Mike Kelly

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly already has appeared on national television 17 times this year, finding himself an up and coming voice for the Republican Party across the country.

A majority of those have been on the Fox News channel. However, the 65-year-old Republican from Butler also appeared on Sunday morning national news programs on both ABC and CBS.

In contrast, the spokesman for Pittsburgh-area U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-14th, said he doesn’t remember a single instance of Doyle being on national television this year.

So why is it that the sophomore legislator is capturing such widespread attention from the national media?

“I don’t have any idea,” Kelly, R-3rd, said. “But I’m certainly always glad to weigh in.”

As a member of the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means, the congressional panel that deals with taxation issues, Kelly often finds himself talking about the recent Internal Revenue Service scandal in which the government agency is accused of targeting conservative groups.

“Maybe it’s because of Ways and Means,” he said. “Almost everything we touch could improve the economy and has a great impact.”

But he’s also talked extensively about foreign affairs and, in particular, the terrorist attack on the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya.

Kelly, a Butler native, couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he is so popular these days, but added it might have something to do with his straightforward nature.

A businessman almost his entire life, Kelly said he learned about the ins and outs of holding conversation and expressing viewpoints.

As the owner of Kelly Automotive, the congressman said he didn’t have any other option than to learn the tricks of the trade.

“My whole life I’ve spent talking to people,” he said. “My business required that.”

It wasn’t hard to mature into such an avid conversationalist, Kelly said, growing up in such a friendly environment in Butler.

“The way I was raised, the town I grew up in, pretty much everyone there are plain-talking people,” he said. “To speak the way we speak in our area, it’s not hard to do. We don’t beat around the bush. And maybe that’s what people like to hear.”

That’s part of Kelly’s mission, he said, to bring and talk common sense to his congressional colleagues. And if things keep going like they are, he’ll have plenty of more opportunities to spread his common sense to the rest of the country.

Brian Harward, a political science professor at Allegheny College, agreed with Kelly’s assessment that his position on the powerful Ways and Means Committee likely is responsible for his prolific national airtime.

“Given the importance of that committee and its jurisdiction over tax policy, there are few issues over which Representative Kelly doesn’t have some influence,” Harward said. “As an example, many of his recent appearances had to do with the Farm Bill and the IRS oversight hearings.”

However, Harward said that Kelly’s personable demeanor also likely plays a role in his media popularity.

“He’s good for a lively and often provocative quote, which helps as well,” he said.