[AllPolitics - States]


AllPolitics is presenting the freshmen of the 105th Congress every day between now and January. Here's who we've done so far:

SENATE
Alabama
Jeff Sessions (R)
Arkansas
Tim Hutchinson (R)
Colorado
Wayne Allard (R)
Georgia
Max Cleland (D)
Illinois
Richard Durbin (D)
Kansas
Sam Brownback (R)
Pat Roberts (R)
Louisiana
Mary Landrieu (D)
Maine
Susan Collins (R)
Nebraska
Chuck Hagel (R)
New Jersey
Robert Torricelli (D)
Oregon
Gordon Smith (R)
Rhode Island
Jack Reed (D)
South Dakota
Tim Johnson (D)
Wyoming
Mike Enzi (R)

HOUSE
Alabama
3-Bob Riley (R)
4-Robert Aderholt (R)
Arkansas
1-Marion Berry (D)
2-Victor F. Snyder (D)
3-Asa Hutchinson (R)
California
10-Ellen Tauscher (D)
22-Walter Holden Capps (D)
24-Brad Sherman (D)
27-James E. Rogan (R)
46-Loretta Sanchez (D)
Colorado
1-Diana DeGette (D)
4-Robert Schaffer (R)
Connecticut
5-James Maloney (D)
Florida
2-Allen Boyd (D)
11-Jim Davis (D)
19-Robert Wexler (D)
Iowa
3-Leonard Boswell (D)
Illinois
5-Rod Blagojevich (D)
7-Danny K. Davis (D)
20-John Shimkus (R)
Indiana
7-Edward Pease (R)
10-Julia Carson (D)
Kansas
1-Jerry Moran (R)
2-Jim Ryun (R)
3-Vince Snowbarger (R)
Kentucky
3-Anne Meagher Northup (R)
Louisiana
5-John Cooksey (R)
7-Chris John (D)
Massachusetts
3-James McGovern (D)
6-John Tierney (D)
10-William Delahunt (D)
Maine
1-Tom Allen (D)
Michigan
8-Debbie Stabenow (D)
15-Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D)
Mississippi
3-Charles "Chip" Pickering Jr. (R)
Missouri
7-Roy Blunt (R)
8-Jo Ann Emerson (I)
9-Kenny Hulshof (R)
Montana
At Large-Rick Hill (R)
New Hampshire
1-John E. Sununu (R)
New Jersey
8-William Pascrell Jr. (D)
9-Steven Rothman (D)
12-Mike Pappas (R)
New York
4-Carolyn McCarthy (D)
Nevada
2-Jim Gibbons (R)
North Carolina
2-Bob Etheridge (D)
4-David E. Price (D)
7-Mike McIntyre (D)
Ohio
6-Ted Strickland (D)
10-Dennis Kucinich (D)
Oklahoma
3-Wes Watkins (R)
Oregon
2-Bob Smith (R)
5-Darlene Hooley (D)
Pennsylvania
5-John Peterson (R)
16-Joseph R. Pitts (R)
Rhode Island
2-Robert Weygand (D)
South Dakota
At Large-John Thune (R)
Tennessee
1-Bill Jenkins (R)
9-Harold E. Ford Jr. (D)
Texas
1-Max Sandlin (D)
2-Jim Turner (D)
5-Pete Sessions (R)
12-Kay Granger (R)
14-Ron Paul (R)
15-Ruben Hinojosa (D)
16-Silvestre Reyes (D)
Utah
2-Merrill Cook (R)
3-Chris Cannon (R)
Virginia
5-Virgil H. Goode Jr. (D)
Washington
9-Adam Smith (D)
Wisconsin
3-Ron Kind (D)
8-Jay W. Johnson (D)
Illinois - 5th District

Representative-Elect
Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.)

Born: Dec. 10, 1956, Chicago, Ill.
Education: Northwestern U., B.A. 1979; Pepperdine U., J.D. 1983.
Occupation: Lawyer.
Family: Wife, Patricia.
Religion: Eastern Orthodox.
Political Career: Ill. House, 1993-97.
Capitol Office: 501 Cannon Bldg. 20515; 225-5209.

By Congressional Quarterly

Blagojevich reclaimed for the Democrats a district that for 36 years was the province of Dan Rostenkowski, the former powerhouse chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Rosty, as he was known, was indicted on 17 counts, including the misuse of personal and congressional funds, extortion of gifts and cash, and obstruction of justice.

His ethical problems paved the way for one of 1994's most shocking upsets: the election of Republican Michael Patrick Flanagan.

But Flanagan turned out to be a one-term wonder. He was a loyal soldier of the House Republican revolution, voting, for example, 100 percent of the time for the planks in the House GOP's "Contract With America." All the while, he was squarely in the sights of the Democrats, who had targeted him for defeat.

Their nominee, state Rep. Blagojevich, was well-connected to the Chicago Democratic organization, which, though not as powerful as it was under the late Mayor Richard Daley, still makes its presence felt on occasion.

It did in this race, thanks to Blagojevich's father-in-law, city Alderman Richard Mell, one of the last strong ward leaders in Chicago; and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, son of the legendary mayor and one of Mell's close friends.

With the backing of the party organization, Blagojevich defeated two opponents in the primary: fellow state Rep. Nancy Kaszak, who ran as a political outsider and had the backing of EMILY's List, a fundraising group for women Democratic candidates; and Ray Romero, a lawyer and former business executive.

