Tom Knox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Linda |
| Children | Two sons |
| Residence(s) | Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Tom Knox is an American businessman and politician. Knox became a millionaire through businesses in software, banking and health insurance. A Democrat, Knox ran for Mayor of Philadelphia in 2007 and briefly for Governor of Pennsylvania in 2010 before dropping out before the primary. [1]
A high school dropout who later earned a GED in the United States Navy, [2] Knox was a successful entrepreneur who built an insurance advisory firm and sold it for nearly six million dollars in 1986. In the late 1980s he began buying and turning around underperforming companies.
Among his targets was Crusader Savings which he later sold to Royal Bank of Pennsylvania for seventeen million dollars. Knox was credited with significantly increasing the bank's income, though has been criticized for his methods. The bank's income increased through the use of payday loans which charge high interest rates and are under fire from a number of states. The Office of Thrift Supervision, one of the country's bank regulators, later expressed concerns over several of the bank's businesses, including the payday lending business. [3]
In 1999, Knox acquired Fidelity Insurance Group, a Maryland health insurance firm which he sold to UnitedHealth Group in 2004 [4] for a gain of over twenty million dollars.[ citation needed ] After the acquisition, Knox became the CEO of UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania, a UHG subsidiary. He resigned his position in 2006 in order to run for mayor. [5]
In April 2013, Knox sued Table 31, a steakhouse at the Comcast Center, in part because the restaurant discontinued his meal discount. Knox, an investor in the restaurant, said that the discounted meals were part of the original partnership agreement. [6]
Knox briefly interrupted his business career to serve as Deputy Mayor for Management and Productivity under then-Mayor Ed Rendell. He served for one and a half years, accepting only one dollar a year in salary. [7] Rendell credited Knox with helping to save the city seven million dollars on better leases for office space. Knox was also involved in negotiating lower health care costs for city employees. [8] Knox has been a major contributor and fund-raiser for various local politicians. [9]
In December 2006, Knox announced his campaign for mayor and lent five million dollars to his campaign. In response to criticism that he was trying to buy City Hall, Knox replied that he was trying to "buy City Hall back for the people of Philadelphia". [10] He pledged to spend up to fifteen million dollars of his own money in the race. [11] Thanks to his cash advantage, Knox was one of the first candidates to go on the air with television commercials. [12] The early advertising, which attacked city corruption and high business taxes, proved to be significant in raising Knox's poll numbers from 1% to 25%, and placed him in first place for the first time in March 2007. [13]
Knox's business practices came under increasing criticism during the campaign. The Philadelphia Daily News reported that his insurance company was fined $125,000 in Maryland for a number of violations including hiring a compliance officer who had a felony record for embezzlement. [4] In addition, other candidates have attacked his lack of experience in government and the payday loan practices of his bank. [14] Several 527 groups were created [15] with funding from union sources and from supporters of candidate Rep. Bob Brady. [16] However, local television stations refused to run the ads, requesting more documentation of the charges against Knox. [15] The new '527' money did prompt Knox to put another $3 million of his own money into the race to counter the ads, which raised his personal total to $8 million. [17] Knox finished second in the Democratic primary with 25% of the vote, losing to Michael Nutter.
In August 2008, Knox announced his candidacy for Pennsylvania's 2010 gubernatorial election; [18] he dropped out of the race in January 2010, giving his support to Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. [1] [19] Knox was considered a potential candidate for governor in 2014, [20] or for mayor of Philadelphia in 2015, [21] but decided against both, [22] signaling a possible end to his political aspirations.
In 2022, Knox served as assistant treasurer for the Pennsylvania for Pennsylvania PAC, backing Republican US Senate candidate George Bochetto. Knox said the PAC planned to raise $5 million and that he planned to contribute "a significant amount." [23]
Knox was raised in public housing in the East Falls neighborhood of the city. He currently lives in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. [24] Knox purchased three units in the high-rise condo Residences at Two Liberty Place with plans to convert them into a single 5,500-square-foot (510 m2) unit on the 46th floor. [25] He is married to Linda Knox, [26] and together they have two sons. [26]
Edward Gene Rendell is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author who served as the 45th governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. He previously served as chair of the national Democratic Party from 1999 to 2001, as the 96th mayor of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2000, and as district attorney of Philadelphia from 1978 to 1986.
John Franklin Street is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 97th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. He was first elected to a term beginning on January 3, 2000, and was re-elected to a second term beginning in 2004. He is a Democrat and became mayor after having served 19 years in the Philadelphia City Council, including seven years as its president, before resigning as required under the Philadelphia City Charter in order to run for mayor. He followed Ed Rendell as mayor, assuming the post on January 3, 2000. Street was Philadelphia's second black mayor.
