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Meet the Candidates - Pick a Progressive Patriot: House Incumbents - February 2007
We are excited to present our first 'Pick a Progressive Patriot' of
the new year. The candidates listed below won their races in 2006
by very small margins and will likely face tough races in 2008. Click here to vote for your favorite!
Jason Altmire(PA-4) |
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Jason Altmire grew up in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, where he was a
record-breaking two-sport letterman at Burrell High School. He attended
Florida State University, where he was a member of the school's first
Sugar Bowl champion football team. After college, Jason worked as a
Legislative Assistant in the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Congressman
Pete Peterson of Florida.
During his eight years in Washington, Jason was an active participant
in the congressional debate on health care reform, helping to draft
several major legislative initiatives in both the Democratic and
Republican-led House of Representatives. He quickly became known
on Capitol Hill for his bipartisanship and knowledge of health care
policy. In 1993, at 25 he was appointed to a working group
for President Clinton’s Task Force on National Health Care Reform.
Later, in 1995, he drafted and helped negotiate to the House floor the
first Constitutional amendment regarding congressional term limits ever
to receive a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. After
leaving Capitol Hill he joined the Federation of American Hospitals,
where he was a recognized expert on legislation regarding hospital
changes of ownership and spoke about the issue before audiences around
the country.
Since returning home to Western Pennsylvania in 1998, he has
become actively involved in community affairs. He has served on
the Legislative Committees for Chambers of Commerce and been an active
member of the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh.
Learn more at http://www.jasonaltmire.com/ |
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Nancy Boyda (KS-2) |
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Nancy believed that Kansas is best when its citizens have good jobs,
affordable health care, and outstanding public education. So in early
2003, she committed herself to turning these ambitions into
reality. Nancy's bold leadership is uniting this grassroots energy
into a campaign that will restore the ideals of democracy, and get back
control of our government.
Nancy's determination is not new. She graduated with honors from
William Jewell College in Liberty, MO, where she received dual degrees
in chemistry and education. She began her career in 1978 working as an
analytical chemist and field inspector for the Environmental Protection
Agency. Over the next two decades, she also held management positions in
several pharmaceutical companies, including Marion Laboratories.
From these years of hands-on experience, Nancy has developed
common-sense ideas about how to boost businesses in Kansas, cut the
costs of medical care, and ensure that health insurance is never
considered a luxury for any Kansan. She is eager to work with both
parties as a moderate, independent voice for the hardworking people of
the Second District.
Learn more at http://nancyforcongress.com |
Joe Courtney (CT-2) |
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Courtney, a 1975 graduate of Tufts University in Boston
and 1978 graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law
has spent his career serving the public good. He represented the
citizens of Vernon in the 56th House District in the Connecticut General
Assembly for four consecutive terms -- from 1987 to 1994. During
this tenure, Courtney served as House Chairman for both the Public
Health and Human Services Committees.
As state legislator, Courtney took up the fight for better health
care. As Chairman of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Universal
Health Insurance, Courtney was instrumental in proposing reforms that
resulted in increased access and better health care for all Connecticut
citizens. A tireless, hard working, and respected legislator,
Courtney was also recognized in a legislative poll in 1994 by
Connecticut Magazine for his bi-partisan efforts, and named the "Most
Conscientious” and the “Democrat Most Admired by Republicans.”
Courtney is a partner in the law firm Courtney, Boyan & Foran,
LLC. He also serves as Town Attorney for the Town of Vernon,
Connecticut. Courtney lives in Vernon with his wife, Audrey
Courtney, a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and their two children, Robert
and Elizabeth.
Learn more at http://www.joecourtney.com/ |
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John Hall(NY-19) |
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John Hall is a musician and small business owner who co-founded the
popular band Orleans. He has worked for decades as a political and
environmental activist, resigning in 2005 as a Board member of the
non-profit Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. in order to run for
Congress. He has lived most of his life in the Hudson Valley, and
currently resides with his wife Pamela Bingham Hall in Dover Plains,
Dutchess County, NY.
Hall studied physics at Notre Dame University and Loyola College
before leaving to pursue a full-time career in music. By age 21 he
was a successful songwriter, and composed and directed music for
Broadway and off-Broadway musicals. As a recording session artist, he
worked with Janis Joplin, Seals & Crofts and Bonnie Raitt, among
other artists.
