thedrifter
05-28-08, 08:22 AM
More Iraq war vets run for Congress
By Martha T. Moore - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday May 28, 2008 7:05:43 EDT
Twice as many veterans of the Iraq war are running for Congress than in 2006, and this year Republican candidates outnumber Democrats.
Although many of the veteran candidates still face primaries and some are long shots, the outcome in November could well increase the number of combat veterans serving in Congress, a group that has been dwindling since 2000.
It’s unclear if a candidate’s connection to Iraq will drive voters in November. The economy has surpassed the Iraq war as the issue of top concern to voters, said Nathan Gonzales, political editor of the independent “Rothenberg Political Report.”
Veteran candidates “are going to have to prove they can speak on a wide variety of issues including the economy,” he said. “They’re going to have to run a real campaign, raise a whole lot of money and make the case why the incumbent should be fired.”
At least 10 Democratic and 20 Republican Iraq veterans are running for the House, and none for the Senate.
Key races include several open seats:
— Minneapolis suburbs: Democrat Ashwin Madia, a Marine, will take on GOP state Rep. Erik Paulsen, a former aide to retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad. Madia, a lawyer, worked with Iraqi officials to develop the country’s justice system.
— Northeastern Ohio: Longtime GOP congressman Ralph Regula is retiring from a seat held by his party since 1950. Democratic state Sen. John Boccieri, who flew C-130 cargo planes in Iraq for the Air Force, will face state Sen. Kirk Schuring.
— Buffalo, N.Y.: Republican Tom Reynolds is retiring. Former Army Staff Sgt. David Bellavia, who wrote a memoir about facing battle in Fallujah, is in the race on the GOP side. Former Army Capt. Jon Powers is among the Democrats running.
— San Diego area: Three of the seven candidates seeking the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter have Iraq combat experience. Hunter’s Marine reservist son, Duncan D. Hunter, and retired Army Col. Rick Powell are among the Republicans. Former Navy SEAL Cmdr. Mike Lumpkin is among the Democrats. The primary is June 3.
— Maine: Democratic Rep. Tom Allen gave up his seat for a Senate bid. Democrat Adam Cote could come up against Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Summers, a Republican whose wife campaigned for him while he was still deployed in Baghdad, after a June 10 primary.
There are currently 35 combat veterans in Congress, down from 41 in 2001, according to figures from the Military Officers Association of America. Only Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., a former soldier, served in Iraq.
Overall, the number of veterans in Congress has declined sharply since its peak in 1977, when more than three-quarters of Congress had served in the military. Now, 24 percent have, MOAA figures show.
In 2006, about a dozen Iraq veterans ran for office, almost all of them Democrats. Murphy, the only successful candidate in 2006, faces a challenge this year from Republican Tom Manion, a Marine veteran whose son Travis was killed by sniper fire in Iraq last year.
Ellie
By Martha T. Moore - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday May 28, 2008 7:05:43 EDT
Twice as many veterans of the Iraq war are running for Congress than in 2006, and this year Republican candidates outnumber Democrats.
Although many of the veteran candidates still face primaries and some are long shots, the outcome in November could well increase the number of combat veterans serving in Congress, a group that has been dwindling since 2000.
It’s unclear if a candidate’s connection to Iraq will drive voters in November. The economy has surpassed the Iraq war as the issue of top concern to voters, said Nathan Gonzales, political editor of the independent “Rothenberg Political Report.”
Veteran candidates “are going to have to prove they can speak on a wide variety of issues including the economy,” he said. “They’re going to have to run a real campaign, raise a whole lot of money and make the case why the incumbent should be fired.”
At least 10 Democratic and 20 Republican Iraq veterans are running for the House, and none for the Senate.
Key races include several open seats:
— Minneapolis suburbs: Democrat Ashwin Madia, a Marine, will take on GOP state Rep. Erik Paulsen, a former aide to retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad. Madia, a lawyer, worked with Iraqi officials to develop the country’s justice system.
— Northeastern Ohio: Longtime GOP congressman Ralph Regula is retiring from a seat held by his party since 1950. Democratic state Sen. John Boccieri, who flew C-130 cargo planes in Iraq for the Air Force, will face state Sen. Kirk Schuring.
— Buffalo, N.Y.: Republican Tom Reynolds is retiring. Former Army Staff Sgt. David Bellavia, who wrote a memoir about facing battle in Fallujah, is in the race on the GOP side. Former Army Capt. Jon Powers is among the Democrats running.
— San Diego area: Three of the seven candidates seeking the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter have Iraq combat experience. Hunter’s Marine reservist son, Duncan D. Hunter, and retired Army Col. Rick Powell are among the Republicans. Former Navy SEAL Cmdr. Mike Lumpkin is among the Democrats. The primary is June 3.
— Maine: Democratic Rep. Tom Allen gave up his seat for a Senate bid. Democrat Adam Cote could come up against Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Summers, a Republican whose wife campaigned for him while he was still deployed in Baghdad, after a June 10 primary.
There are currently 35 combat veterans in Congress, down from 41 in 2001, according to figures from the Military Officers Association of America. Only Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., a former soldier, served in Iraq.
Overall, the number of veterans in Congress has declined sharply since its peak in 1977, when more than three-quarters of Congress had served in the military. Now, 24 percent have, MOAA figures show.
In 2006, about a dozen Iraq veterans ran for office, almost all of them Democrats. Murphy, the only successful candidate in 2006, faces a challenge this year from Republican Tom Manion, a Marine veteran whose son Travis was killed by sniper fire in Iraq last year.
Ellie