John Hostettler
Encyclopedia
John Nathan Hostettler was a Republican candidate for the open U.S. Senate seat in the state of Indiana held by retiring Senator Evan Bayh
. On December 3, 2009, Hostettler announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, but lost to former Senator Dan Coats
.
Hostettler served in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1995 to January 3, 2007, representing the 8th District of Indiana (map). He lost his reelection bid for a seventh term to Democratic challenger Brad Ellsworth
in the 2006 midterm election, ending a twelve-year Congressional career.
, as the eighth of ten children. He is of Swiss German
descent. He grew up in rural Posey County
near the Ohio
and Wabash
rivers.
After graduating from North Posey High School in 1979, he enrolled in Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
in Terre Haute, Indiana
. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
(BSME) in 1983.
Later that year, Hostettler married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Ann Hamman. They live in Blairsville, an unincorporated suburban community near Evansville, and have four children. He is a member of Twelfth General Baptist Church in Evansville.
Prior to his service in Congress, Hostettler was a power plant performance engineer
with Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company (SIGECO, now part of Vectren
); he had received his PE license
during his tenure.
, the first Republican majority in the House in 40 years. In subsequent years, Hostettler depended on his base of fellow social and fiscal conservatives to keep him in office. While southern Indiana has been traditionally Democratic, the 8th has always had a strong social conservative tint.
Hostettler's campaign was distinctive in several respects. One of Hostettler's assets in his run for Congress was his distinctive "Red Army" or "Army of Red Volunteers." Parades and similar events would typically feature people of varying backgrounds wearing red t-shirts with white lettering that simply stated "Hostettler for Congress". Hostettler family members were particularly involved in campaign efforts. Karen Hammonds, Hostettler's sister, was also his office manager and a campaign coordinator. Being only one of ten children, his brothers and sisters have assisted in campaign efforts. Media has attributed this as an area of success and influence that helped Hostettler achieve six straight victories.
Hostettler signed the Contract with America
, but he told an Evansville Courier & Press reporter the day he signed it he did not support two provisions: a balanced budget amendment and term limits. He was one of 40 Republicans in the House to vote in March 1995 against a constitutional amendment to set 12-year term limits for Representatives.
In 1999, Hostettler was appointed vice-chairman of the Armed Services Research and Development Subcommittee for the 106th Congress
.
In 2003, Hostettler was appointed the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims. He previously served as chairman of the Congressional Family Caucus, and was a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee
.
In January 1996, Hostettler was one of 17 Republicans who voted against a legislation supported by House Speaker Newt Gingrich
that ended a federal government shutdown. After the vote, Gingrich canceled plans to visit Evansville for a fund-raising event for Hostettler. Gingrich offered to reschedule, but Hostettler turned him down, saying "I cannot allow my fund raising to be tied in any way to specific votes." That November would be Hostettler's closest re-election, against future Evansville Mayor Jon Weinzapfel.
In June 2000, Hostettler was one of 10 Republicans voting against a prescription drug bill that passed the House 217-214. (The bill failed in the Senate.)
In June 2001, Hostettler and Congressman Walter B. Jones
of North Carolina
(another member of the Republican class of 1995) co-authored a bill, H.R. 2357, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit churches and other houses of worship to engage in political campaigns without losing their tax-exempt status. In October 2002 the bill was defeated in a 178 to 239 vote in the House.
On July 10, 2002, Hostettler introduced House Amendment 523 to House Resolution 4635, which would have removed the 2% cap on the number of pilots who could be deputized as federal flight deck officers and thus permitted to carry firearms to as well as requiring the Transportation Security Administration
to train 20% of all pilots who volunteer for the program within six months of enactment and train 80% by the end of the two-year pilot program. There were no cosponsors to his amendment and it failed in a roll call vote.
On October 10, 2002, U.S. Congressman John Hostettler was one of six House Republicans who voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that authorized the invasion of Iraq
. In a speech to the U.S. House on October 8, 2002, invoking St. Augustine's Just War Thesis
, the Minutemen
, and the Framers of the U.S. Constitution
, Rep. Hostettler revealed his conclusion that:
On July 15, 2003, the House voted 226-198 on a Hostettler-sponsored amendment to the State Departments's "Foreign Relations Authorization Act" reauthorization bill for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005, requiring tighter regulation of consular cards of foreign nations within the United States, including Mexico's "matricula consular" cards. The Senate did pass corresponding legislation in the 108th Congress.
Also in 2003, he amended the Commerce, State, and Justice appropriation bill to restrict any funding for a ruling calling by the Court of Appeals 11th Circuit for the removal of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama State Supreme Court House. Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was removed from office later in 2003, had placed a 5-ton granite monument that included the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building on July 31, 2001.
