Carolyn McCarthy

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Carolyn McCarthy
Image of Carolyn McCarthy

Democratic Party

Prior offices
U.S. House New York District 4
Successor: Kathleen Rice

Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $4,316,549

Education

High school

Mineola High School

Other

Glen Cove Nursing School

Personal
Religion
Christian: Catholic
Profession
Nurse


Carloyn McCarthy (b. January 5, 1944, in Brooklyn, NY) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing New York's 4th Congressional District. McCarthy was first elected to the House in 1996 and served her nine consecutive terms.

On January 8, 2014, McCarthy announced that she would not seek re-election in 2014.[1]

McCarthy announced in early June 2013 that she was undergoing treatment for lung cancer.[2] She reported that it was a “treatable form of cancer” and said that she expected to “miss activities in Washington” as she underwent treatment.[2]

Biography

McCarthy was born in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her nursing credentials from Glen Cove Nursing School in 1964.[3]

After becoming licensed, McCarthy was a nurse specializing in intensive care before entering public service.[3]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of McCarthy's academic, professional, and political career:[3]

Prior to her political career, McCarthy worked as a licensed practical nurse in the ICU section of Glen Cove Hospital.

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

McCarthy served on the following committees:[4]

2011-2012

McCarthy served on the following committees:[5]

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[8] For more information pertaining to McCarthy's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[9]

National security

NDAA

Neutral/Abstain McCarthy did not cast a vote on HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[10]

DHS Appropriations

Neutral/Abstain McCarthy did not cast a vote on HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[10]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Yea3.png McCarthy voted in favor of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[10]

CISPA (2013)

Yea3.png McCarthy voted in favor of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[11] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[10]

Economy

Farm Bill

See also: United States Farm Bill 2013

Neutral/Abstain McCarthy did not vote on the Farm Bill on July 11, 2013. The bill passed in a 216-208 vote.[12] The bill passed included farm policy, but did not include food stamps.[13]

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

Neutral/Abstain On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[14] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[15] McCarthy did not vote on the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[14]

Neutral/Abstain The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[16] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. McCarthy did not vote on HR 2775.[17]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Neutral/Abstain McCarthy did not cast a vote on House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status.[18] The vote largely followed party lines.[19]

Healthcare

Repealing Obamacare

Nay3.png McCarthy has voted against all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[20]

Social issues

Abortion

Neutral/Abstain McCarthy did not vote on HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196. The purpose of the bill was to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.[21]

Previous congressional sessions

McCarthy voted for TARP.[22] According to a Gallup poll from September 13, 2010, 61 percent of Americans disapproved of TARP, while 37 percent approved.[23]

McCarthy also supported the auto bailout.[24] As of September 13, 2010: 56 percent of Americans disapproved of the auto bailout, while 43 percent supported it.[23]

In addition, McCarthy voted for the stimulus bill.[25] A total of 57 percent of U.S. voters believed that the stimulus had hurt the economy (36 percent) or had no impact (21 percent). Only 38 percent believed the stimulus helped the economy.[26]

McCarthy also voted in favor of the "Cash for Clunkers" bill.[27] According to a June 2009 Rasmussen Reports poll, 54 percent of likely U.S. voters opposed Cash for Clunkers, while 35 percent supported it.[28]

McCarthy supported the "Cap and Trade" bill.[29] Just after the bill’s passage, 42 percent of likely U.S. voters said that cap and trade would hurt the economy, while 19 percent believed that it would help. Another 15 percent said that the bill would have no impact.[30]

Finally, McCarthy voted in favor of the health care reform bill.[31] About 57 percent of likely voters at least somewhat favored repeal of the health care reform bill, including 46 percent who strongly favored repeal. Only 35 percent of likely voters opposed repeal. A total of 51 percent of likely voters believed the health care reform bill would be bad for the country, while 36 percent believed it would be beneficial.[32]

Fiscal Cliff

Yea3.png McCarthy voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. She was 1 of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[33]

Issues

Lawsuit

McCarthy sued more than 70 companies following her diagnosis with lung cancer. McCarthy's lawsuit claimed that her exposure to asbestos as a child contributed to her lung cancer. McCarthy also smoked for many years. According to her attorney, smokers exposed to asbestos are 4,000 times more likely to develop lung cancer. McCarthy came into contact with asbestos as a girl washing her father's clothes. He worked in a Navy yard and came into contact with it. Daniel Blouin, McCarthy's lawyer, said they were suing the companies to hold them responsible for their actions.[34]

