Wendy Elizabeth Long (née Stone; born June 21, 1960) is an American attorney 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 ...
. A member of the
Republican Party, Long was the Republican and
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
parties’ nominee for
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
in
New York in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, losing in landslides to incumbent
Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand (; ; born December 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from New York since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as member of the U.S. House of ...
and
Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
, respectively. She was a delegate to the
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
in support of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
in 2016.
Long, a former resident of New York City, has since moved back to her home in Southwestern New Hampshire.
Early life and education
Wendy Elizabeth Stone was born on June 21, 1960, in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, to Donald W. Stone and Norma Swahnberg Stone. The family shortly thereafter returned to their native
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in, and the County seat, seat of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census.
Keene is ho ...
. Stone’s father was a small business entrepreneur who pioneered using recycled paper to make greeting cards in his printing company and owned a construction business that built homes in Keene. Her mother, a former elementary school teacher, served as a Selectman in Ward 5 in Keene. Her maternal grandfather, Gunnar Swahnberg, emigrated from Sweden as a child, got an entry level job as an engineer and became the President of Kingsbury Machine Tool Corporation in Keene.
Long, the oldest of four children, grew up in Keene and graduated from Symonds School, Keene Junior High School, and Keene High School.
Long and all of her three younger siblings are graduates of
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
in
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...
. Long was the executive editor of ''
The Dartmouth
''The Dartmouth'' is the daily student newspaper at Dartmouth College and America's oldest college newspaper. Originally named the ''Dartmouth Gazette'', the first issue was published on August 27, 1799, under the motto "Here range the world— ...
'' daily newspaper and was a contributor to ''
The Dartmouth Review
''The Dartmouth Review'' is a conservative newspaper at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1980 by a number of staffers from the College's daily newspaper, ''The Dartmouth,'' the paper is most famous for having ...
'' newspaper. In 1987, Long was a Publius Fellow at the
Claremont Institute
The Claremont Institute is a conservative think tank based in Upland, California. The institute was founded in 1979 by four students of Harry V. Jaffa. It produces the ''Claremont Review of Books,'' ''The American Mind'', and other publications.
...
. Long graduated from
Northwestern University School of Law
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law scho ...
in 1995, where she had served as an editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. During her third year, Long studied at Harvard Law School.
Legal career
After college, Long returned home to Keene to work with her father. She then served as press secretary to New Hampshire U.S. Senator
Gordon J. Humphrey
Gordon John Humphrey (born October 9, 1940) is an American politician from New Hampshire who served two terms in the U.S. Senate as a Republican from 1979 to 1990, and twice ran for Governor of New Hampshire, though both bids were unsuccessful.
...
from 1986 to 1987. She then went on to serve as press secretary for U.S. Senator
William L. Armstrong
William Lester Armstrong Jr. (March 16, 1937 – July 5, 2016) was an American businessman, administrator, and politician. He was a member of the Republican Party and served as a United States representative and Senator from Colorado.
Early li ...
from 1987 to 1990. Both Senators retired after two terms, declining to seek a third. Long supports term limits for members of Congress. Before entering law school, Long worked for Americans United for Life, a law firm that authored legislative and litigation strategy for the anti-abortion movement.
From 1995 to 1996, Long served as a law clerk for Judge
Ralph K. Winter on the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate juri ...
in New York. From 1997 to 1998, she clerked for Justice
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall and has served since 199 ...
on the
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
. She was an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of
Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is an American multinational law firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1909, Kirkland & Ellis is the largest law firm in the world by revenue and the seventh-largest by number of attorneys, and was the first la ...
between her clerkships and joined the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis when she married and moved to New York City, becoming a litigation partner there.
In 2005, Long helped to found the
Judicial Confirmation Network (now known as the Judicial Crisis Network), where she served as chief counsel and promoted judicial restraint through media and public speaking. She participated in discussion and debate on U.S. Circuit Court and U.S. Supreme Court nominations and led both public support and opposition to various judicial nominees., She wrote and spoke in support of President
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 ...