In 2004, the House passed the Hostettler-sponsored Marriage Protection Act (MPA). This kept federal courts from ruling on same-sex marriage licenses, as a result of Massachusetts' Supreme Court ruling on February 3, 2004 on the Massachusetts ban on same-sex marriage.
In September 2005, Hostettler was one of 11 Representatives who voted against the $51.8 billion aid package for relief and recovery from Hurricane Katrina
. Spokesman Matt Faraci said Hostettler voted against the hurricane measure because it included a provision making it easy for supposed do-gooders to pilfer federal funds. Faraci said that Hostettler would like to see federal funds spent helping victims of natural disasters so long as those dollars are not squandered. "He was very supportive of giving assistance to people affected by Rita and Katrina," Faraci said. "He was concerned that there were provisions in the bill that were open to abuse."
Hostettler had introduced legislation in five consecutive Congress' to prevent organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union
from collecting attorneys’ fees when they win lawsuits challenging religious symbols on public land or religious groups’ use of government property. Hostletter said in a speech in February 2006 that his bill would "restore legal balance in this country, and it will protect us from being the victims of this assault on our religious liberties". At least one columnist claimed that this change would allow teachers to force students to pray to their specific deity with no possibility of damages or attorney's fees. In other words, only those who could afford to hire an attorney to challenge the practice would be able to object in court. Since monetary damages were precluded, the only remedy would be an injunction.
In 2006, Hostettler voted against a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.
However, in January 1994 Hostettler announced that he would run against Democrat Frank McCloskey
, a six-term incumbent, in the November election, who Hostettler claimed was among the House's biggest-spending liberals. Hostettler also claimed McCloskey was too loyal to President Bill Clinton
.
Hostettler was also inspired to enter politics after watching a television program by Dr. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries, interviewing Rev. Peter Marshall (son of the late Senate Chaplain Rev. Dr. Peter Marshall
), whereby Rev. Marshall, historian and author, recounted a Christian Heritage of the United States of America.
Hostettler won 52%-48%, becoming the sixth challenger to oust an incumbent in the 8th since 1966. In part due to its volatile nature, the district is often called "the Bloody Eighth."
50%-48%. This was the narrowest win of his six Congressional victories. Weinzapfel later became mayor of Evansville.
City Councilwoman Gail Riecken, with 52% to Riecken's 46% of the vote.
Doctors for Hostettler, a group of 82 physicians operating in tandem with the Hostettler campaign, organized against the healthcare issues raised by the Perry campaign, a campaign that was healthcare-oriented almost exclusively.
Some attributed this organization as one of the critical factor in the 2000 election, as the subsequently inactive group's statements played a role in the 2006 campaign.
was cut out of the district and replaced with more conservative-leaning Terre Haute
. However, he defeated Democratic challenger Bryan Hartke by only five points—a narrower margin than 2000. He took 51% to Hartke's 46% percentage of the vote.
Hartke was the nephew of former Senator Vance Hartke
.
with 53% of the vote.
Brad Ellsworth
. Ellsworth also identified as a social conservative. Some saw very little difference between the two candidates, and speculation arose from others that Democrats had to run a clone of John Hostettler to win the district.
The National Republican Congressional Committee
had spent $163,000 in his district as of mid-July 2006. (The DCCC, its counterpart, had spent $166,000 for Ellsworth as of that date.) He had never been a strong fundraiser; he never raised more than $800,000 in any campaign. Some attributed Hostettler's refusal to accept any Political action committee
money to his relatively low funding levels during campaigns. In part because of this, he was on somewhat less secure footing than conventional wisdom would suggest for a six-term incumbent.
As of early September, the Rothenberg Political Report called Hostettler one of the three most endangered House incumbents in the country; Chris Cillizza, political analyst for The Washington Post, ranked Hostettler as the most vulnerable House incumbent in the nation; and Robert D. Novak, a syndicated columnist and editor of the Evans-Novak Political Report, also rated Hostettler's seat a likely win for Ellsworth.
In mid-October, an opinion poll commissioned by the Evansville Courier & Press showed Ellsworth leading Hostettler, 55% to 32%.
Hostettler debated Ellsworth on October 23, 2006. The debate was at public television station WVUT
at Vincennes University
, and involved the League of Women Voters
.
In the November election, Hostettler was soundly defeated, taking 39 percent of the vote to Ellsworth's 61 percent. His defeat was the first announced that night. The 22-point margin was the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent in the 2006 cycle, and the second-biggest margin of a defeat in a Republican-held district. Hostettler was the only incumbent in either party who did not receive 40% of the vote, although a few Senators such as Rick Santorum
and Mike DeWine
came close. The 8th district vote tally for Ellsworth was only 1% shy of the same district's tally for President Bush in 2004.
