name	Olympia Snowe
jr/sr	Senior Senator
state	Maine
party	Republican
alongside	Susan Collins
term start	January 3, 1995
preceded	George J. Mitchell
order2	First Lady of Maine
term start2	February 24, 1989
term end2	January 9, 1995
preceded2	Constance Brennan
succeeded2	Mary King
state3	Maine
district3	2nd
term start3	January 3, 1979
term end3	January 3, 1995
preceded3	William Cohen
succeeded3	John Baldacci
order4	Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
term start4	January 3, 2003
term end4	January 3, 2007
preceded4	John Kerry
succeeded4	John Kerry
birth date	February 21, 1947
birth place	Augusta, Maine
residence	Falmouth, Maine
occupation	Senator
spouse	(1) Peter Snowe (deceased)(2) John R. McKernan, Jr.
alma mater	University of Maine (B.A.)
religion	Orthodox Christian
signature	Olympia Snowe Signature.svg
website	Senator Olympia Snowe }}

Olympia Jean Snowe (born February 21, 1947), née Bouchles, is the senior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. Snowe has become widely known for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters. She and her fellow Senator from Maine, Susan Collins, are regarded as moderates within their party. In 2006, she was named one of America's Top Ten Senators by ''Time'' Magazine.

Early life

Snowe was born Olympia Jean Bouchles in Augusta, Maine, the daughter of Georgia Goranites and George John Bouchles. Her father immigrated to the United States from Sparta in Greece. She is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Snowe's early life had its share of tragedies; her mother died of breast cancer when she was nine, and her father died of heart disease barely a year later. Orphaned, she was moved to Auburn, Maine, to be raised by her aunt and uncle, a textile mill worker and a barber, respectively, along with their five other children. Her brother John was raised separately, by other family members. Within a few years, disease would also claim her uncle's life.

Following her mother's death, Snowe was sent to St. Basil's Academy in Garrison, New York, where she remained from the third grade to the ninth. Returning to Auburn, she attended Edward Little High School, before entering the University of Maine in Orono, Maine in 1969, where she earned a degree in political science. Shortly after graduation, Bouchles married her fiancé, Republican state legislator Peter Snowe. She received an honorary degree from Bates College in 1998, and another from the University of Delaware in 2008.

Early political career

Snowe entered politics and rose quickly, winning a seat on the Board of Voter Registration and working for Congressman (later U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary of Defense) William Cohen. Tragedy struck Snowe again in 1973, when her husband was killed in an automobile accident. At the urging of family, friends, neighbors and local leaders, Snowe ran for her husband's Auburn-based seat in the Maine House of Representatives at the age of 26 and won. She was re-elected to the House in 1974, and, in 1976, won election to the Maine Senate, representing Androscoggin County. That same year, she was a delegate to both the state and national Republican conventions.

Snowe was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978, and represented Maine's 2nd Congressional District from 1979 to 1995. The district takes in most of the northern two-thirds of the state, including Bangor and her hometown of Auburn. She served as a member of the Budget and International Relations Committees.

Snowe married John "Jock" McKernan, then Governor of Maine, in February 1989. Tragedy struck Snowe yet again in 1991 when her stepson Peter McKernan died from a heart ailment at the age of 20. Snowe and McKernan had served together in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1986, when McKernan represented the 1st District. While Snowe was First Lady of Maine from 1989 to 1995, she served as a U.S. Representative and was elected and sworn in as a United States Senator.

U.S. Senate career

Elections

In 1994, when Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell declined to run for re-election, Snowe immediately declared her candidacy for the seat. The Democratic nominee was her House colleague, 1st District Congressman Tom Andrews. Snowe defeated Andrews 60–36%, carrying every county in the state. Snowe was part of the Republican election sweep of 1994, when the Republican party captured both the House and Senate for the first time since 1954. Snowe was easily reelected in 2000 over State Senate President Mark Lawrence, increasing her winning margin to 69%-31%.

Tenure

Snowe was an important voice during the Senate's 1999 impeachment trial of then-President Bill Clinton. She and fellow Maine Senator Susan Collins sponsored a motion that would have allowed the Senate to vote separately on the charges and the remedy — a "finding of fact" resolution. When the motion failed, Snowe and Collins voted to acquit, arguing that Clinton's perjury did not warrant his removal from office. Her occasional breaks with the Bush administration drew attacks from conservative Republicans; the Club for Growth and Concerned Women for America label her a "Republican In Name Only" (RINO). In February 2006, TheWhiteHouseProject.org named Snowe one of its "8 in '08", a group of eight female politicians who could possibly run and/or be elected president in 2008.

