FEDERAL CANDIDATES

Mishonda Baldwin lost her primary
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Maryland District 3

v     Mishonda served in the armed forces during Desert Storm. She is the highest-ranking African American woman ever to have served in combat.

v     If Mishonda wins her race, she will be the first black woman to serve the people of Maryland in the House of Representatives.

v    Mishonda’s education includes a Law Degree from the University of Baltimore, a degree in Psychology from Bowie State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Policy from Connecticut University, and she is currently working on her Masters of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary.

Regina Bartholomew  lost her election
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Louisiana District 2

v    Regina Bartholomew is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana.  She earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1999. While in law school, she was inducted into the National Order of Barristers and was featured in Who’s Who Among Students in American Law Schools. Ms. Bartholomew is a lifelong Democrat.

v  Ms. Bartholomew’s most recent employment was as General Counsel for the Orleans Parish School Board. Prior to this, Regina worked as an attorney in private practice, and with the United States Government at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor. Upon completing law school, she held a  judicial clerkship with Judges Becnel, Jasmine and Snowdy at the Fortieth Judicial District Court in Edgard, Louisiana.

Darcy Burner  lost her election
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Washington District 8

v    Darcy received her BA from Harvard University in Economics and Computer Science.  She most recently worked as an executive for Microsoft before deciding to run for office.

v    Darcy recently had a fundraiser in Washington State where several Washington State Congressmen, Rep. Brian Baird, Rep. Norm Dicks, Rep. Jay Inslee, Rep. Rick Larsen, Rep. Jim McDermott and Rep. Adam Smith, publicly endorsed her campaign.  She also has the support of Governor Gary Locke.

v    The 8^th District has never elected a Democrat to Congress, but has favored Democrats in most other races, including Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Patty Murray and John Kerry.

  v    According to journalist Charlie Cook, Rep. Dave Reichert will be vulnerable this cycle so the Democrats have a chance to pick up this seat.  Howard Dean says the most important thing that Democrats can do this cycle is vote for Darcy Burner.

Capri Cafaro: lost her primary
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Ohio District 13

v    Capri is running in Ohio’s 13^th District. She ran in the 14^th in 2004 and was defeated, but she is determined to be successful in this race. 

v    Her current race is for an open seat, and there are nine primary opponents.

v    Prior to running for Congress, Capri founded her own communication company to serve non-profit organizations.

v    She believes that part of the reason there are not more women in office is that they don’t keep trying. After being defeated in their initial attempt, many women are afraid or hesitant to run again. Men, on the other hand, try again and again to become elected. “When women run again, women get elected,” she asserts.

Paloma Capanna* withdrew from the race
Democratic Congressional Candidate
New York District 25

v    Capanna  is a 39 year old family and matrimonial attorney , who is also a published poet.  

v    Her race was against Republican incumbent James Walsh.  Dan Maffei prevailed in the crowded Democratic primary.

*WUFPAC was in the process of evaluating this candidate for endorsement when she withdrew from the race.

Karen Carter lost her election
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Louisiana District 2

v    State Rep. Carter, 36, recently received the endorsement of the Louisiana Democratic Party, a welcome surprise considering the number of challengers running against Democratic incumbent William Jefferson.

v   Carter is the youngest female, and the only elected official, to receive the New Frontier Award from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. It is given to leaders under 40 "whose contributions in elective office, community service or advocacy demonstrate the impact and value of public service in the spirit of John F. Kennedy."

 v   Carter received her B.BA in International Business and Marketing from Howard University in 1991, and went on to receive her JD from Tulane Law School. While at Tulane, she was a visiting student at Boston College Law School and University of Virginia School of Law.

Kathy Castor WON!
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Florida District 11

v    Kathy’s mother, Betty Castor, ran for Senate in 2004.

v Kathy is currently the County Commissioner for Hillsborough County, Florida, which is part of Florida's 11th Congressional District.  She was elected to this position in 2002.

v Kathy has a law degree from Florida State University of Law.  Before being elected as County Commissioner, she lost a very competitive race for state senate.

Gaby Downey* lost her primary
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Ohio District 2

v    Downey was a government and history teacher for 13 years before deciding to run for office.  

v She was running for freshman Republican Jean Schmidt's seat in Congress.

*WUFPAC was in the process of evaluating this candidate for endorsement when she lost her primary 

Tammy Duckworth lost her election
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Illinois District 6

v    Tammy was seriously injured while serving on active duty in Iraq. As a result of the injuries, she lost both of her legs and gets around by way of prosthetics. 

v    Members of the Illinois Democratic Party, most notably Senators Barak Obama and Dick Durbin, recruited Tammy to run for office. Some of Tammy’s endorsements include the AFL-CIO, EMILY’s List and the Chicago-Tribune.

v    Working on a doctorate in political science at Northern Illinois University when she was deployed to Iraq, Tammy is also a published author, with papers and textbook contributions on the link between environmental health hazards and cancer.

v    Tammy is running for the open seat vacated by Rep. Henry Hyde who retired. She won the primary on March 21st, 2006, winning 44% of the vote.

Gabrielle Giffords  WON!
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Arizona District 8

v    Gabrielle is endorsed by three labor unions, The Arizona State Association of Electrical Workers, the Arizona State Council of Machinists and Aero Space Workers, and the International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

v    She far surpassed her opponents’ fundraising efforts by collecting nearly $250,000 in less than a month.

v    The Washington Post recently commented on the race: “Rep. Jim Kolbe’s (R) decision in November to retire from this Southern Arizona District gives Democrats a real chance to gain the seat.  The moderate Kolbe has easily held the district since 1984… but Democrats got their top-choice candidate when state Sen. Gabrielle Giffords announced her intention to run." She has  also been recently endorsed by EMILY'S List.

