CANDIDATES GUIDE
The Council's central mission is to organize financial support for congressional candidates that are pro-arms control. This financial support serves two purposes: to elect pro-arms control candidates and reinforce the public's support for arms control policies with members of Congress. The Council endorses and fundraises for both Senate and House candidates.
Senator Daniel Akaka (D – HI)
profile | donate |- As the first native Hawaiian in the Senate, Senator Akaka has been especially concerned with native Hawaiian rights. Because Hawaii occupies such a vulnerable geographic position, Senator Akaka remains a dedicated ally of the nonproliferation community. He supported ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and has played a leading role on bioterrorism and bioweapons proliferation. He has also worked to ward off administration attempts to cut the budget of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. With a Council Senate National Security Index of 92%, Senator Akaka will be an important ally in the fight against proliferation after 2006.
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D – NM)
profile | donate |- As Ranking Member on the Energy Committee, Senator Bingaman occupies an important position affecting proper nuclear policy. In this capacity, Senator Bingaman has opposed new nuclear weapons and endorsed further reductions in the world’s nuclear arsenals. Sen. Bingaman has led the fight against the Bush Administration's plans to build a space-based test bed for offensive weapons in space and in opposition to other space-based weapons. He has voted against national missile defense and against authorizing the use of force in Iraq. For his domestic agenda in the past term, Senator Bingaman has worked to improve auto fuel standards, expel junk food from schools, protect the environment, and increase standards of education. He narrowly won reelection in 2000 and may face a stiff challenge in 2006.
Congressman Sherrod Brown (D – OH)
profile | donate |- In Ohio, Democrats have an opportunity to pick up a Senate seat by ousting the weak Republican incumbent, Mike DeWine, a conservative Senator with some of the lowest approval ratings in the country. Ohio appears to be the epicenter of political corruption these days: Republican Governor Bob Taft recently pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges of failing to report gifts; there is a ongoing investigation in the state Bureau of Workers Compensation; U.S. Representatives Robert Ney could well be indicted for bribery in the Abramoff-Scanlon scandal. Voters’ anger at Republicans, who hold all of Ohio’s statewide elected offices, both of its U.S. Senate seats and 12 of its 18 seats in the U.S. House, is palpable.
Senator Robert Byrd (D – WV)
profile | donate |- From humble beginnings, Senator Byrd has worked to establish himself as a legend in the Senate. With more than 17,000 votes, Senator Byrd holds the record for answering roll calls and his 9th term would mark the longest service in Senate history. Senator Byrd has fought the Bush Administration’s fiscal irresponsibility and sought to assert the rightful role of the Senate in restraining the President’s doctrine of preemption and endless war in Iraq. He opposes missile defense deployment without the proper testing and he opposes new nuclear weapons. As ranking member of the very powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Byrd is a staunch ally in the fight against irresponsible Pentagon policies.
Congressman Ben Cardin (D – MD)
profile | donate |- Rep. Ben Cardin is running for the United States Senate to replace Senator Paul Sarbanes, who is retiring after five terms. His outstanding record on issues is highlighted by his vote in October 2002 against authorizing the use of force in Iraq. Cardin is well-known and highly respected in Maryland politics. A courageous progressive, he is the frontrunner for the seat against Democratic primary competition and an aggressive Republican candidate. While the other Democratic candidates are worthy, Council for a Livable World believes it is necessary to unite behind the candidacy of the best candidate well before the late September 12 primary in order to retain this important Senate seat. The other Democratic candidates are former NAACP president and former U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume, political science professor Allan Lichtman, forensic psychiatrist Lise Van Susteren and developer Josh Rales.
Senator Thomas Carper (D – DE)
profile | donate |- Senator Carper is an important influence in the Democratic caucus and co-chairs the New Democrat caucus. Senator Carper has supported reductions in the world’s nuclear arsenals, opposed wasteful national missile defense, and opposed new nuclear weapons. Senator Carper has also worked on initiatives for responsible energy use, higher education standards, public housing, and welfare reform. Senator Carper has an ability to build consensus that makes him a valued partner now and after his reelection in 2006.
Senator Lincoln Chafee (R – RI)
profile | donate |- Ever the maverick, Senator Chafee has proven himself a valuable ally on key national security issues. Despite only supporting the Council’s position on 4 of the 12 tracked votes from 2001-2004, Senator Chafee has been a persistent antagonist of President Bush’s policies. He voted against authorizing the use of force in Iraq and has opposed building new nuclear weapons. He also opposed abandoning the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Domestically, Senator Chafee opposed the Bush tax cuts in 2003 and supported the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform. He expressed discontent with many of President Bush’s policies including those on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Kyoto Treaty. In 2004, Senator Chafee announced that he would not vote for his party’s candidate for president – George W. Bush. Because Senator Chafee does not fall in line with his party’s right wing, he may have a tough reelection race in Rhode Island from both his party and the Democratic Party.
Senator Kent Conrad (D – ND)
profile | donate |- Since 1986, Senator Kent Conrad has thrived as a Democrat in the heavily Republican state of North Dakota. In 2006, Republicans hope that Conrad shares the fate of defeated South Dakotan Senator Tom Daschle. Senator Conrad has served since 2001 as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, resisting the deficit spending of the Bush Administration. He is also a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Agricultural Committee. In addition to being known as a friend to the farmer, Senator Conrad has worked to secure the loose tactical nuclear weapons in Russia and to reinforce the strength and resources of America’s first responders.
