Michael James Pappas

Michael James Pappas
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 12th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 1999
Preceded by	Dick Zimmer
Succeeded by	Rush Holt
Personal details
Born	December 29, 1960 New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Republican

Michael James "Mike" Pappas (born December 29, 1960 in New Brunswick, New Jersey) is a former Republican Congressman from New Jersey.

Biography

Pappas was born in 1960 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Alma Preparatory School in Zarephath, New Jersey, and attended Seton Hall University.

Pappas got into politics in the early 1980s, becoming a member of the Franklin Township township council where he served from 1982 to 1987. He was Mayor of Franklin Township, New Jersey for two years. He later would be elected to the Board of Chosen Freeholders for Somerset County, and served from 1984 to 1996, alongside fellow Freeholder Christine Todd Whitman during portions of that period.

In 1996, Pappas won an election to replace Dick Zimmer in the 12th Congressional District in New Jersey (Zimmer ran for the U.S. Senate that year), beating Lambertville Mayor David DelVecchio. Unlike most New Jersey Republicans, Pappas was a staunch conservative. His congressional service included pushing for a stronger national defense, the elimination of the capital gains tax, advocacy for small business, securing the release of the battleship USS New Jersey to the state of New Jersey as a museum, and resurrecting the controversial "Star Wars" national missile defense.

He was a strong supporter of the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and his infamous singing of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Starr" on the House floor^[1] contributed to his defeat by Rush Holt in 1998.^[2][3]

In 2000, Pappas unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in the 12th District, losing a highly contentious primary to the more moderate Zimmer by 62 to 38% margin. Holt narrowly defeated Zimmer in the general election to retain his seat.

During the Bush Administration, Pappas worked for the Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C.

In June 2016, Pappas was hired as the Borough Administrator of High Bridge, New Jersey.^[4]

Electoral history

12th District Republican House Primary, 1996^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Pappas	11,069	38.1
	Republican	John Bennett	9,894	34.0
	Republican	Leonard Lance	7,630	26.2
	Republican	Luis De Agustin	481	1.7
Total votes			29,074	100.0

12th District House general election, 1996^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Pappas	135,811	50.4
	Democratic	David M. Del Vecchio	125,594	46.7
	Independent	Virginia A. Flynn	3,955	1.5
	Independent	Joseph M. Mercurio	2,650	1.0
	Independent	Philip G. Cenicola	1,211	0.4
Total votes			269,221	100.0

12th District House general election, 1998^[6][7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rush Holt	92,528	50.1
	Republican	Michael Pappas	87,221	47.2
	Libertarian	Joseph A. Siano	2,125	1.2
	Green	Madelyn R. Hoffman	1,409	0.8
	Reform	Beverly Kidder	749	0.4
	Natural Law	Mary Jo Christian	578	0.3
Total votes			184,610	100.0

12th District Republican House Primary, 2000^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dick Zimmer	19,084	62.0
	Republican	Mike Pappas	11,692	38.0
Total votes			30,776	100.0

References

1. Beiler, David. "Twinkle, twinkle Kenneth Starr: how physicist Rush Holt used the Clinton scandal to oust a Republican congressman - includes related article on Rush Holt Sr", Campaigns & Elections, May 1999. Accessed August 6, 2007. "On the occasion of Clinton special prosecutor Ken Starr's 52nd birthday, Pappas decided to commemorate the event in song, on the House floor. Following the melody of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," Pappas crooned (or more accurately, croaked):"
2. http://www.salon.com/2000/04/13/newjersey/
3. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/05/nyregion/1998-elections-region-new-jersey-upset-traced-part-partisan-song.html
4. Staff. "Former Congressman Mike Pappas named new High Bridge administrator", Hunterdon Review, June 23, 2016. Accessed August 31, 2016. "The borough has hired Michael Pappas as part-time administrator, replacing the recently exited John Gregory."
5. "Official List, Primary Election Returns for the Office of U.S. House of Representatives for Election Held June 4, 1996" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. July 2, 1996. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
6. "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
7. "Official List, 1998 Election Candidates for House of Representatives" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. August 31, 1998. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
8. "Official List, Candidate Returns for House of Representatives for June 2000 Primary Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. April 17, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2016.

External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress