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Tom Harkin
United States Senator
from Iowa
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 1985Serving with Chuck Grassley
Preceded byRoger William Jepsen
Succeeded byIncumbent (2009)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 5th district
In office
January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1985
Preceded byWilliam J. Scherle
Succeeded byJim Ross Lightfoot
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseRuth Harkin
Alma materIowa State University

Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is a Democratic Senator from Iowa, serving in his fourth senate term. A Democrat and former candidate for his party's nominee for US President, he is currently Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Early life

Harkin was born in Cumming, Iowa. His father, Patrick Harkin, was a coal miner and his mother, Frances, was a Slovenian immigrant who died when he was ten. He attended Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. Harkin attended Iowa State University and was a member of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. He graduated from there in 1962 and served in the United States Navy from 1962–1967. Harkin was stationed at Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan, where he ferried damaged aircraft to and from the airbase. He was also stationed for a time at Guantanamo Bay, where he flew missions in support of U-2 planes reconnoitering Cuba. He received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in 1972.

Harkin was an aide to Democratic Congressman Neal Smith, when he accompanied a congressional delegation that went to South Vietnam in 1970. Harkin published photographs he took during the trip and a detailed account of the "tiger cages" at Con Son Island prison in Life Magazine on July 17, 1970. The account exposed shocking, inhumane conditions and treatment to which prisoners were subjected.

Career

Harkin was an attorney before being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1974, and was reelected in 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1982. In 1984, Harkin was elected to the United States Senate from Iowa and was reelected in 1990, 1996 and 2002.

During the 2004 Presidential Elections Harkin was mentioned in Howard Dean's famous Iowa concession speech.

Presidential candidate in 1992 election

Harkin ran for President in 1992 as a populist with labor union support who criticized George H.W. Bush for being out of touch with working class Americans. Harkin was an early favorite in a small field of five candidates, but many felt that Harkin's style was too shrill and old fashioned and that he would not translate well to a national campaign. Harkin won the Iowa caucus and those in Idaho and Minnesota (with help from Senator Paul Wellstone), but he ran poorly in New Hampshire and other primaries and ultimately lost the Democratic Party nomination to Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Harkin was the first Democratic primary contender to drop out and throw his support behind Clinton — a favor that led to a close relationship throughout the Clinton presidency.

Endorsements

Vice Presidential speculation

In 2000 he was frequently mentioned as a candidate Al Gore was considering for his running-mate, alongside House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, Senators Bob Graham, Evan Bayh, John Kerry, and John Edwards. Gore ultimately selected Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

In 2004 election Harkin was not on Kerry's vice presidential consideration list, while Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack was.

Political positions

Harkin is perhaps best known as an advocate for people with disabilities. In 1990, he wrote and was the chief sponsor of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the nation's first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities. Signed into law by President George H. W. Bush, the sweeping legislation prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, in public services, and in public accommodations.

File:HARKINSTEMCELL.jpg
Sen. Tom Harkin speaks at a rally held by the Coalition for the Advancement of Stem Cell Research.

During his political career, Harkin has generally supported legalized abortion. He has opposed most efforts to place legal restrictions on abortion, including voting against a ban on late term abortion, while supporting contraception and education to reduce teen pregnancy. As of 2003, Harkin received a 100% rating from NARAL, the pro-choice advocacy organization.

Senator Harkin is also a staunch supporter of Israel. He is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, which appropriates about $2 billion annually for military financing for Israel. In the Senate, he is the third-largest career recipient of pro-Israel Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions.

Along with California Senator Barbara Boxer, Harkin is one of only two Senate Democrats to come out in favor of Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold's resolution to censure President George W. Bush even though he voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution.

Harkin has been rated F by Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association. He was one of 16 senators who voted against the Vitter Amendment.

In May 2006 Harkin voted in favor of Senate Bill 2611, also known as the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act. Among the bill's many provisions, it would increase the number of H1B visas, increase security along the southern United States border with Mexico, allow long-time illegal immigrants to gain citizenship with some restrictions, and increase the number of guest workers over and above those already present in the U.S. through a new "blue card" visa program.

File:HARKINEAT.jpg
Sen. Tom Harkin holds a press conference regarding legislation to improve healthy eating habits.

