New Members Guide: Lawmakers arrive on the Wave

Editor’s note: Several election results remained undecided at press time, which means that the list of new members in this special section is not comprehensive. Any newly elected lawmaker not included today will be profiled in The Hill next week.

ARIZONA

REP. HARRY MITCHELL (D-Ariz.-05)

BIRTHDATE: July 18, 1940
BIRTHPLACE: Phoenix
RESIDENCE: Tempe, Ariz.
OCCUPATION: Teacher, elected official
EDUCATION: B.A., M.A., Arizona State University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: Tempe city councilman; Tempe mayor; state senator
FAMILY: Wife Marianne, two children

In his first congressional race, Harry Mitchell beat Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R) in Arizona’s 5th District. Mitchell was a high school teacher who taught government and simultaneously served on the Tempe City Council. He also taught as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University. He was mayor of Tempe from 1978 until his retirement in 1994. Some Tempe residents believe Mitchell’s business policies helped revitalize dilapidated areas of Tempe, and a statue in his honor stands in the city. In 1998, Arizona voters elected him to the state Senate. In 2005, he succeeded Jim Pederson, who had retired to run for the U.S. Senate, as Arizona Democratic Party chairman.

REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (R-Ariz.-8)

BIRTHDATE: June 8, 1970
BIRTHPLACE: Tucson, Ariz.
RESIDENCE: Tucson, Ariz.
OCCUPATION: Managing partner at Giffords Capital Management LLC
EDUCATION: B.A., Scripps College; William J. Fulbright Scholar, Chihuahua, Mexico; M.A., Cornell University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State representative and state senator
FAMILY: Single

 Gabrielle Giffords is the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona Senate. During her House campaign, she announced her engagement to boyfriend Mark Kelly, a NASA astronaut. Between 1996 and 2000, Giffords was president and CEO of El Campo Tire Co., which her grandfather co-founded. She has said Arizona’s escalating rates of teen suicide, teen pregnancy and dropouts prompted her decision to enter politics. She is a Democratic Leadership Council member.
 Because the 8th District borders Mexico, immigration became a central campaign issue. Giffords advocates a centrist immigration policy, supporting a guest-worker program and allowing illegal immigrants who learn English and pay taxes to gain legal status.

 

CALIFORNIA

REP. JERRY MCNERNEY (D-CALIF.-11)

BIRTHDATE: June 18, 1951
BIRTHPLACE: Albuquerque, N.M.
RESIDENCE:Pleasanton, Calif.
OCCUPATION: Engineer, entrepreneur
EDUCATION: B.S., M.S., Ph.D., University of New Mexico
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Mary, three children

 Jerry McNerney defeated longtime incumbent Richard Pombo to win in California’s semi-rural 11th District. McNerney, who lost to Pombo two years ago by 20 points, won what was initially considered a safe Republican seat.
 McNerney ran his campaign mainly on three issues: Iraq, corruption and the environment. As an environmental engineer who has worked on wind-energy development in the private sector, McNerney was most comfortable attacking Pombo’s environmental record.

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-Calif.-22)

BIRTH DATE: Jan. 26, 1965
BIRTHPLACE: Bakersfield, Calif.
RESIDENCE: Bakersfield, Calif.
OCCUPATION: State assembly member
EDUCATION: B.A., M.B.A., California State University at Bakersfield
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State assembly member
FAMILY:Wife Judy, two children

California Assembly member Kevin McCarthy trounced Democratic educator Sharon Beery to take the open seat left by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.). As a freshman legislator in 2004, McCarthy was unanimously voted Republican Assembly leader, making him the first freshman to assume the post. He authored the legislation ACA 27, a “pay-as-you-go” program to fund infrastructure projects across California. McCarthy, a small-business owner and entrepreneur, forged his first enterprise, Kevin O’s Deli, at the age of 21.

 

CONNECTICUT

REP. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.-5)

BIRTHDATE: Aug. 3, 1973
BIRTHPLACE: White Plains, N.Y.
RESIDENCE: Cheshire, Conn.
OCCUPATION: State senator
EDUCATION: B.A., Williams College; J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State senator and state representative
FAMILY: Single

Connecticut state Sen. Chris Murphy overcame long odds against Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.), a 12-term incumbent and third-ranking member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, to win Connecticut’s 5th District seat.
 Murphy began his political career in 1992 in the Connecticut state House, where he served on a prescription-drug task force. In 2002, Murphy won the state Senate seat he currently holds. In the state Senate, he chairs the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee and, in 2005, he keyed passage of a bill for stem cell research.  Murphy repeatedly criticized Johnson on the GOP prescription drug law she helped write as Subcommittee on Health chair of the Ways and Means Committee.

 

COLORADO

REP. DOUG LAMBORN (R-Colo.-5)

BIRTHDATE: May 24, 1954
BIRTHPLACE: Leavenworth, Kan.
RESIDENCE: Colorado Springs, Colo.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., J.D., University of Kansas
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State senator
FAMILY: Wife Jeanne

Doug Lamborn won in the traditionally conservative 5TH District of Colorado, surviving a contentious GOP primary and a surprisingly strong challenge from Democrat Jay Fawcett. He takes over for retiring Rep. Joel Hefley (R), whose distaste for Lamborn fueled Fawcett’s campaign.
 Lamborn served in the Colorado House and Senate for the past 12 years, building a strong anti-tax record. He served for a short time as the Republican whip in the House, and then as the chairman of the State Veterans and Military Affairs and Appropriations committees in the Senate from 1998 until 2004.

 

FLORIDA

REP. GUS BILIRAKIS (R-Fla.-9)

BIRTHDATE: Feb. 8, 1963
BIRTHPLACE: Gainesville, Fla.
RESIDENCE: Palm Harbor, Fla.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., University of Florida; J.D., Stetson University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State representative
FAMILY: Wife Eva Lialios, four children

Rep. Mike Bilirakis’s (R-Fla.) decision to retire after representing the district for 24 years created an open seat in the 9th District, and Republicans nominated his son, Gus Bilirakis, an estate and probate attorney. He was a state representative for seven years. In 1996, he chaired then-Sen. Bob Dole’s (R-Kan.) presidential campaign in Pinellas County. From 2002 to 2003, he served as an adjunct professor at St. Petersburg College, teaching government. As a young man, he interned for then-President Reagan and served on former Rep. Don Sundquist’s (R-Tenn.) staff. His father frequently campaigned for him.