In April 2006, Snowe was selected by ''Time'' as one of "America's 10 Best Senators." She was the only woman so recognized. ''Time'' praised Snowe for her sensitivity to her constituents, also noting that: "Because of her centrist views and eagerness to get beyond partisan point scoring, Maine Republican Olympia Snowe is in the center of every policy debate in Washington."

Snowe did not miss any of the 657 votes on the Senate floor during the 110th Congress from 2007 to 2009. She was one of only eight senators who did not miss any votes during that session.

Snowe is the fourth woman to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the first to chair its seapower subcommittee, which oversees the Navy and Marine Corps. In 2001, Snowe became the first Republican woman to secure a full-term seat on the Senate Finance Committee.

Snowe was the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the United States House of Representatives; she is also the first woman to have served in both houses of a state legislature and both houses of the U.S. Congress. Additionally, she is the first Greek-American congresswoman. With her 1989 marriage to McKernan, she became the first person to simultaneously be a member of Congress and First Lady of a state. She has never lost an election in 35 years as an elected official, and in the 2006 midterm senatorial elections, Snowe won with a reported 73.99% of votes. Seven months ahead of the election, she had already raised $2.1 million.

Gang of 14

On May 23, 2005, Snowe was one of fourteen senators dubbed the Gang of 14, who defused a confrontation between Senate Democrats (who were filibustering several judicial nominees) and the Senate Republican leadership (who wanted to use the nominations as a flashpoint to eliminate filibusters on nominees through the so-called nuclear option). The Gang-brokered compromise precluded further filibusters and the implementation of the nuclear option for the remainder of the 109th Congress; under its terms, the Democrats retained the power to filibuster a Bush judicial nominee in an "extraordinary circumstance," and nominees (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor) received a simple majority vote by the full Senate.

The Gang later played an important role in the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito, as they asserted that neither met the "extraordinary circumstances" provision outlined in their agreement. Snowe ultimately voted for both Roberts and Alito.

Committee assignments

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

*Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security

*Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet

*Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance

*Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard (Ranking Member)

*Subcommittee on Science and Space

*Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security

Committee on Finance

*Subcommittee on Health Care

*Subcommittee on Taxation, IRS Oversight, and Long-term Growth

*Subcommittee on International Trade and Global Competitiveness

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (Ranking Member)

'''Select Committee on Intelligence

Caucus memberships

Dairy Farmer Caucus

Health Technology Caucus (Co-Chair)

International Conservation Caucus (Co-Chair)

Senate Tourism Caucus

Senate Women’s Caucus

Sportsmen's Caucus

Senate Hunger Caucus

Political views

Snowe supports legalized abortion and some gay rights, and though she previously voted to block the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, she was one of eight Republican senators to vote for the repeal on December 18, 2010. In her 2006 re-election campaign, she was one of two Republican Senate candidates endorsed by the prominent gay rights organization, the Human Rights Campaign (the other was Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island). She also supports the death penalty and strongly supports the war on drugs and the United States embargo against Cuba.

Snowe supported both President Clinton's involvement in Kosovo and President George W. Bush's invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq. On fiscal issues, she has voiced support for cutting taxes as economic stimulus, although she joined fellow Republican senators Lincoln Chafee and John McCain in voting against the Bush tax cuts in 2003. However, voted for the extension in 2011. She opposes most free trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). She was the only Republican to vote for the Tax Fairness and Economic Growth Act of 1992. She is a strong supporter of environmental protections. Both Snowe and fellow Maine Senator Susan Collins have embraced strong gun control measures following the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.

In the 110th Congress, Snowe worked to ensure passage of a genetic non-discrimination act, which she had previously worked to pass for nearly eight years; opposed cutting loans through the Small Business Administration; offered legislation aimed at reducing the price of prescription drugs and insurance costs for small businesses; and became a leading voice among Congressional Republicans expressing concerns over President Bush's plans for the privatization of Social Security.

Snowe is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership and supports stem cell research. She is also a member of Republicans for Environmental Protection, the Republican Majority for Choice, Republicans for Choice and The Wish List (Women In the Senate and House), a group of pro-choice Republican women.

In 2008, Snowe endorsed Republican candidate John McCain for President of the United States.

In the 111th Congress, Snowe backed the release of additional Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While she opposed President Obama's budget resolution, she pledged to work in a bipartisan manner on the issues of health care reform and energy.

On October 13, 2009, Snowe voted for the Finance Committee's health care reform bill. However, she stated that she may not support the final bill because of reservations. In December 2009, Snowe voted against cloture for two procedural motions and ultimately against the Senate Health Care Reform Bill. Snowe again voted against health care reform when she voted "no" on the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Electoral history

See also

Women in the United States Senate

Rockefeller Republican

References

Further reading

''Nine & Counting: The Women of the Senate'', Boxer, Collins, Snowe ''et al.'', ISBN 0-06-095706-9.

