th The New Members of the 113 Congress DECEMBER 14, 2012 The following is an analysis of the biographies and records of 96 newly-elected members of the 113th Congress, with a special emphasis on issues of particular interest. This information is based on publicly available information, as well as candidates’ campaign websites. Democrats will have made a net gain of eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives with 49 of them Democrats and 35 Republicans. As of now, the new balance of power comes to 234 Republicans and 200 Democrats. Interestingly, two new House seats recently became available as Representatives Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) resigned from Congress since the November 8th election. In the Senate, there will be 12 new Members, with the Democrats, surprisingly picking up two seats, bringing their total majority to 54. In addition, a total of 20 women will be serving in the 113th Congress, which is the highest number to ever have served in this chamber. The Members are bookmarked by chamber and state for easy navigation: U.S. Senate Arizona Maine North Dakota Connecticut Massachusetts Texas Hawaii Nebraska Virginia Indiana New Mexico Wisconsin U.S. House of Representatives Arizona Kentucky New Pennsylvania Arkansas Maryland Hampshire South California Massachusetts New Jersey Carolina Connecticut Michigan New Mexico Texas Florida Minnesota New York Utah Georgia Missouri N. Carolina Washington Hawaii Montana N. Dakota Wisconsin Illinois Nevada Ohio Indiana Oklahoma U.S. Senate ARIZONA Jeff Flake (R-AZ) Jeff Flake won the seat left open by retiring Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), and comes to the Senate after serving six terms as Representative of Arizona’s 6th congressional district. Flake graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU), where he received a BA in International Relations and an MA in Political Science. He worked in the public affairs sector after college and served as Executive Director of the Foundation for Democracy in Namibia and Executive Director of the Goldwater Institute before entering the House of Representatives. Flake believes that education is a local issue. He has opposed attempts to expand the reach of the federal government into education, including voting against the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. In 2003, he played a pivotal role in creating what he considers to be a scholarship program for children in failing schools in Washington DC, where the federal government has jurisdiction over education. CONNECTICUT Chris Murphy (D-CT) The son of a former English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, Chris Murphy won the seat vacated by four-term Independent Senator, Joe Lieberman. Murphy completed his undergraduate degree at Williams College majoring in both history and political science. He earned his law degree from University of Connecticut Law School. Murphy interned for US Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and worked for Connecticut State Senate Majority Leader George Jepsen. While serving as Connecticut State Senator, Murphy authored legislation that established the Office of Child Protection to coordinate advocacy for abused and neglected children. Murphy also wrote Public Act 05-149, an act permitting stem-cell research while prohibiting human cloning, making Connecticut the third state in the nation to permit taxpayer-subsidized stem-cell research. As Representative of the 5th congressional district of Connecticut, Murphy helped pass the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act and remains committed to fully funding Head Start. He also supports full funding of the No Child Left Behind Act and expanding initiatives that make college more affordable and widely-accessible, such as federal grant funding, cutting interest rates on federal student loans, and simplifying the aid application process. HAWAII Mazie Hirono (D-HI) Mazie Hirono won retiring Democratic Senator Daniel Akaka’s seat ushering in a wave of firsts. She is the first Japanese immigrant to be elected senator. She will also be the first Buddhist and Asian- American woman. She will be the first woman senator to represent the Aloha State, and is already the first foreign-born woman of Asian ancestry to be sworn into Congressional office. Hirono graduated from the University of Hawaii and earned a law degree from Georgetown University. In 2006, Hirono beat GOP State Senator Bob Hogue in a district that has never elected a Republican and became the first Asian immigrant woman to serve in Congress. As a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, she has made early childhood education one of her signature issues. INDIANA Joe Donnelly (D-IN) Joe Donnelly won the seat left open by US Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) who lost his party’s re- nomination in the Republican primary election. Donnelly comes to the Senate after serving as US Representative of Indiana’s 2nd congressional district for four terms. In Congress, he serves on two committees: Financial Services and