REP. KATHY CASTOR (D-Fla.-11)

BIRTHDATE: August 20, 1966
BIRTHPLACE: Miami
RESIDENCE: Tampa, Fla.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., Emory University; J.D., Florida State University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: Hillsborough County commissioner
FAMILY: Husband Bill Lewis, two children

After taking 58 percent of the vote in a five-way Democratic primary, Kathy Castor cruised to victory over Republican Eddie Adams Jr. in the heavily Democratic district that encompasses much of the Tampa Bay region and has been held by Rep. Jim Davis (D) for 10 years.
 Castor, the daughter of 2004 Florida Senate candidate Betty Castor, previously was a member of the Hillsborough County Commission. While there, she focused on healthcare. Castor promises to continue to concentrate on healthcare in the House, and she has called for reform of the Medicare prescription drug program. 
florida

REP. VERN BUCHANAN (R-Fla.-13)

BIRTHDATE: May 8, 1951
BIRTHPLACE: Detroit
RESIDENCE: Sarasota, Fla.
OCCUPATION: Founder & Chairman, Buchanan Enterprises and Buchanan Automotive Group
EDUCATION: B.B.A., Cleary University; M.B.A., University of Detroit; D.B.A., Cleary University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Sandy, two children

 Rep. Katherine Harris’s (R-Fla.) decision to run for Senate created an open seat in the 13th District. Vern Buchanan served in the Michigan Air National Guard for six years and is a former Chairman of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. He was Sen. Mel Martinez’s (R-Fla.) state finance chair. He raised funds for President Bush and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R). He was also a co-chair of the Republican National Finance Committee. Buchanan opposes granting amnesty to illegal immigrants, supports building a fence along the Mexican border and advocates strong border enforcement measures.

REP. TIM MAHONEY (D-Fla.-16)

BIRTHDATE: Aug. 16, 1956
BIRTHPLACE: Aurora, Ill.
RESIDENCE: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
OCCUPATION: Co-founder/Chairman/COO, vFinance, Inc.
EDUCATION: B.A., West Virginia University; M.B.A., George Washington University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Terry, one child

When former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) resigned his seat on Sept. 29 amid the House page scandal, Republican Joe Negron sought to replace him with just more than one month left in the race. But Foley’s name remained on the ballot, and Tim Mahoney took advantage, winning in a strongly conservative district.
 Mahoney is the co-founder and chairman of a financial services company, vFinance, and owns a cattle ranch in Highlands County. He also co-founded a think tank, the Center for Innovative Entrepreneurship, which seeks to keep America competitive in today’s global business climate. During the campaign, Mahoney refused to use the Foley scandal as a campaign tool, focusing instead on the general malaise in Washington.

REP. RON KLEIN (D-Fla.-22)

BIRTHDATE: July 10, 1957
BIRTHPLACE: Cleveland
RESIDENCE: Boca Raton, Fla.
OCCUPATION: Attorney, state senator
EDUCATION: B.A., Ohio State University; J.D., Case Western Reserve University
PREVIOUS OFFICES HELD: State senator, state representative
FAMILY: Wife Dori Dragin, two children

Democrat Ron Klein defeated 12-term Republican Rep. Clay Shaw Jr. in one of the most expensive elections of the cycle. Klein, a longtime local political figure, spent 14 years in Florida’s House and Senate. He served in the House from 1993, when he knocked off an incumbent in the primary, until 1996. He has served in the Senate from 1996 until present. While there he has served as minority whip and minority leader. While in the House, Klein sponsored the Holocaust Education Act, requiring the Holocaust to be taught in all public schools. He also sponsored a law in 1998 that tightened rules on violent sex offenders.

 

GEORGIA

REP. HANK JOHNSON (D-Ga.-4)

BIRTHDATE: Oct. 2, 1954
BIRTHPLACE: Washington, D.C.
RESIDENCE: Lithonia, Ga.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., Clark College; J.D., Texas Southern University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: DeKalb County commissioner
FAMILY: Wife Mereda, two children

Former DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson beat Republican Catherine Davis to win the seat of Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), whom Johnson beat in the primary. Johnson won the primary running as an outsider after a series of foul-ups by McKinney, including a run-in with a Capitol Hill police officer.
 During his time in public service in DeKalb County, Johnson served as chairman of the Board of Commissioners’ Budget Committee and as a member of the DeKalb County Community Service Board; he also led the DeKalb Board of Commissioners/Board of Education Legislative Liaison Committee.

 

HAWAII

REP. MAZIE HIRONO (D-Hawaii-2)

BIRTHDATE: Nov. 3, 1947
BIRTHPLACE: Fukushima, Japan
RESIDENCE: Honolulu
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., University of Hawaii; J.D., Georgetown University
PREVIOUS OFFICES HELD: Lieutenant governor, state representative
FAMILY: Husband, Leighton Kim Oshima

Mazie Hirono came out on top in a 10-way Democratic primary, taking 21.8 percent of the vote in this strongly Democratic rural Hawaiian district, which encompasses nearly all of the state besides Honolulu. 
 Hirono, a Japanese immigrant, was the first Japanese immigrant to ever become lieutenant governor in the U.S. She immigrated with her mother, who was fleeing an abusive marriage, in 1955. She served in the Hawaii legislature for 14 years in the 1980s and early 1990s, then served two terms as lieutenant governor, where she helped create Hawaii Mutual Insurance Company, the only non-profit, private workers compensation insurance company in the state. 

 

IDAHO

REP. BILL SALI (R-Idaho-1)

BIRTHDATE: Feb. 17, 1954
BIRTHPLACE: Portsmouth, Ohio
RESIDENCE: Meridian, Idaho
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.B.A., Boise State University; J.D., Univ. of Idaho
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State representative
FAMILY: Wife Terry, six children

Bill Sali, a conservative Republican, beat Democrat Larry Grant for this seat in one of the geographically largest districts in the country. The conservative group Club for Growth poured in close to a half million dollars to Sali’s campaign during the primary to ensure that he received his party’s nomination.  Some Republicans refused to support Sali, though, including outgoing Idaho House Speaker Bruce Newcomb, who called Sali an “absolute idiot” without “one ounce of empathy in his whole body.” Sali stirred anger from many in April when he posited a connection between abortions and breast cancer. 

