| ISSUEFOCUS
October 2002 IBEW Journal
Fear and Anger Make for Volatile
Midterm Elections; Working People Can Make the Difference
The prosperity of the 1990s seems
like a distant memory. The security of the homeland has been
shaken. The corporate greedfest has undermined the economy,
damaged the pension funds of working people and hurt the job
outlook, perhaps for years.
In this atmosphere, IBEW members
and all American citizens go the polls on November 5.
In the September issue, the IBEW
Journal presented an overview of the issues that affect each
and every working man and woman and their families and communities.
In this issue, the Journal discusses some of the key races
that will determine how those issues are resolved.
Due to redistricting and the
power of incumbency, there are only a relatively few races
for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that are truly
competitive. Yet, these few will determine whether long-time
IBEW friend and labor ally Richard Gephardt (D-MO) takes the
reins as Speaker of the House, or whether the agenda continues
to be set by current Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and his
chief deputy Tom DeLay (R-TX), the darling of nonunion construction
contractors, Enron, and every other corporate force that would
like to get rid of unions.
In the Senate, the fortunes of
working people changed dramatically when Tom Daschle (D-SD)
took the Majority Leader post from the staunchly anti-labor
Trent Lott (R-MS). The switch of Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT)
from Republican to Independent gave the Democrats a one-vote
majority, but that was enough to change the tone of the agenda
in that chamber. The Senate has been a vital roadblock to
many of the Bush Administrations initiatives that would erode
the rights of working people.
Below are featured some of the
most competitive Senate and House races where IBEW members
can make a crucial difference. Voting records of incumbents
are included. For information on more races and the voting
records of all members of Congress, visit our Congressional
Action Center.
| Republican
Members Deserving Support |
The Republican leadership
in the House is staunchly anti-union, but many individual
Republican members have supported working families
on important votes. The following GOP members of the
House deserve mention for showing leadership in working
with organized labor for balanced and fair legislation.
|
Connecticut
Christopher Shays
Florida
Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Illinois
Ray LaHood
|
New
Jersey
Mike Ferguson
Frank LoBiondo
Christopher Smith
New York
Sherwood Boehlert
Peter King
John McHugh
Jack Quinn
|
Ohio
Bob Ney Pennsylvania
Phil English
Curt Weldon
Tennessee
Zach Wamp |
|
IBEW
Members Running For Congress
In these House races, IBEW members hope to take
their political activism to a higher level of public
service. |
California (39th
District)
IBEW Local 441 member Linda Sanchez decisively beat
five other candidates to win the Democratic nomination
for this open seat. The new district in Orange County
is considered a Democratic stronghold. Sanchez, who
is the sister of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.),
is running against Republican Tim Escobar. Sanchez
serves as executive secretary-treasurer of the Orange
County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. If elected
to Congress, Sanchez plans to make the issues of job
security and affordable health care top priorities.
|
Indiana (4th
District)
IBEW member Bill Abbott is challenging incumbent Republican
Steve Buyer for this seat that has been reshaped by
redistricting. Abbott, an executive board member of
Local 2249, Bloomington, is running on a platform
of job retention in an area hit hard by manufacturing
losses. His motto is "A Working Man for Hard
Working Hoosier Families." Buyer, who was first
elected in 1992, has compiled a pro-corporate record. |
|
House Votes |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
W |
|
Steve Buyer
(R) |
W |
W |
R |
W |
W |
R |
W |
W |
W |
2 |
7 |
|
|
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