Early life, education, and early political career

Kinzinger was born in 1978 in Kankakee, the son of Betty Jo, an elementary school teacher, and Rus Kinzinger, a CEO of faith-based organizations. He was raised in Bloomington, Illinois. He graduated from Normal Community West High School in 1996 and earned a bachelor's degree from Illinois State University in 2000. He served as an intern for former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald shortly after his graduation from Illinois State, as part of a program offered there.

In 2003, Kinzinger joined the United States Air Force. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in November 2003 and later awarded his pilot wings. Kinzinger was initially a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot and flew missions in South America, Guam, Iraq and Afghanistan. He later switched to flying the RC-26 surveillance aircraft and was stationed in Iraq twice. Kinzinger has served in the Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, and Air National Guard and was progressively promoted to his current rank of Major.

Kinzinger served as a County Board member in McLean County, Illinois from 1998 to 2003. Kinzinger defeated an incumbent County Board member in 1998 while still a student at Illinois State. Kinzinger served in that role until 2003, when he decided to serve full-time in the U.S. Air Force.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2010 § District 11*

In January 2009, Kinzinger met with Republican U.S. Congressmen Mike Pence, Mark Kirk, and Peter Roskam to discuss a possible run for Congress. Kinzinger decided to run in Illinois' 11th congressional district, held by Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson. He started campaigning full-time in May 2009, when he returned home from his 3rd tour in Iraq. In the early autumn, Kinzinger held eight town halls across the 11th congressional district that were attended by nearly 2,000 people. He was endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. On February 2, 2010, Kinzinger won the five-candidate Republican primary with 64% of the vote.

In the general election, he was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. On November 2, 2010, Kinzinger defeated Halvorson 57%-43%.

2012

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2012 § District 16

After redistricting, Kinzinger decided to run in the newly redrawn Illinois' 16th congressional district. He faced fellow U.S. Congressman Don Manzullo, a 67-year-old politician first elected in 1992, in the March primary. Kinzinger currently represents 31% of the district, while Manzullo has represented at least 44% of the district in the past ten years. Kinzinger defeated the longtime incumbent 56%-44%. In the general election, he defeated Democrat Wanda Rohl and won re-election to a second term, 62%-38%.

2014

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2014 § District 16

Kinzinger was challenged in the Republican primary by David Hale, a nurse and founder of the Rockford Tea Party, but defeated him with 78% of the vote. He was targeted by the Club for Growth.

In the general election, Kinzinger faced Democratic nominee Randall Olsen, but defeated him with 71% of the vote.

Tenure

Kinzinger sponsored the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013, H.R. 235 in the 113th Congress. This legislation would make it easier for veterans with emergency medical technician training in the military to get civilian licenses to perform the same job outside of the military. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote on February 12, 2013 and was referred to the United States Senate.

On June 5, 2014, Kinzinger introduced a bill (H.R. 4801; 113th Congress) which would require the United States Secretary of Energy to prepare a report on the effects that thermal insulation has on both energy consumption and systems for providing potable water in federal buildings. Kinzinger argued that "with the federal government being the single largest consumer of energy in the country, doing our best to maximize the potential savings from improved insulation systems is a commonsense step I think everybody can agree on."

In 2010 Kinzinger signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes.

Kinzinger is a member of both the Republican Study Committee and the more moderate Republican Main Street Partnership.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
  • Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Power
• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade

Caucus Memberships

• Congressional Cement Caucus

Personal life

In 2006, the Wisconsin Red Cross named Kinzinger "Hero of the Year" for wrestling a knife-wielding man to the ground and disarming him. The man had cut the throat of a woman on a street in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Recalling the event in an ABC Milwaukee interview, Kinzinger stated "The whole time it was, to me, kind of a done deal that I was going to get stabbed in the process, but I knew that this wasn't something I could wake up to ... everyday with that memory that I watched her die." The woman survived. For this act Kinzinger also received the United States Air Force Airman's Medal and the National Guard's Valley Forge Cross for Heroism.

In 2011, he was ranked 5th The Hill's annual "50 Most Beautiful People" list, which ranks anyone who regularly works on Capitol Hill.

Kinzinger became engaged to a fellow pilot, Air Force Captain Riki Meyers, in 2011; the engagement was called off in 2012.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]