 

ILLINOIS

REP. PETER ROSKAM (R-Ill.-6)

BIRTHDATE: Sept. 13, 1961
BIRTHPLACE: Hinsdale, Ill.
RESIDENCE: Wheaton, Ill.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., University of Illinois; J.D., Illinois Institute of Technology
PREVIOUS OFFICES HELD: State senator, state representative
FAMILY: Wife Elizabeth, four children

Peter Roskam, a former staffer for Reps. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), beat Democrat Tammy Duckworth to take over the retiring Hyde’s suburban Illinois district. Roskam served in the Illinois House from 1994 until 2000 and in the Illinois Senate from 2000 until the present. While in the Senate, he served as the Republican whip and floor leader.
 Roskam led efforts in the Illinois Senate to give the State Supreme Court the ability to overturn death sentences. He also fought an amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act that would make employers discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation illegal, saying it would force religious groups to hire homosexuals.

REP. PHIL HARE (D-Ill.-17)

BIRTHDATE: Feb. 21, 1949
BIRTHPLACE: Galesburg, Ill.
RESIDENCE: Rock Island, Ill.
OCCUPATION: Aide to Rep. Lane Evans (D-Ill.)
EDUCATION: Blackhawk Junior College
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Rebecca, two children

When Rep. Lane Evans (D-Ill.) decided to retire from the House because of his struggle against Parkinson’s disease, his district director and close friend Phil Hare decided to run in his stead.  Hare, a former union organizer and longtime Democratic activist, worked for 13 years in a clothing factory, leading the local union during his time there. He also served for six years as an Army Reservist in the 1970s. Hare met Evans through a campaign they both worked on, and they became fast friends. Hare worked for Evans for the next 24 years, until Evans announced his retirement.

 

INDIANA

REP. JOE DONNELLY (D-Ind.-2)

BIRTHDATE: Sept. 29, 1955
BIRTHPLACE: Massapequa, N.Y.
RESIDENCE: Granger, Ind.
OCCUPATION: Business owner, attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., J.D., University of Notre Dame
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Jill, two children

On his second try, Democrat Joe Donnelly unseated Republican Rep. Chris Chocola in Northern Indiana’s 2nd District. Donnelly, who lost narrowly to Chocola in 2004, used local dissatisfaction with a toll road plan and daylight savings time issues, combined with national issues including Iraq, to unseat Chocola.
 Donnelly practiced law until 1996 and then opened a printing and rubber stamp company. He served on the Indiana State Election Board from 1988 to 1990 and lost a bid in 1990 for the Indiana Senate after losing a Democratic primary for attorney general in 1988. Donnelly is a centrist Democrat, opposes abortion rights and gay marriage, and supports tighter border controls.

REP. BRAD ELLSWORTH (D-Ind.-8)

BIRTHDATE: Sept. 11, 1958
BIRTHPLACE: Jasper, Ind.
RESIDENCE: Evansville, Ind.
OCCUPATION: Sheriff
EDUCATION: FBI National Academy; B.A., M.A., Southern Indiana University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: Sheriff
FAMILY: Wife Beth, one child

Democrat Brad Ellsworth beat Republican Rep. John Hostettler after out-fundraising the incumbent by a three-to-one margin. Ellsworth neutralized Hostettler’s bread-and-butter issues by running as a social conservative opposed to same-sex marriage, gun control and abortion. He touted his religious beliefs and his crime credentials as a former sheriff. He ran as a political outsider, repeatedly saying, “I’m a sheriff, not a politician.”
 Hostettler has long been targeted by Democrats as a Republican who has skated by despite raising little money and running unorthodox campaigns.   

REP. BARON HILL (D-Ind.-9)

BIRTHDATE: June 23, 1953
BIRTHPLACE: Seymour, Ind.
RESIDENCE: Seymour, Ind.
OCCUPATION: Former congressman
EDUCATION: B.A., Furman University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: U.S. representative, state representative
FAMILY: Wife Betty, three children

In this Southern Indiana district, unusual in its political balance, Democrat Baron Hill beat Republican Mike Sodrel in the third race pitting the two against each other. Hill, who previously had represented the district, won in a narrow reelection bid against Sodrel in 2002, only to lose by 1,500 votes in 2004.
 Hill is known locally as a former high school basketball star. He was also a prominent member of the center-right Democratic group the Blue Dog Coalition. He touted his religious values on the campaign trail, and called for a need to bring “honesty, responsibility, and faith” back to Washington.  

 

IOWA

REP. BRUCE BRALEY (D-Iowa-1)

BIRTHDATE: Oct. 30, 1958
BIRTHPLACE: Grinnell, Iowa
RESIDENCE: Waterloo, Iowa
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., Iowa State University; J.D., University of Iowa
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Carolyn, three children

Rep. Jim Nussle’s (R-Iowa) decision to run for governor created an open seat in the 1st District. When Bruce Braley was a boy, his father was severely injured while working in a grain elevator. As an attorney, Braley has represented workers who sue their employers for failing to meet safety standards in the workplace. Braley served as president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association. He was awarded Cedar Valley Mayors’ Volunteer Performance Award in 1998 for his volunteer service. During the campaign, Braley pledged to accept no congressional pay raises until Congress increases the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.

REP. DAVID LOEBSACK (D-IOWA-2)

BIRTHDATE: Dec. 23, 1952
BIRTHPLACE: Sioux City, Iowa
RESIDENCE: Mt. Vernon, Iowa
OCCUPATION: Professor
EDUCATION:B.S., M.A., Iowa State University; Ph.D.,
University of California at Davis
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY:Wife Terry, four children

David Loebsack defeated 30-year incumbent Republican Jim Leach in a surprising pickup for the Democrats. Loebsack, a political science professor at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, grew up in poverty. His father died when he was young and his mother suffered from mental illness. Loebsack credits his high school principal for giving him a janitorial position so he could work his way through college.
      Loebsack teaches international relations courses at Cornell College, worked for the primary campaigns of Howard Dean in 2004 and Bill Bradley in 2000, and served as a delegate for Bill Bradley at the Democratic National Convention in 2000.