Hostettler said of the book that it "...reveals why political leaders and their subordinates sought to remove Saddam Hussein from power" and that there was an underlying and unapparent "motivation of those who sold America on the idea of ousting the Butcher of Baghdad."
, nominee of the Constitution Party
in the 2008 presidential election. He spoke at the Constitution Party's national committee meeting in Orlando, Florida
, on December 12–13, 2008. Prior to his announcement on December 3, 2009, Hostettler was highly mentioned as a possible candidate to run against Evan Bayh
.
in the 2010 election, following much speculation.
Hostettler had been widely reported to be the leading Republican in the race even after former Senator and Lobbyist Dan Coats
announced in February that he would relocate to Indiana and attempt to challenge Hostettler for the open seat, but ultimately placed third in the primary.
He identifies as strongly pro-life
and opposes gun control
. He favors the dissolution of the Department of Education
, and voted against the No Child Left Behind Act
because he felt education was a state matter. He also voted against most federal health care bills with the view that health care is a private or state matter. He maintains that many federal environmental laws and regulations infringed on individuals' property rights.
Hostettler was very active on issues of religious freedom and expression. For example, during his last term, he was the chief sponsor of the Veterans' Memorials, Boy Scouts, Public Seals, and Other Public Expressions of Religion Protection Act of 2006, which would have prevented attorneys who successfully challenge violations of the Establishment Clause from collecting attorneys' fees.
On economic issues, he supported repeal of the estate tax, the capital gains tax
and the "marriage tax penalty."
Hostettler was a hawk by inclination (he strongly supported the Strategic Defense Initiative
). However, he was one of the leading Republican opponents of the Iraq War. He felt that preemptive military strikes were improper, and also felt that the military should not go into action unless there was an "imminent threat" to national security.
Hostettler was a hardliner on immigration issues:
The Indiana University Student Association
, acting on student sentiment as evidenced in the 1995 petition, voted in February 1996 to oppose Hostettler's drive to abolish the Federal Direct Student Loan Program
. The resolution passed 38-3, with one abstention. (IUSA Resolution 2-8-1996)
According to the women, at the meeting Hostettler "brought up the topic of abortion as the cause of breast cancer" and "made many (of the women) feel he was insinuating that they had had an abortion." Hostettler's campaign letter described the women as being on a smear campaign and said their accusations "never happened."
In early 2003, the National Cancer Institute
concluded that it was well established from all available scientific evidence that "induced abortion is not associated with an increase in breast cancer risk."
when he attempted to board a flight for Washington, D.C., with a loaded 9 mm Glock pistol in his briefcase The congressman explained he "completely forgot" the gun was there, and called it a rather stupid mistake. His spokesman said Hostettler never brought the gun, registered to the Congressman, to Washington, where handguns are illegal. Hostettler did have a house or apartment in D.C., but slept in his office.
In August, Hostettler pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon. He agreed to a plea-bargained sentence of 60 days in jail, with the jail time to be conditionally discharged rather than served if he had no more legal problems in the next two years. On October 4, 2004, a Kentucky
judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest after Hostettler failed to pay court costs, but it was recalled the same day after his attorney paid the $122.50.
Hostettler received strong support over the gun incident from an aviation security expert, Joseph Gutheinz, a retired NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Senior Special Agent and a former Special Agent with both U.S. Department of Transportation OIG and FAA Civil Aviation Security. In his Op/Ed appearing in the Courier Journal, Gutheinz said that rather than charging Hostettler for an obvious mistake, law enforcement "could have...and should have exercised discretion...by not charging him for bringing his weapon through security at Louisville International Airport." Gutheinz is a well known critic of letting pilots fly armed.
Evan Bayh
Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III is a lawyer, advisor and former Democratic politician who served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011. He earlier served as the 46th Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh is a current Fox News contributor as of March 14, 2011.Bayh first held...
. On December 3, 2009, Hostettler announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, but lost to former Senator Dan Coats
Dan Coats
Daniel Ray "Dan" Coats is the junior United States Senator from Indiana and member of the Republican Party. He was in the United States Senate from from 1989 to 1999, retired, and then returned in 2011....
.
Hostettler served in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1995 to January 3, 2007, representing the 8th District of Indiana (map). He lost his reelection bid for a seventh term to Democratic challenger Brad Ellsworth
Brad Ellsworth
John Bradley "Brad" Ellsworth is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011, and was the unsuccessful 2010 Democratic nominee for the United States Senate seat currently held by Dan Coats...
in the 2006 midterm election, ending a twelve-year Congressional career.
