Paul Tonko

On April 25, 2008, Tonko stepped down from his position at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority after ten-term Democratic Congressman Michael McNulty announced his upcoming retirement from Congress.[17] He subsequently entered the race to succeed McNulty in the 21st district.[18] He won the Democratic congressional primary on September 9, 2008, defeating four other candidates.[19]

In the November 4, 2008 general election, Tonko defeated Republican Schenectady County Legislator James Buhrmaster by a decisive margin.[20] According to the Times Union, "Tonko's name recognition ... accomplishment in the Legislature, such as the passage of mental health parity legislation, and his record" contributed to his win.[21] He had effectively clinched a seat in Congress in the primary; the 21st had long been the only safe Democratic district in the state outside the New York City, Buffalo and Rochester areas.

In 2010, Tonko ran for re-election on the Democratic, Working Families and Independence Party lines. He was challenged by Republican and Conservative Party nominee Ted Danz, a former United States Navy Reservist and small business owner in the cooling and heating business. Tonko raised almost $980,000, and spent almost $780,000 on his campaign; Danz raised about $44,000 and spent about $42,000 for his own campaign.[22][23] The seat was rated by The New York Times as being "Solid Democratic" with "99.8%" to "100% chance" that Tonko would win the seat.[23] The major issues in the 2010 race were Tonko's "yes" votes for the Health Care Bill, the Stimulus Package (ARRA), and the Energy Bill.[23] The Albany Times Union endorsed Tonko in that race, citing "a way of thinking and speaking like the engineer that he once was" and his support of the economic stimulus bill and health care bills.[24] Tonko won the general election on November 2, 2010, by a vote of 124,889 to 85,752.[25]

Redistricting saw Tonko's district renumbered as the 20th district.[26] It lost much of its more rural territory to the west. To make up for the loss in population, it was pushed further into Saratoga County. The new 20th, however, was no less Democratic than the old 21st, and Tonko defeated Bob Dieterich in 2012,[27] Jim Fischer in 2014,[28] and Joe Vitollo in 2016[29] and 2018.[30] He defeated Liz Joy in 2020.

Tonko was one of the 19 most liberal House members, according to the National Journal, for 2011.[32]

When he entered Congress, Tonko said he wanted to focus on the issue he said he knows best – energy policy.[33] He sponsored a bill to get $800 million research program in wind energy technologies, which would benefit GE in his district. He also wanted to create a research program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in power generation systems that convert heat into energy. In 2010, Tonko got a provision in a House-passed bill, following the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, to prevent future spills and help small businesses in spill research. In 2011, he sponsored an amendment seeking to protect the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate carbon emissions.[34]

Tonko praised the 2011 State of the Union address, saying: "the President set out a bold agenda for our nation, an agenda that will focus on growing our economy, growing jobs, and growing opportunity for the middle class".[35] On numerous occasions, he has also warned of the threat that would be posed by the healthcare repeal to small businesses, to young people, and to seniors.[36]

Tonko has also worked to raise awareness about the region's waterways, chiefly the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, and the effects of recent flooding following Hurricane Irene. Seeking a comprehensive flood mitigation and economic development strategy, Tonko introduced the Hudson-Mohawk Basin Act in 2012.[37]

Tonko became a prominent opponent of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2015, citing American trade deficits and the use of child labor by at least four countries who had already signed the pact as among his reasons for opposing the deal.[38]

In 2017, Tonko was one of three Catholic politicians who were publicly rebuked by Bishop Edward Bernard Scharfenberger of Albany for participating in a rally supporting Planned Parenthood.[39]

In January 2019, Tonko—a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee—was named chair of that committee's Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change.[40]

On October 1, 2020, Tonko co-signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that condemned Azerbaijan’s offensive operations against the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, denounced Turkey’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and criticized "false equivalence between Armenia and Azerbaijan, even as the latter threatens war and refuses to agree to monitoring along the line of contact."[41]

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Environment & Climate Change (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• Committee on Science, Space & Technology
  • Subcommittee on Environment
  • Subcommittee on Research and Technology
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands

Tonko is a member of more than 65 caucuses in his capacity as United States Representative. Below is a small sample of his memberships:

• Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus (vice chair)
• Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson's Disease
• Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's disease
• Congressional Army Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus[42]
• Congressional Biomass Caucus
• Heritage Corridor Caucus
• Congressional Safe Climate Caucus
• Congressional Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Equality Caucus
• Congressional Mental Health Caucus
• Congressional Voting Rights Caucus
• House Manufacturing Caucus
• House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
• House Baltic Caucus[43]
• Medicare for All Caucus
• Blue Collar Caucus