’s nomination of Chief Justice
John Roberts
John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including ''Nati ...
and Justice
Samuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and has served ...
, but withdrew support for the nomination of
Harriet Miers
Harriet Ellan Miers (born August 10, 1945) is an American lawyer who served as White House Counsel to President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party since 1988, she previously served as White House Staff Secretary f ...
. She also played a prominent role in opposing the Supreme Court nomination of Justice
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Maria Sotomayor (, ; born June 25, 1954) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, and has served since ...
. In 2007, Long became a legal advisor to
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...
's presidential campaign.
Following the
2020 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 January:
**C ...
, in a private email group communication among former clerks to Justice Thomas, Long expressed support for the
disproven conspiracy theory that the election was “stolen” from Trump, stating that she and others "believe in our hearts
hat it
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
was likely a stolen election," and that "President Trump would be determined to be the legitimate winner." The email was leaked by an unknown source and published in ''The Washington Post''.
[Wendy E. Long biography at The Judicial Confirmation Network] [Long, ''JCN Statement on nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court'']
[
]
Political campaigns
2012 U.S. Senate campaign
In 2012, Long challenged Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand (; ; born December 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from New York since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as member of the U.S. House of ...
in the November 6, 2012 general election for United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
. On March 16, 2012, Long received 47% of the New York State Republican convention vote, with Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos receiving 27% and Congressman Bob Turner receiving 25%; all three candidates attained access to the ballot for the Republican primary. Long prevailed by a sizable margin in the June 26 Republican primary, receiving
50.9% of the vote; Turner received 35.6% of the vote and Maragos 13.5%. Long was designated as the nominee for the Conservative Party of New York State
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party founded in 1962 following conservative dissatisfaction with the Republican Party in New York. Running on the Conservative Party line, James L. Buckley won election to the U ...
, having received 91% percent of the delegate vote at the Conservative Party's state convention; thus, Long appeared on both the Republican and Conservative lines in the November 6 general election.
Long lost the general election for United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
to Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand (; ; born December 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from New York since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as member of the U.S. House of ...
by 46 percentage points.
Long's supporter and college friend from Dartmouth, Dinesh D'Souza
Dinesh Joseph D'Souza (; born April 25, 1961) is an Indian-American right-wing political commentator, author, filmmaker, and conspiracy theorist. He has written over a dozen books, several of them ''New York Times'' best-sellers.
In 2012, D' ...
, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2014 for violating the federal campaign election law by making illegal contributions to Long's 2012 Senate campaign in the names of others.
2016 U.S. Senate campaign
In March 2016, Long announced a challenge to Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
for his seat in the U.S. Senate. She launched her campaign on March 3 and lost the election on November 8 by 43 percentage points.
Long endorsed Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
in the 2016 United States presidential election
The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...
, although she received no endorsement in return. She cited mosques in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
as the reason for increased crime.
Personal life
In 1998, Long married Arthur S. Long, now a partner at the law firm Gibson Dunn
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is an American multinational law firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1890, the firm includes approximately 1,400 attorneys and 1,000 staff located in 20 offices around the world, including Nort ...
, in Keene, New Hampshire. Following their marriage, they lived in New York City, where they raised their two children.
Long was baptized in the First Congregational Church in Keene, New Hampshire. She was raised a Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
and became an evangelical Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
while working in the U.S. Senate. While attending Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
, she converted to Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in Boston. Long has served as a catechism teacher in several Catholic parishes, private catechism groups, and a homeschool co-op. In early 2022, Long returned to New Hampshire and became a member of the Parish of the Holy Spirit of Southwestern New Hampshire.
Works
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See also
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Wendy Elizabeth
1960 births
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century Congregationalists
20th-century Roman Catholics
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century American politicians
21st-century Roman Catholics
American former Protestants
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Congregationalism
Dartmouth College alumni
People associated with Kirkland & Ellis
Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States
Living people
New York (state) lawyers
New York (state) Republicans
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni
Lawyers from New York City
Candidates in the 2012 United States elections
Candidates in the 2016 United States Senate elections
Catholics from Massachusetts
Catholics from New York (state)
People from Worcester, Massachusetts