- Byname of:
- Joseph Simon Donnelly
- Born:
- September 29, 1955, Queens, New York, U.S. (age 71)
- Political Affiliation:
- Democratic Party
Joe Donnelly
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Who is Joe Donnelly?
Joe Donnelly, born on September 29, 1955, is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 2013 to 2019 after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013.
Born in Queens, New York, Donnelly received degrees from the University of Notre Dame. Before his political career, he worked at a law firm and later opened a printing business. Donnelly served on the state election board and a local school board.
In 2022, Donnelly became the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
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Which state did Joe Donnelly represent as a United States senator?
Joe Donnelly represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 2013 to 2019. Before becoming a senator, Donnelly served in the U.S. House of Representatives between 2007 and 2013. Throughout his career, Donnelly, a moderate Democrat, has at times broken with his party. For example, as a Roman Catholic, he opposed federal funding for abortions and endorsed gun rights. In 2018, Donnelly ran for a second term but lost the election to a Trump supporter and left the Senate in January 2019. In 2022, Donnelly became the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
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What years did Joe Donnelly serve in the U.S. Senate?
Joe Donnelly served as a U.S. Senator representing Indiana from 2013 to 2019. Prior to this, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013. Donnelly, a moderate Democrat in a Republican-leaning state, secured a Senate seat in 2012, becoming the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Indiana in over a decade. During his time in the Senate, Donnelly, a Roman Catholic, occasionally broke with his party, opposing federal funding for abortions and supporting gun rights, while also taking an interest in military and agricultural affairs. In 2018, he ran for reelection but lost to a Republican candidate supported by then President Donald Trump. In 2022, Donnelly became the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
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What political party does Joe Donnelly belong to?
Joe Donnelly is an American Democratic politician who represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 2013 to 2019. Before becoming a senator, Donnelly served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013.
Throughout his career, Donnelly was viewed as a moderate, often voting with the Democratic Party while occasionally breaking with it on certain issues. For example, as a Roman Catholic, he opposed federal funding for abortions and defined himself as pro-life, while also endorsing gun rights. In 2022, Donnelly became the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
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What were some key issues or policies Joe Donnelly focused on during his time as senator?
During his time as a U.S. Senator for Indiana from 2013 to 2019, Joe Donnelly, a moderate Democrat, took interest in military and agricultural affairs. In 2014, he helped pass a bill mandating annual mental-health evaluations for members of the armed services in an effort to prevent military suicides. While generally voting with the Democratic Party, Donnelly, a Roman Catholic, sometimes broke with his party. He defined himself as pro-life, opposing federal funding for abortions, and endorsed gun rights. However, he reversed his earlier opposition to same-sex marriage.
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What did Joe Donnelly do after leaving the U.S. Senate?
After leaving the U.S. Senate in January 2019, Joe Donnelly was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. The Senate confirmed him in 2021, and he assumed the post in February 2022.
Prior to his time in the Senate, Donnelly served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013. Before entering politics, he worked for a law firm and later opened a printing business in Mishawaka, Indiana, in 1996. Donnelly also served on the state election board and a local school board.
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Joe Donnelly (born September 29, 1955, Queens, New York, U.S.) is an American Democratic politician who represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 2013 to 2019. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives (2007–13). In 2022, Donnelly became the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
Donnelly was born in New York City and raised on Long Island. He attended the University of Notre Dame, receiving a bachelor’s degree (1977) in government and a law degree (1981). During that time, Donnelly married (1979), and he and his wife, Jill, later had two children. He worked for a law firm in South Bend, Indiana, before opening a printing business in nearby Mishawaka in 1996. He served on the state election board for a year (1988–89) and then on a local school board for four years (1997–2001), having lost bids to become Indiana’s attorney general (1988) and a state senator (1990). Undeterred, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004 but lost to a well-funded Republican candidate. In 2006, however, he built solid support in predominantly Democratic South Bend and defeated the same opponent.
Donnelly was twice reelected to the House before running for the U.S. Senate in 2012. A moderate in a state long divided between largely Democratic urban areas and Republican suburban and rural districts, he won endorsement from newspapers and business organizations throughout the state. His opponent was Richard Mourdock, a Tea Party candidate who had defeated longtime incumbent Richard Lugar in the Republican primary. Donnelly won the general election, becoming the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Indiana in more than 10 years.
After taking office in 2013, Donnelly positioned himself as a conservative within the Democratic Party while usually voting with it. Breaking with his party on occasion, though, Donnelly, a Roman Catholic, opposed federal funding for abortions and defined himself as pro-life. He also endorsed gun rights. At the same time, he reversed his earlier opposition to same-sex marriage. He took particular interest in military and agricultural affairs, and in 2014 he helped enact a bill requiring annual mental-health evaluations for members of the armed services; it was intended to prevent military suicides.
Donnelly ran for a second term in 2018 but faced a difficult campaign as Republican Pres. Donald Trump was extremely popular in the state. Although he emphasized his conservative position on various issues, Donnelly ultimately lost the election to a Trump supporter, and he left the Senate in January 2019. In 2021 Pres. Joe Biden nominated Donnelly to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, and he was confirmed by the Senate the following year. Donnelly assumed the post in February 2022.