John Boccieri


John Stephen Anthony Boccieri is an American aviator, military veteran, and politician who was appointed to fill the 59th district seat in the Ohio House of Representatives on September 29, 2015. He left office after an unsuccessful run for Ohio State Senate in 2018. He served one term as the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011, losing his 2010 bid for reelection to Republican Jim Renacci. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and previously served in the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives. Boccieri resides in Poland, Ohio.

Early life and career

Boccieri was born in Youngstown where he graduated from Ursuline High School in 1988. He attended St. Bonaventure University in New York, graduating with a B.S. in 1992, after which he played minor league baseball in the Frontier League. Following one season of baseball, he began his career in government. After working as staff for several members of the Ohio House of Representatives, Boccieri joined the United States Air Force as a second lieutenant. He also earned two master's degrees from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. Boccieri flew the C-130 Hercules as a member of the Air Force Reserve. He has been forward deployed several times and served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, causing him to take leaves of absence from the Ohio Legislature.
After leaving the active duty Air Force, he re-entered politics, running for and winning the 61st District of the Ohio House of Representatives in 2000. In 2006, he won a seat in the Ohio State Senate in District 33; he was unopposed.

United States Congress

Committee assignments

In the 111th Congress, Boccieri voted for the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, an economic stimulus package, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, landmark health care reform legislation.
In his memoir, A Promised Land, Barack Obama described Boccieri as a "rising star" of the Democratic Party and one of the political neophytes who decided to support the healthcare reform bill despite political risks.

Campaigns

2008

There had been speculation throughout 2007 that Boccieri would challenge U.S. Representative Ralph Regula to represent the 16th District in the U.S. House, a seat Regula had held for 36 years. When Regula announced his retirement in late 2007, Boccieri faced an open field. He defeated State Representative Mary Cirelli with 64% of the vote in the Democratic primary. He faced and defeated State Senator Kirk Schuring in the general election. He was the first Democrat to represent this district in 58 years.

2010

On October 30, 2010, Boccieri ran offstage while former President Bill Clinton was giving a speech after learning that his pregnant wife was in labor.
On November 2, 2010, Boccieri lost his bid for a second term in Congress after being defeated by Republican businessman Jim Renacci. He was defeated handily in an overwhelmingly Republican election cycle; Boccieri received only 41% of the vote, compared to 52% for Renacci.

Return to Ohio House of Representatives

On September 29, 2015, Boccieri was appointed to the Ohio House of Representatives, filling the 59th District vacancy caused by the resignation of Ron Gerberry. He did not run for re-election in 2018, instead opting to run for the 33rd District seat in the Ohio State Senate, losing to Michael Rulli in the general election.

Later career

After leaving politics, Boccieri became a commercial airline pilot for United Airlines. He has also been active with the Airline Pilots Association and was considered for the role of administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration during the Biden administration, but ultimately was not appointed to the role.