Mark Stephen Critz (born January 5, 1962) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for , having served from a special election in May 2010 until January 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district during his tenure, which was located in the southwestern portion of the state, stretched from Johnstown to the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh.
Critz was the district director for the 12th's longtime congressman, John Murtha. Following Murtha's death, Critz won the May 2010 special election with 53% of the vote to complete Murtha's term. Critz was sworn in on May 20. Critz won a full term in November 2010 to represent the 12th District in Congress. He was defeated in November 2012 by Republican challenger Keith Rothfus.
Critz won the Democratic nomination for the 2022 U.S. House of Representatives election in Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district via write-in, but he declined to run.
Early life, education, and pre-congressional career
Critz is the son of Mary Lou (née Rybacki) and William S. Critz. His father was of Slovak descent, and his mother is of half-Polish and half-Italian ancestry. Critz attended Norwin High School in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
"Most of my friends, their folks worked in the mill or were small business owners," Critz told the National Journal about his upbringing. "There were hundreds of thousands of families that relied on steel directly, and when that started to fade the area got hit pretty hard." The National Journal also wrote that, after his college graduation, Critz "struggled to find work in the decimated local economy" and he “left the region for a job managing a Roy Rogers restaurant in Wilmington, Delaware” in 1987. In addition to Roy Rogers, Critz served as a manager for Spherical Concepts and American Eagle Outfitters.
He then took landscaping and construction jobs before becoming a volunteer for Congressman John Murtha in 1994. Four years later, he took a paying job on Murtha's staff, eventually rising to the position of District Director. Critz focused on district issues, serving as Murtha's liaison to the Flight 93 Memorial committee and the Que Creek Mine disaster site.
PoliticsPA reported that "Critz...attended a 2005 meeting with defense contractors and lobbyists and offered the Congressman's [Murtha's] support for an earmark project that ended in the criminal convictions of three men."
Critz was recognized for his service to the military when he was awarded the Patrick Henry Award by the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS). It is the highest civilian award issued by the National Guard.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
Special 2010 election
After Murtha's death in February 2010, Critz, with the support of Murtha's widow and the Democratic Party, decided to run for the vacant seat in a May special election. He announced on February 22, 2010, that he would resign his position with the 12th Congressional District and seek the Democratic nomination to run in the special election, which was held on May 18, 2010. In the wake of his selection to run in the special election, Critz released a statement saying "he would make economic development his No. 1 priority in Congress." On March 8, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party Executive Committee followed the recommendation of the district officials by nominating Critz. Of the 49 votes cast by the Committee members, Critz received 30.
Critz was endorsed by Vice President Joe Biden, who also campaigned for Critz in early 2010. In March 2010, Critz received the endorsement of the AFL-CIO of Pennsylvania. Critz received an 86% approval rating from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) In April he received an endorsement from the United Mine Workers. The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare endorsed Critz.
Critz defeated Republican businessman Tim Burns 53%-45%.
Regular 2010 election
In 2010, Critz spent a total of $2,428,377.66 on his campaign. His top contributors were Progeny Systems, Mepco LLC, and Concurrent Technologies. Critz defeated Burns in a rematch 51%-49%.
2012
Critz decided to run in the newly redrawn 12th district, which had been pushed to the west to absorb much of the old 4th district. He defeated 4th District incumbent Jason Altmire in the Democratic primary. However, Critz could not overcome the redder hue of his redrawn district, and was defeated by Altmire's 2010 opponent, Keith Rothfus, 52%-48%.