External links

U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe ''official U.S. Senate site''

Olympia Snowe for Senate ''official campaign site''

Profile at SourceWatch

U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe video clips from the Senate Republican Conference.

U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe audio clips from the Senate Republican Conference

"The Anguished Moderate," ''The Washington Post'', July 15, 2007.

{{U.S. Senator box | before=George J. Mitchell | state=Maine | class=1 | start=1995 | alongside=William Cohen, Susan Collins}}

Category:1947 births Category:American people of Greek descent Category:Bates College alumni Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from the United States Category:Female members of the United States House of Representatives Category:Female United States Senators Category:First Ladies and Gentlemen of Maine Category:Greek Orthodox Christians Category:Living people Category:Maine Republicans Category:Maine State Senators Category:Members of the Maine House of Representatives Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine Category:People from Augusta, Maine Category:People from Falmouth, Maine Category:Republican Party United States Senators Category:Spouses of members of the United States House of Representatives Category:University of Maine alumni Category:United States Senators from Maine Category:Women state legislators in Maine

de:Olympia Snowe el:Ολυμπία Σνόου fr:Olympia Snowe id:Olympia Snowe it:Olympia Snowe nl:Olympia Snowe ja:オリンピア・スノー no:Olympia Snowe pl:Olympia Snowe pt:Olympia Snowe ru:Сноу, Олимпия simple:Olympia Snowe sh:Olympia Snowe fi:Olympia Snowe sv:Olympia Snowe zh:奧林匹亞·史諾

{{infobox senator | name	Barbara Mikulski
jr/sr	Senior Senator
state	Maryland
party	Democratic
term start	January 3, 1987
alongside	Ben Cardin
preceded	Charles Mathias, Jr.
| state2	Maryland
district2	3rd
term start2	January 3, 1977
term end2	January 3, 1987
preceded2	Paul Sarbanes
succeeded2	Ben Cardin
birth date	July 20, 1936
birth place	Baltimore, Maryland
profession	Politician
residence	Baltimore, Maryland
spouse	None
Signature	Senbarbmsign.jpg
alma mater	Mount Saint Agnes College (B.A.)University of Maryland (M.S.W.)
religion	Roman Catholic
website	Senator Barbara Mikulski }}

Barbara Ann Mikulski (born July 20, 1936) is the senior United States Senator from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. Mikulski, the first woman elected to the Senate from Maryland, is the longest-serving female senator and the second longest-serving female member in the history of the United States Congress (only after Edith Nourse Rogers). If she stays in office until March 17, 2012, she will become the longest-serving female member in the history of the United States Congress.

Mikulski is chairwoman of the Health Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging and Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, and is a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence. Mikulski is the longest serving present Senator who has never been the chairperson of a full standing committee, and Mikulski is the longest serving/highest ranking Democrat who is not a present chairperson of a full standing committee of the U.S. Senate.

Early life, education and career

The great-granddaughter of Polish immigrants who owned a local bakery, Barbara Mikulski is the oldest of three daughters of Christine Eleanor (née Kutz) and William Mikulski. She was born and raised in the Highlandtown neighborhood of East Baltimore. During her high school years at the Institute of Notre Dame, she worked in her parents' grocery store, delivering groceries to seniors in her neighborhood who were unable to leave their homes.

After graduating from Mount Saint Agnes College (now a part of the Loyola College in Maryland), she obtained her masters degree in social work (MSW) from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She worked as a social worker for Catholic charities and Baltimore's Department of Social Services, helping at-risk children and educating seniors about the Medicare program. Mikulski became an activist social worker when she heard about plans to build a 16-lane highway through Baltimore's Fells Point and Canton neighborhoods. She helped organize communities on both sides of the city and stopped the construction of the road, saving Fells Point and Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Early political career

Mikulski received her first national attention in 1970 as a result of a conference at Catholic University regarding “Ethnic Americans” convened by Msgr. Geno Baroni. Her message became one of the major documents of the “ethnic movement”.

Mikulski's activism led to a seat on the Baltimore City Council in 1971. She was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1974. She was defeated by the Republican incumbent, Charles Mathias, Jr.. It turned out to be the only time that Mikulski ever lost an election. In 1976, she was elected to become a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Maryland's 3rd congressional district from 1977 to 1987, thanks to the retirement of incumbent Paul Sarbanes, who made a successful run for the U.S. Senate. She was easily elected, winning 76% of the vote. She was re-elected four more times, never facing substantive opposition in the heavily Democratic district.

U.S. Senate career

In September 2009, it was revealed in a "tell all" book that during the 2000 presidential election, President Bill Clinton suggested Mikulski as a running mate for Al Gore, who instead chose her colleague Joe Lieberman. In 2007, Mikulski endorsed her colleague, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) for President of the United States, praising her as a leader and citing her desire to break the "glass ceiling" by electing the first woman president.

