Heather Wilson

File:Heather wilson.jpg

Rep. Heather Wilson

Heather A. Wilson (born December 30 1960), is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico, and the first woman veteran ever elected to the United States Congress. Much of her legislative focus has been on national security issues.

Early life

Born in Keene, New Hampshire, Wilson joined the United States Air Force at the age of seventeen, graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1982. A Rhodes Scholar, she continued her education at Oxford University, earning a Ph.D. in International Relations.

Career

Upon leaving the Air Force in 1989, Wilson became Director for European Defense Policy and Arms Control on the National Security Council. After leaving government, she founded Keystone International, Inc. in 1991 to promote business development in the United States and Russia. She is the former Secretary of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Family Department.

Wilson was elected as a Republican member of the House of Representatives in 1998 to represent the 1st Congressional district of New Mexico (map) in a special election to replace the late Steven Schiff. She has maintained strong support from military and defense workers, which are a vital part of the economy of New Mexico. She was reelected in 2000, 2002, and 2004.

She is the first woman to represent New Mexico since Georgia Lusk in the 1940s and is also the first female veteran to be elected to Congress. In the House, she serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence.

In 2004, Wilson denounced CBS and Viacom following Janet Jackson's halftime performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII in which Jackson revealed her nipple. ("You knew what you were doing...creates a buzz.") Wilson's specific words, "it was nasty" and her crying after the event, have become well-known soundbites. Wilson has also recently joined the Republican Main Street Partnership, a coalition of centrist Republican leaders. Wilson has appeared on HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher.

In 2004 during her re-election campaign, Wilson ran an ad in which an individual said, "Heather Wilson is the most independent politician I have ever known…she is non-partisan." Additionally, she ran an ad in with John McCain who said, "Heather is also an independent thinker, and like me has been known to buck her own party…" [Wilson Campaign Ad, 2004]. According to the Albuquerque Tribune, Wilson "was forced to change committees because she offended… Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, by siding with Democrats…. 'He told me I was too independent,' said Wilson." [Albuquerque Tribune, 1/27/05] However, According to Congressional Quarterly, since 2001 Wilson has voted in agreement with George W. Bush 89 percent of the time, and with the Republican Party nearly 90 percent of the time. Wilson is one to reject party labels, and keeps close ties with citizens through non-partisan town hall meetings. In 2004 following a debate with her Democratic challenger Richard Romero, former New Mexico Republican Gov. David Cargo said, "She is essentially a fairly conservative Republican." [Albuquerque Tribune, 9/19/04] That year, the Albuquerque Tribune also wrote, "In reality, Wilson's six-year record of voting in Congress reveals a loyal, dependable vote for the official Republican Party position on the overwhelming majority of issues. Much more so than either of the Republican congressmen who represented Albuquerque before her. During the last three years of [Steve] Schiff's tenure in Congress (1995-1997), he voted the Republican Party line 78 percent of the time. During the last three years of [Manny] Lujan's service (1986-1988), he voted with the House Republican leadership 65 percent of the time." [Albuquerque Tribune, 9/19/04]

In 2003, Wilson voted against allowing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. The Secretary would have the authority to use the purchasing power of the federal government to negotiate contracts with manufacturers in order to ensure that enrollees in the new Medicare prescription drug benefit paid the lowest possible price. Drug manufacturers lobbied heavily against drug re-importation and price negotiations in part because of the lower consumer costs it would bring. [H.R. 1, Vote # 668, 11/21/03]

2004 re-election

In her first campaign for congress, the Republican National Committee provided a great deal of Wilson's campaign funds because of her perceived strong credentials on national security.

Wilson was the number-four recipient of money from former U.S. House Majority Leader DeLay's ARMPAC campaign contributions, which are now under investigation. to date, Wilson has returned $10,000 of the $46,959 she received from ARMPAC, though Democrats have called on her to return all of the money.[1][2]

During Wilson's reelection campaign in 2004, her political opponent, Richard Romero, ran advertisements which made the suggestion that her votes in Congress aided Osama bin Laden because she had voted against a bill to require the screening of cargo holds. Wilson's campaign countered with a policy ad stating "Richard Romero opposes death penalty for child molesters who kill their victims". Wilson won the election by a 10% margin over Romero, the same margin of victory she had against Romero in the 2002 election.

NSA Warantless Domestic Surveillance

On February 7, 2006 Heather Wilson called for a full congressional inquiry into the NSA warrantless surveillance. Eric Lichtblau of The New York Times suggested that "the congresswoman's discomfort with the operation appears to reflect deepening fissures among Republicans over the program's legal basis and political liabilities" [3]

Wilson's appeal for more oversight came nearly two months after existence of the citizen spying program first became publicly known. Some believe that her late outcry became politically necessary due to the increased heat coming from Wilson's first formidable election opponent, Attorney General Patricia Madrid. In the days before Wilson spoke up, Madrid's campaign released both a fund-raising report showing Madrid had out-raised Wilson in the previous financial quarter and a poll putting the two candidates in a statistical tie.[4][5]

2006 Election Challenge

In the upcoming 2006 elections, Heather Wilson faces an election day challenge from New Mexico Attorney General Patricia A. Madrid. The race is Wilson's toughest challenge since taking office. A September 4 poll by the Albuquerque Journal showed Madrid and Wilson in a dead heat with Madrid at 42% and Wilson at 45%, within the poll's margin of error. [6]

Awards

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Free Enterprise Award, 2000
• Information Technology Industry Council Perfect Vote Score, 2000
• Watchdog of the Treasury “Golden Bulldog” Award, 2000
• NFIB "Guardian of Small Business Award," 2000
• The Seniors Coalition Senior Legislative Achievement Award, 2000
• Hero of the Taxpayer Award, 1999 [7]

External links

• Campaign website
• Official website
• Negative website: Washington Wilson Watch
• Alibi article concerning Wilson's statements on Jackson Superbowl incident
• Pac505 - Anti-Wilson website
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
• http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.asp?CID=N00006546&cycle=2006 Campaign Contributions
• http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/07/13/MNG20JU7DK1.DTL House Eyes National Toxics Law - SF Chronicle