Congressman Bob Filner (D – CA)
profile | donate |- Bob Filner has been one of the most reliable supporters of arms control and nuclear disarmament since he was first elected in 1992. Now his reelection is threatened by redistricting that boosts the constituency of his challenger in the Democratic primary. Republicans are weak in the 51st District in California, so winning the primary is tantamount to election.
Ned Lamont (D – CT)
profile | donate |- The Democratic primary on August 8 in Connecticut will be a referendum on incumbent Senator Joseph Lieberman and his all-out support for the American invasion of Iraq. Lieberman is not just an unrepentant hawk; he has worked hand-in-glove with the Bush Administration to attack war critics while insisting on a picture of the situation within Iraq that is totally at odds with the facts.
Congressman Nick Lampson (D – TX)
profile | donate |- Tom DeLay is the virtual dictator of the right wing that controls the Republican party in the House of Representatives. Repeatedly reprimanded by the House Ethics Committee, DeLay is under indictment in Texas, facing charges involving illegal corporate campaign contributions and other violations. He should not be in Congress. In the 2006 election, DeLay can be defeated by Nick Lampson, a former Democratic Congressman who is also a proven supporter of arms control.
Senator Richard Lugar (R – IN)
profile | donate |- Senator Richard Lugar has had the unique opportunity of having been the longest serving Senate Hoosier in Indiana’s history, and as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he has become an immensely important ally to arms control and non-proliferation efforts through the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program.
When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Senator Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) recognized the proliferation risk of the USSR’s arsenals of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons becoming lost, stolen, or sold to nations or individuals. To prevent the risks associated with these weapons falling into the wrong hands, the two Senators created the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program to safeguard and dismantle nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.
Eric Massa (D – NY)
profile | donate |- Eric Massa is a career naval officer who served as a top aid to Gen. Wesley Clarke during the NATO peacekeeping operation in Bosnia. After 24 years in the military, he left the Navy at the rank of Commander and moved to the 29th district to take a job with Corning. Following the company layoffs, Massa took a position on the staff of the House Armed Services Committee, where he actively opposed the invasion of Iraq.
Congressman Jim Matheson (D – UT)
profile | donate |- The lone Democratic Representative in a highly conservative state, Jim Matheson always has close elections. In 2002 he won reelection by just 1,600 votes, and he has never won by more than 56%. In both 2000 and 2004, George W. Bush won more than 65% of the vote in Matheson’s district. Matheson is already a top Republican target for 2006.
Senator Robert Menendez (D – NJ)
profile | donate |- This November, New Jersey’s newest Senator, Robert Menendez, will face Republican Tom Kean, Jr. in a race that will determine whether or not Menendez will retain the Senate seat to which he was recently appointed. The seat was vacated when Jon Corzine was elected Governor of the state. Menendez will not face a primary challenge but will have a tough race against Tom Kean, Jr., the likely Republican nominee.
Lois Murphy (D – PA)
profile | donate |- One of the most closely watched races in the country is the rematch between Lois Murphy and Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach in Pennsylvania’s 6th district. In 2004, the largely unknown Murphy came from behind to nearly defeat Gerlach, 51%-49%. After the election, she continued her political activities, setting her sights on the 2006 election.
Congressman John Salazar (D – CO)
profile | donate |- One of the few bright spots for Democrats in the 2004 election was John Salazar’s narrow victory picking up the Republican seat in Colorado’s 3rd district. Salazar beat Greg Walcher by 51% to 47%, while George Bush won the district with a solid 55%.
Congressman Bernie Sanders (I – VT)
profile | donate |- Congressman Sanders, known in Vermont simply as “Bernie,” grew up in Brooklyn, the son of a Polish immigrant paint salesman. After attending the University of Chicago, Bernie moved to Vermont in 1968. In 1981, sincere if unkempt, he was elected mayor of Burlington. In 1988, he ran for the House and lost. He ran again in 1990 against the same opponent and won, partially due to the unusual politics of Vermont’s distaste for gun control. In 1994, his support of a ban on assault weapons resulted in his closest race before or since – a 50%-47% victory. He has won solidly ever since.
Congressman John Spratt (D – SC)
profile | donate |- John Spratt was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1982. Over the next twenty years, Spratt established himself as a tireless advocate for arms control and sensible foreign policy.
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D – MI)
profile | donate |- Debbie Stabenow made history in 2000 when she became the first woman from the State of Michigan elected to the United States Senate, defeating incumbent Senator Spencer Abraham in a hard fought race that drew national attention. She faces her first reelection with enthusiastic support from Council for a Livable World.
Senator John Tester (D – MT)
profile | donate |- Tester is committed to arms control, as indicated by his responses to the Council questionnaire and several interviews. He supports steps to avoid an accidental nuclear launch, like removing nuclear weapons from hair-trigger alert. Tester supports ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and and opposes building the nuclear bunker buster weapon. He opposes deploying an untested and unnecessary national missile defense.
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D – CA)
profile | donate |- Lynn Woolsey has one of the most progressive national security records in the House of Representatives. She is an acknowledged leader on arms control, military budget and foreign policy issues. She has been especially active in opposing the war in Iraq, calling for the immediate return of American troops.