 

KENTUCKY

REP. JOHN YARMUTH (D-Ky.-03)

BIRTHDATE: Nov. 4, 1947
BIRTHPLACE: Louisville, Ky.
RESIDENCE: Louisville, Ky.
OCCUPATION: Founder, Louisville Eccentric Observer newspaper
EDUCATION: B.A., Yale University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Catherine, one child

John Yarmuth beat Rep. Anne Northup (R-Ky.) in a close election for Kentucky’s 3rd District. After graduating from Yale, Yarmuth commenced his career in publishing in 1976 when he co-founded Louisville Today Magazine. In 1990, with help from associates, he started the Louisville Eccentric Observer, an alternative weekly newspaper, which he sold in 2003. He is now the editor and owner of Kentucky Golfer magazine, and he also rates golf courses for Golf magazine. From 1983 until 1986, he was an assistant vice president of university relations at the University of Louisville.

 

MARYLAND

SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.)

BIRTHDATE: Oct. 5, 1943
BIRTHPLACE: Baltimore
RESIDENCE: Baltimore
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., University of Pittsburgh; J.D., University of Maryland
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: U.S. representative
FAMILY: Wife Myrna, one child

Rep. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) defeated Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R) to secure the open seat of former Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.). Throughout his campaign, Cardin focused on expanding Medicare to cover preventive measures such as screening for osteoporosis and breast and prostate cancer.
 Having served as Maryland’s 3rd District congressman since 1987 and being a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, Cardin is no novice to Washington or politics. The newly elected senator previously served in Maryland’s House of Delegates, where he became the youngest Speaker of the House in the state’s history.

REP. JOHN SARBANES (D-Md.)

BIRTHDATE: May 22, 1962
BIRTHPLACE: Baltimore
RESIDENCE: Towson, Md.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., Princeton University; J.D., Harvard Law School
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Dina, three children

Retiring Sen. Paul Sarbanes’s (D-Md.) son will fill Rep. Ben Cardin’s (D-Md.) seat in the Baltimore area. Like his father, the younger Sarbanes, 44, attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School. He completed a Fulbright scholarship in Greece and clerked for U.S. District Court Judge J. Frederick Motz, a Reagan appointee. Before the age of 30, he was already serving on two boards, those of the Public Justice Center and the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies. He is now chairman of the healthcare practice at the law firm Venable LLP.

 

MICHIGAN

TIM WALBERG (R-MICH.-7)

Birthdate: April 12, 1951
Birthplace: Chicago
Residence: Tipton, Mich.
Occupation: Minister
Education: B.S., Taylor University; M.A., Wheaton College
Previous office held: State House member
Family: Wife Susan, three children

After shocking incumbent Republican Joe Schwarz in the GOP primary, conservative Republican Tim Walberg went on to victory over Democratic nominee Sharon Renier. Walberg received more than a million dollars from the conservative Club for Growth during the primary based on his anti-tax agenda . He supports making President Bush’s tax cuts permanent, as well as eliminating dividend taxes and the estate tax.
      Walberg is a minister and was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1983 until 1999. He served as the manager of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, an evangelical organization, from 2001 to 2006.

 

MINNESOTA

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-Minn.)

BIRTHDATE: May 25, 1960
BIRTHPLACE: Plymouth, Minn.
RESIDENCE: Minneapolis
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., Yale University; J.D., University of Chicago
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: County attorney
FAMILY: Husband John Bessler, one child

Amy Klobuchar retains this Senate seat for the Democrats by defeating Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy. Klobuchar has served as county attorney in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, since 1998. In 2001, Minnesota Lawyer selected Klobuchar “Lawyer of the Year.”
 A lifelong Minnesotan, Klobuchar was her high school’s valedictorian and graduated magna cum laude from Yale University. While county attorney, she successfully advocated for the felony classification of repeat DWI crimes, winning acclaim from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Her campaign focused on the war in Iraq, which she said she opposed from the outset.

REP. KEITH ELLISON (D-Minn.-5)

BIRTHDATE: August 4, 1963
BIRTHPLACE: Detroit
RESIDENCE: Minneapolis
OCCUPATIONS: State representative, attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., Wayne State University; J.D., University of Minnesota
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State representative
FAMILY: Wife Kim, four children

After winning the Democratic primary over six other candidates, Ellison won easily in the overwhelmingly Democratic 5th District held for 26 years by Rep. Martin Sabo (D), which is mostly comprised of Minneapolis.
 Ellison, a Muslim, will be the first of his faith to serve in the House of Representatives. Born Catholic, he converted to Islam while in college. He will also be the first black congressman from Minnesota. Ellison weathered criticism during the campaign for a stance he once took in support of Louis Farrakhan, but he denies any current ties to the Nation of Islam and has sought to distance himself from its leader, Louis Farrakhan. 

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-Minn.-6)

BIRTHDATE: April 6, 1956
BIRTHPLACE: Waterloo, Iowa
RESIDENCE: Stillwater, Minn.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., Winona State University; L.M., College
of William and Mary; J.D.,
Oral Roberts University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State senator
FAMILY: Husband Marcus, five children

Rep. Mark Kennedy’s (R-Minn.) decision to run for the Senate created an open seat in Minnesota’s 6th District. Bachmann began dating her husband in 1978 as they worked together on Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign. From 1988 to 1993, Bachmann was a U.S. Treasury Department attorney in St. Paul. She then quit her job to become a full-time mother. Bachmann is a vocal born-again Christian whose campaign slogan pronounces her to be “a woman with a mission.” She strongly endorses bans on gay marriage and supports the war in Iraq.