In 1977, Hall left Orleans to begin a solo career. He co-founded
Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) and raised over $1 million
dollars for renewable energy and conservation. Hall has been
involved with Mid-Hudson Nuclear Opponents, which successfully fought
the building of a nuclear power plant on the Hudson River in Greene
County. While living in Saugerties, John co-founded Saugerties Concerned
Citizens, and helped write the town's first zoning laws. When
Ulster County announced plans for a 200-acre solid waste dump on the
historic Winston Farm, John led the opposition. This effort culminated
in his 1989 election to the Ulster County Legislature, where he served
one two-year term before returning to private life. He was elected twice
to the Saugerties Board of Education where he also served as President.
Hall's platform favors swift and orderly withdrawal of our troops
from Iraq, universal healthcare, intensive alternative energy
initiatives, as well as reform and more complete funding of No Child
Left Behind.
Learn more at http://www.johnhallforcongress.com |
Baron Hill (IN-9) |
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Baron was born and raised in Seymour, Indiana. Prior to being
elected to Congress in 1998, Hill ran a small business, served in the
Indiana General Assembly and worked as a financial analyst for Merrill
Lynch. His wife Betty is a math and social studies teacher at
Seymour Middle School. Following graduation from Furman
University, Baron ran an insurance and real estate business for 15
years. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in
1982, serving for eight years. Baron left the state house to run
for U.S. Senate in 1990 walking the entire length of the State of
Indiana, meeting and talking with Hoosiers along the way.
Drawing on his business background, Baron is known for taking the
lead on budget and fiscal issues serving on the House Agriculture
Committee, the Armed Services Committee and the Joint Economic
Committee. In an effort to make schools safer and better learning
environments, Baron authored the Smaller Schools, Stronger
Communities Act. The bill would provide grants to local educational
agencies to develop smaller schools or 'schools within schools.' Baron's
legislation is based on research that concludes children learn better
and are safer in schools where they feel connected to each other and to
their teachers and administrators. Baron's initiative was signed into
law as part of H.R. 1, President Bush's education reform bill.
Learn more at http://www.baron2006.com/ |
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Ron Klein (FL-22) |
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Originally from Cleveland, OH Ron attended The Ohio State
University. While in school, he gained his first insights into
public service as an intern at the Ohio General Assembly. In 1979,
he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, was
admitted to Case Western Reserve University Law School and received his
Juris Doctor in 1982. Ron married the former Dori Dragin in 1982,
and together they moved to Boca Raton, Florida in 1985.
Motivated to make a difference in the community and help improve the
quality of life in South Florida, Ron made a commitment to public
service by seeking elected office. In 1992, Ron defeated a ten
year incumbent and was elected to the Florida House of
Representatives. During his tenure in the House, Ron built an
impressive reputation for his work on a variety of issues which included
technology, criminal justice, healthcare and education. Ron
sought a ban on assault weapons, streamlined the capital punishment
appeals process and created the Task Force on Geriatric Medicine.
He also played a role in writing and organizing the Enterprise Florida
initiatives for international trade and port development. His hard
work and dedication earned him the position of Minority Whip and
garnered him an appointment by the Senate President to the Special
Committee on Litigation Reform and to the Panel for the Study of
End-of-Life-Care.
During the 1999 Legislative Session, Ron continued his work on behalf
of Florida’s children and was instrumental in the passage of
legislation establishing a program to put a nurse in every public school
in Florida. Ron was elected by the Democratic Senate Caucus as
the Senate Democratic Leader for 2002-2004.
Learn more at http://www.ronklein2006.com/ |
Dave Loebsack (IA-2) |
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Born in Sioux City, Dave went to college at Iowa State
University and earned his Ph.D at the University of California - Davis.
As Dave says, "I ran for Congress because I believe that government
can be a positive force in our lives. I am living proof of how
community can make a difference. I grew up in poverty as a
child. My mother was a single parent who suffered from mental
illness. Times were tough. I made it, but it took three
things:
First, it took the support of the community – from my grandmother and
mother who raised me to the high school principal that got me a job as a
janitor to pay for college;
Second, it took a lot of hard work and belief in myself to overcome these hardships; and
Third – and why I ran for Congress in the first place - it is
because of the values and progressive policies of the Democratic party
that gave me an opportunity to pull myself up and succeed.
Programs like the Social Security Survivor benefits I received when my
father died. It is the Democratic Party values of
opportunity, equality, fairness, and responsibility that shaped my life,
inspired me to educate young adults, get involved in politics, and now
run for Congress."
