Carol Shea-Porter

U.S. House, NH

Against all odds. Propelled by her powerful message for change and a strong grassroots network of supporters, Carol Shea-Porter unseated GOP incumbent Jeb Bradley in New Hampshire’s largely Republican first district despite being outspent three to one. Now Bradley is seeking a rematch, and will surely not underestimate her twice. Shea-Porter needs early and generous support from EMILY’s List members so she can keep this key seat in Democratic hands.

A rising Democratic star. Committed to solving the Iraq crisis, achieving a balanced budget, and securing universal health care, Shea-Porter has pledged to work for the “bottom 99 percent” of Americans who have been neglected by the Bush administration. With a background in social work and family members who have served in the military, she’s well-equipped for her positions on the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Education and Labor. Carol Shea-Porter has already hit the ground running, cosponsoring bills to expand stem cell research and raise the minimum wage, and sponsoring a bill to force the government to negotiate for better prices for Medicare prescription drugs.

A prime target in ‘08. There’s no doubt that Jeb Bradley, backed by a national Republican party eager to take back this seat, will mount an aggressive campaign against Shea-Porter. Even though he’s a self-described moderate, Bradley has voted consistently for Bush’s agenda, including tax giveaways to the wealthy, cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, and for limiting reproductive freedom. Carol Shea-Porter needs immediate support from EMILY’s List members so she can solidify her hold on this seat and continue her strong leadership in the U.S. House.

More About Carol Shea-Porter

In a year when voters were eager for change, Democrat Carol Shea-Porter scored the upset of 2006 by defeating GOP Rep. Jeb Bradley in New Hampshire’s first congressional district. Her victory took many by surprise, including her opponent, who had paid her little heed. It helped Democrats win control of Congress — and put Shea-Porter at the top of the GOP hit list for 2008. Chagrined, Republicans are expected to wage a far stronger campaign to defeat her than they did to fend her off in 2006. Shea-Porter will have to overcome close GOP scrutiny (Bradley, who is running again, has said he will be “watching her closely”) and relentless negative attacks to win a second term in this Republican-leaning district.

A New Hampshire native and the first woman to represent the state in Congress, Shea-Porter is a social worker and military wife who has lived all over the country. She has worked as an advocate for seniors, the homeless, and those with addiction problems. Shea-Porter taught political issues and American history to retired diplomats and federal employees for more than a decade.

Shea-Porter got involved with politics as a volunteer and staff member on former General Wesley Clark’s presidential campaign, helping to build a grassroots network comprised of citizens dedicated to ending the war in Iraq and restoring fiscal sanity to the federal government. After spending a month volunteering in New Orleans to help clean up and care for victims of Hurricane Katrina, she decided to run for Congress. “It was clear to me that in order to make people’s lives better, citizens needed to be heard in Washington,” she says. “I took a look at Jeb Bradley’s record and decided he needed to be retired.”

The child of depression-era parents (her father attended college and law school on the GI Bill), Shea-Porter was told in high school that she should forget about college and aim for secretarial school. She ignored this advice, putting herself through college and graduate school at the University of New Hampshire.

“My brothers and sisters and I understood that America is the land of opportunity because we saw it in our own family,” she says. “My goal in Congress is to serve the hard-working families of New Hampshire who want to offer their families the opportunities, security, and love I had.”

The Political Situation

In 2006, Shea-Porter lagged behind Bradley in every public poll leading up to election day and raised very little money for her campaign. But strong Democratic momentum, an anti-incumbent fervor, and low GOP turnout helped her unseat an incumbent with a much larger war chest and a history of winning re-election by 20-point margins.

Shea-Porter hit the ground running upon arrival in Washington, D.C., cosponsoring and voting for bills to expand stem cell research and raise the minimum wage. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, she can be an advocate for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and for military families and veterans. As a member of the Education and Labor Committee, Shea-Porter is working on fixing the No Child Left Behind law, which is up for reauthorization this year.

While he calls himself a moderate, Bradley provided reliable support for the Bush agenda in Congress, supporting Bush’s failed Iraq strategy and voting to cut taxes on the wealthiest one percent of taxpayers. His support for legislation undermining Roe v. Wade disappointed pro-choice groups who believed him when he said he supported a woman’s right to choose. Independently wealthy, Bradley owns stock in pharmaceutical and energy companies and defense contractors, including Halliburton, and has voted for legislation to protect these industries: against a measure to increase penalties on gas companies for price gouging; against requiring defense contractors to submit to competitive bidding for Iraqi reconstruction contracts; and against allowing the federal government to negotiate directly with drug companies to lower prescription costs.