Committee assignments

As of April 2009, Mikulski serves on the following Senate committees:

Committee on Appropriations

*Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (Chairwoman)

*Subcommittee on Defense

*Subcommittee on Homeland Security

*Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

*Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.

*Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

*Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety

*Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging (Chairwoman)

Select Committee on Intelligence.

Political positions

Mikulski is one of 11 senators to vote against both the 1991 and 2002 resolutions authorizing the use of force in Iraq.

Mikulski has opposed predatory lending, and has had been an outspoken opponent against Fairbanks Capital, alleged to have illegally foreclosed on over 100 homes in Maryland. She is also a strong supporter of NASA and expanding space exploration.

Mikulski voted in favor of the FISA bill, which granted immunity to the telecom companies who cooperated with the warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens.

On October 1, 2008, Mikulski voted in favor of HR1424, the Senate version of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, providing a $700 billion bail out to the United States financial market.

Political campaigns

In 1986 Mathias announced his retirement from politics. At the time of this announcement, it was expected that then-Governor Harry Hughes would run for the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Mathias. However, Hughes became caught up in the aftermath of the Maryland savings and loan crisis. He lost popularity with voters, opening the door for Mikulski's bid for the Senate. During the campaign, her opponent, Linda Chavez, made comments that Mikulski's supporters interpreted as an attempt to draw attention to the issue of Mikulski's sexual orientation. Mikulski never directly responded to the issue and eventually won the race with 61 percent of the vote. She was the first female Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right (not appointed or filling a seat of a deceased husband).

Mikulski, popularly known as "Senator Barb," was re-elected with large majorities in 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010 . Having won reelection in 2010, she has surpassed Margaret Chase Smith as the longest-serving female senator. ABC News named Mikulski its Person of the Week for that milestone.

Electoral history

{| class=wikitable |- ! Year ! Office ! Election ! ! Subject ! Party ! Votes ! % ! ! Opponent ! Party ! Votes ! % |- |1974 |MD Senator, Class 3 |General || | |Charles Mathias | |Republican | | | |57.3% | | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | | | |42.7% |- |1976 |Congress, MD 3rd district |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |143,461 | |74.59% | | |Samuel Culotta | |Republican | |36,447 | |25.41% |- |1978 |Congress, MD 3rd district |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |91,189 | |100% | |colspan=4|Unopposed |- |1980 |Congress, MD 3rd district |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |134,367 | |76.13% | | |Russell Schaffer | |Republican | |32,074 | |23.87% |- |1982 |Congress, MD 3rd district |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |110,042 | |74.2% | | |Robert Scherr | |Republican | |38,259 | |25.8% |- |1984 |Congress, MD 3rd district |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |133,189 | |68.21% | | |Ross Pierpont | |Republican | |59,493 | |30.47% |- |1986 |MD Senator, Class 3 |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |675,225 | |60.69% | | |Linda Chavez | |Republican | |437,411 | |39.31% |- |1992 |MD Senator, Class 3 |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |1,307,610 | |71% | | |Alan Keyes | |Republican | |533,688 | |28.98% |- |1998 |MD Senator, Class 3 |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |1,062,810 | |70.5% | | |Ross Pierpont | |Republican | |444,637 | |29.5% |- |2004 |MD Senator, Class 3 |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |1,504,691 | |64.77% | | |E. J. Pipkin | |Republican | |783,055 | |33.71% |- |2010 |MD Senator, Class 3 |General || | |Barbara Mikulski | |Democratic | |1,093,646 | |61.82% | | |Eric Wargotz | |Republican | |639,155 | |36.13% |}

References

External links

Senator Barbara Mikulski ''official U.S. Senate website''

Barbara Mikulski for U.S. Senate ''official campaign website''

{{U.S. Senator box | state=Maryland | class=3 | before=Charles Mathias, Jr. | start=1987 | alongside=Paul Sarbanes, Benjamin Cardin}}

Category:1936 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of women's universities and colleges Category:American people of Polish descent Category:Anti-road protest Category:Baltimore City Council members Category:Female members of the United States House of Representatives Category:Female United States Senators Category:Maryland Democrats Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Category:United States Senators from Maryland Category:University of Maryland, Baltimore alumni Category:Women in Maryland politics Category:Democratic Party United States Senators Category:American Roman Catholics

de:Barbara Mikulski fr:Barbara Mikulski it:Barbara Mikulski nl:Barbara Mikulski no:Barbara Mikulski pl:Barbara Mikulski pt:Barbara Mikulski ru:Микульски, Барбара fi:Barbara Mikulski sv:Barbara Mikulski