Bill Shuster

William Franklin Shuster (born January 10, 1961) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for PA's 9th congressional district from 2001 to 2019.

He is a member of the Republican Party, and is a son of former Congressman Bud Shuster.

In the redistricting after the 2000 Census, Centre County was taken out of the district while portions of Somerset, Cambria, Indiana, Fayette, and Cumberland Counties were added to the district.

After his father, Republican U.S. Congressman Bud Shuster, resigned from Congress in January 2001 following a strong rebuke from the House Ethics Committee for his relationship with a transportation lobbyist, Bill Shuster ran for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district.

On February 18, 2001, he won the Republican nomination with 59% of the vote, defeating State Representative Patrick Fleagle (32%) and Blair County Commissioner John Eichelberger (9%).

On May 15, 2001, Shuster won the special election, defeating Democratic Centre County Commissioner Scott Conklin 52%–44%.

Shuster won nine of the district's eleven counties.

Conklin won Centre (58%) and Clearfield (55%).

To date, it is the last time that a Democrat has come close to winning what has long been one of the most Republican districts in Pennsylvania.

In November 2002, the district reverted to form, and Shuster won his first full term, defeating John R. Henry 71%–29%.

Unlike 2002, Shuster was challenged in the 2004 Republican primary.

He defeated businessman Michael DelGrosso 51%–49%.

In November, he won re-election to his second full term, defeating Democrat Paul Politis 70%–30%, winning every county in the district.

Shuster won re-election to his third full term in 2006, defeating Democrat Tony Barr 60%–40%.

He lost only three counties: Clearfield, Cambria, and Fayette.

Shuster won re-election to his fourth full term in 2008, defeating Democrat Tony Barr again, 64%–36%.

This time he won all fourteen counties.

In 2010, Shuster won re-election to his fifth full term, defeating Democrat Tom Conners 73%–27%, winning all fourteen counties.

After redistricting following the 2010 Census, the 9th moved even further to the west, gaining portions of Westmoreland, Greene, and Washington Counties.

Shuster won re-election to his sixth full term, defeating Democrat Karen Ramsburg 62%–38%.

With the 113th Congress, elected in 2012, Bill Shuster became Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, a position he would hold for the following 2 Congresses.

He was succeeded as the Representative for PA-9 by fellow Republican Dan Meuser, although redistricting meant his actual district became the 13th which was won by Republican John Joyce, and as House Transportation Committee Chairman by Peter DeFazio (a Democrat from Oregon's 4th district).

Shuster was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, the son of H. Patricia (née Rommel) and Elmer Greinert "Bud" Shuster.

His ancestry includes German and Irish.

He graduated from Dickinson College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and in History.

Shuster also became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity while at Dickinson.

He then earned a Master of Business Administration from American University.

Prior to entering politics, Shuster worked on his family farm in Bedford County and at Goodyear Tire, Rubber Corporation, and Bandag Incorporated.

He also owned and operated an automobile dealership in East Freedom, Pennsylvania.

In 2014, Shuster was in a primary with Bedford County businessman Art Halvorson and Franklin County project manager Travis Schooley.

The primary was held on May 20, 2014.

Shuster won with 53% of the vote.

Art Halvorson received 34% and Travis Schooley received 13%.

Politico said their relationship had started in summer 2014 and had signed an agreement that Rubino would not lobby Shuster or his staff.

Shuster, however, had other ties to A4A, having hired a former A4A executive onto the aviation subcommittee, and Shuster's chief of staff is married to an executive of A4A.

Politico also noted the similarity to his father's conflicted lobbyist relationship and resignation.

In 2015, Shuster, who was the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman, said he was dating Shelley Rubino, the vice president of government affairs for Airlines for America (A4A), a lobbying group for airlines.

In 2016, Shuster won reelection in what would later turn out to be his eighth and final full term.

He was challenged by Arthur Halvorson in the Republican primary, with Shuster only barely winning a majority, at 50.6%, in the two-way race.

In January 2018, Shuster announced his retirement from Congress at the end of his eighth term, and did not run for re-election in 2018.