Blagojevich then turned his attention to Flanagan. Following the national playbook of House Democratic challengers, Blagojevich portrayed himself as a moderate and his opponent as an extremist.

He cited Republican-sponsored cuts in the projected growth of Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly, and Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for the poor and disabled.

Flanagan, who had moved away from the Republican Party line in the second session of the 104th Congress, contended that he served as Chicago's link to the House GOP majority. He pointed to the federal funding Congress authorized during the 104th Congress for erosion projects along Lake Michigan.

Flanagan concentrated on constituent service and held many town meetings. He contended that his conservative voting record was in line with the views of the 5th District's residents, who supported President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and Vice President George Bush in 1988.

Blagojevich, a former Golden Gloves boxer who served as an assistant state attorney before winning election to the state legislature, made crime a center-piece of his legislative career and his congressional campaign.

In Springfield, he pushed legislation revoking gun permits for people convicted of stalking or domestic violence and supported efforts to require violent criminals to spend more of their sentences behind bars.

As a congressman, he said, he will work on legislation to provide assistance to cities, such as Chicago, that are fighting crime and gang violence. He has called for prohibiting people under age 21 from possessing handguns, making it a felony offense to threaten someone who refuses to join a gang, and requiring people convicted of defacing public property with graffiti to perform community service.

In Washington, Blagojevich ran into some early trouble. During freshman orientation, he headed over to what he thought was the Longworth House Office Building. It turned out to be the Library of Congress.

Then he failed in his effort to land on the Appropriations or the Judiciary committees, winding up instead with seats on the Government Reform and Oversight and the National Security committees.

© 1997, Congressional Quarterly Inc. All rights reserved.

Illinois - 7th District

Representative-Elect
Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.)

Born: Sept. 6, 1941, Parkdale, Ark.
Education: Arkansas A.M.&N. College, B.A. 1961; Chicago State U., M.A. 1968; Union Institute, Ph.D. 1977.
Occupation: Health care consultant; teacher.
Family: Wife, Vera; two children.
Religion: Baptist.
Political Career: Chicago Alderman, 1979-90; sought Democratic nomination for U.S. House, 1984, 1986; Cook County commissioner, 1990-97; candidate for Chicago mayor, 1991.
Capitol Office: 1218 Longworth Bldg. 20515; 225-5006.

By Congressional Quarterly

The third time proved the charm for Davis, who twice ran unsuccessful primary challenges to incumbent Democratic Rep. Cardiss Collins in the 1980s. A close associate of the late black Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, Davis claimed Collins was too close to the Chicago Democratic organization.

When Collins announced her retirement after 11 full terms, Davis -- a Cook County commissioner and former Chicago city alderman -- jumped into the race to succeed her. The best-known of the contenders, he immediately became a front-runner, thanks to his reputation as a forceful orator and strong defender of inner-city programs.

But his opposition to the Democratic organization, including a futile 1991 challenge to Mayor Richard M. Daley, came back to haunt him. The party hierarchy lined up behind other candidates in the primary, the winner of which would be all but assured of victory in the heavily black and Democratic district.

Many party leaders supported Chicago Alderman Percy Giles, who was expected to be a top-line contender but found himself ensnared in allegations linking him to an ongoing corruption scandal. Though he was not charged, his campaign was damaged severely.

With Giles wounded by the investigation and no other candidate able to catch on, Davis easily lapped a 10-person field to win.

During the primary campaign, he touted his efforts to improve education, reduce crime, and spur economic growth. He was endorsed by retiring Sen. Paul Simon, Rep. Bobby L. Rush, and most of organized labor, including the AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers, Teamsters, and the Chicago Teachers Union.

In the fall, he had no trouble defeating Republican nominee Randy Borow, who called for tax cuts to spur economic growth in urban areas. Davis defended government-funded efforts to help inner cities and called for more federal funding for job training programs.

Davis is a down-the-line supporter of other government programs as well. He supports increasing federal aid to education and the AmeriCorps community volunteer program. He also called for summer jobs programs for youth, funding to schools for local anti-violence programs, and efforts to fight drugs in schools.

A liberal, he supports abortion rights, a single-payer national health care system, and legislation to prevent discrimination against gays and lesbians in the military, housing and employment. He opposes term limits and opposes taxpayer-financed vouchers to allow students to attend private or religious schools. He supports the Equal Rights Amendment, wants to increase job training for welfare recipients, and has proposed making federal elected officials subject to sexual harassment laws.

He said he would work to protect the environment and ward off cuts to Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled.

But despite his decidedly left-of-center views, Davis said he wants to work with lawmakers on the other side of the aisle. He said this year's freshman class was more interested in finding solutions than in fighting the partisan battles that characterized the start of the 104th Congress.

A native of Arkansas who first came to Chicago in 1961, Davis is a former high school teacher and college instructor. He has worked as a health planner and administrator, has hosted a weekly radio talk show, and has a long history of community involvement in civil rights and housing issues. He co-chaired President Clinton's 1992 campaign in Illinois and was named by Clinton to the board of directors of the National Housing Partnership.

In the 105th Congress, Davis will sit on the Science and Small Business committees.

© 1997, Congressional Quarterly Inc. All rights reserved.


To purchase CQ's authoritative New Member Special Report, a comprehensive first look at the new 105th Congress, visit the CQ Mall.




AllPolitics home page

[http://Pathfinder.com]

Copyright © 1997 AllPolitics All Rights Reserved
Terms under which this information is provided to you

[http://CNN.com]