Early life
Hostettler was born in EvansvilleEvansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, as the eighth of ten children. He is of Swiss German
Swiss German
Swiss German is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are grouped together with Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg...
descent. He grew up in rural Posey County
Posey County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,061 people, 10,205 households, and 7,612 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile . There were 11,076 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile...
near the Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and Wabash
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
rivers.
After graduating from North Posey High School in 1979, he enrolled in Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology , formerly Rose Polytechnic Institute, is a small private college specializing in teaching engineering, mathematics, and science. RHIT is highly regarded for its undergraduate engineering program, which US News and World Reports ranked in 2011 as No...
in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
(BSME) in 1983.
Later that year, Hostettler married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Ann Hamman. They live in Blairsville, an unincorporated suburban community near Evansville, and have four children. He is a member of Twelfth General Baptist Church in Evansville.
Prior to his service in Congress, Hostettler was a power plant performance engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
with Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company (SIGECO, now part of Vectren
Vectren
Vectren Corporation is an energy holding company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. Through its utility subsidiaries , the company distributes natural gas to approximately one million business and residential customers in Indiana and Ohio...
); he had received his PE license
Professional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
during his tenure.
Congressional service
Hostettler became part of the 104th Congress104th United States Congress
The One Hundred Fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1995 to January 3, 1997, during the third and...
, the first Republican majority in the House in 40 years. In subsequent years, Hostettler depended on his base of fellow social and fiscal conservatives to keep him in office. While southern Indiana has been traditionally Democratic, the 8th has always had a strong social conservative tint.
Hostettler's campaign was distinctive in several respects. One of Hostettler's assets in his run for Congress was his distinctive "Red Army" or "Army of Red Volunteers." Parades and similar events would typically feature people of varying backgrounds wearing red t-shirts with white lettering that simply stated "Hostettler for Congress". Hostettler family members were particularly involved in campaign efforts. Karen Hammonds, Hostettler's sister, was also his office manager and a campaign coordinator. Being only one of ten children, his brothers and sisters have assisted in campaign efforts. Media has attributed this as an area of success and influence that helped Hostettler achieve six straight victories.
Hostettler signed the Contract with America
Contract with America
The Contract with America was a document released by the United States Republican Party during the 1994 Congressional election campaign. Written by Larry Hunter, who was aided by Newt Gingrich, Robert Walker, Richard Armey, Bill Paxon, Tom DeLay, John Boehner and Jim Nussle, and in part using text...
, but he told an Evansville Courier & Press reporter the day he signed it he did not support two provisions: a balanced budget amendment and term limits. He was one of 40 Republicans in the House to vote in March 1995 against a constitutional amendment to set 12-year term limits for Representatives.
Committee participation
Hostettler served on the House Armed Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee.In 1999, Hostettler was appointed vice-chairman of the Armed Services Research and Development Subcommittee for the 106th Congress
106th United States Congress
The One Hundred Sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1999 to January 3, 2001, during the last two...
.
In 2003, Hostettler was appointed the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims. He previously served as chairman of the Congressional Family Caucus, and was a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee
Republican Study Committee
The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...
.
Legislative activity
In late 1995, Hostettler was the sponsor of a bill passed by the House to repeal a District of Columbia law that allowed city workers to register domestic partners for health benefits.In January 1996, Hostettler was one of 17 Republicans who voted against a legislation supported by House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
that ended a federal government shutdown. After the vote, Gingrich canceled plans to visit Evansville for a fund-raising event for Hostettler. Gingrich offered to reschedule, but Hostettler turned him down, saying "I cannot allow my fund raising to be tied in any way to specific votes." That November would be Hostettler's closest re-election, against future Evansville Mayor Jon Weinzapfel.
In June 2000, Hostettler was one of 10 Republicans voting against a prescription drug bill that passed the House 217-214. (The bill failed in the Senate.)
In June 2001, Hostettler and Congressman Walter B. Jones
Walter B. Jones
Walter Beaman Jones, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district encompasses the Outer Banks and areas near the Pamlico Sound. Jones' father was Walter B. Jones, Sr., a Democratic Party congressman from the neighboring 1st district...
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
(another member of the Republican class of 1995) co-authored a bill, H.R. 2357, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit churches and other houses of worship to engage in political campaigns without losing their tax-exempt status. In October 2002 the bill was defeated in a 178 to 239 vote in the House.
On July 10, 2002, Hostettler introduced House Amendment 523 to House Resolution 4635, which would have removed the 2% cap on the number of pilots who could be deputized as federal flight deck officers and thus permitted to carry firearms to as well as requiring the Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
to train 20% of all pilots who volunteer for the program within six months of enactment and train 80% by the end of the two-year pilot program. There were no cosponsors to his amendment and it failed in a roll call vote.
