Carol Shea-Porter (born December 2, 1952) is an American politician and member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

who is the former member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

for . She held the seat from 2007 to 2011, 2013 to 2015, and 2017 to 2019. Shea-Porter was first elected in 2006, defeating Republican incumbent

Jeb Bradley Joseph E. "Jeb" Bradley (born October 20, 1952) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who serves in the New Hampshire Senate. He represents his hometown of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire and 16 other towns in east-central New Ha ...

. She beat Bradley again in 2008 but was defeated in 2010 by former

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Mayor

Frank Guinta Frank Christopher Guinta (born September 26, 1970) is an American businessman and politician who represented New Hampshire's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013 and 2015 to 2017. A member of t ...

and left Congress in January 2011. In 2012, Shea-Porter reclaimed her seat as she beat Guinta in a rematch. She faced Guinta for a third time in the 2014 election and lost for the second time. On July 2, 2015, she announced she would again run for her old seat. She defeated Guinta for the second time, facing him for the fourth election in a row. On October 6, 2017, Shea-Porter announced that she would not run for re-election in 2018. Fellow Democrat Chris Pappas was elected on November 6 to succeed Shea-Porter in the

116th United States Congress The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2019, and ended on Januar ...

Early life, education and career

Shea-Porter was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and grew up in the Seacoast Region of New Hampshire, attending local public schools, and graduating from the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...

. (registration required) She earned a bachelor's degree in social services and a master's degree in public administration. An early video "audition" introducing herself to the voters for the 2006 Congressional race which she won. Prior to becoming involved in politics, she and her family lived in Colorado, Louisiana, and Maryland, during which time she was a social worker and community college instructor. After returning to New Hampshire, she worked for the

Wesley Clark Wesley Kanne Clark (born December 23, 1944) is a retired United States Army officer. He graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, where he obtained a degree ...

presidential campaign and was a volunteer for

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

’s presidential run. She is married to Gene Porter, a former U.S. Army officer, with whom she has two grown children.

U.S House of Representatives

Elections

2006

In 2006, Shea-Porter was a liberal community activist who had never held public office. Shea-Porter, who had won some fame for being escorted from a

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

rally wearing a T-shirt that read "Turn Your Back On Bush," ran on a strong anti-

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

message. In addition to opposition to the Iraq war, Shea-Porter campaigned on a platform of increasing the minimum wage and universal healthcare. In the five-way Democratic primary, the

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises ...

put its weight behind state legislator Jim Craig. Shea-Porter won the September 12, 2006, primary with 54% of the vote. Craig finished second with 34% of the vote. On November 7, 2006, Shea-Porter narrowly defeated incumbent Republican

in the

2006 midterm elections The 2006 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006, in the middle of Republican President George W. Bush's second term. Democrats won control of both houses of Congress, which was the first and only time either party did so ...

to become the first woman elected to Congress from

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Shea-Porter received 100,899 votes (51%) to Bradley's 94,869 votes (49%). She received no financial support from either the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

or the

and was outspent by her opponent three to one.

2008

Shea-Porter was re-elected to a second term in November 2008, defeating Bradley for the second time, winning by 52% to 46% margin. The ''

Concord Monitor The ''Concord Monitor'' is the daily newspaper for Concord, the state capital of New Hampshire. It also covers surrounding towns in Merrimack County, most of Belknap County, as well as portions of Grafton, Rockingham and Hillsborough counti ...

'' in 2008 changed its endorsement, which had gone to Bradley in 2006, to support Shea-Porter, citing her positions in favor of increased minimum wage, ending the Bush tax cuts, and veterans issues. During her 2008 re-election campaign, she reversed course and requested financial support from the

. The Committee enrolled Congresswoman Shea-Porter in their "Frontline" program "which helps vulnerable incumbents with fundraising and campaign infrastructure."

2010

Shea-Porter was defeated by her Republican opponent, former

Mayor

, who won by a 54% to 42% margin, larger than Shea-Porter has won to date.

2012

Shea-Porter launched a 2012 campaign for her old House seat in New Hampshire's 1st District. She received the endorsement of

Democracy for America Democracy for America (DFA) is a progressive political action committee, headquartered in Burlington, Vermont. Founded by former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean in 2004, DFA leads public awareness campaigns on a variety of pub ...

, and was selected as one of their

Dean Dozen The "Dean Dozen" in American politics, was the collective term for six groups of 12 candidates endorsed by Democracy for America, the political action committee led by former Vermont governor and presidential candidate Howard Dean, in the 2004 ...

. In the general election she narrowly won the seat back from

, who had won in the 2010 election.

2014

Shea-Porter ran for re-election. She was once again a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program, which is designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents heading into the 2014 election. Shea-Porter made ''

Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of c ...

s "Ten Most Vulnerable" list for the third quarter. According to ''Roll Call'', New Hampshire is a swing state and could be susceptible to national political trends. The Rothenberg Political Report considered the election a “Toss-up.”

