Mary Jo Kilroy

Mary Jo Kilroy

US House, Ohio - District 15

  • A hard fought victory
  • A proven progressive leader
  • A voice of change for Ohio

Learn More Contribute

About Mary Jo Kilroy

A freshman under attack

In 2008, Cong. Mary Jo Kilroy took over a House seat that had been in GOP hands since 1967, defeating former state Sen. Steve Stivers by just 2,312 votes after a month-long recount. Now Stivers is back, with the full force of the GOP behind him. Fellow Ohioan and House Minority Leader John Boehner worked hard to recruit Stivers for the rematch, and the National Republican Congressional Committee has been attacking Kilroy since she took office in January. House Republicans even made Kilroy a target in their sleazy campaign to try to create embarrassing “You Tube” moments by ambushing freshmen Democrats during floor speeches.

A strong advocate for Ohioans

An attorney and former social worker, Kilroy is a powerful voice in Congress for her constituents, many of whom have been profoundly affected by the economic downturn. She successfully pressured a reluctant AIG subsidiary to participate in the federal “Making Home Affordable” program and restructure subprime mortgages. She courageously voted for landmark environmental legislation to curb greenhouse gases. And Kilroy, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2003, is a passionate leader on health care reform. She’s giving Ohioans a voice in the debate through an interactive web site that links citizens to resources and solicits their ideas for reform.

A stark contrast in values

Stivers was a right-wing state senator who repeatedly opposed legislation to protect consumers and curb predatory lending. In 2008, Republicans sued to stop the vote count, hoping to steal the election for Stivers. That didn’t work, so Stivers has said he's counting on lower turnout among urban and university voters to help him unseat Kilroy in 2010. A former banking lobbyist, Stivers can tap special interests to raise millions for his campaign. Kilroy has deep roots and a sterling reputation in this community: she was president of the Franklin County Commission and served eight years on the Columbus School Board. But she is in for a costly and vicious rematch. Kilroy must raise $3 million to hold onto her seat in 2010.

November 10, 2009

Rep. Kilroy: GOP Shouting Down Democratic Women Was A ‘Sexist’ Attempt To Put Us ‘In Our Place’

Think Progress

Rep. Kilroy: GOP Shouting Down Democratic Women Was A ‘Sexist’ Attempt To Put Us ‘In Our Place’

On Saturday, several Republican went wild and shouted down members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus on the House floor. As each woman stepped up to the microphone to give a brief statement about how the House health care legislation would benefit women, Republicans — led by Rep. Tom Price (GA) — repeatedly talked over them, screamed, and shouted screeds like “I object, I object, I object, I object, I object.”

Yesterday, ThinkProgress interviewed Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH), one of the Democratic women who faced this treatment. Kilroy said unequivocally that the GOP’s actions were “sexist” and it would be “nice” if they apologized. She pointed to recent GOP comments about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) — that it’s time to “put her in her place” — and said that’s exactly what Price and the other Republicans were doing on Saturday.

Read more

October 12, 2009

Women Lawmakers Put a Personal Stamp on Health Overhaul

CQ Politics

Women Lawmakers Put a Personal Stamp on Health Overhaul

It was literally a pain in her neck that started Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy ’s problems in 2003. Then the pain spread to her shoulder and her arm, and she became more and more worried about what was wrong.

“Oh, there were all kinds of theories, and I was one of those bad patients who used to, like, wake up in the middle of the night and worry about what it was and go on WebMD and get a diagnosis myself,” the Ohio Democrat recalled last week, laughing.

The problems accelerated until one night when Kilroy, a Franklin County commissioner at the time, was at a meeting of the Ohio Democratic Party analyzing voter turnout in the 2002 election.

Read more

October 9, 2009

EMILY's List House alums join Speaker Pelosi to promote health care reform

Read My Lipstick: The EMILY's List Blog

EMILY's List House alums join Speaker Pelosi to promote health care reform

The Democratic women of the Senate aren't the only ones stressing the importance of health care reform for women.

On the House side, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading the way, holding a press conference earlier this week with the Democratic Women's Working Group earlier this week.

Read more