Dan Kildee | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 5th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Dale Kildee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Daniel Timothy Kildee August 11, 1958 Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jennifer Kildee (m. 1988) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Dale Kildee (uncle) |
| Education | University of Michigan–Flint Central Michigan University (BS) |
| Website | House website |
Daniel Timothy Kildee (/ˈkɪldiː/; born August 11, 1958) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 5th congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
From 1977 to 2009, Kildee was a municipal elected official. On November 6, 2012, he was elected the U.S. representative for Michigan's 5th district, succeeding his uncle, Dale Kildee.[1]
Kildee was born in 1958 in Flint, Michigan. He attended Flint Northern High School and Central Michigan University. In 2008, he finished his coursework at CMU, earning a B.S. in community development administration.[2][3]
At age 18, Kildee became one of the nation's youngest elected officials when he was elected to the Flint Board of Education in 1977.[4]
In 1984, Kildee was elected to serve on Genesee County's board of commissioners, subsequently serving for 12 years, including five as chair.[5]
In 1991, he ran for mayor of Flint. He was one of four candidates to challenge incumbent Mayor Matthew Collier in the August 6 nonpartisan primary election. City Councilman Woodrow Stanley finished first with 24% of the vote. Collier ranked second with 23% of the vote, qualifying for the November election. Kildee finished third with 18%.[6]
In 1996, Kildee was elected Genesee County Treasurer. He was reelected in 2000, 2004, and 2008. He was reelected in 2008 with 72% of the vote.[7]
In 2002, Kildee helped create the Genesee County Land Bank, a Washington-D.C. based nonprofit organization focused on urban decay.[8][9] The land bank has helped to clean up vacant and abandoned structures in the community.[10]
The Genessee County Land Bank was the first community land bank in the U.S. The concept of community land banks has since expanded to other U.S. cities.[11][12]
In 2009, Kildee co-founded and served as president of the Center for Community Progress, a nonprofit focused on urban revitalization.[13][14] He resigned as county treasurer to oversee the group.[15]
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See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan § District 5 |
Kildee's uncle, Dale Kildee, served in the House of Representatives representing Michigan's 5th congressional district.[16] In July 2011, Dale Kildee announced he would retire from Congress.[17] Dan Kildee declared his candidacy for the House on November 1, 2011.[1] He was unchallenged in the Democratic primary. In the November election, he defeated Republican State Representative Jim Slezak, 65% to 31%.[17]
In January 2013, then-House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer appointed Kildee assistant whip. His fellow freshmen Democratic members elected Kildee to serve as their representative to the caucus's Steering and Policy Committee.[18]
In 2019, Kildee helped secure $11.2 million in federal funding to demolish blighted homes in Saginaw.[19] He supported Steny Hoyer's "Make it in America" legislation, which would remove tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas.[20]
In a September 2016 speech on the U.S. House floor, Kildee claimed that House Republican leaders were refusing to approve emergency aid to Flint because a majority of its residents are Black.[21] Congress passed a funding measure that provided $170 million in aid to communities including Flint that sought infrastructure improvements for their water.[22]
In April 2018, Kildee, Jared Huffman, Jamie Raskin, and Jerry McNerney launched the Congressional Freethought Caucus.[23]
As of March 2022, Kildee had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[24]
Kildee was a candidate in the 2010 Michigan gubernatorial election,[29] setting up an exploratory committee and filing to run.[30] He ultimately dropped out of the race.[13] He was also rumored to be considering a run in the 2018 Michigan gubernatorial election, but publicly declared he would not run.[31]
Kildee has been married to Jennifer Kildee since 1988. They have three children.[17]