On October 10, 2002, U.S. Congressman John Hostettler was one of six House Republicans who voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that authorized the invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. In a speech to the U.S. House on October 8, 2002, invoking St. Augustine's Just War Thesis
Just War
Just war theory is a doctrine of military ethics of Roman philosophical and Catholic origin, studied by moral theologians, ethicists and international policy makers, which holds that a conflict ought to meet philosophical, religious or political criteria.-Origins:The concept of justification for...
, the Minutemen
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial partisan militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to war threats, hence the name.The minutemen were among the first...
, and the Framers of the U.S. Constitution
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
, Rep. Hostettler revealed his conclusion that:
"...Iraq indeed poses a threat, but it does not pose an imminent threat that justifies a pre-emptive military strike at this time."
On July 15, 2003, the House voted 226-198 on a Hostettler-sponsored amendment to the State Departments's "Foreign Relations Authorization Act" reauthorization bill for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005, requiring tighter regulation of consular cards of foreign nations within the United States, including Mexico's "matricula consular" cards. The Senate did pass corresponding legislation in the 108th Congress.
Also in 2003, he amended the Commerce, State, and Justice appropriation bill to restrict any funding for a ruling calling by the Court of Appeals 11th Circuit for the removal of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama State Supreme Court House. Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was removed from office later in 2003, had placed a 5-ton granite monument that included the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building on July 31, 2001.
In 2004, the House passed the Hostettler-sponsored Marriage Protection Act (MPA). This kept federal courts from ruling on same-sex marriage licenses, as a result of Massachusetts' Supreme Court ruling on February 3, 2004 on the Massachusetts ban on same-sex marriage.
In September 2005, Hostettler was one of 11 Representatives who voted against the $51.8 billion aid package for relief and recovery from Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. Spokesman Matt Faraci said Hostettler voted against the hurricane measure because it included a provision making it easy for supposed do-gooders to pilfer federal funds. Faraci said that Hostettler would like to see federal funds spent helping victims of natural disasters so long as those dollars are not squandered. "He was very supportive of giving assistance to people affected by Rita and Katrina," Faraci said. "He was concerned that there were provisions in the bill that were open to abuse."
Hostettler had introduced legislation in five consecutive Congress' to prevent organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
from collecting attorneys’ fees when they win lawsuits challenging religious symbols on public land or religious groups’ use of government property. Hostletter said in a speech in February 2006 that his bill would "restore legal balance in this country, and it will protect us from being the victims of this assault on our religious liberties". At least one columnist claimed that this change would allow teachers to force students to pray to their specific deity with no possibility of damages or attorney's fees. In other words, only those who could afford to hire an attorney to challenge the practice would be able to object in court. Since monetary damages were precluded, the only remedy would be an injunction.
In 2006, Hostettler voted against a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.
1994 election
Prior to the early 1990s, Hostettler had little interest in politics; his only political activity had been primary and general election voting.However, in January 1994 Hostettler announced that he would run against Democrat Frank McCloskey
Frank McCloskey
Francis Xavier "Frank" McCloskey was a six-term Democratic representative from Indiana from January 3, 1983 to January 3, 1995, widely remembered for his advocacy on behalf of Bosnian Muslims. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later moved to Bloomington, Indiana after receiving an...
, a six-term incumbent, in the November election, who Hostettler claimed was among the House's biggest-spending liberals. Hostettler also claimed McCloskey was too loyal to President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Hostettler was also inspired to enter politics after watching a television program by Dr. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries, interviewing Rev. Peter Marshall (son of the late Senate Chaplain Rev. Dr. Peter Marshall
Peter Marshall (preacher)
Dr. Peter Marshall was a Scottish-American preacher, former pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, and twice served as Chaplain of the United States Senate...
), whereby Rev. Marshall, historian and author, recounted a Christian Heritage of the United States of America.
Hostettler won 52%-48%, becoming the sixth challenger to oust an incumbent in the 8th since 1966. In part due to its volatile nature, the district is often called "the Bloody Eighth."
1996 election
In 1996, Hostettler defeated Democratic challenger Jonathan WeinzapfelJonathan Weinzapfel
Jonathan Weinzapfel is the 33rd mayor of Evansville, Indiana. He was elected in November 2003 and again in 2007. He is currently serving a four-year term that began January 1, 2008...
50%-48%. This was the narrowest win of his six Congressional victories. Weinzapfel later became mayor of Evansville.
1998 election
In 1998, with a total of 92,785 votes, he defeated his Democratic challenger, EvansvilleEvansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
City Councilwoman Gail Riecken, with 52% to Riecken's 46% of the vote.
2000 election
In 2000, with 116,879 votes, Hostettler defeated Democratic challenger Paul Perry, a surgeon, with 53% of the vote to Perry's 45%.Doctors for Hostettler, a group of 82 physicians operating in tandem with the Hostettler campaign, organized against the healthcare issues raised by the Perry campaign, a campaign that was healthcare-oriented almost exclusively.
