Editor’s Note: As the old adage goes, no man is an island. While it may seem like the movers and shakers on Capitol Hill are multitaskers of mythical status to be everywhere and know everything at once, they actually have had a lot experiences, mentors, and staffers to get them where they are today. The “Behind Every Congressman” series attempts to shine the spotlight on the people and circumstances that have brought members of Congress to where they are now.
Family
Steny Hoyer is more or less a DMV local. He was born in New York City, the son of a Danish immigrant, and grew up in Mitchellville, Maryland, which is located in Prince George’s County. In 1963 he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland College Park, and then went on to get a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C.
Hoyer has three children with his wife, who passed away in 1997. Hoyer has been a long time supporter of gay marriage and is a vocal gay rights advocate. In 2012 his daughter Stefany Hoyer Hemmer came out as a lesbian in an interview with the Washington Blade.
Early Career Connections
Starting his senior year of his undergraduate degree, and running through his time at Georgetown, Hoyer worked as a staffer for Democratic Senator Daniel Brewster of Maryland. During this time Nancy Pelosi was also a member of Brewster’s staff, striking up a friendship with Hoyer that lasts to this day. Together they make up the two top Democratic leadership posts in the House of Representatives.
After graduating law school, at the age of 27, Hoyer was elected to the Maryland State Senate, representing a district in Price George’s County. He went on to be elected President of the Maryland State Senate at the age of 36, the youngest person in the history of Maryland to hold this post.
In 1978, Hoyer ran unsuccessfully for the the position of lieutenant governor of Maryland. Though he lost, he was appointed to the Maryland Board of Education that same year.
Political Influencers
In 1980, Hoyer won a special election for a seat in the House of Representatives after long time Representative Gladys Spellman suffered a massive heart attack, and was put in a coma. It was the only time the House has ever declared a seat vacant due to medical reasons rather than a death. Hoyer’s surprising win in that election earned him the nickname of “boy wonder” as he beat out seven Democrats in the primaries and won against a better funded and more well known Republican challenger.
Since then, Hoyer has won every election by a high margin, and is the longest serving Congressman from Southern Maryland ever.
In the House, Hoyer has won a number of accolades and leadership positions, distinguishing himself as one of the strongest moderate Democrats in the chamber. Since 1989, he has served as Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Chair of the Democratic Steering Committee, and Deputy Majority Whip, before being elected to his current position of Minority Whip in 2002. He served for a term as House Majority Leader in 2007 when the Democrats were in the Majority and Nancy Pelosi, who currently holds the top Democratic leadership position in the House, was Speaker of the House.
Business and Lobbying Ties
Hoyer is one of the biggest Democratic fundraisers on Capitol Hill, and has received some criticism for his PAC, AmeriPAC’s practice of bundling individual and corporate donations to then distribute to a wide range of Democratic political candidates. In the 2006 and 2008 election cycles his PAC distributed $1 million to 53 different Democrat races.
Hoyer gets a large amount of his funding from electric utilities and insurance companies. In 2012 Microsoft Corporation and Exelon Corporation were his largest donors, with both contributing over $26,000 to his campaign. He also also received over $25,000 from the Washington based law and lobbying firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
There are a large number of former Hoyer staffers who now work on K Street and retain close ties with Hoyers office. Robert Cogorno for example, served as Hoyer’s floor director for years, and now represents a dozen big companies including Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Northrop Grumman and MillerCoors.
Former legislative director Gregory Gill lobbys for the tobacco firm Altria, former policy advisor Scott DeFife lobbys for the National Restaurant Association, and former chief of staff William Black lobbys for the AARP just to give an example of the dozens of former Hoyer staffers who have found successful careers in the world of lobbying.
Current Team
Katie Grant currently serves at Steny Hoyer’s Communications Director. The 30-year old Grant is native of Georgia, who attended Georgia Tech as an undergrad and received a master’s degree from American University before joining Hoyer’s office in 2006. Stephanie Young serves as Hoyer’s Press Secretary. Young has a background in broadcast journalism, having worked for PBS NewsHour and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Before joining Hoyer’s office this past summer she worked as Communications Director for the Congressional Black Caucus Committee and on the Obama for America 2012 campaign. Running the show is Chief of Staff Alexis Covey-Brandt. She started with Hoyer’s office as a staff assistant in 2003, and since then has held a number of roles including floor director. Covey-Brandt has been recognized as one of the most powerful staffers on Capitol Hill being listed among POLITICO‘s list of “Who’s Who on Capitol Hill” and Roll Call‘s list of the “Fabulous 50.”
[Image via POLITICO]
