Matt Dowling (politician)
Matt Dowling | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 51st district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy S. Mahoney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 18, 1984 Uniontown, Pennsylvania[1] |
| Political party | Republican (2014–present) |
| Alma mater | Waynesburg University |
Matt Dowling is the representative for the 51st District of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Early life
According to his official biography, Dowling graduated from Uniontown Area High School in 2003.[2]
Political career
Dowling began his political career in 2016, when he defeated Tim Mahoney, a five-term Democratic incumbent, in the general election for the 51st District seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[3]
The 51st Legislative District consisted of portions of Fayette and Somerset counties.[4] In the state House, Dowling was assigned to the Judiciary, Liquor Control, State Government, and Urban Affairs committees.[2]
2020 presidential election
In 2020, incumbent President Donald Trump lost Pennsylvania and was defeated in his bid for reelection. Trump and his allies refused to accept his defeat, falsely claimed that the election was fraudulent or marred by irregularities, and carried out a months-long effort to overturn the election result.[5] Dowling was one of many Republican members of the Pennsylvania Legislature who signed a January 4, 2021 letter to Pennsylvania's congressional delegation asking them to seek a halt to the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count (and thus the formalization of the victory of Joe Biden). The letter was sent on the eve of the January 6 United States Capitol attack, in which a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol in a bid to halt the counting of the votes and keep Trump in power.[6]
Drunk driving arrest and retirement
In June 2022, Dowling was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, careless driving, driving an unregistered vehicle, and following too closely. The charges followed his arrest in South Union Township after he rear-ended another vehicle twice at a red light at a busy intersection. Dowling's blood alcohol content was .272, over three times the legal limit in Pennsylvania.[7][8] The crash took place the day after Dowling's driver's license had been reinstated; his license had previously been suspended after an October 2021 automobile crash, which Dowling blamed on a diabetic emergency.[9][10] Dowling said he would enter treatment to "address any possible alcohol issues" and attributed the crash to "disappointing behavior that I have faced in the past with respect to alcohol."[7][9]
On July 1, 2022, three weeks after the crash, Dowling ended his bid for reelection in 2022, removing his name from the ballot.[8][4]
Electoral history
2016
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Dowling | 13,318 | 53.07% | |
| Democratic | Tim Mahoney (incumbent) | 11,779 | 46.93% | |
2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matt Dowling (incumbent) | 10,773 | 55.47% | |
| Democratic | Tim Mahoney | 8,650 | 44.53% | |
References
- ^ "Matthew Dowling's Biography".
- ^ a b "Representative Matthew D. Dowling". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ Matthew Toth, Dowling sues political opponent, Daily American (Somerset, Pa.), October 30, 2018.
- ^ a b Renatta Signorini (July 1, 2022). "State Rep. Dowling to retire, remove name from ballot after drunken-driving charges filed". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- ^ Gardner, Amy; Dawsey, Josh; Bade, Rachael (December 7, 2020). "Trump asks Pennsylvania House speaker for help overturning election results, personally intervening in a third state". Washington Post.
- ^ WITF is connecting these lawmakers to their actions on the election-fraud lie. Here's why, WITF (January 28, 2021).
- ^ a b "State Rep. Matthew Dowling charged with DUI in June 4 crash". HeraldStandard.com. June 30, 2022.
- ^ a b State lawmaker quits re-election race following DUI charge, Associated Press (July 5, 2022).
- ^ a b "State Rep. Matt Dowling enters treatment to 'address any possible alcohol issues'". KDKA (CBS Pittsburgh). June 7, 2022.
- ^ Mike Jones (June 9, 2022). "Rep. Dowling's driver's license re-issued day before crash". Observer-Reporter.