Some attributed this organization as one of the critical factor in the 2000 election, as the subsequently inactive group's statements played a role in the 2006 campaign.
2002 election
Redistricting after the 2000 census theoretically made the 8th friendlier to Hostettler. Heavily Democratic BloomingtonBloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
was cut out of the district and replaced with more conservative-leaning Terre Haute
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. However, he defeated Democratic challenger Bryan Hartke by only five points—a narrower margin than 2000. He took 51% to Hartke's 46% percentage of the vote.
Hartke was the nephew of former Senator Vance Hartke
Vance Hartke
Rupert Vance Hartke was a Democratic United States Senator from Indiana from 1959 until 1977.-Early life, education, military service:...
.
2004 election
In 2004, he defeated Democratic challenger Jon JenningsJon Jennings
Jon Paul Jennings is an American politician and basketball coach currently serving as the president and general manager of the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League....
with 53% of the vote.
2006 election
In 2006 Hostettler's Democratic opponent was Vanderburgh County SheriffVanderburgh County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 171,922 people, 70,623 households, and 44,421 families residing in the county. The population density was 733 people per square mile . There were 76,300 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile...
Brad Ellsworth
Brad Ellsworth
John Bradley "Brad" Ellsworth is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011, and was the unsuccessful 2010 Democratic nominee for the United States Senate seat currently held by Dan Coats...
. Ellsworth also identified as a social conservative. Some saw very little difference between the two candidates, and speculation arose from others that Democrats had to run a clone of John Hostettler to win the district.
The National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives....
had spent $163,000 in his district as of mid-July 2006. (The DCCC, its counterpart, had spent $166,000 for Ellsworth as of that date.) He had never been a strong fundraiser; he never raised more than $800,000 in any campaign. Some attributed Hostettler's refusal to accept any Political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
money to his relatively low funding levels during campaigns. In part because of this, he was on somewhat less secure footing than conventional wisdom would suggest for a six-term incumbent.
As of early September, the Rothenberg Political Report called Hostettler one of the three most endangered House incumbents in the country; Chris Cillizza, political analyst for The Washington Post, ranked Hostettler as the most vulnerable House incumbent in the nation; and Robert D. Novak, a syndicated columnist and editor of the Evans-Novak Political Report, also rated Hostettler's seat a likely win for Ellsworth.
In mid-October, an opinion poll commissioned by the Evansville Courier & Press showed Ellsworth leading Hostettler, 55% to 32%.
Hostettler debated Ellsworth on October 23, 2006. The debate was at public television station WVUT
WVUT
WVUT is a television station and member of the Public Broadcasting Service , located in Vincennes, Indiana. It operates on digital channel 22 and is located at Vincennes University. The station's signal covers much of the Wabash Valley of southwestern Indiana and southeastern Illinois.The station...
at Vincennes University
Vincennes University
Vincennes University is a public university in Vincennes, Indiana, in the United States. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. Since 1889, VU has been a two-year university, although baccalaureate degrees in seven select areas are...
, and involved the League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
.
In the November election, Hostettler was soundly defeated, taking 39 percent of the vote to Ellsworth's 61 percent. His defeat was the first announced that night. The 22-point margin was the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent in the 2006 cycle, and the second-biggest margin of a defeat in a Republican-held district. Hostettler was the only incumbent in either party who did not receive 40% of the vote, although a few Senators such as Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
and Mike DeWine
Mike DeWine
Richard Michael "Mike" DeWine is the Attorney General for the state of Ohio. He has held numerous offices on the state and federal level, including Ohio State Senator, four terms as a U.S. Congressman, Ohio Lt. Governor, and was a two-term U.S. Senator, serving from 1995 to 2007.- Biography :Born...
came close. The 8th district vote tally for Ellsworth was only 1% shy of the same district's tally for President Bush in 2004.
Book
In 2007, Hostettler decided to begin a book publishing company called Publius House Publius House. Nothing for the Nation - Who Got What Out of Iraq examines the true motives of American political leaders behind the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.Hostettler said of the book that it "...reveals why political leaders and their subordinates sought to remove Saddam Hussein from power" and that there was an underlying and unapparent "motivation of those who sold America on the idea of ousting the Butcher of Baghdad."
Presidential election
Hostettler endorsed Chuck BaldwinChuck Baldwin
Charles Obadiah "Chuck" Baldwin is an American politician and founder-pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. He was the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party for the 2008 U.S. presidential election and had previously been its nominee for U.S. vice president in 2004...