Kirsten Rutnik Gillibrand WON!
Democratic Congressional Candidate
New York District 20

v    State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer endorsed Kirsten at an official campaign launch, pledging that Kirsten was a candidate who would fight an aggressive battle against congressional corruption and will clean up the culture of corruption plaguing Washington, DC.

v   She has received support from each of the 10 county Democratic Chairs in New York.

v    District 20 is 2-1 Republican, but several Democrats have recently been elected to city council, town board, and other local seats.   

Tessa Hafen lost her election
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Nevada District 3

v    For the past eight years, she has worked for Senator Harry Reid as his press secretary and senior advisor

v    She is a third generation southern Nevadan from Henderson. Her father serves on the Henderson City Council

  v    Hafen is running against incumbent Republican Jon Porter in a race that the Las Vegas Sun calls "so tight that both parties have targeted it as one of the closest in the nation."

Representative Stephanie Herseth WON!
Democratic Congressional Candidate
South Dakota At-Large House Seat

v    Rep. Herseth was elected as the FIRST woman to Congress by South Dakota during a 2004 special election. She is currently finishing her first full term.

v    She is the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee for Economic Opportunity.  On March 9^th she outlined three  initiatives to improve Economic Opportunity for Veterans.

v    Rep. Herseth served as the Executive Director of the Farmers Union Foundation in 2003.

v    South Dakota is largely rural and has a tradition on electing new leadership to its lone House seat.

Jennifer Lawless lost her primary
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Rhode Island District 2

v    A nationally recognized expert on women’s involvement in politics, Jen was inspired to run while writing a book, It Takes a Candidate on why women don’t run for office.

v    Jen is currently a professor at Brown University.

v    Jen is running against fellow Democrat James Langevin who has held the seat since 2000. She feels that that his pro-life position is out of touch with the district. (She is pro-choice).

Tammy Lee lost her election

Independence Congressional Candidate
Minnesota District 5

v  Tammy Lee is hoping to become the first member of Congress elected under the Independence party ticket.  She is WUFPAC’s first independent candidate for Congress.

v Her airline and travel industry business earned her the honor of being named Corporate Woman of Achievement by the MN National Association of Women Business Owners.

v  She worked in politics as an aide to U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan and as communications director for Skip Humphrey’s Governor’s race in 1998.  Lee also covered political news as a member of the Capitol Hill and White House Press Corps and also worked as the national breaking news producer for the Fox News Channel.

Alexa Lewis lost her primary
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Oregon District 1

v    Alexa is married, and has two children ages 2 and 4. Her first child, Emma, died 15 days after birth; Emma would have been 6 years old now. This tragedy influenced Alexa’s decision to run.

v    Alexa’s priorities include individual voter rights, ensuring the right to reproductive freedom, and protection of sex education in public schools.

 v   She has a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Idaho. She was an automotive finance executive before leaving her job to raise her children.

Representative Cathy McMorris  WON!
Republican Congressional Candidate
Washington  District 5

v    Rep. McMorris now serves on the Armed Services, Education and the Workforce and Resources Committees in the House.

v    Before becoming a Congresswoman, Rep. McMorris served in the Washington State House of Representatives for 10 years and was the House Minority Leader.  She was only 24 years old when she was elected State Representative.

v    Rep. McMorris was awarded the “Legislator of the Year” by the Washington Farm Bureau and also “Outstanding Legislator” by the National Federation of Independent Business.

v    In the 2004 election cycle, Rep. McMorris received  60% of the vote during the general election.

Representative Linda Sanchez WON!
Democratic Congressional Candidate
California District 39

v    Rep. Sanchez currently serves on the House Judiciary Committee, is a member of the Hispanic Caucus, and is the assistant minority whip for the Democratic party.

v     Rep. Sanchez’s sister, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, is the Representative for California’s 47^th District. The Representatives are the first women of any relation to serve together in the House.

v    Representative Sanchez has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature with an emphasis on Bilingual Education from the University of California and a Law Degree from U.C.L.A.

Representative 
Debbie Wasserman Schultz WON!
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Florida District 20

v    Rep. Wasserman Schultz currently serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Financial Services. She also serves on the Whip team as Senior Whip.

v    Recently recruited by the DCCC to serve as co-chairman of its “Red to Blue” program, she will help to raise money for and mentor Democratic House challengers.

v     Rep. Wasserman Schultz became the youngest woman ever elected to the Florida State Legislature at age 26. While in the Florida State House, she served as House Democratic Leader Pro Tempore, House Democratic Floor Leader and Chair of the Broward Legislative Delegation; she also chaired the House Committee on Higher Education.

v She is married and has three young children, including an infant.

v    Nikki worked as Representative Harold Ford Jr.’s campaign manager during the past two election cycles so she has strong ties to the seat.

  v She currently works as the General Counsel and Vice President of Labor Relations for Northwest Airlink/Pinnacle Airlines.

        v    Nikki has widespread support including celebrities Morgan Freeman and Justin Timberlake (both natives of Memphis) and nationwide powerhouse EMILY’s List.

* Two under 40 candidates in the general election, Anne Melichar running in Illinois District 4, and Leigh Anne Belew, running in New Jersey District 6 were not endorsed by WUFPAC because, despite our tireless efforts, we were unable to find any information regarding their campaigns. Both candidates were unsuccessful.