Joe Walsh (Illinois politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Walsh
Official portrait, 2011
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th district
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Melissa Bean
Succeeded by	Tammy Duckworth
Personal details
Born	William Joseph Walsh (1961-12-27) December 27, 1961 (age 63) North Barrington, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican (before 2020) Independent (2020–2025) Democratic (2025–present)
Spouses	Laura Walsh ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 2002)​ Helene Miller ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	5
Education	Grinnell College University of Iowa (BA) University of Chicago (MPP)

William Joseph Walsh (born December 27, 1961) is an American politician, talk radio host, and former social worker. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives for Illinois's 8th district. Walsh has been a member of the Republican, Democratic, and Independent parties at different times in his career.

Born near Chicago, Walsh started his career as a social worker. He helped students in low-income areas get education and job skills. He later became more involved in politics. After a few unsuccessful campaigns, he was elected to Congress in 2010. He was popular with the Tea Party movement, a conservative group.

In Congress, Walsh was known for his strong conservative views. He was a firm critic of President Barack Obama. Walsh believed in a "no-compromise" approach to making laws, especially about government spending. He voted against raising the amount of money the government could borrow. He also did not believe in the scientific agreement on climate change. Later, he said he regretted some of his past statements.

In 2012, the boundaries of his district were changed, making it harder for a Republican to win. He ran for re-election but lost to Democrat Tammy Duckworth. After leaving Congress, Walsh started a radio talk show. He was a strong supporter of Donald Trump at first but later became one of his biggest critics. In 2019, he ran for president against Trump in the Republican primary but ended his campaign in 2020. He then left the Republican Party and later joined the Democratic Party.

Early Life and Education

Joe Walsh was born in North Barrington, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He was the fifth of nine children. In high school, he was the student body president and played sports.

After high school, he went to Grinnell College and then the University of Iowa, where he earned a degree in English in 1985. For a while, he studied acting in New York and Los Angeles. In 1991, he earned a Master's degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

Early Career

As a social worker, Walsh helped high school dropouts in Chicago learn basic skills for school and jobs. He also taught American government and history at local colleges.

Walsh worked for several groups that focused on education and government. He helped raise money for scholarships for low-income students. He also worked with organizations that wanted to limit government power and support fiscally conservative politicians. These are politicians who want the government to spend less money.

U.S. House of Representatives

How He Got Elected in 2010

In 2009, Walsh decided to run for Congress in Illinois's 8th district. This area was usually Republican, but a Democrat, Melissa Bean, was the representative at the time.

In 2010, Walsh won the Republican primary election. He then faced Bean in the main election. Walsh presented himself as a conservative connected to the Tea Party movement. He criticized Bean for supporting the new healthcare law.

Most people thought Bean would win easily. The national Republican party did not spend much money to help Walsh. Despite this, Walsh won the election by a very small margin of only 291 votes. The winner wasn't known until two weeks after Election Day.

2012 Re-election Campaign

Walsh speaking at a Tea Party rally on March 31, 2011

In 2012, the map of Illinois's congressional districts was redrawn by the Democrats in the state government. Walsh's district was changed to make it more favorable for a Democrat to win.

Walsh decided to run for re-election in the newly drawn 8th district. His opponent was Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat and an Iraq War veteran. The campaign between them was very competitive.

Walsh had a lot of financial support from outside groups called Super PACs. These groups spent millions of dollars to support him. Even with more money, Walsh lost the election to Duckworth, who received 55% of the vote to his 45%.

Time in Congress

During his two years in Congress, Walsh was known for being a vocal critic of President Obama's policies on government spending. He often appeared on TV to share his views. He believed in a "no compromise" approach to cutting the national debt and refused to support any tax increases.

Walsh consistently voted against raising the federal debt ceiling, which is the limit on how much money the U.S. government can borrow. He also turned down the health care benefits that members of Congress receive. He said this was because he was against government-provided healthcare.

Walsh held 363 town hall meetings while in office, which was more than any other member of Congress at the time. These meetings allowed him to speak directly with the people in his district.

Committee Work

• Committee on Homeland Security
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
• Committee on Small Business (Chairman of a subcommittee)

After Congress

Radio and Media Career

In 2013, Walsh started hosting a conservative radio talk show in Chicago called The Joe Walsh Show. His show later became nationally syndicated, meaning it was broadcast in other cities like New York, Phoenix, and Dallas.

When he announced he was running for president in 2019, he had to stop his radio show. He started a new show in 2020 but said he lost it in 2021 because of his anti-Trump views. In October 2021, he launched a podcast called White Flag.

2020 Presidential Campaign

On August 25, 2019, Walsh announced he would run for president in the Republican primary against Donald Trump. He said he was running because he was concerned about Trump's behavior as president. Walsh admitted that some of his own past comments may have been too harsh.

He ended his campaign on February 7, 2020, after getting very few votes in the Iowa caucuses. He said the Republican Party had become a "cult" and that he was leaving the party. He later said he would support the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, to prevent Trump from being re-elected.

Political Positions

Walsh speaking at CPAC in 2011

Joe Walsh's political views have changed over time. In the 1990s, he was more moderate. By 2010, he had become much more conservative. After 2019, some of his views shifted again.

Economics

Walsh supports lower taxes. He believes in cutting taxes on businesses and investments to help the economy grow. He has said that government spending should be reduced. He was a strong critic of the Occupy movement, a protest against economic inequality.

Environment

When he was in Congress, Walsh questioned the science behind global warming. He said that economic interests should be the top priority. By 2019, however, he had changed his mind and stated that he accepts that climate change is real.

Social Issues

Walsh's views on social issues have also shifted. During his time in Congress, he held conservative positions. He was a critic of the Black Lives Matter movement. However, by 2020, he said he had changed his mind and became supportive of the movement. He also now supports same-sex marriage, which he had previously opposed.

Foreign Policy

Walsh is a strong supporter of Israel. He has argued against the creation of a separate Palestinian state alongside Israel. He also supported giving a U.S. visa to Narendra Modi before he became the Prime Minister of India, at a time when others were critical of Modi.

Donald Trump

Walsh was once a supporter of Donald Trump and voted for him in 2016. However, he grew to be one of Trump's sharpest critics. In July 2018, after a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Walsh said he could no longer support Trump, calling him "a danger to this country." This led to his decision to run against Trump in 2020.

Personal Life

Walsh has been married twice and has five children in total. His second wife, Helene Miller, served as an Illinois state representative. He is Catholic.

Electoral history

See also

• List of Tea Party politicians