, nominee of the Constitution Party
Constitution Party (United States)
The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
in the 2008 presidential election. He spoke at the Constitution Party's national committee meeting in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, on December 12–13, 2008. Prior to his announcement on December 3, 2009, Hostettler was highly mentioned as a possible candidate to run against Evan Bayh
Evan Bayh
Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III is a lawyer, advisor and former Democratic politician who served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011. He earlier served as the 46th Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh is a current Fox News contributor as of March 14, 2011.Bayh first held...
.
2010 U.S. Senate election
Hostettler officially announced in a video posted by the campaign on December 3, 2009, that he would seek the office held by retiring United States Senator Evan BayhEvan Bayh
Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III is a lawyer, advisor and former Democratic politician who served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011. He earlier served as the 46th Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh is a current Fox News contributor as of March 14, 2011.Bayh first held...
in the 2010 election, following much speculation.
Hostettler had been widely reported to be the leading Republican in the race even after former Senator and Lobbyist Dan Coats
Dan Coats
Daniel Ray "Dan" Coats is the junior United States Senator from Indiana and member of the Republican Party. He was in the United States Senate from from 1989 to 1999, retired, and then returned in 2011....
announced in February that he would relocate to Indiana and attempt to challenge Hostettler for the open seat, but ultimately placed third in the primary.
Political positions
Hostettler was one of the "true believers" in the Republican freshman class of 1995. He believed the U.S. Constitution should be strictly interpreted and was very critical of government actions—especially those of judges—that he felt overstepped their constitutional limits. Even those who disagreed with Hostettler felt that they knew where he stood and would likely give him the benefit of the doubt that he regularly voted in principle and not for political ends.He identifies as strongly pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
and opposes gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
. He favors the dissolution of the Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, and voted against the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
because he felt education was a state matter. He also voted against most federal health care bills with the view that health care is a private or state matter. He maintains that many federal environmental laws and regulations infringed on individuals' property rights.
Hostettler was very active on issues of religious freedom and expression. For example, during his last term, he was the chief sponsor of the Veterans' Memorials, Boy Scouts, Public Seals, and Other Public Expressions of Religion Protection Act of 2006, which would have prevented attorneys who successfully challenge violations of the Establishment Clause from collecting attorneys' fees.
On economic issues, he supported repeal of the estate tax, the capital gains tax
Capital gains tax
A capital gains tax is a tax charged on capital gains, the profit realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset that was purchased at a lower price. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, bonds, precious metals and property...
and the "marriage tax penalty."
Hostettler was a hawk by inclination (he strongly supported the Strategic Defense Initiative
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic...
). However, he was one of the leading Republican opponents of the Iraq War. He felt that preemptive military strikes were improper, and also felt that the military should not go into action unless there was an "imminent threat" to national security.
Hostettler was a hardliner on immigration issues:
"...the Constitution ... is very clear. These are violations of our immigration law, and those that violate our immigration law should be dealt with, and should be punished, and should be ultimately deported."He supported building a fence at the Mexican border and opposed benefits of any sort to illegal immigrants. During his last two terms in Congress, he was Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims. He has been called a "leader of the patriotic immigration reform movement".
Awards and commendations
- The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) bestowed upon Hostettler the Guardian of Small BusinessSmall businessA small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
Award in 2000 because of attaining a 94% favorable rating with their organization, markedly above the 70% requirement for the award.
- In 2001, the National Taxpayers UnionNational Taxpayers UnionNational Taxpayers Union is a taxpayers advocacy organization and taxpayers union in the United States, founded in 1969 by James Dale Davidson. NTU advertises that it is the largest and oldest grassroots taxpayer organization in the nation, with 362,000 members nationwide. It is closely...
(NTU) presented to Hostettler the Taxpayers' Friend Award which he shared with 41 other Congressional Members that year.
- The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) gave, for second consecutive year, the Taxpayers' Friend Award to John Hostettler along with 35 other lawmakers in 2002.
- In 2004, Hostettler received the Distinguished Christian Statesman Award from the Center for Christian Statesmanship, an outreach of Coral Ridge Ministries and Dr. D. James Kennedy.
- He received a perfect 100% rating from the American Conservative UnionAmerican Conservative UnionThe American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
in 2005.
- In 2006, 9/11 Families for a Secure America gave Hostettler the Homeland Defender Award
Direct loan program
On October 30, 1995, the Bloomington Herald-Times reported that 700 Indiana University students and faculty, as well as the entire Bloomington City Council, signed a petition to oppose Hostettler's proposed changes in federal financial aid. According to the article, Hostettler had proposed abolishing the U.S. Department of Education as well as the Direct Loan program.The Indiana University Student Association
Indiana University Student Association
The Indiana University Student Association is the undergraduate student body government at Indiana University Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana. IUSA consists of the following three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial...
