2008 House Endorsements
Bill Foster (D-IL) for House
On March 8th, 2008, Americans sent a message to Congress and the President that they want U.S. troops out of Iraq. In what was called a referendum on the Iraq war, Democrat Bill Foster beat Republican and pro-war candidate Jim Oberweis in a special election for former Rep. Dennis Hastert's seat, who retired mid-term. Now, the focus is on making sure that Foster -- a nuclear physicist who strongly supports arms control issues -- wins again in November.
Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
In one of the biggest upsets in the 2006 elections, Carol Shea-Porter defeated the heavily favored incumbent Republican Rep. Jeb Bradley in New Hampsire's 1st Congressional District. In Washington, Shea-Porter has been a vocal advocate for ending the war, living up to her campaign promises. She has voted against cutting funding for the United Nations, against funding for new nuclear weapons development. However, Shea-Porter's narrow victory in 2006 makes her a top GOP target in 2008.
Dan Maffei (D-NY) for House
Dan Maffei attracted attention in 2006 when he came within 3,000 votes of defeating nine term incumbent Rep. Jim Walsh (R). Maffei has come back for this election cycle even stronger in a New York race that remains a top Republican priority. "Five years ago, President Bush sent our troops to Iraq with false information, unprepared, and without a plan to win the peace," Maffei has said. "New Yorkers have invested $46.9 billion in the war in Iraq, money that could have provided nearly 9 million New Yorkers with healthcare, 8 million students a chance to go to college on a scholarship or hire 550,000 new elementary school teachers."
Darcy Burner (D-WA) for House
In 2006, Darcy Burner, a former Microsoft Executive, ran against Rep. Dave Reichert (R) in Washington's 8th Congressional District and narrowly lost to the incumbent in a 51%-49% GOP victory. Burner immediately announced that she would run in 2008, and her aggressive campaigning in the off-year cleared the field of several potential primary opponents. Burner has made her opposition to the war in Iraq the centerpiece of her campaign and has strong positions on reducing the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal.
Donna Edwards (D-MD) for House
On February 12, Donna Edwards, a long-time social justice and progressive advocate, won a stunning victory over current Representative Albert Wynn - a staunch supporter of Bush's Iraq policy - 60% to 35%, in Maryland's 4th Congressional District. Edwards is now favored to win in this Democratic-leaning District. Her opposition is Peter James, a local computer consultant who won the Republican primary handily. If elected in November, Edwards will undoubtedly be an outspoken progressive advocate.
Jim Himes (D-CT) for House
Jim Himes, the Democrat running for Congress in Connecticut's 4th Congressional District, has a diverse background that makes him uniquely qualified for public service. Himes is challenging long-time incumbent Rep. Chris Shays (R).While the district votes Democratic for most offices, Shays is personally popular with his constituents, who have elected him to 11 terms. Shays has been a consistent and vocal supporter of George W. Bush's foreign policies and the war in Iraq.
Joe Sestak (D-PA) for House
Joe Sestak served for 31 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 1995 as a three-star admiral. In 2006, concerned with President Bush's policies, Sestak ran for and won the seat for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, challenging an entrenched Republican incumbent. Since coming to Washington, D.C., Sestak - who is a member of the Armed Services Committee and the highest-ranking retired military officer to be elected to Congress - has been a strong advocate of bringing our troops home from Iraq.
John Adler (D-NJ) for House
New Jersey's third Congressional District is one of Democrats' best opportunities in 2008 to win a seat long held by Republicans. Political experts believe that State Sen. John Adler (D) is in a commanding position to win this open seat race.Securing nuclear weapons and stockpiles is one of Adler's top priorities. "We must take a leadership role in the world to get rid of the risks associated with nuclear weapons," Adler said. "We need to reduce our current stockpiles of nuclear weapons, and work with our allies such as Russia to reduce its stockpile of weapons and safeguard its nuclear materials."
John Hall (D-NY) for House
John Hall was one of a number of candidates in 2006 who won election against a well-established incumbent by challenging them over their support for the war in Iraq. He defeated Republican Sue Kelly who was first elected to represent the 19th Congressional District in New York's Hudson River Valley in 1994. She was a solid supporter of President Bush on the war and in 2006 this proved to be her undoing. Hall was also active with Mid-Hudson Nuclear Opponents, which successfully fought the building of a nuclear power plant on the Hudson River in Greene County.
Jon Powers (D-NY) for House
Only 29 years old, Jon Powers, an Army Captain and decorated Iraq War veteran, schoolteacher and nonprofit leader, is already a very impressive figure. After serving in the ROTC while he studied for a degree in education, Powers was deployed to Iraq in the spring of 2003. Now, Powers is running against Rep. Tom Reynolds (R) in Western New York's 26th Congressional District. In 2006, Reynolds narrowly defeated his Democratic opponent in one of the country's closest elections. Reynolds is known more for his coziness to Washington lobbyists than for his legislative achievements, and Powers' impressive credentials make him a real threat to unseat this five term incumbent.
Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH) for House
One of the top open seat races in the country is Ohio's 15th Congressional District where Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy is running again. In 2006, Kilroy came within 1,062 votes of defeating one of the Republican House leaders, Deborah Pryce, a seven-term incumbent who is not running again. In 2008, Kilroy is back even stronger and with more support to defeat the undetermined GOP candidate in what will surely be a closely contested race.
Patrick Murphy (D-PA) for House
As a soldier in the U.S. Army, Patrick Murphy served in Bosnia and fought in the current Iraq war - a war he is now fighting hard to end. As the only Iraq veteran currently in the House of Representatives, Murphy has become an outspoken critic of Bush policies in Iraq. But Republicans are eager to silence this effective voice for peace, and the close vote in 2006 makes them think they can win in 2008. The GOP candidate, Tom Manion, is a retired Marine Corps colonel whose son died while serving in Iraq last year.
