Bob Dold facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Dold
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 10th district |
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| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Brad Schneider |
| Succeeded by | Brad Schneider |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Kirk |
| Succeeded by | Brad Schneider |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Robert James Dold Jr.
June 23, 1969 Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Danielle Dold |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Denison University (BA) Indiana University, Bloomington (JD) Northwestern University (MBA) |
Robert James Dold Jr. (born June 23, 1969) is an American politician. He served as a U.S. representative for Illinois. This means he was a lawmaker who helped make decisions for the country. He was a member of the Republican Party. Before becoming a politician, Dold managed his family's business, Rose Pest Solutions.
He first won his seat in 2010. He replaced Mark Kirk, who was running for a different job. In 2012, Dold lost his seat to Brad Schneider. But he won it back in 2014, defeating Schneider in a rematch. He then lost to Schneider again in 2016.
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Growing Up and School
Bob Dold was born in Evanston, Illinois. His parents were Judith Gail and Robert James Dold. He has a mix of German, Swedish, Irish, Scottish, and English family roots.
He went to New Trier High School. There, he was the quarterback for the football team. He also led the wrestling and lacrosse teams. After high school, he earned a degree from Denison University. He was even the president of the student government there.
Dold later earned a law degree from Indiana University. His classmates chose him to give a speech at their graduation. He also got a business degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
Before becoming a representative, Dold worked as an intern for Vice President Dan Quayle. He also worked for a judge in New York. Later, he was an investigator for a committee in the U.S. House.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
How He Was Elected
2010 Election
In 2010, Bob Dold ran for an open seat in Congress. The person who had the job before, Mark Kirk, was leaving. Dold described himself as a small business owner. He also said he was careful with money and moderate on social issues.
He won the first election round in February 2010. Then he ran against Dan Seals from the Democratic Party. Dold received support from newspapers like the Chicago Tribune. He also got help from groups like the United States Chamber of Commerce. Famous people like former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani also campaigned for him. Dold won this election with 51% of the votes.
2012 Election
After some changes to the district's boundaries, Dold's seat became harder for a Republican to win. Senator Mark Kirk, who was popular, supported Dold. Dold also had more money for his campaign than his opponent, Brad Schneider.
Newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and Daily Herald supported Dold. However, Schneider defeated Dold. The difference was very small, only about 3,000 votes.
2014 Election
On May 8, 2013, Dold announced he would run for his old seat again. Many people thought this election would be very close. Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire and former New York City mayor, spent nearly $2 million to help Dold.
Dold won this rematch against Brad Schneider. He won by a bit more than 4,800 votes. He started his second term in Congress in 2015.
2016 Election
Dold ran for re-election in 2016. He faced Brad Schneider again. The Human Rights Campaign, a large LGBT civil rights group, supported Dold. This was interesting because they had supported Schneider before. The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times also supported Dold.
Dold chose not to support Donald Trump for president in 2016. He said he would vote for someone else. In the general election, Dold lost to Schneider by 5 percentage points. This was partly because Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, won Dold's district by a lot.
His Time in Office
His Reputation
Bob Dold was known as a moderate Republican. This means he often voted in the middle, not always with one extreme side. An organization called GovTrack ranked him as a very central politician in Congress. National Journal also found him to be one of the most independent members.
Dold was part of the No Labels movement. He hoped this group would help end disagreements in Washington, D.C. He was also a member of the Tuesday Group. This is a group of moderate Republicans in the House. In 2015, Dold became a co-leader of this group. Many people praised Dold for trying to work with both parties. In fact, in 2015, he was ranked the fifth most bipartisan congressman out of 438.
His Views on Issues
Dold supported research using stem cells. He voted for a bill that made most of the Bush-era tax cuts permanent for middle-class families.
He also supported gay marriage and changes to immigration laws. He was the first Republican in the House to support the Equality Act. This law would stop discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Regarding the Affordable Care Act, Dold wanted to improve the law. He did not want to get rid of it. He believed the law was right to cover people with existing health problems. He also liked that it let young adults stay on their parents' insurance until age 26. When he returned to the House in 2015, Dold was one of only three Republicans to vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Dold also supported rules to control guns. In 2015, he supported a bill to expand background checks for people buying guns. He also agreed with scientists that climate change is happening. He believed steps should be taken to fix the problem.
Committees He Served On
When Dold first started in 2011, he was on the Committee on Financial Services. Later, he was chosen to join the important Ways and Means Committee.
- Committee on Ways and Means
- Subcommittee on Human Resources
- Subcommittee on Social Security
- Previous Committees
- Committee on Financial Services
- Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises
- Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity
After Congress
In 2018, Dold started a group. This group helps and supports moderate Republicans. In 2022, he joined other former Republican lawmakers. They supported a law to stop discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.
His Family Life
Bob Dold is married and has three children. He lives in Kenilworth, Illinois. He still helps run Rose Pest Solutions, his family's business. It is the oldest pest control company in the country. Dold goes to Kenilworth Union Church. He is also a scoutmaster for a Boy Scout troop.
Images for kids
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Official portrait of Robert Dold.