, acting on student sentiment as evidenced in the 1995 petition, voted in February 1996 to oppose Hostettler's drive to abolish the Federal Direct Student Loan Program
Federal Direct Student Loan Program
The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program provides "low-interest loans for students and parents to help pay for the cost of a student's education after high school. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education .....
. The resolution passed 38-3, with one abstention. (IUSA Resolution 2-8-1996)
Breast cancer
On April 30, 2002, Hostettler met in Washington with eleven breast cancer survivors from Indiana who were seeking support for more research funding. In a subsequent campaign letter, Hostettler said Diane Gregory, who set up the meeting, "had expressed interest in reading more about [studies on the link between abortion and breast cancer] and had asked Congressman Hostettler to send her a copy of the reports." Gregory denied that, saying "The materials on abortion (two brochures) came to me totally unsolicited. I must admit I was disturbed and surprised to receive the brochures."According to the women, at the meeting Hostettler "brought up the topic of abortion as the cause of breast cancer" and "made many (of the women) feel he was insinuating that they had had an abortion." Hostettler's campaign letter described the women as being on a smear campaign and said their accusations "never happened."
In early 2003, the National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
concluded that it was well established from all available scientific evidence that "induced abortion is not associated with an increase in breast cancer risk."
Airport firearm possession
On April 20, 2004, Hostettler was briefly detained at the Louisville International AirportLouisville International Airport
Louisville International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport centrally located in the city of Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA. The airport covers 1,200 acres and has three runways. Its IATA airport code SDF is based on the airport's former name, Standiford Field...
when he attempted to board a flight for Washington, D.C., with a loaded 9 mm Glock pistol in his briefcase The congressman explained he "completely forgot" the gun was there, and called it a rather stupid mistake. His spokesman said Hostettler never brought the gun, registered to the Congressman, to Washington, where handguns are illegal. Hostettler did have a house or apartment in D.C., but slept in his office.
In August, Hostettler pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon. He agreed to a plea-bargained sentence of 60 days in jail, with the jail time to be conditionally discharged rather than served if he had no more legal problems in the next two years. On October 4, 2004, a Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest after Hostettler failed to pay court costs, but it was recalled the same day after his attorney paid the $122.50.
Hostettler received strong support over the gun incident from an aviation security expert, Joseph Gutheinz, a retired NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Senior Special Agent and a former Special Agent with both U.S. Department of Transportation OIG and FAA Civil Aviation Security. In his Op/Ed appearing in the Courier Journal, Gutheinz said that rather than charging Hostettler for an obvious mistake, law enforcement "could have...and should have exercised discretion...by not charging him for bringing his weapon through security at Louisville International Airport." Gutheinz is a well known critic of letting pilots fly armed.
Christian Democrats
In June 2005, Democratic Representative David ObeyDave Obey
David Ross "Dave" Obey is the former U.S. Representative for , serving 21 consecutive terms from 1969 until 2011. The district includes much of the northwestern portion of the state, including Wausau and Superior...
introduced a measure to declare Congressional opposition to "coercive proselytizing" at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
after cadets complained that some of their evangelical Christian superior officers had pressured them about their religious beliefs. During debate on the measure on the House floor on June 20, 2005, Hostettler said: "Like a moth to a flame the Democrats can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and demonizing Christians." Democrats objected and threatened to censure Hostettler for his comment. Debate did not resume until Hostettler withdrew his statement 20 minutes later.
Islamic extremism in Canada
In the aftermath of the June 2006 arrests of 17 alleged terrorist bomb-plotters2006 Toronto terrorism case
The 2006 Ontario terrorism case refers to the plotting of a series of attacks against targets in Southern Ontario, Canada, and the June 2, 2006, counter-terrorism raids in and around the Greater Toronto Area that resulted in the arrest of 18 people found to be Al-Qaeda members of an Islamic...
in and around Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada, Hostettler said that "South Toronto, like those parts of London that are host to the radical imams who influenced the 9/11 terrorists and the shoe bomber, has people who adhere to a militant understanding of Islam". Asked later by reporters to describe "South Toronto" in greater detail, Congressman Hostettler characterized the area as "a location which I understand is the type of enclave that allows for this radical type of discussion to go on." A University of Toronto map reveals that the former "City of Toronto" located in the south of Toronto is also known by the name "South Toronto." Hostettler's remarks garnered controversy in Canada as he opposes Canadian requests to delay the impending requirement for the use of passports by both Canadian and American citizens at the Canada-U.S. border.
External links
- Nothing for the Nation: Who Got What Out of Iraq official book site
- Publius House, Hostettler's Publishing Company Website
- The Official John Hostettler Website
- Marlin Stutzman for U.S. Senate campaign site
- Associated Press profile
- 2010 Senate campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org