MONTANA

SEN. JON TESTER

BIRTHDATE: August 21, 1956
BIRTHPLACE: Havre, Mont.
RESIDENCE: Big Sandy, Mont.
OCCUPATION: Farmer, teacher, State Senator
EDUCATION: B.A., (Music) University of Great Falls
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State senator
FAMILY: Wife Sharla, two children

Jon Tester defeated Conrad Burns to become Montana’s new senator-elect.
    He spent his childhood in Big Sandy, Montana, taught high school music for two years and also worked as a custom butcher. He owns a farm in Big Sandy and harvests organic wheat, barley, lentils, peas, millet, alfalfa and hay.  He was chairman of the Big Sandy School Board of Trustees, and also served on the Big Sandy Soil Conservation Service. Montana voters elected him to the Montana Senate four times. In 2001, he was minority party whip and was elected minority leader in 2003.

 

MISSOURI

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D-Mo.)

BIRTHDATE: July 24, 1953
BIRTHPLACE: Rolla, Mo.
RESIDENCE: Columbia, Mo.
OCCUPATION:  State auditor
EDUCATION: B.S., University of Missouri; J.D., University of Missouri Law School
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State auditor
FAMILY: Husband Joseph Shepard, seven children

In one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, state Auditor Claire McCaskill defeated incumbent Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.), who served less than one term after winning a special election in 2000. Presenting herself as a down-to-earth candidate, the newly elected senator advocated accountability in the war in Iraq and embryonic stem-cell research.
 McCaskill’s public service and political experience started in 1982, when she was elected to the Missouri state legislature. She became Jackson County’s first female prosecutor in 1993 and then became Missouri’s state auditor in 1999.

 

NEBRASKA

REP. ADRIAN SMITH (R-Neb.-3)

BIRTHDATE: Dec. 19, 1970
BIRTHPLACE: Scottsbluff, Neb.
RESIDENCE: Gering, Neb.
OCCUPATION: State senator, real estate agent
EDUCATION: B.S., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State senator
FAMILY: Single

Adrian Smith made it through a five-way primary and a challenging general election against Democrat Scott Kleeb with much support from the conservative group Club for Growth.
 Taking over for retiring Republican Rep. Tom Osborne, Smith continues the district’s legacy of conservative Republican representation. He has consistently voted against tax increases while serving in the Nebraska Unicameral, is stridently against abortion rights and opposes gun-control legislation.
 Smith’s political career has been on the fast track. He was elected to the Nebraska Unicameral in 1998, just six years after he had been a legislative page in the state capitol.

 

NEVADA

REP. DEAN HELLER (R-Nev.-2)

BIRTHDATE: May 10, 1960
BIRTHPLACE: Castro Valley, Calif.
RESIDENCE: Carson City, Nev.
OCCUPATION: Secretary of state
EDUCATION: B.A., University of Southern California
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: Secretary of state, state assemblyman
FAMILY: Wife Lynne, four children

Dean Heller barely made it past the primary, winning by 421 votes. Heller then won a tough campaign in this changing district long held by Rep. Jim Gibbons (R), who ran for governor.
 Heller has served as Nevada’s secretary of state since 1994 and before that spent four years in the Nevada State Assembly. Heller’s father, “Blackjack” Heller, was a professional stock car racer, and Dean Heller drives in a few races every year.
 Unlike many Republicans who tried to distance themselves from President Bush in the final days leading up to the election, Heller decided to have him out for a fundraiser in October. 

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

CAROL SHEA-PORTER (D-N.H.-1)

BIRTHDATE: December, 1954
BIRTHPLACE: New York City
RESIDENCE:  Rochester, N.H.
OCCUPATION: Social worker
EDUCATION: B.A., M.P.A., University of New Hampshire
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Gene Porter, two children

Carol Shea-Porter defeated two-term incumbent Republican Rep. Jeb Bradley in a surprise pickup for the Democrats. Shea-Porter said she decided to run after returning from a month spent volunteering in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina hit. She was already considering a run, but the Bush administration’s handling of the hurricane’s devastating aftermath convinced her that new voices were needed in Congress.
    Shea-Porter has long been involved in community politics, serving as head of the Rochester Democratic Committee and working as a paid staffer on the presidential campaigns of Gen. Wesley Clark and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).
     She supports a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

REP. PAUL HODES (D-N.H.-2)

BIRTHDATE: March 21, 1951
BIRTHPLACE: New York City
RESIDENCE: Concord, N.H.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: A.B., Dartmouth College; J.D., Boston College
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: Assistant state attorney general
FAMILY: Wife Peggo, two children

Paul Hodes was hired as an assistant attorney general by then-state Attorney General David Souter in 1978. In 1982, Hodes was appointed special prosecutor for the state, going on to prosecute the notorious white-collar crime case State v. Stewart-Meyers. He is now a director and shareholder at Shaheen and Gordon, a Concord, N.H., law firm.
 He served as chairman of the Capitol Center for the Arts from 1990 to 1996. Hodes wants to set an exit strategy for Iraq and says he would use the appropriations process to force the administration’s hand on the “civil war” in Iraq. He defeated Rep. Charlie Bass (R-N.H.).

 

NEW JERSEY

REP. ALBIO SIRES (D-N.J.-13)

BIRTHDATE: Jan. 26, 1951
BIRTHPLACE: Bejucal, Cuba
RESIDENCE: Hudson County, N.J.
OCCUPATION: Owner of A.M. Title Agency Inc.
EDUCATION: B.A., St. Peter’s College; M.A., Middlebury College
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: New Jersey General Assembly member
FAMILY: Wife Adrienne, one child

Cuba-born Albio Sires will be sworn in sooner than the rest of the class of 2006; he won a special election to finish the last two months of former Rep. Bob Menendez’s (D-N.J.) term. Sires, 55, was elected in 2000 to the state General Assembly and was  the body’s first Hispanic speaker. He also served as mayor of West New York, N.J., the same town where his family settled after fleeing Cuba in January 1962. A former high school basketball star, the 6-foot-4 Sires returned to the town to teach at his old high school, where he met his wife Adrienne. He first ran for the House in 1986 as a Republican. His stepdaughter, Tara Kole, was a clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

 

NEW YORK

REP. YVETTE CLARKE (D-N.Y.-11)

BIRTHDATE: 1964
BIRTHPLACE: Brooklyn, N.Y.
RESIDENCE: Brooklyn, N.Y.
OCCUPATION: New York City council member.
EDUCATION: B.A., Oberlin College
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: New York City council member
FAMILY: Single

New York City Councilwoman Yvette Clarke succeeds retiring Brooklyn Rep.
Major Owens (D-N.Y.). The daughter of Jamaican immigrants, Clarke, 41, grew up in Flatbush and attended public schools before winning a scholarship to Oberlin College and later serving as an intern in Owens’s office. She never finished college, instead finding work in child care. She then took a string of jobs in New York politics, eventually becoming director of business development at the Bronx Overall Development Corporation. In 2002, she succeeded her mother Una on the City Council.