Mayday PAC Mayday PAC is an American crowd-funded non-partisan Super PAC created by Harvard Law School professor and activist Lawrence Lessig. Its purpose is to help elect candidates to the Congress to pass campaign finance reform. It is notable for raisi ...

, a super PAC seeking to reduce the role of money in politics, announced its endorsement of Shea-Porter because of her support of campaign finance reform. She was also being supported in her election campaign by

EMILY's List EMILY's List is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985. The group's name is an acronym for "Early Money ...

, a political action committee that seeks to elect pro-choice Democratic women. Shea-Porter lost to Guinta again by a margin of 52% to 48%.

2016

Shea-Porter ran again for U.S. Congress in 2016 and was elected on November 8. She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She faced incumbent Republican

and independent candidate Shawn O'Connor in the general election, defeating them both with 44.2% of the vote to return to Congress. Shea-Porter has lost to Guinta twice and beat him twice. In January 2017, Shea-Porter announced she would not attend the inauguration of Donald J. Trump according to WMUR-TV and multiple other sources.

Tenure

Carol Shea-Porter, official 110th Congress photo portrait

In 2010, Shea-Porter was a lead co-sponsor of a bill aimed to help protect troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from the disposal of toxic waste in open air burn pits. Also in 2010, she co-sponsored legislation to establish a national commission to study urological war injuries. After the

2012 Benghazi attack The 2012 Benghazi attack was a coordinated attack against two Federal government of the United States, United States government facilities in Benghazi, Benghazi, Libya, by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia (Libya), Ansar al ...

, Shea-Porter said the U.S. should continue a relationship to achieve democracy in Libya. Shea-Porter supports decreasing U.S. reliance on foreign energy sources and agrees with a number of the objectives of financier and oil magnate

T. Boone Pickens Thomas Boone Pickens Jr. (May 22, 1928 – September 11, 2019) was an American business magnate and financier. Pickens chaired the hedge fund BP Capital Management. He was a well-known takeover operator and corporate raider during the 1980 ...

on these matters including continuance of

emissions trading Emissions trading is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). Carbon emission t ...

measures, a system already in effect for her constituency in the form of the

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI, pronounced "Reggie") is the first mandatory market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the United States. RGGI is a cooperative effort among the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, ...

. Shea-Porter opposes the Keystone XL pipeline and believes that the United States needs a policy that moves away from oil as a primary energy source. She voted for the

American Clean Energy and Security Act The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) was an energy bill in the 111th United States Congress () that would have established a variant of an emissions trading plan similar to the European Union Emission Trading Scheme. The bil ...

, which proposed a cap and trade system under which the government would allocate carbon permits and credits to companies. She has advocated for the creation of a federal institute dedicated to reducing dependence on foreign oil. Shea-Porter voted for the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...

(often better known as Obamacare), saying "We’ll continue to work on that, but this is a good bill.” She led an effort to pass the Affordable Care Act and stated her support for closing the "donut hole" in Medicare reimbursements for senior citizens. In June 2013, Shea-Porter voted against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions that take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization. Shea-Porter voted against the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013, which would have “docked pay for members of Congress if they didn’t make progress on passing a budget.” She also opposed a vote to freeze federal employee pay. In August 2014 Shea-Porter voted against an immigration bill that would increase funding for border protection and more administrative support. Shea-Porter voted for the auto industry bailout and the "

Cash for Clunkers The Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), colloquially known as "cash for clunkers", was a $3 billion U.S. federal scrappage program intended to provide economic incentives to U.S. residents to purchase a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle wh ...

" bill. Shea-Porter was named a vice-chair of the

2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of ...

Town hall disruptions

Following the passage of the

, many members of Congress held town hall meetings throughout their districts in an effort to explain and, in some cases, defend their votes. Shea-Porter, like several of her colleagues, found herself on the defensive at two such events held in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

. She took about a dozen questions at each, the majority of which "were in opposition to Shea-Porter's health care vote.""Tempers hot at Shea-Porter health meetings" Union Leader (August 30, 2010)

Committee assignments

;Previous *

Committee on Education and Labor The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia. Hi ...

(2007–2011; 2017–2019) * Committee on Armed Services (2007–2011; 2013–2015; 2017–2019) ** Subcommittee on Military Personnel ** Subcommittee on Readiness * Committee on Natural Resources (2007–2011; 2013–2015) ** Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs ** Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation She was a member of the

Congressional Progressive Caucus The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most Left-wing politics, left-leaning faction of the ...

, the

Congressional Arts Caucus The Congressional Arts Caucus is a registered Congressional Member Organization for the US House of Representatives in the 115th Congress. History The Congressional Arts Caucus was created in the 1980s as a way for the various members of Congres ...