Shea-Porter’s three-point margin of victory was one the narrowest in the country, placing her among the most vulnerable Democrats seeking re-election in 2008. She must run a completely different kind of campaign to defend herself against the GOP attacks she escaped in 2006. In addition, the political dynamics will be very different in a presidential year when GOP Sen. John Sununu is up for re-election. Sununu once represented the first district and will draw out Republican voters who stayed home in 2006. Shea-Porter needs strong, early support from EMILY’s List to raise $2.5 million, win a second term, and help Democrats keep control of the U.S. House.

The Issues

Shea-Porter won her seat by campaigning to end the war in Iraq, expand access to affordable health care, and balance the federal budget. “I am running for Congress to protect the interests of the 99 percent of Americans who were ignored under the GOP leadership. I am dedicated to building and protecting the middle class, promoting energy independence, and advancing a strong but respectful foreign policy.”

“Education is the key to prosperity in this country,” says Shea-Porter, who opposes taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools and federal mandates that force educators to “teach to the test” instead of teaching children necessary skills.

“I believe in financially supporting quality day care and preschool to help families balance work and home responsibilities,” she says. “I also support flex-time and allowing families leave to take care of sick relatives and newborns.”

Shea-Porter supports trade agreements that require trading partners to respect to environment and workers. She favors eliminating tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas.

“President Bush and the GOP Congress have run up the largest deficits in U.S. history,” Shea-Porter notes. “The best way to stimulate the economy is to do what President Clinton did in the 1990s: get our fiscal house in order.” She is fighting to undo the damage done by irresponsible Bush tax cuts. “I believe in a tax policy that protects the poor and supports the middle class through deductions for education, illness, child care, and other expenses that Americans struggle with most.”

Shea-Porter’s father and husband are veterans, so she understands the importance of a strong defense. “Sometimes there is no alternative to war, but we must pursue every option before we use force,” she says. “Defense should be about defending ourselves – and this begins at home.” The defense budget should be used to protect Americans from threats, including strengthening security in the wake of 9/11, Shea-Porter believes. She cosponsored and voted for a law to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. “This administration gives lip service to security. Anyone who has traveled by plane knows that our system is still not strong enough,” she says.

Calling the war in Iraq “a catastrophe,” Shea-Porter says, “It was sold under false pretenses, it was mismanaged in every way, it put our troops in harm’s way without proper equipment and support, we failed to protect Iraqi civilians, we have inflamed terrorists around the world, and we have made America less safe. I have called for a withdrawal within six months, with a redeployment of our troops to countries in that region.”

Shea-Porter believes that strengthening communities and schools will help at-risk youth and address crime at its roots. Providing drug and alcohol treatment for addicts and support for police will also protect communities. “Violent offenders must serve time in jail,” Shea-Porter says.

Shea-Porter is outraged by the way civil liberties have eroded under the Bush administration. “We have a president and many legislators who believe that the law doesn’t apply to them. They are spying on American citizens through electronic home invasion. Most Americans know this is wrong. We must be vigilant, not bullying; alert, not fearful; careful, not liberty-trampling.”

“America has a huge medical crisis,” Shea-Porter says. Noting that more than 46 million Americans lack health insurance and many others can’t afford their deductibles and co-pays, she says, “It’s time to lift this burden from our people. All Americans should have the option of buying into Medicare.” In addition to working in Congress to expand coverage, Shea-Porter cosponsored legislation providing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, which holds promise for Americans with illnesses like Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries.

Shea-Porter has devoted her career to helping Americans escape poverty. “While Republicans controlled the federal government, the poverty rate rose four years in a row,” she notes. “There are now 37 million Americans below the poverty line, including more than 12 million children. This is not acceptable in our land of opportunity.” Shea-Porter cosponsored legislation to raise the minimum wage and to reduce student loan costs to make higher education more affordable. She is also working to guarantee Social Security’s long-term health.

“I joined the Renewable Energy Caucus, and am committed to increasing the use of renewable and clean energy sources,” says Shea-Porter, along with investing in alternative energy development. “I will work to pass laws that reward good stewardship of the environment by offering substantial tax credits to individuals and businesses who implement energy conservation measures. We must protect our waterways and offer incentives to industry to conserve, clean up, and innovate. The government must get serious about automobile fuel efficiency.”

Shea-Porter believes reproductive freedom is a privacy issue. “Women have the right to make their own decisions about their reproductive lives, without government intrusion or interference,” she says.

May 2008