Dave has proven himself as a leader in the district. As a
grassroots activist, he has run campaigns and raised funds, and has been
a community leader in education, social justice, human rights, civil
rights and civil liberties.
Learn more at http://www.loebsackforcongress.com/ |
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Harry Mitchell (AZ-5) |
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Harry has a record of getting real results for Arizona. As the
Mayor of Tempe, he created thousands of jobs, increased mass
transportation efforts, and worked with law enforcement to make Tempe's
neighborhoods safe. He is well-known for his efforts to revive and
revitalize Tempe's dying downtown area, and laying the foundation for
Tempe Town Lake. Today, Tempe's downtown is one of Arizona's most
successful business and entertainment hubs.
Leading this urban rebirth wasn't easy. Harry worked across
party lines, and built a coalition of small business owners,
neighborhood groups, corporations, investors and the leadership of
Arizona State University to get the job done.
Over the last eight years, Harry has represented Tempe, Scottsdale
and Ahwatukee in the Arizona State Senate. In the legislature, he
was a powerful voice for Arizona's students - from those in kindergarten
to those in college - and used his experience creating jobs to help
become a leader in shaping Arizona's growing economy. Harry served
as the Senate's Assistant Minority Leader and took pride in working
hard behind the scenes to get the job done for his constituents.
Throughout his time as a public servant, Harry also taught American
government and economics at Tempe High School - the same high school he
graduated from. He also served as an adjunct professor at Arizona
State University - the same college he earned a bachelor's and master's
degree from.
Learn more at http://www.harrymitchellforcongress.com/ |
Patrick Murphy (PA-8) |
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Patrick Murphy is a leader of character. He is an Iraq war veteran,
former West Point professor, criminal prosecutor, and most importantly, a
good family man. Born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia - the
youngest of three to a Philadelphia police officer and career legal
secretary - he learned at an early age that hard work, sacrifice, and
focus will lead you to achieve your dreams. He now lives in Bristol with
his wife, Jennifer, and Maggie, their newly born baby girl.
Starting out at Bucks County Community College in 1991, he went on to
King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and became a cadet in the
Army ROTC program. He graduated with a double major and was
commissioned as an officer with the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Patrick then excelled at Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania. He learned to balance being tough and compassionate
while working in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, and later
as a leader in the Harrisburg Civil Law Clinic, a legal services clinic
serving the poor of Harrisburg. He also served as the legislative aide
to Representative Thomas Tangretti, a Democrat from Westmoreland County,
Pennsylvania.
In 1993 Patrick put on his U.S. Army uniform for the first
time. With several family members having served in the
military, it is no surprise that Patrick went on to become airborne and
air assault qualified, a West Point professor, a JAG Corps attorney, and
that he served two deployments after 9/11 - the first to Bosnia in 2002
and the second to Baghdad, Iraq in 2003-2004 as a paratrooper with the
82nd Airborne Division. In Iraq, Captain Murphy advised on
offensive operations, initiated reconstruction efforts within the
justice system, trained the new Iraqi Civil Defense Corps on the rules
of engagement and was instrumental in the prosecution of Sheik Moyad, a
radical lieutenant of Muqtada Sadr. For his service, Patrick
earned the Bronze Star and his unit earned the Presidential Unit
Citation.
Learn more at http://www.murphy06.net/ |
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Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1) |
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Carol's goal in Congress is to serve the hardworking families of New
Hampshire who want to offer their families the opportunities, security
and love she had. She worked her way through the University of New
Hampshire with a degree in Social Services and later a Master's in
Public Administration, by holding jobs in factories, hotels, and
restaurants.
Following college Carol and her husband moved to Washington,
DC where she was named to the Mayor's Taskforce on Senior
Housing and became active in a successful volunteer effort to bring
affordable housing to the community. She also helped found and
served on the Board of Directors of a community social service agency to
serve the homeless, the poor, families in distress and those with drug
or alcohol addiction problems. She taught Current Issues and
American History at a local Community College and spent 15 years
lecturing on the same subjects to retired diplomats, federal employees,
and other professionals in the Washington area.
The combination of hands-on work within the community and a
continuing engagement with public policy professionals has given her a
deep understanding of how the decisions made in Washington determine the
security, the health and the economic opportunities of American
families everywhere.
Learn more at http://www.carolforcongress.com/ |
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