Robert A. Brady is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1998 to 2019. He was the ranking Democrat and Chairman of the United States House Committee on House Administration from 2007 to 2019. He has served as Chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party for more than 35 years and is a registered lobbyist for NBC Universal and Independence Blue Cross.
Jack E. Wagner is an American Democratic politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He served as Pennsylvania Auditor General, and previously served in the State Senate and Pittsburgh City Council.
The 2007 Philadelphia mayoral election was held on November 6, 2007 when Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States elected Michael Nutter as the Mayor of Philadelphia starting in 2008. The incumbent mayor, John F. Street was barred from seeking a third term because of term limits. The Democratic Party primary campaign saw two well-known, well-funded Philadelphia congressmen – Bob Brady and Chaka Fattah – eclipsed by self-funding businessman Tom Knox and reformist former Philadelphia City Council member Nutter, who won by a surprisingly large margin in the primary election on May 15. He went on to face Republican Party nominee Al Taubenberger in the general election, which he won by a large margin and with the lowest voter turnout in a Philadelphia mayoral election without an incumbent since 1951. Mayor Nutter was sworn in on January 7, 2008.
Joseph M. Torsella is an American politician and former diplomat, who served as the Pennsylvania Treasurer from 2017 to 2021. He served as the U.S. Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform from 2011 to 2014. He previously served as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia from 1997 though 2003 and again from 2006 through 2008 and as the Chairman of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education from 2008 through 2011.
Joshua David Shapiro is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 50th Pennsylvania attorney general from 2017 to 2023 and as a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners from 2012 to 2017.
Michael Joseph Stack III is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 33rd lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 5th district from 2001 to 2015.
Kathleen Alana McGinty is a retired American politician and former state and federal environmental policy official. She served as an environmental advisor to Vice President Al Gore and President Bill Clinton. Later, she served as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in the cabinet of Governor Ed Rendell.
The 2011 Philadelphia mayoral election was held on November 8, 2011, to elect the mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Incumbent Michael Nutter had been Mayor of Philadelphia since 2008 after being elected in the 2007 election, and was re-elected with approximately 75% of the vote. Primary elections were held on May 17, 2011.
The 2014 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania took place on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in numerous other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on April 26. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pat Toomey was reelected to a second term in a close race, defeating Democratic nominee Katie McGinty and Libertarian Party nominee Edward Clifford. With a margin of 1.43%, this election was the second-closest race of the 2016 Senate election cycle, behind only the election in New Hampshire.
The 2015 Philadelphia mayoral election was held on November 3, 2015, to elect the Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, concurrently with various other state and local elections. Heavily favored Democratic party candidate Jim Kenney won.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on April 26.
The 2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, concurrently with the election of Pennsylvania's Class I U.S. Senate seat, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various local elections. Incumbent Democratic Governor Tom Wolf won re-election to a second term by a double-digit margin, defeating Republican challenger Scott Wagner and two third-party candidates from the Green Party, Paul Glover and Libertarian Party, Ken Krawchuk. The primary elections were held on May 15. This was the only Democratic-held governorship up for election in 2018 in a state Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election.
Helen Gym is an American politician. She was the first Asian American woman to serve on the Philadelphia City Council. She was first elected to Council in 2015 and served until 2022, when she resigned to run in the Democratic primary of the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election. Gym finished in third place behind Cherelle Parker, who won the nomination, and Rebecca Rhynhart.
The 2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Pennsylvania and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. Democratic state attorney general Josh Shapiro defeated Republican state senator Doug Mastriano in a landslide victory to succeed term-limited incumbent Democratic governor Tom Wolf. Primaries were held on May 17, 2022. Shapiro won the Democratic nomination after running unopposed and Mastriano won the Republican nomination with 44% of the vote. Mastriano's nomination drew attention due to his far-right political views.
The Pennsylvania Auditor General election of 2020 took place on November 3, 2020. Primary elections were originally due to take place on April 28, 2020. However, following concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic the primaries were delayed until June 2, 2020. Under the Pennsylvania Constitution incumbent Democratic Auditor General Eugene DePasquale was ineligible to seek a third consecutive term.
The 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election will be held on November 7, 2023 to elect the mayor of Philadelphia. Nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties were selected through primaries on May 16, 2023.
Amen Brown is an American politician. He is currently a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 10th District since 2023. Brown previously represented the 190th District from 2021 to 2022 before redistricting moved him to the 10th District.