Introduction
Thomas Charles MacArthur (born October 16, 1960) is an American businessman and politician. He is the member of the United States House of Representatives for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district. A Republican, MacArthur was previously mayor of Randolph, New Jersey.
Early life
MacArthur grew up in Hebron, Connecticut. He received his bachelor's degree from Hofstra University. MacArthur worked in the insurance industry. He was chairman and chief executive officer of York Risk Services Group for 11 years. He served on the Randolph, New Jersey, Township Council from 2011 through 2013, including a tenure as mayor in 2013.
U.S. House of Representatives
2014 election
When Jon Runyan, a Republican who represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, announced that he would not run for reelection in 2014, MacArthur chose to run for the Republican Party nomination. MacArthur resigned from the Randolph council to move into the congressional district. He ran against Steve Lonegan in the Republican Party's primary election, and defeated him.
He faced Aimee Belgard of the Democratic Party in the general election. MacArthur largely self-financed his congressional campaign. He outspent Belgard by about three to one. MacArthur defeated Belgard by nearly a 10-point margin, decisively winning the popular vote in Ocean County, and coming in a very close second in Burlington County, losing that part of the district by only 352 votes.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom MacArthur | 15,908 | 59.7 | ||
| Republican | Steve Lonegan | 10,643 | 40.3 | ||
| Turnout | 26,551 | 100.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom MacArthur | 100,471 | 53.76 | ||
| Democratic | Aimee Belgard | 82,537 | 44.09 | ||
| D-R Party | Frederick John Lavergne | 3,095 | 1.61 | ||
| Turnout | 186,103 | 100.0 | |||
2016 election
MacArthur ran for re-election in 2016. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary. In the general election, he faced Democrat Frederick John Lavergne. MacArthur won the election with 60% of the vote.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
- Subcommittee on Military Personnel (Vice Chair)
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Federal Lands
- Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans
- Knapp, Claire. "Former fire chief is new Randolph Councilman; Forstenhausler will fill MacArthur's term", Randolph Reporter, February 10, 2014. Accessed July 6, 2014. "Mark Forstenhausler, 54, was sworn in as a member of the Township Council on Thursday, Feb. 6, to complete the term vacated by Tom MacArthur."
- "MacArthur, Belgard to compete for N.J.'s Third District seat". Philly.com. June 5, 2014.
- "Rep. Thomas MacArthur, Cycle Fundraising, 2013 - 2014". OpenSecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- "New Jersey Congressional Races in 2014". OpenSecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- ^ "Official List Candidates for House of Representatives for General Election" (PDF). 2014 Election Information Archive. State of New Jersey, Department of State. December 2, 2014. p. 6. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- "Official List Candidates for House of Representatives for Primary Election" (PDF). 2014 Election Information Archive. State of New Jersey, Department of State. August 6, 2014. p. 6. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- Levinsky, David (March 31, 2016). "Tom MacArthur kicks off congressional re-election campaign". Burlington County Times. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- Hefler, Jan (June 8, 2016). "Frederick LaVergne to face Rep. Tom MacArthur in fall". Philly.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- Melisurgo, Len (November 8, 2016). "Live congressional election results, ballot questions in N.J.". NJ.com. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
114th Congress
MacArthur was sworn in on January 6, 2015, along with 58 other new member of the House of Representatives. He was assigned to the Armed Services Committee and two of its subcommittees, the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces and Subcommittee on Military Personnel. MacArthur was elected Vice Chairman of the latter subcommittee. He was also assigned to the Natural Resources Committee as well as two of its subcommittees, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands and the Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans.
On February 2, 2015, MacArthur introduced the "Disaster Assistance Fairness and Accountability Act of 2015" that will prevent the Federal Emergency Management Agency from taking back disaster relief funds from individuals who applied for them in good faith. On March 25, 2015, MacArthur introduced the "Veterans' Mental Health Care Access Act" to allow veterans with a Choice Card to access mental health care at any facility eligible for reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Both bills have been referred to the appropriate subcommittees.
Personal life
MacArthur lives in Toms River, New Jersey, and also owns homes in Randolph and Barnegat Light, New Jersey. He is married, and has a son and daughter. Another daughter died in 1996 at the age of 11.