Raj Goyle
Encyclopedia
Rajeev Kumar Goyle is a Democratic
politician from Kansas
, who represented the 87th District in the Kansas House of Representatives
from 2007 to 2011. He was the 2010 Democratic nominee for .
, Goyle and his parents resettled in Wichita, Kansas
when he was 9 months old. His parents, Dr. Vimal Goyle and Dr. Krishan Goyle, immigrated to the United States from the rural areas of Bathinda, India in 1971. His mother is an obstetrician and gynecologist and his father is a cardiologist who operates the Goyle Clinic in Wichita. When he was 15, Goyle was an organizer in a community-wide recycling program that saved hundreds of pounds of garbage from the county landfill and led to a large cleanup of the Arkansas River
in downtown Wichita. As a reporter for the Wichita Eagle, he worked with U.S.D. 259 to produce the annual ‘back-to-school’ issue and wrote a column on each high school in the city. At Wichita Collegiate School
, he was active in sports, debate, and newspaper, and graduated as both valedictorian
and student body president
. He also interned on the Clinton/Gore presidential campaign in 1996.
Goyle attended Duke University
where he was a member of a fraternity and was a leader in a coalition of faculty and students aiming to improve working conditions on campus. He then went to Harvard Law School
where he founded a small technology company with two classmates and where he was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
.
Goyle is an attorney and a lecturer at Wichita State University
.
Goyle wrote the Kansas Funeral Privacy Act and introduced it on his first day in office, which includes the establishment of a 150-foot buffer zone around funerals one hour before, during and two hours after the end of a service to prevent protestors from engaging in public demonstration. "This bill is designed to protect a constitutional right to privacy during the funeral of a family that's mourning a loved one," Goyle said. This was done in reaction to members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketing at the funerals of military casualties of the Iraq invasion and occupation. It became effective on April 10, 2008.
Goyle said third-party groups who attempt to influence the outcome of elections should be required to publicly disclose information about their finances. Under an amendment offered by Goyle, groups spending more than $500 a year on issue advertisements naming a particular state or local candidate 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election would be subject to reveal information about their spending and donors in financial reports being filed with the state. The amendment was opposed by conservatives as a violation of free speech.
Seven counties in Kansas have no pharmacy
, and another 30 have only one each. State Rep. Mike O'Neal
, R-Hutchinson, proposed an admendent for University of Kansas
pharmacy school expansion, which Goyle supported saying, "This is a priority not just for KU, Lawrence and Wichita, but for the whole state."
Goyle successfully introduced House Bill 2374, which draws down $69 million in federal stimulus dollars for the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The legislation makes three revisions to the current unemployment insurance statute:
As a state legislator, he listed his priorities as "no free lunches from lobbyists, educating our children, reducing health care costs, real solutions on energy, fighting for immigration reform," and "helping small businesses." According to state ethics officials, Goyle and State Sen. David Wysong
, R-Mission Hills, are state lawmakers who received no direct attention from lobbyists.
man Mike Pompeo
, Libertarian nominee Shawn Smith, and Reform Party nominee Susan G. Ducey for this open seat.
Republican incumbent Todd Tiahrt
decided to run in the U.S. Senator election in 2010
, although he lost the nomination to Jerry Moran
. Goyle won against Robert Tillman in the Democratic primary.
The seat was rated as "Likely Republican" by CQ Politics. In March 2010, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
added Goyle's name to its "Red to Blue" list of the strongest candidates running for Republican held seats. On August 12, 2010, SurveyUSA and KWCH-TV released a poll on the Kansas 4th Congressional district campaign between Pompeo and Goyle. According to the poll, in which 604 likely voters were interviewed, Pompeo leads Goyle 49% to 42% with a margin of error of 4.1%.
Goyle lost the election, in what was considered to be a good year for Republicans.
. On December 31, 2009, their first child, a daughter named Ana Kumari Goyle, was born.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, who represented the 87th District in the Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
from 2007 to 2011. He was the 2010 Democratic nominee for .
Early life, education and career
Born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Goyle and his parents resettled in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
when he was 9 months old. His parents, Dr. Vimal Goyle and Dr. Krishan Goyle, immigrated to the United States from the rural areas of Bathinda, India in 1971. His mother is an obstetrician and gynecologist and his father is a cardiologist who operates the Goyle Clinic in Wichita. When he was 15, Goyle was an organizer in a community-wide recycling program that saved hundreds of pounds of garbage from the county landfill and led to a large cleanup of the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
in downtown Wichita. As a reporter for the Wichita Eagle, he worked with U.S.D. 259 to produce the annual ‘back-to-school’ issue and wrote a column on each high school in the city. At Wichita Collegiate School
Wichita Collegiate School
Wichita Collegiate School, known locally as Collegiate, is a private, co-educational, non-denominational, and non-profit college preparatory day school founded in 1963 currently enrolling 966 students from preschool through 12th grade located at 9115 E. 13th Street, Wichita Kansas, 67206. The...
