretary to the Governor
- Troopergate Controversy
- Congressional Elections
- 2014 Election
- 2016 Election
- 2018 Election
- Tenure in Congress
Sean Patrick Maloney: A Political Biography
Early Life and EducationSean Patrick Maloney was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada in 1966. He grew up in Hanover, New Hampshire, the son of an Irish Catholic family. After graduating from Hanover High School, Maloney attended Georgetown University for two years before transferring to the University of Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations in 1988. Subsequently, he spent a year working as a volunteer with Jesuit priests in a shantytown in Chimbote, Peru. Upon his return to the US, Maloney earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992.
Early Career
From 2000 to 2003, Maloney served as Chief Operating Officer at Kiodex, Inc. He was also a senior attorney at the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, where he represented the Matthew Shepard Foundation. In 2009, Maloney became a partner at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP. In March 2011, he joined the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe as a partner.
Clinton Administration
In 1991, Maloney began working on Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign as a deputy to Susan Thomases, the campaign's chief planner. During Clinton's re-election campaign, Maloney served as the Director of Surrogate Travel. After the successful campaign, Maloney was offered a position on the White House staff. From 1999 to 2000, he served as a senior advisor and deputy director of White House staff, one of the youngest to serve in that capacity. At a campaign event, Clinton stated that Maloney had worked closely with him.
Attorney General Candidacy (2006)
In 2006, Maloney ran for the Democratic nomination for New York Attorney General. The Gay City News reported that "Maloney's competitive fundraising and extensive travel throughout the state over the past year impressed many party professionals with the seriousness of his candidacy." During the campaign, Maloney was endorsed by the Empire State Pride Agenda, a statewide gay rights organization, and Karen Burstein, the first lesbian to run for attorney general in 1994. Despite consistently polling in single digits, Maloney was offered a chance to run for the position on the Liberal Party ticket but declined, stating that he would support whoever won the Democratic nomination. Maloney finished third in the primary on September 12, 2006, receiving 9.4% of the vote, behind Andrew Cuomo, the former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and son of former Governor Mario Cuomo, and Mark J. Green, the former New York City Public Advocate. In his concession speech, Maloney said, "This may not be the outcome we hoped for today, but I promise you, there will be another day."
Secretary to the Governor
Maloney joined Governor Eliot Spitzer's administration in January 2007 as First Deputy Secretary to Chief Counsel Rich Baum.
Troopergate Controversy
On July 23, 2007, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo issued a subpoena to the Spitzer administration for ordering state police to create special records of the whereabouts of Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno when he traveled with a police escort around New York. The New York Times later suggested in an editorial that Maloney may have been involved in withholding emails during the investigation, and the Times endorsed Maloney's opponent in the 2012 election due to its concerns about Maloney's handling of the investigation. The Wall Street Journal wrote in July 2012 that "individuals involved in the investigation from both sides largely defend Mr. Maloney's conduct. At the time, Mr. Cuomo's chief of staff, Steve Cohen, called the idea that Mr. Maloney had obstructed the attorney general's investigation 'laughable.'"
Maloney continued in the same role under the administration of Governor David Paterson, under Chief Counsel Charles O'Byrne. While working for Paterson, Maloney worked on Paterson's efforts to increase state aid to education. On December 3, 2008, Maloney announced that he was leaving the Paterson administration to rejoin the law firm Kirkland & Ellis.
Congressional Elections
2012 ElectionIn March 2012, Maloney announced his intention to run for Congress in the 18th District, previously the 19th District, held by first-term Republican Nan Hayworth. On June 26, Maloney won the Democratic primary, receiving 48% of the vote, defeating four other challengers. In addition to the Democratic Party line, Maloney also ran on the Working Families Party line in New York's fusion voting system.
Maloney faced criticism for having purchased a house in Cold Spring prior to the election, despite having never lived in the district before. On June 11, former President Bill Clinton announced his endorsement of Maloney, stating, "I am supporting Sean because I know he will be an outstanding Member of Congress." On October 21, The New York Times endorsed Maloney, stating that his opponent "supports restricting access to contraception for employees and has voted to defund Planned Parenthood. Mr. Maloney promises to protect health care reform, help the middle class and oppose tax cuts for the wealthy. We recommend Mr. Maloney." Maloney was also endorsed by Planned Parenthood, the AFL-CIO, and the New York State United Teachers.
In the general election, Maloney campaigned as a moderate and defeated Hayworth 52-48%. In his victory speech, Maloney said, "I think people want change in Washington. They're tired of the fighting and the bickering." Maloney is the first openly gay member of Congress from New York.
2014 Election
Maloney ran for re-election in 2014, facing Hayworth once again. Maloney was part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Patriot Program," designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents ahead of the 2014 elections. Maloney lost the Independence Party primary to Hayworth but ultimately defeated her in the general election, winning by less than 3,000 votes, with Maloney receiving 84,415 votes (47.58%) to Hayworth's 81,625 (46.01%).
2016 Election
Maloney ran for re-election in 2016. Fellow Democrat Diane Hirsh announced her intention to challenge him in the primary on June 28, 2016, but failed to gather enough signatures to get her petition on the ballot in time. Maloney easily defeated Republican challenger Phil Oliva, with Maloney receiving 162,060 votes (55.6%) to Oliva's 129,369 (44.4%).
2018 Election
In June 2018, Maloney became the Democratic nominee for re-election to the House of Representatives. He also became the Democratic nominee for New York Attorney General but failed to win the primary. He stated that if he had won the primary, he would have run for Attorney General and given up his nomination to the House of Representatives.
In the Democratic primary for Attorney General, Maloney lost to Letitia James, the New York City Public Advocate, who was endorsed by Governor Andrew Cuomo. James finished third behind Zephyr Teachout, a law professor endorsed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and The New York Times. Maloney was endorsed by Beto O'Rourke and other public figures.
Remaining on the ballot in the general election for the House of Representatives, Maloney defeated Republican James O'Donnell, an Orange County legislator, with 139,564 votes (55.5%) to O'Donnell's 112,035 votes (44.5%).
Tenure in Congress
113th United States Congress (2013-2015)On January 3, 2013, Maloney was sworn into the 113th United States Congress. On his second day in office, Maloney delivered a speech on the House floor criticizing the delay in providing federal aid for Hurricane Sandy and calling on House Speaker John Boehner and his colleagues to pass an aid package.
In his first 100 days in office, he held a grand opening of his district office in Newburgh, New York. Maloney was the first elected official to open an office in Newburgh in at least three decades.
After joining the "No Labels Problem Solvers" caucus, Maloney supported the "No Budget, No Pay" Act of 2013. In the run-up to the 2013 government shutdown, Maloney faced criticism for voting with Republicans to pass a budget that included provisions delaying the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. His vote drew the ire of LGBT groups, with some accusing him of being a "Democrat in name only" ("DINO"). He was publicly critical of the sequester and the damaging effects it could have on the United States Military Academy at West Point and sent a letter to President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, asking for flexibility in his district. During the shutdown, Maloney demanded that his pay be withheld in solidarity with furloughed federal workers.
In April of his first year in office, Maloney introduced the Safety for Our Seniors Act, the Dam Safety and Disabled Veterans Hydropower Relief Act, and the Veterans Disability Application Red Tape Reduction Act. In October 2013, the House passed Maloney's Veterans Disability Application Red Tape Reduction Act with near-unanimous support. Maloney's bill allows