, and the

United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus The U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus, founded in September 2003, is a bipartisan congressional organization with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advanc ...

Electoral history

! style="background:#ccc;", Year ! style="background:#ccc;", Office ! style="background:#ccc;", Election ! rowspan=7, ! style="background:#ccc;", Subject ! style="background:#ccc;", Party ! style="background:#ccc;", Votes ! style="background:#ccc;", % ! rowspan=7, ! style="background:#ccc;", Opponent ! style="background:#ccc;", Party ! style="background:#ccc;", Votes ! style="background:#ccc;", % ! rowspan=7, ! style="background:#ccc;", Opponent ! style="background:#ccc;", Party ! style="background:#ccc;", Votes ! style="background:#ccc;", % ! rowspan=7, ! style="background:#ccc;", Opponent ! style="background:#ccc;", Party ! style="background:#ccc;", Votes ! style="background:#ccc;", % , - , 2006 , , General , , Carol Shea-Porter , , Democratic , , 100,837 , , 51.31 , ,

, , Republican , , 95,538 , , 48.61 , colspan=4, , colspan=4, , - , 2008 , , General , , Carol Shea-Porter , , Democratic , , 176,461 , , 51.78 , ,

, , Republican , , 156,394 , , 45.89 , , Robert Kingsbury , ,

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

, , 8,100 , , 2.4 , colspan=4, , - , 2010 , , General , , Carol Shea-Porter , , Democratic , , 95,503 , , 42.36 , , Frank Guinta , , Republican , , 121,655 , , 53.96 , , Philip Hodson , , Libertarian , , 7,966 , , 3.5 , colspan=4, , - , 2012 , , General , , Carol Shea-Porter , , Democratic , , 171,356 , , 49.7 , , Frank Guinta , , Republican , , 158,482 , , 46.0 , , Brendan Kelly , , Libertarian , , 14,521 , , 4.2 , colspan=4, , - , 2014 , , General , , Carol Shea-Porter , , Democratic , , 116,626 , , 48.2 , , Frank Guinta , , Republican , , 125,321 , , 51.8 , colspan=4, , colspan=4, , - , 2016 , , General , , Carol Shea-Porter , , Democratic , , 162,080 , , 44.3 , , Frank Guinta , , Republican , , 157,176 , , 43.0 , {{Party shading/Independent (United States), Shawn O'Connor , {{Party shading/Independent (United States), Independent , {{Party shading/Independent (United States), 34,735 , {{Party shading/Independent (United States), 9.5 , Others , , 11,581 , 3.17 {{S-end

References

{{Reflist, 33em

External links

{{Commons category * {{Curlie, Regional/North_America/United_States/New_Hampshire/Government/Federal/US_House_of_Representatives/Carol_Shea-Porter_%5BD-1%5D * {{CongLinks , congbio=S001170 , votesmart=65891 , fec=H6NH01230 , congress=carol-shea-porter/S001170 *{{C-SPAN, 1021773 {{s-start {{s-par, us-hs {{s-bef, before=

{{s-ttl, title=Member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

New Hampshire's 1st congressional district New Hampshire's 1st congressional district covers parts of Southern New Hampshire and the eastern portion of the state. The district contains parts of Hillsborough, Rockingham, Merrimack, Grafton, and Belknap counties; and the entirety of ...

, years=2007–2011 {{s-aft, after=

, - {{s-bef, rows=2, before=Frank Guinta {{s-ttl, title=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Hampshire's 1st congressional district, years=2013–2015 {{s-aft, after=Frank Guinta , - {{s-ttl, title=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Hampshire's 1st congressional district, years=2017–2019 {{s-aft, after= Chris Pappas , - {{s-prec, usa {{s-bef, before=

Trey Gowdy Harold Watson "Trey" Gowdy III (born August 22, 1964) is an American television news personality, former politician, and former federal prosecutor who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. His district included much of the Up ...

, as=Former US Representative {{s-ttl, title= Order of precedence of the United States
''{{small, as Former US Representative'', years= {{s-aft, after=

Lewis F. Payne Jr. Lewis Franklin (L.F.) Payne Jr. (born July 9, 1945) is an American businessman, politician and lobbyist who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1988 to 1997. He served the of ...

, as=Former US Representative {{s-end {{USCongRep-start, congresses= 110th–111th, 113th & 115th

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

es , state=

{{USCongRep/NH/110 {{USCongRep/NH/111 {{USCongRep/Line {{USCongRep/NH/113 {{USCongRep/Line {{USCongRep/NH/115 {{USCongRep-end {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Shea-Porter, Carol 1952 births 2016 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American social workers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire Female members of the United States House of Representatives Living people People from Rochester, New Hampshire University of New Hampshire alumni Women in New Hampshire politics