, he was active in sports, debate, and newspaper, and graduated as both valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
and student body president
Student body president
The President of the Student Government is the highest ranking officer of a student government or student union association on the high school, college, or university level...
. He also interned on the Clinton/Gore presidential campaign in 1996.
Goyle attended Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
where he was a member of a fraternity and was a leader in a coalition of faculty and students aiming to improve working conditions on campus. He then went to Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
where he founded a small technology company with two classmates and where he was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau is the oldest student-run legal services office in the country, founded in 1913. Located at 23 Everett Street in Cambridge, MA, the Bureau's mission is to provide an important community service while giving student attorneys the opportunity to develop professional...
.
Goyle is an attorney and a lecturer at Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
.
Kansas House of Representatives
Goyle is a member of the following committees:- Taxation
- Vision 2020
- Veterans, Military and Homeland Security (Ranking Member)
- Judiciary
Goyle wrote the Kansas Funeral Privacy Act and introduced it on his first day in office, which includes the establishment of a 150-foot buffer zone around funerals one hour before, during and two hours after the end of a service to prevent protestors from engaging in public demonstration. "This bill is designed to protect a constitutional right to privacy during the funeral of a family that's mourning a loved one," Goyle said. This was done in reaction to members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketing at the funerals of military casualties of the Iraq invasion and occupation. It became effective on April 10, 2008.
Goyle said third-party groups who attempt to influence the outcome of elections should be required to publicly disclose information about their finances. Under an amendment offered by Goyle, groups spending more than $500 a year on issue advertisements naming a particular state or local candidate 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election would be subject to reveal information about their spending and donors in financial reports being filed with the state. The amendment was opposed by conservatives as a violation of free speech.
Seven counties in Kansas have no pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, and another 30 have only one each. State Rep. Mike O'Neal
Michael O'Neal
Michael O'Neal is an American politician from Hutchinson, Kansas and a prominent Republican. Mike has been active in the Reno County Republican Party, first as a precinct committeeman, then as a member of the Executive Committee of the county party, and, finally, as an elected State Representative...
, R-Hutchinson, proposed an admendent for University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
pharmacy school expansion, which Goyle supported saying, "This is a priority not just for KU, Lawrence and Wichita, but for the whole state."
Goyle successfully introduced House Bill 2374, which draws down $69 million in federal stimulus dollars for the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The legislation makes three revisions to the current unemployment insurance statute:
- Adopt an alternate wage base period to be used when an individual does not qualify for benefits using the standard wage base period.
- Provide benefits to workers seeking part-time employment to qualify for federal stimulus money.
- Extend unemployment insurance benefits to cover workers while they receive state-approved job training.
As a state legislator, he listed his priorities as "no free lunches from lobbyists, educating our children, reducing health care costs, real solutions on energy, fighting for immigration reform," and "helping small businesses." According to state ethics officials, Goyle and State Sen. David Wysong
David Wysong
David C. Wysong was a Kansas State Senator and a member of the Republican Party. He was first elected in 2004. He resigned in late 2009 and was replaced by Terrie Huntington....
, R-Mission Hills, are state lawmakers who received no direct attention from lobbyists.
2010 U.S. Congressional campaign
Goyle ran against Republican nominee Republican National CommitteeRepublican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
man Mike Pompeo
Mike Pompeo
Michael Richard Pompeo is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He has also served as a Kansas representative on the Republican National Committee.-Early life, education, and early career:...
, Libertarian nominee Shawn Smith, and Reform Party nominee Susan G. Ducey for this open seat.
Republican incumbent Todd Tiahrt
Todd Tiahrt
Todd Tiahrt is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district encompasses 11 counties in the south central region of the state, including the city of Wichita. He was succeeded by Republican Mike Pompeo.Tiahrt ran...
decided to run in the U.S. Senator election in 2010
United States Senate election in Kansas, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 2, 2010 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Sam...
, although he lost the nomination to Jerry Moran
Jerry Moran
Jerry Moran is the junior U.S. Senator from Kansas and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing ....
. Goyle won against Robert Tillman in the Democratic primary.
The seat was rated as "Likely Republican" by CQ Politics. In March 2010, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield...
added Goyle's name to its "Red to Blue" list of the strongest candidates running for Republican held seats. On August 12, 2010, SurveyUSA and KWCH-TV released a poll on the Kansas 4th Congressional district campaign between Pompeo and Goyle. According to the poll, in which 604 likely voters were interviewed, Pompeo leads Goyle 49% to 42% with a margin of error of 4.1%.
Goyle lost the election, in what was considered to be a good year for Republicans.
Personal life
On July 24, 2004, he married Monica Arora, an attorney and daughter of retired public school teachers in Middletown, Upstate New YorkMiddletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
. On December 31, 2009, their first child, a daughter named Ana Kumari Goyle, was born.
External links
- Raj Goyle official Kansas Legislature site
- Raj Goyle for Congress official campaign site
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Profile at Kansas Votes