Veterans’ Affairs. Prior to serving in Congress, he operated a small business in Mishawaka and served on the Indiana State Election Board. Additionally, he was a member of the School Board for Mishawaka Marian High School from 1997 to 2001, serving as President during the 2000 to 2001 term. During his time serving in Congress, Congressman Donnelly has worked to make college education more affordable. He cites among his achievements his vote to cut the interest rate in half on subsidized loans, increase the maximum Pell Grant by 27%, incentivize colleges to keep tuition increases to less than one percent per year, and create and extend the "American Opportunity" tax credit of $2,500 through 2012. Donnelly earned an undergraduate degree in government and a law degree from the University of Notre Dame. MAINE Angus King (I-ME) Former 71st Governor of Maine, Angus King, won the seat left open by retiring Senator Olympia Snow ( R-ME). Angus King was elected Maine’s 71st Governor in 1994, becoming Maine’s second independent governor. Four years later the people of Maine reelected King by one of the largest margins of victory in the state’s history. He was one of only two independent governors in the country. He is pro-choice and the son of two teachers. King believes that affordable education, whether at a college or vocational school, is one of the keys to prosperity and a better quality of life. One way King believes this can be done is tying the interest rate on federal loans to the 10 year T-Note, arguing that under this mechanism, the government doesn’t lose money, but also doesn’t make money off of our students. King also would like to prioritize and provide additional support for students who want to start a business. King attended Dartmouth College and law school at the University of Virginia. MASSACHUSETTS Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren defeated Republican incumbent Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate race. Warren earned a degree in speech pathology and audiology from the University of Houston. She earned a law degree from Rutgers University. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Elizabeth served as Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Her efforts there won praise from democrats but were highly controversial among many conservative republicans. Warren supports more investment in public colleges and universities, advanced technical training programs, and early childhood education. She plans to work collaboratively with teachers to improve the performance of students, teachers, and school. NEBRASKA Deb Fischer (R-NE) Assuming the senate seat left open by retiring Democrat Ben Nelson, Mrs. Fischer has represented Nebraska’s 43rd District in the State Legislature since 2005. Daughter of a schoolteacher, Fischer earned Sources: 3/26 National Journal; CQ Politics; Congress Daily; Campaign Web sites a BA in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and got her start in politics on the Valentine Rural High School Board. She subsequently served as President of the Nebraska Association of School Boards and a Commissioner on the Coordinating Commission for Post-Secondary Education, earning several state and local education awards in the process. In the statehouse, Fischer has opposed measures to establish statewide testing standards and opposed state college aid to the children of illegal immigrants. NEW MEXICO Martin Heinrich (D-NM) Assuming the senate seat left open by retiring Democrat Jeff Bingaman, Mr. Heinrich has represented New Mexico’s 1st congressional district since 2009. An engineering graduate of the University of Missouri, he worked in an executive capacity for regional nonprofits promoting science education and environmental initiatives before starting his political career on the Albuquerque City Council. In Congress, Heinrich’s education portfolio includes support for DREAM Act provisions affecting college students, support for increased early childhood education funding (Head Start), and opposition to Pell grant funding cuts. He served on the House Armed Services and Natural Resource Committees. NORTH DAKOTA Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) Assuming the senate seat left open by retiring Democrat Kent Conrad, Heidi Heitkamp has been an executive with the Dakota Gasification Company since 2000, following an eight-year stint as Attorney General of North Dakota and a term as state Tax Commissioner. Heitkamp holds an undergraduate degree from University of North Dakota and a J.D. from Oregon’s Lewis and Clark Law School. On education issues, she has pledged to work for increased early childhood funding through Head Start and similar federal programs, in addition to more resources for special education and other measures to further promote NCLB flexibility. TEXAS Ted Cruz (R-TX) Assuming the senate seat left open by retiring Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, Ted Cruz ended a five- year stint as Texas Solicitor General in 2008 and to become a partner with the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.