Elections

2014

See also: New York's 4th Congressional District elections, 2014

On January 8, 2014, citing health concerns, and her recent lung cancer diagnosis in particular, McCarthy announced that she would not seek re-election to the U.S. House in 2014.[35]

2012

See also: New York's 4th Congressional District elections, 2012

McCarthy ran for re-election in 2012. Because of New York's redistricting, her new territory was not as favorable to McCarthy. She was unopposed in the primaries for the Democratic, Working Families and Independence parties.[36] She was re-elected on November 6, 2012.[37]

U.S. House, New York District 4 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngCarolyn McCarthy Incumbent 61.8% 163,955
     Republican Francis Becker Jr. 32.3% 85,693
     Conservative Frank Scaturro 5.9% 15,603
     N/A Write-in votes 0% 49
Total Votes 265,300
Source: New York State Board of Elections, "NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012," accessed September 1, 2021

Full history


Campaign themes

2012

McCarthy listed several of her campaign themes on her website:[46]

  • Education
  • Energy
  • Healthcare
  • Homeland Security
  • Women's Health

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Carolyn McCarthy campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2012U.S. House (New York, District 4)Won $2,277,999 N/A**
2010U.S. House (New York, District 4)Won $1,684,444 N/A**
2008U.S. House (New York, District 4)Won $1,336,619 N/A**
2006U.S. House (New York, District 4)Won $1,441,801 N/A**
2004U.S. House (New York, District 4)Won $1,769,151 N/A**
2002U.S. House (New York, District 4)Won $1,902,514 N/A**
2000U.S. House (New York, District 4)Won $2,003,462 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal Gain Index

Congressional Personal Gain Index graphic.png
See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives
Net Worth Metric graphic.png

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, McCarthy's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,394,099 and $7,238,999. That averages to $4,316,549, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. McCarthy ranked as the 83rd most wealthy representative in 2012.[47] Between 2004 and 2012, McCarthy's calculated net worth[48] increased by an average of 14 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[49]

Carolyn McCarthy Yearly Net Worth
YearAverage Net Worth
2004$2,003,257
2012$4,316,549
Growth from 2004 to 2012:115%
Average annual growth:14%[50]
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[51]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). McCarthy received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Securities & Investment industry.

From 1995-2014, 18.16 percent of McCarthy's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[52]

Donation Concentration Metric graphic.png
Carolyn McCarthy Campaign Contributions
Total Raised $15,056,059
Total Spent $14,406,383
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Securities & Investment$618,875
Health Professionals$608,533
Lawyers/Law Firms$554,043
Retired$501,425
Public Sector Unions$451,400
% total in top industry4.11%
% total in top two industries8.15%
% total in top five industries18.16%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, McCarthy was a moderate Democratic leader as of August 2014.[53] This was the same rating McCarthy received in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[54]

McCarthy most often voted with:

McCarthy least often voted with:


Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, McCarthy missed 1,152 of 12,089 roll call votes from January 1997 to August 2014. This amounts to 9.5 percent, which is worse than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of August 2014.[53]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. McCarthy paid her congressional staff a total of $1,004,877 in 2011. Overall, New York ranked 28th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[55]

Staff bonuses

According to an analysis by CNN, McCarthy was one of nearly 25 percent of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. McCarthy's staff was given an apparent $4,617.00 in bonus money.[56]

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

McCarthy was not ranked in 2013.[57]

2012

McCarthy ranked 158th in the liberal rankings in 2012.[58]

2011

McCarthy ranked 151st in the liberal rankings in 2011.[59]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

McCarthy voted with the Democratic Party 91.0 percent of the time, which ranked 147th among the 204 House Democratic members as of August 2014.[60]

2013

McCarthy voted with the Democratic Party 91 percent of the time, which ranked 160th among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[61]

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
McCarthy is a lifelong resident of Mineola, New York. She married Dennis McCarthy in 1967 and they raised one son, Kevin. She has two grandchildren, Denis and Grace.[62] McCarthy lists her religious affiliation as Roman Catholic.[63]

McCarthy announced in early June 2013 that she was undergoing treatment for lung cancer.[2] She reported that it was a “treatable form of cancer” and said she expected to “miss activities in Washington” as she underwent treatment, but would return to work after recovering.[2][64]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Carolyn + McCarthy + New York + House


Carolyn McCarthy News Feed

See also

External links

 


