Jason Altmire

Jason Altmire (born March 7, 1968) is an American businessman, author, lobbyist and politician.

In 1986, he matriculated at Florida State University, in Tallahassee.

Following a lengthy rehabilitation of his knee injury, he tried out for and made the Seminole football team as a walk on, frequently working in practice against legendary defensive back Deion Sanders.

He graduated in 1990 with a B.S. in Political Science and worked in the Tallahassee campaign office of Pete Peterson, then a candidate for Congress in Florida's Second Congressional District.

After Pete Peterson won the 1990 congressional race against incumbent Republican Congressman Bill Grant, he hired Altmire to work in his Capitol Hill office.

Altmire worked as a legislative assistant during Peterson's three terms in office (1991–1996), specializing in domestic policy issues.

In 1993, Altmire was appointed to a working group for President Bill Clinton’s Task Force on National Health Care Reform.

In 1996, when Peterson was named U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Altmire continued his work in health care policy by taking a job as a lobbyist for the Federation of American Hospitals.

In 1998, Altmire returned to Western Pennsylvania to work as a lobbyist for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).

In 2003 he was named by Pittsburgh Magazine as one of Pittsburgh's "40 under 40", and in 2005 he was awarded the Arcadia Award by Northern Allegheny Chamber of Commerce.

By 2005, he was the acting Vice President for Government Relations and Community Health Services.

Altmire left UPMC in June 2005 to run against three-term incumbent Republican U.S. Congresswoman Melissa Hart of Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district, who was considered by most observers to be invulnerable.

In May 2006, Altmire won the Democratic primary, defeating millionaire businesswoman Georgia Berner, 55%–45%.

In the 2006 general election, Altmire campaigned relentlessly and raised over $1 million to help fund his race against Hart.

After polling well behind Hart early in the race, he eventually closed the gap heading into the final weeks before the election.

Altmire defeated Hart, 52%–48%.

He is the former U.S. Representative for PA's 4th congressional district, serving from 2007 until 2013.

He is a fellow of the European Institute for International Law and International Relations.

He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Prior to entering Congress, Altmire worked as a healthcare industry lobbyist.

Altmire successfully fought to guarantee the enlistment bonuses of combat-wounded veterans, and he forced a 2007 policy change allowing Vietnam-era Gold Star families access to White House tours after a constituent was denied.

He made several trips to the Middle East during his time in office, visiting U.S. troops and meeting with foreign leaders in Yemen, Iraq, and Israel, among other countries.

Altmire opposed the use of Chinese-made steel in the construction of the U.S.- Mexico border fence.

In 2008, Hart ran again in a rematch but was defeated by Altmire 56%–44%, even as John McCain carried the district by almost 11 points.

Notably for a Democrat, he voted against President Barack Obama's landmark legislation, the Affordable Care Act, in 2010.

In the historic 2010 wave election that saw Democrats lose 63 seats in the U.S. House, including five in Pennsylvania, Altmire survived.

He was re-elected to a third term, defeating attorney Keith Rothfus, 51%–49%.

Following the 2010 census, Pennsylvania lost one congressional seat.

Following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Altmire helped in the rescue of two constituents and the 54 orphans under their care.

He also authored the legislation that ended the late enrollment penalty for low-income seniors participating in the Medicare Part D program.

The Republican-controlled state legislature dismantled Altmire's district, and most of its territory was merged with the neighboring 12th District, represented by fellow Democratic congressman Mark Critz, who defeated Altmire 51% to 49% in the primary election.

Critz went on to lose the 2012 general election to Rothfus, Altmire's 2010 opponent.

Altmire is a moderate Democrat.

He did not miss a single vote during his first two terms and continued the unbroken voting streak into his sixth year in office, which was the longest House voting streak during that time.

The streak finally ended at 4734 consecutive votes when Altmire attended a White House ceremony for Leslie H. Sabo Jr. a former resident of Altmire's district who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama.

Over the course of his six years in office, Altmire returned more than $1 million in unspent office funds, citing a desire to lead by example and be a steward of taxpayer money.

After leaving Congress in 2013, he has worked for health insurance companies and health care business consulting firms.

Altmire was born in western Pennsylvania, where he was raised an only child in a single parent home.

A record-breaking high school athlete, he set a school record in track and field and was recognized as an all-star wide receiver in football before a serious knee injury kept him off the athletic field as a senior.

He later earned a Master's in Health Administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. In 2020, he completed a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Florida