Harkin has come out in favor of embryonic stem cell research. In July of 2006, Harkin made a speech from the Senate floor in response to George W. Bush's veto of the embryonic stem cell research federal funding bill. His remarks were later criticized as "Catholic baiting" by the Catholic League.

Harkin's current term ends in January, 2009. He has yet to announce if he will run for re-election or not. A December 2007 poll shows that 58% of Iowans approve of Harkin's job in Washington, while 37% disapprove, but he is expected to run for re-election because of his statements at an event in Iowa.

Personal life

Senator Harkin married Minnesota native Ruth Raduenz in 1968 and has two daughters: Amy, born in 1976, and Jenny, born in 1981.

Ruth Harkin is an attorney and was one of the first women in the United States to be elected as a prosecutor when, in 1972, she was elected to the office of county attorney of Story County, Iowa. She served as a deputy counsel for the US Department of Agriculture before joining the Washington lobbying firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, in 1983. In 1993, President Bill Clinton named her chairman and chief executive officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Ruth Harkin left the government and became United Technologies' senior vice president for international affairs and government relations in April 1997, leading their Washington DC office. In 2002, Mrs. Harkin became a director of ConocoPhillips. Mrs. Harkin currently sits on the Iowa Board of Regents, the body responsible for overseeing the state's public universities.

Their daughter Amy appeared on the NBC daytime reality series Starting Over from 2003 to 2004. Although Harkin never appeared on the show, his voice was heard when his daughter spoke to him on the phone. She is currently a graduate student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Controversies

Vietnam combat missions

While running for his Senate seat in 1984, and again while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992, Harkin has faced criticism for claiming that he had flown combat missions over North Vietnam. In a 1979 round table discussion with other Congressional Veterans, Harkin said of his service as a Navy pilot: "One year was in Vietnam. I was flying F-4s and F-8s on combat air patrols and photo-reconnaissance support missions". These comments were later published in a 1981 book by David Broder. After subsequent inquiries by Barry Goldwater and The Wall Street Journal, Harkin clarified that that he had been stationed in Japan and sometimes flew recently repaired aircraft on test missions over Vietnam. His service flying F-4s and F-8s was later, while he was stationed in Cuba. References to this controversy were deleted from Misplaced Pages by staffers from Harkin's senate office.

Fictionalized portraits

Character of Senator and former Wisconsin Governor Bart Nilson in novel and film Primary Colors is loosely based on Harkin and his '92 Presidential bid.

Books by Tom Harkin

  • Harkin, Tom and Thomas, C. E. Five Minutes to Midnight: Why the Nuclear Threat Is Growing Faster Than Ever, Carol Publishing Corporation, 1990. ISBN 1-55972-042-5

Electoral history

2002 Iowa United States Senatorial Election

Tom Harkin (D) 54%
Greg Ganske (R) 44%
Tim Harthan (Green) 1%


1996 Iowa United States Senatorial Election

Tom Harkin (D) 52%
Jim Ross Lightfoot (R) 47%


1990 Iowa United States Senatorial Election

Tom Harkin (D) (inc.) 54%
Tom Tauke (R) 46%


1984 Iowa United States Senatorial Election

Tom Harkin (D) 55.5%
Roger Jepsen (R) (inc.) 43.7%

See Also

References

  1. Miller, Judith. "Tom Harkin's Old-Time Religion", The New York Times, February 9, 1992. Accessed November 6, 2007. "After his mother died, Harkin, an altar boy, went to Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines and won a Navy R.O.T.C. scholarship to college."
  2. Miller, Judith: "Tom Harkin's Old-Time Religion" , New York Times Magazine, February 9, 1992
  3. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=55212
  4. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=55212
  5. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=212671
  6. Political Skeletons, Cut and Paste

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded byWilliam J. Scherle Member from Iowa's 5th congressional district
1975 – 1985 		Succeeded byJim Ross Lightfoot
U.S. Senate
Preceded byRoger W. Jepsen Senator from Iowa (Class 2)
1985 – present
Served alongside: Charles Grassley 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded byRichard Lugar Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee
2001 – 2003 		Succeeded byThad Cochran
Preceded bySaxby Chambliss Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee
2007 – present 		Incumbent
United States senators from Iowa
Class 2 United States Senate
Class 3
Iowa's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Representatives
(ordered by district)
Current United States senators
President: ▌ Kamala Harris (D) ‧ President pro tempore: ▌ Chuck Grassley (R)
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