Footnotes

  1. ↑ Roll Call, "Longtime Dems McIntyre, McCarthy to Retire (Updated)," accessed January 8, 2014
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Politico, "Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has lung cancer," accessed June 4, 2013
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "McCARTHY, Carolyn, (1944 - )," accessed October 21, 2014
  4. ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress," accessed March 3, 2013
  5. ↑ Congressman Carolyn McCarthy, Representing New York's Fourth District, "Carolyn's Committees," accessed December 8, 2011
  6. ↑ The Committee on Financial Services, "Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises," accessed December 8, 2011 (dead link)
  7. ↑ Education & the Workforce Committee, "Members, Subcommittees & Jurisdictions," accessed December 8, 2011
  8. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 112th Congress," accessed September 5, 2013
  9. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 113th Congress," accessed March 4, 2014
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Project Vote Smart, "Representative Carolyn McCarthy's Voting Records on National Security," accessed October 2, 2013
  11. ↑ The Library of Congress, "Bill Summary & Status - 113th Congress (2013 - 2014) - H.R.624," accessed August 27, 2013
  12. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "McCarthy on agriculture," accessed October 2, 2013
  13. ↑ New York Times, "House Republicans Push Through Farm Bill, Without Food Stamps," accessed September 17, 2013
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
  15. ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
  16. ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
  17. ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
  18. ↑ The Library of Congress, "H.AMDT.136," accessed August 28, 2013
  19. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Representative Carolyn McCarthy's Voting Records on Immigration," accessed October 2, 2013
  20. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Representative Carolyn McCarthy's Voting Records on Issue: Health and Healthcare," accessed October 2, 2013
  21. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "McCarthy on abortion," accessed October 2, 2013
  22. ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 681," accessed December 8, 2011
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Gallup, "Among Recent Bills, Financial Reform a Lone Plus for Congress," accessed September 13, 2010
  24. ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 690," accessed December 10, 2008
  25. ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 46," accessed January 28, 2009
  26. ↑ Rasmussen, "38% Say Stimulus Plan Helped Economy, 36% Say It Hurt," accessed August 24, 2010
  27. ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 314," accessed June 9, 2009
  28. ↑ Rasmussen, "54% Oppose 'Cash for Clunkers' Plan To Spur Purchase of Greener Cars," accessed June 23, 2009
  29. ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 477," accessed June 26, 2009
  30. ↑ Rasmussen, "42% Say Climate Change Bill Will Hurt The Economy," accessed June 30, 2009
  31. ↑ US House Clerk, "Roll Call 165," accessed March 21, 2010
  32. ↑ Rasmussen, "61% Favor Repeal of Healthcare Law," accessed September 20, 2010
  33. ↑ U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
  34. ↑ The Hill, "McCarthy suing firms after cancer diagnosis," accessed November 21, 2013
  35. ↑ Garden City Patch, "Update: McCarthy Will Not Seek Re-election," accessed January 8, 2014
  36. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pol
  37. ↑ ABC News, "2012 General Election Results," accessed November 6, 2012
  38. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
  39. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
  40. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006," accessed March 28, 2013
  41. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004," accessed March 28, 2013
  42. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
  43. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000," accessed March 28, 2013
  44. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1998," accessed March 28, 2013
  45. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996," accessed March 28, 2013
  46. ↑ Campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 25, 2012
  47. ↑ Open Secrets, "Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), 2012," accessed February 18, 2014
  48. ↑ This figure represents the average annual percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or their first year in office (as noted in the chart below) to 2012, divided by the number of years calculated.
  49. ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
  50. ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
  51. ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
  52. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Rep. Carolyn McCarthy," accessed September 25, 2014
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 GovTrack, "Carolyn McCarthy," accessed August 5, 2014
  54. ↑ OpenCongress, "Carolyn McCarthy," accessed August 5, 2014
  55. ↑ LegiStorm, "Carolyn McCarthy," accessed October 2, 2012
  56. ↑ CNN Politics, "Congressional bonuses in a time of cuts," accessed March 8, 2013
  57. ↑ National Journal, "2013 Congressional Vote Ratings," accessed August 5, 2014
  58. ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," accessed March 6, 2013
  59. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
  60. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
  61. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
  62. ↑ Congressman Carolyn McCarthy, Representing New York's Fourth District, "Biography," accessed October 21, 2014
  63. ↑ The Pew Forum, "The religious affiliation of each member of Congress," accessed October 21, 2014
  64. ↑ Electoral Vote, "Rep. Carolyn McCarthy Has Lung Cancer," accessed June 12, 2013
Political offices
Preceded by
Dan Frisa 		U.S. House of Representatives - New York, District 4
1997-2015 		Succeeded by
Kathleen M. Rice


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