Angus King facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Angus King
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Official portrait, 2013
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| United States Senator from Maine |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2013 Serving with Susan Collins
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| Preceded by | Olympia Snowe |
| 72nd Governor of Maine | |
| In office January 5, 1995 – January 8, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | John R. McKernan Jr. |
| Succeeded by | John Baldacci |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Angus Stanley King Jr.
March 31, 1944 Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Independent (since 1993) |
| Other political affiliations |
No Labels (since 2013) Democratic (before 1993) |
| Spouses |
Edith Hazard
(div. 1982)Mary Herman
(m. 1984) |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) University of Virginia (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Angus Stanley King Jr. (born March 31, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician. He has been a United States senator for Maine since 2013. Before that, he was the 72nd governor of Maine from 1995 to 2003. He is known for being an independent in politics.
Angus King grew up in Virginia and later moved to Maine after finishing law school. In 1989, he started a company called Northeast Energy Management, Inc. This company worked on projects to save electrical energy.
He became governor of Maine in 1994 as an independent candidate. He was reelected in 1998 by a large number of votes. As the only independent governor in the country at the time, he was very popular. After leaving office in 2003, King went back to his business career.
In 2012, King won the election for a U.S. Senate seat in Maine. He took office in 2013. He was reelected in 2018 and again in 2024. In the Senate, he works with the Democratic Party for committee assignments. He is one of only two independent senators.
Angus King's Early Life and Career
Angus King was born in Alexandria, Virginia. His father, Angus Stanley King, was also a lawyer.
He went to Dartmouth College and earned a degree in 1966. Then, he studied law at the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating in 1969.
After law school, King began working as a lawyer in Maine. He also worked for a U.S. Senator in the 1970s. He was also a well-known host on public television in Maine.
In 1973, when he was 29, King was diagnosed with a serious type of cancer. He has said that having health insurance helped him survive. This experience made him a strong supporter of health care access for everyone.
In 1983, he became a vice president at a company that developed alternative energy projects. In 1989, King started his own company, Northeast Energy Management, Inc., which focused on energy saving projects. He sold this company in 1994.
Governor of Maine (1995–2003)
In 1993, Angus King announced he would run for governor of Maine. He decided to run as an independent, even though he had been a Democrat his whole life. He felt the Democratic Party was too focused on government solutions.
The 1994 election was a close race with four main candidates. King presented himself as a businessman who cared about creating jobs and improving education. He won the election with 35% of the votes.
King was the only U.S. governor who was not part of a major political party during his time in office. He signed laws that required all school employees to have background checks.
He was very popular, with a 75% approval rating when he ran for reelection in 1998. He easily won, getting 59% of the votes. This was the highest percentage for a Maine governor in many years.
In 2002, Governor King started the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI). This program gave laptops to every public middle school student in Maine. It was the first program of its kind in the country. Even though it was expensive, the state legislature approved it.
Time Away from Politics (2003–2012)
After leaving office in 2003, King and his family took a long road trip across America. They traveled 15,000 miles and visited 33 states.
He also taught classes at Bowdoin College and Bates College in Maine. He taught about American politics and leadership.
In 2007, King started a wind energy company called Independence Wind. He later sold his share of the company when he decided to run for the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Senate (2013–Present)
Becoming a Senator
2012 Election
On March 5, 2012, King announced he would run for the U.S. Senate. He wanted to take the seat of Senator Olympia Snowe, who was retiring.
On November 6, 2012, King won the Senate race with 53% of the votes. He beat both the Democratic and Republican candidates. After winning, King decided to work with the Senate Democrats. He explained that this would help him be more effective in the Senate.
Later Elections
King was reelected to the Senate in 2018. He won again for a third term in 2024. If he serves until his 81st birthday, he will become the oldest U.S. senator in Maine's history.
What Senator King Does
Working in the Senate
King has supported changes to Senate rules, like the filibuster. He believes senators should have to speak on the floor during a filibuster.
He opposed cuts to the food assistance program (SNAP). He worried that large cuts would hurt people and increase the need for food banks.
In 2014, King was chosen to read George Washington's Farewell Address to the Senate. This is an old tradition.
King has supported both Republican and Democratic senators in their elections. He believes it's good for a state to have senators from different parties. He also thinks it's important to have a senator who works with the President's party.
Important Events
In 2020, King had a strong disagreement with Vice President Mike Pence about the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. King said he was "never so mad" and called the response "a dereliction of duty."
In 2021, King was at the U.S. Capitol when it was attacked by supporters of President Trump. He called the event a "violent insurrection" and blamed Trump. He supported efforts to remove Trump from office after the attack.
In 2024, King was one of 19 senators who voted to block arms sales to Israel during the Israel–Hamas war. He said the war had caused too many deaths among innocent Palestinians, including many women and children.
