Following graduation, he taught
middle school social studies at
public and
Catholic schools, LaHood was director of the
Rock Island County Youth Services Bureau and then district
administrative assistant for U.S. representative
Tom Railsback, a
Moline, Illinois Republican, from 1977 to 1982. He was appointed in 1982 to fill a vacant seat in the Illinois House of Representatives, serving for nine months, and running for the seat in November 1982, but losing to
Democratic candidate
Bob DeJaegher. and was a member of the moderate
Republican Main Street Partnership. In 1997, in an effort to promote bipartisan cooperation, LaHood organized bipartisan retreats for members of Congress. Most notably, in 1998 he presided over the contentious debate over
the impeachment of
President Bill Clinton. LaHood was a strong advocate for preserving the legacy of
Abraham Lincoln; LaHood's district covered much of the territory that Lincoln represented during his single term in the House. LaHood authored a law that established the
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, which laid the groundwork for celebrating the 16th President's 200th birthday in 2009, and he was also a lead
Capitol Hill supporter for the
Lincoln Presidential Library in
Springfield, Illinois. LaHood served on the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from 1995 until 2000, by a margin of 147,108 (67%) to 71,106 (33%). On July 26, 2007, LaHood stated he would not seek re-election in 2008. In August 2007, LaHood received a 0% rating from the fiscally conservative
501(c)4 organization
Club for Growth 2007 RePORK Card. He received an 11% rating from the conservative lobbying group
Citizens Against Government Waste in August 2007, and holds a lifetime 49% rating from the group. In 2007 LaHood considered, but later decided against, applying for the post of
president of
Bradley University.
Secretary of Transportation project in
Brooklyn, New York City, June 2009 On December 19, 2008, President-elect
Barack Obama announced that he would nominate LaHood to be the next Transportation Secretary. LaHood served on the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from 1995 to 2000. As a member of the
House Appropriations Committee he won praise for his "skills as an arbiter" in being able to bridge sometimes bitter partisan divides in the Congress, something the position would require. Some critics alleged a reputation for
pork barrel spending, including in support of
campaign contributors.
The Washington Post reported that of the $60 million in
earmarks LaHood secured for his district in 2008, $9 million went to campaign donors. His nomination was confirmed by the
Senate by
voice vote on January 21, 2009. He was, with
Robert Gates, one of two Republican members of the original Obama Cabinet. On February 3, 2010, LaHood was criticized for advice he was asked to give while testifying before a congressional committee regarding
Toyota's recall of 2.3 million vehicles due to
sudden acceleration, wherein he suggested Toyota owners stop driving their cars. LaHood qualified his statement within an hour and a half of his testimony, spelling out that he meant "owners of any recalled Toyota models (should) contact their local dealer and get their vehicles fixed as soon as possible." LaHood is a supporter of airline passenger rights to facilities, food and water during lengthy on-aircraft delays. He is also a strong proponent of
high-speed rail, saying "This is what the American people want.
If you build it, they will come." On December 6, 2011, LaHood accepted the resignation of FAA Administrator
Randy Babbitt, who was charged with
drunk driving near his Washington home. In February 2013, LaHood lamented the amount of infrastructure spending that was approved by Congress during his tenure at the Department of Transportation. "America is one big pothole right now," LaHood said in an interview on
The Diane Rehm Show on
National Public Radio. He went on to mention that Congress passed a $105 billion surface transportation bill last year, but he lamented the fact that the measure only provided appropriations for road and transit projects until 2014. "Congress passed a two-year bill. Ordinarily they would pass a five year bill," he said. "It was only a two-year bill because they couldn't find enough money to fund a five-year bill." LaHood announced his plans to step down as Transportation Secretary at the end of
Obama's first term in 2013. He did not seek any public office after that and instead entered the private sector. On January 29, 2013, LaHood announced he would resign as the Secretary of the Department of Transportation upon the confirmation of his successor by the
United States Senate. President Obama nominated
Anthony Foxx, the incumbent Mayor of
Charlotte, North Carolina, to succeed LaHood. Foxx was subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate and was sworn into the position on July 2, 2013.
Post-federal career On November 21, 2019, Governor
J. B. Pritzker nominated LaHood to serve as a member of the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Board of Trustees. He resigned his job in April 2021 after it emerged that he had paid a $40,000 fine for failing to disclose a $50,000 loan he had received from Lebanese-Nigerian businessman Gilbert Chagoury. LaHood did not support
Donald Trump in the
2016,
2020, and
2024 presidential elections, and endorsed the Democratic nominee
Joe Biden in 2020 and
Kamala Harris in 2024. ==Honors==