REP. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-N.Y.-20)

BIRTHDATE: Dec. 9, 1966
BIRTHPLACE: Lima, Ohio
RESIDENCE: Hudson, N.Y.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: A.B., Dartmouth College; J.D., UCLA
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Husband Jonathan, one child

During the Clinton administration, Kirsten Gillibrand served as a special counsel of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under Secretary Andrew Cuomo. While at HUD, she focused on the government agency’s labor and new markets initiatives. She is a partner at the prominent national law firm Boies, Schiller and Flexner. She has represented abused women, and tenants suing landlords. She is also co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Forum Network and a member of the Brennan Center for Justice’s advisory board. During her successful campaign unseating Rep. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.), she expressed the need to set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

REP. MICHAEL ARCURI (D-N.Y.-24)

BIRTH DATE: March 31, 1963
BIRTHPLACE: Utica, N.Y.
RESIDENCE: Utica, N.Y.
OCCUPATION: District attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., State University of Albany; J.D., New York Law School
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Two children

Rep. Sherwood Boehlert’s (R-N.Y.) decision to retire created an open seat in New York’s 24th District. Michael Arcuri has been Oneida County district attorney for 12 years. During his tenure, the district attorney’s office created Oneida County’s Drug Court and Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison programs. As district attorney, he also helped the Oneida legislature pass a drug forfeiture law that gives the D.A. the authority to confiscate illegal profits earned by convicted drug dealers. In 1997, the YWCA gave him its Mohawk Valley Person of the Year Award for work on domestic violence. In 2003, he was elected president of the New York State District Attorneys Association.

 

NORTH CAROLINA

REP. HEATH SHULER (D-N.C.-11)

BIRTH DATE: Dec. 31, 1971
BIRTHPLACE: Bryson City, N.C.
RESIDENCE: Waynesville, N.C.
OCCUPATION: Real estate investor, former NFL quarterback
EDUCATION: B.A., University of Tennessee
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Nikol, two children

Heath Shuler is a former NFL quarterback who played for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders. Upon his retirement from football, he and his brother, Benjie, established Heath Shuler Real Estate in Knoxville, Tenn. Shuler sold the firm in 2003 but maintains a 20 percent stake in the business, which still bears his name. He also founded the Heath Shuler Foundation, an organization that teaches middle and high school students leadership skills. Shuler is conservative on social issues, opposing gun control and abortion rights, and has said he wants to restore “mountain values” to Washington. He defeated Rep. Charles Taylor (R-N.C.).

 

OHIO

SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio)

BIRTHDATE: Nov. 9, 1952
BIRTHPLACE: Mansfield, Ohio
RESIDENCE: Avon, Ohio
OCCUPATION: U.S. representative
EDUCATION: B.A., Yale University; M.A., Ohio State University
PREVIOUS OFFICES HELD: U.S. representative, Ohio secretary of state
FAMILY: Wife Connie Schultz, two children

Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Sen. Mike DeWine after leading in the polls through much of the campaign. Brown started his political career at age 23 when he became a state representative, one of the youngest in the state’s history.
 Brown, who served as the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s health subcommittee, also was a chief opponent of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in 2005, which passed the House by a vote of 217 to 215. He has also worked in the House to allow the importation of pharmaceuticals from Canada.
 The telegenic Brown is considered one of the Democratic Party’s rising stars.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio-4)

BIRTHDATE: Feb. 2, 1964
BIRTHPLACE:Champaign County, Ohio
RESIDENCE: Urbana, Ohio
OCCUPATION: State senator
EDUCATION: B.S., University of Wisconsin; M.A., Ohio State University; J.D., Capital University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State senator, state representative
FAMILY: Wife Polly, four children

Ohio Republican state Sen. Jim Jordan heads to Washington this spring, claiming the open seat of Rep. Michael Oxley (R-Ohio) by defeating attorney Richard Siferd (D) in a district that has been a GOP stronghold since the Civil War.
 After being elected to Ohio’s House in 1994, Jordan served three terms until he became a member of the state Senate in 2000. While serving in the Ohio legislature, Jordan was named pro-life legislator of the year and won the Defender of Life award for his commitment to opposing abortion rights.
 He won the Republican nomination in a six-way primary with 51 percent of the vote.

REP. CHARLIE WILSON (D-Ohio-6)

BIRTHDATE: Jan. 18, 1943
BIRTHPLACE: Bridgeport, Ohio
RESIDENCE: Bridgeport
OCCUPATION: Businessman
EDUCATION: B.S., Ohio University; Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science
PREVIOUS OFFICES HELD: State senator, state representative
FAMILY: Four children

Democrat Charlie Wilson takes over for fellow Democrat Rep. Ted Strickland in this sprawling Appalachian Ohio district. Wilson is a businessman who owns two family businesses — the Wilson Funeral and Furniture Company and Wilson Realty. He served in the Ohio House from 1996 to 2004, when he won election to the state Senate.
 A centrist Democrat, Wilson received endorsements from the Ohio Right to Life Foundation and the National Rifle Association. He also received backing from the League of Conservation Voters, as well as the Teamsters and most other local unions.

REP. BETTY SUTTON (D-Ohio-13)

BIRTHDATE: July 31, 1963
BIRTHPLACE: Barberton, Ohio
RESIDENCE: Barberton, Ohio
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., Kent State University; J.D., University of Akron
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State representative
FAMILY: Single

Betty Sutton replaces Rep. Sherrod Brown (D) in this Northeastern Ohio district. Sutton is a union lawyer who served in the state House from 1994 to 2002. While there, Sutton organized a statewide referendum to repeal a Republican-backed tort reform law that limited jury awards for “pain and suffering” and compensatory damages.
 Sutton ran her campaign with strong union support, which helped her get through a tough primary. Her reputation as a union lawyer representing teacher, police, fire and nurses’ unions in contract negotiations helped her gain their support in the election. Her main issues are ethics reform, healthcare and pensions. 