Committees and Groups
Senator King serves on several important committees in the Senate:
- Committee on Armed Services: This committee deals with military and defense matters.
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: This committee focuses on energy, natural resources, and public lands.
- Select Committee on Intelligence: This committee oversees U.S. intelligence agencies.
He is also part of different groups (caucuses) in Congress, like the Afterschool Caucuses and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption.
Angus King's Political Views
Angus King is often described as a moderate independent. He says he is "neither a Democrat nor a Republican, but an American." He tends to vote more often with Democrats than Republicans.
Agriculture
King voted against a bill that would have stopped states from making their own rules about agricultural products. He wanted to protect Maine's laws on things like blueberry inspections and environmental rules for cranberries.
Economy
King supports keeping a tax on imported athletic shoes to protect jobs in Maine factories. He also opposed a Republican tax bill in 2017. He said it would add too much to the national debt.
He has worked with Senator Susan Collins to support the Northern Border Regional Commission. This group helps economic development in rural areas, especially in Maine's forest industry.
King supports U.S. manufacturers and has spoken out against unfair trade practices by other countries.
Foreign Relations and National Security
King has voted to help Syrian rebels fighting against their government and ISIL. He also supports making relations between the U.S. and Cuba normal again. He believes the U.S. embargo against Cuba is outdated.
As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, King helped investigate Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. He said there was "no doubt whatsoever" that Russia was responsible.
He has urged the Trump administration to punish Chinese officials for human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority. He also raised concerns about China's influence on media and schools in the U.S.
King voted to stop U.S. military aid for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. He also expressed concern when U.S. troops were withdrawn from Syria.
Iran
In 2015, King supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an international agreement with Iran about its nuclear program. He believed rejecting the agreement would be dangerous.
In 2019, he expressed concern about rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran. He worried about misunderstandings leading to dangerous situations.
Environment and Energy
King supports taking action to fight climate change. He often carries a graph showing the increase in carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. He has seen the melting ice sheets firsthand and called the impacts of climate change "amazing and scary."
He opposes oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He thinks the environmental risks are too high. He also believes new energy methods like fracking should have strong environmental protections. King is against the Keystone XL pipeline.
King initially had concerns about the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine. However, he later supported its creation, believing it would help the local economy.
He opposes efforts to ban bear baiting and trapping in Maine. He believes these practices are necessary and based on science.
King has worked on bills to protect the power grid from cyberattacks. He also supports funding for carbon capture technology.
Immigration
King strongly criticized President Trump's travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries. He said it played "right into ISIS's hands" by making it seem like a war against Islam.
In 2018, he introduced a bill to stop the separation of immigrant families at the border. He also believes more resources are needed to process asylum claims faster.
Gun Laws
King supports expanding background checks for most gun sales. He believes this is the best way to keep guns out of the wrong hands. He also supports limiting the size of gun magazines to 10 rounds.
He does not support a ban on assault weapons. He believes such a ban would not work and that most gun crimes are committed with handguns, not rifles.
In 2019, after mass shootings, King supported a bill to create "red flag laws." These laws would allow family members to ask courts to temporarily prevent someone from buying a gun if they are a danger.
Healthcare
King supports the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare). He believes it's important for people to have health insurance. He has said that discouraging people from getting health insurance is very harmful.
He supports the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). He also supports expanding health care services for veterans in Maine.
King opposed cuts to medical research in President Trump's budget. He also supports improving rural health care through telemedicine services.
Minimum Wage
In 2021, King voted against an amendment to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Railroad Safety
In 2019, King supported the Safe Freight Act. This bill would require freight trains to have both a certified conductor and an engineer. The goal is to improve safety for trains and people living near the tracks.
Same-Sex Marriage
King supports same-sex marriage. He signed a legal document supporting the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act.
United States Postal Service
King opposes privatizing the United States Postal Service (USPS). He believes it is a self-sustaining service and that privatization could lead to higher prices and fewer services, especially in rural areas.
Telecommunications
In 2019, King supported the Digital Equity Act. This bill would provide grants to states to help people get access to and use the internet.
Trade
King has expressed concerns about China's influence and trade practices. He supported considering a ban on certain Chinese technology in the U.S. to protect national security.
Angus King's Personal Life
Angus King has five children and six grandchildren. He is married to Mary Herman. His first marriage ended in divorce.
He is an Episcopalian and attends church in Brunswick, Maine. He also enjoys riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Health
In 2015, King had successful surgery to remove prostate cancer. This did not change his plans to run for reelection.
In August 2021, King tested positive for COVID-19. He recovered fully and said he was confident the vaccine helped him avoid more severe illness.
See also
In Spanish: Angus King para niños