REP. ZACK SPACE (D-Ohio-18)
BIRTHDATE: Jan. 27, 1961
BIRTHPLACE: Dover, Ohio
RESIDENCE: Dover, Ohio
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., Kenyon College; J.D., Ohio State University
FAMILY: Wife Mary, two children

Democrat Zack Space defeated Republican Joy Padgett after his original opponent, Republican Rep. Bob Ney, resigned in September amid a scandal involving his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
 Space, an attorney who worked largely on consumer-rights cases, based his campaign around Republican scandal, as well as a call for embryonic stem-cell research funding. Space has championed that issue because his son has Type 1 diabetes, and he promises to focus on it during his term in Congress. He is also highly critical of the Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war. 

 

OKLAHOMA

REP. MARY FALLIN
(R-Okla.-5)

BIRTHDATE: Sept. 9, 1965
BIRTHPLACE: Tecumseh, Okla.
RESIDENCE: Oklahoma City, Okla.
OCCUPATION: Lieutenant governor
EDUCATION: B.A., Oklahoma State University
PREVIOUS OFFICES HELD: Lieutenant governor, state representative
FAMILY: Two children

In becoming the first woman since 1921 to serve as a House member from Oklahoma, Mary Fallin continues a string of firsts for women in her home state. In 1994, she was elected the first woman lieutenant governor. She has served in that position ever since, now taking the seat of Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.).
 During her tenure as lieutenant governor, Fallin focused on small-business issues, working to control the rising cost of health insurance for small businesses and limiting government regulation. She also served in then-Gov. Frank Keating’s (R) cabinet as state small business advocate.

 

PENNSYLVANIA

SEN. BOB CASEY JR. (D-Pa.)

BIRTHDATE: April 13, 1960
BIRTHPLACE: Scranton, Pa.
RESIDENCE: Scranton, Pa.
OCCUPATION: State treasurer
EDUCATION: B.A., College of the Holy Cross; J.D., Catholic University
PREVIOUS OFFICES HELD: State treasurer, auditor general
FAMILY: Wife Terese, four children

Democrat Bob Casey Jr. beat the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, Rick Santorum, taking an early lead in polls and holding it throughout the campaign.
Casey is the son of popular former Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey Sr. The younger Casey, a religious Catholic who opposes abortion rights, defeated the conservative Santorum in politically moderate Pennsylvania.
 Casey joins fellow new member Sherrod Brown as a strong opponent of the Bush administration’s free trade policies, seeing them as benefiting corporations at the expense of American jobs.

REP. JOE SESTAK (D-Pa.-7)

BIRTHDATE: Dec. 12, 1951
BIRTHPLACE: Secane, Pa.
RESIDENCE: Wallingford, Pa.
OCCUPATION: Former Navy vice admiral
EDUCATION: B.S., U.S. Naval Academy; M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Susan Clark, one child

In 1986, Sestak became the executive officer of the USS Underwood (FFG-36), a guided-missile frigate. In 1994, he was appointed to the White House’s National Security Council as director of defense policy. In the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks, he became the first director of the Naval Operations Group (Deep Blue). In this role, he reported directly to Vern Clark, the chief of Naval Operations, and together they restructured the Navy to meet post-Sept. 11 challenges. He was a vice admiral of the Navy when he retired this year. He beat Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.).

REP. PATRICK MURPHY (D-Pa.-8)

BIRTHDATE: October 19, 1973
BIRTHPLACE: Philadelphia
RESIDENCE: Bristol, Pa.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., King’s College (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.); J.D., Widener University School of Law (Harrisburg, Pa.)
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Jennifer

Iraq war veteran Patrick Murphy ousted incumbent Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) to win one of the key districts for Democrats in the region. The 8th District, in the Philadelphia suburbs, went to then-Vice President Al Gore in 2000 and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004 and has become increasingly Democratic.
 Since the Sept. 11 attacks, Murphy has been deployed twice, first to Bosnia in 2002 and then to Iraq in 2003 as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. Murphy earned a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq.
 Murphy has taught as an assistant professor at West Point Military Academy and lectured at the Air Force Academy.

REP. CHRIS CARNEY (D-Pa.-10)

BIRTHDATE: March 2, 1959
BIRTHPLACE: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
RESIDENCE: Dimock, Pa.
OCCUPATION: Navy officer, professor
EDUCATION: B.A., B.S., Cornell College; M.A., University of Wyoming; Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
FAMILY: Wife Jennifer, five children

Democrat Chris Carney defeated four-term Republican Rep. Don Sherwood in heavily Republican Northeast Pennsylvania. Sherwood was plagued through both the primary and general campaigns by his admitted extramarital affair.
 Carney, a professor and Navy officer who served in Iraq, ran a strong campaign focused on “family values” that repeatedly targeted his opponent’s improprieties.
 Carney taught government and international relations courses at Penn State University-Scranton, and as a naval reservist served two tours of duty overseas. He also served as an intelligence adviser to the Pentagon in the lead-up to the war in Iraq. Carney focused his campaign largely on Iraq.

 

RHODE ISLAND

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.)

BIRTHDATE: Oct. 20, 1955
BIRTHPLACE: New York, N.Y.
RESIDENCE: Providence, R.I.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., University of Pennsylvania; J.D., University of Virginia Law School
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: Rhode Island attorney general
FAMILY: Wife Sandra, two children

Attorney Sheldon Whitehouse unseated Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. The race remained a toss-up throughout the campaign season as Chafee struggled to maintain his seat in a very blue state.
Whitehouse has worked in Rhode Island public service for the past 20 years. Appointed by former President Clinton in 1994, he served four years as a U.S. attorney. In 2001, he founded the Quality Institute, an organization designed to improve healthcare in Rhode Island.

 

TENNESSEE

SEN. BOB CORKER (R-Tenn.)

BIRTHDATE: Aug. 2, 1952
BIRTHPLACE: Orangeburg, S.C.
RESIDENCE: Memphis, Tenn.
OCCUPATION: Construction contractor/real estate developer
EDUCATION: B.S., University of Tennessee
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: Chattanooga mayor
FAMILY: Wife Elizabeth, two children

Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker defeated Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.) to fill the seat left vacant by retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).
 After traveling with his church on a mission trip to Haiti, Corker said, he became inspired to do public service. In 1986 he founded Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income families obtain low-interest loans to secure affordable housing. In 1995, the self-made businessman became Tennessee’s Commissioner of Finance and Administration.
 Elected mayor in 2001, Corker served in Chattanooga for three and a half years until he retired to work on his senate campaign. Corker defeated two former House lawmakers in the GOP Senate primary.

REP. DAVID DAVIS (R-TENN.-1)

BIRTHDATE: November 6, 1959
BIRTHPLACE: Anderson, Ind.
RESIDENCE: Johnson City, Tenn.
OCCUPATION: State representative
EDUCATION: B.S., Milligan College; A.A.S., California College
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State representative
FAMILY: Wife Joyce, two children

Tennessee state Rep. David Davis crushed Democratic city councilman Rick Trent to take retiring Rep. William Jenkins’s (R-Tenn.) seat.

 Davis won the district, safely Republican since 1881, by running on a platform of low taxes for families and small businesses, strong border security and aggressive trade policy.
 Serving as a Tennessee state representative since 1998, Davis works on the Transportation Committee, Government Operations Committee and Public Safety and Rural Roads Committee. Davis is also President of Health Services Inc. and a registered respiratory therapist, and won the legislator of the year award from the Tennessee Podiatric Association in 2005.

REP. STEVE COHEN (D-Tenn.-9)

BIRTHDATE: May 24, 1949
BIRTHPLACE: Memphis
RESIDENCE: Memphis
OCCUPATION: State senator
EDUCATION: B.A., Vanderbilt University; J.D., Memphis State University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State senator
FAMILY: Single

After squeezing through a crowded, 15-person Democratic primary despite being out-fundraised by six candidates, Steve Cohen won in a three-way general election in which Jake Ford, Rep. Harold Ford’s (D-Tenn.) brother, ran as an independent.
 Cohen will be one of the few white representatives of a majority-black district in the country. A Jewish fourth-generation Memphian, he lost a decade ago to Ford in a race to replace Harold Ford Sr. After that race, Cohen complained, “It is impossible for a person who is not African-American to get a large vote in the African-American community.” Cohen later apologized, calling the remark “impolitic.” He has also promised to try to become the first white member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

 

TEXAS

REP. NICK LAMPSON (D-Texas -22)

BIRTHDATE: Feb. 14, 1945
BIRTHPLACE: Beaumont, Texas
RESIDENCE: Beaumont, Texas
OCCUPATION: Teacher, former congressman
EDUCATION: B.A., M.A., Lamar University
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: U.S. representative
FAMILY: Wife Susan Floyd, two children

Nick Lampson returns to Congress after a two-year hiatus in Texas’s 22nd District. Lampson takes over the seat of former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R), the man who engineered Lampson’s loss two years ago by helping Texas Republicans redistrict Lampson and three other Democrats out of Congress.
 During his first stint in Congress, Lampson founded the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus, which now numbers 120 members and is the largest bipartisan caucus on Capitol Hill.
 Lampson’s bid was bolstered when DeLay resigned and court rulings prevented Republicans from replacing him on the ballot with a new Republican candidate, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.   

 

VERMONT

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.)

BIRTHDATE: Sept. 8, 1941
BIRTHPLACE: Brooklyn, N.Y.
RESIDENCE: Burlington, Vt.
OCCUPATION: U.S. representative
EDUCATION: B.A., University of Chicago
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: U.S. representative
FAMILY: Wife Jane O’Meara, one child

Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) moves from the House to the Senate, succeeding his friend, fellow Independent Jim Jeffords. Unlike Jeffords, who left the Republican Party to become a centrist Independent, Sanders will continue his support of the Socialist-Democratic agenda he has pursued through his 16 years as a congressman.
 Sanders will be the only Socialist in the Senate. His popularity in Vermont, a state known for quirky politicians, is due as much to his feisty personality as his populist message. Sanders, who started his political career as a fringe Senate candidate in the 1970s who took only 2 percent of the vote, will take over for Jeffords as the lone Independent in the higher chamber.

REP. PETER WELCH (D-Vt.-AL)

BIRTHDATE: May 2, 1947
BIRTHPLACE: Springfield, Mass.
RESIDENCE: Windsor County, Vt.
OCCUPATION: Attorney
EDUCATION: B.A., College of the Holy Cross; J.D., University of California-Berkeley
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: State senator
FAMILY: Five children

Democrat Peter Welch defeated Republican Martha Rainville for Vermont’s at-large congressional seat. Welch, an attorney and the popular president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate, managed to win in the largely Democratic state despite a strong campaign from his opponent. Welch served in the state Senate from 1980 to 1988, then again from 2001 until the present. 
 Welch is a strong environmentalist, favors lowering property taxes in Vermont, and supports importation of prescription drugs from Canada. He also was an early adviser for former Gov. Howard Dean’s (D) presidential campaign. 

 

WISCONSIN

REP. STEVE KAGEN (D-Wis.-8)

BIRTHDATE: Dec. 12, 1949
BIRTHPLACE: Appleton, Wis.
RESIDENCE: Appleton, Wis.
OCCUPATION: Doctor
EDUCATION: B.S., University of Wisconsin; M.D., University of Wisconsin
PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None
FAMILY: Wife Gayle, four children

Three-term Rep. Mark Green (R-Wis.) left his seat to run for governor, creating an open seat in the 8th District. Steve Kagen commenced his career working as a teamster at the Foremost Dairy. He is an assistant clinical professor of allergy and immunology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He owns four allergy clinics in Appleton, Green Bay, Oshkosh and Fond du Luc, Wis., and has done research on the causes of allergies. During the election, he argued that Medicare Part D benefits corporations and not the senior citizens it was designed to help. He also advocates embryonic stem-cell research.

 

Compiled by The Hill staff.