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Lynn Woolsey

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Lynn Woolsey
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 1993
Preceded byBarbara Boxer
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDivorced
ResidencePetaluma, California
Alma materUniversity of San Francisco
Occupationhuman resources manager, college professor

Lynn C. Woolsey (born November 3, 1937) is the U.S. Representative for California's 6th congressional district, serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all of Marin County and most of Sonoma County. She gained attention when she became the first House member to call for a troop withdrawal from Iraq.[citation needed] She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and as of 2010 its co-chair.

Early life, education and career

Woolsey was born in Seattle, Washington, was educated at the University of Washington, where she became a member of Alpha Phi sorority, and at the University of San Francisco. She later became a human resources manager and personnel service owner, a teacher at the College of Marin and the Dominican University of California, and a member of the Petaluma, California, City Council before entering the House.

U.S. House of Representatives

Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey

Committee assignments

Caucuses

Woolsey, who described herself as "the first former welfare mother to serve in Congress,"[1] is one of two members of the House to have been on welfare; the other is Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI).

She was one of the 31 who voted in the House to disregard the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004.[2]

Political positions

Iraq

Woolsey was an outspoken opponent of the War in Iraq. On October 10, 2002, she was among 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the invasion of Iraq. She has taken an active role in calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from that country. She led 15 members of Congress in writing a letter to President Bush dated January 12, 2005, calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Iraq. She also was the first Member of Congress to call for a troop withdrawal, when she introduced H.Con. Res. 35 on January 26, 2005. Woolsey gave war protestor Cindy Sheehan a guest pass to attend Bush's 2006 State of the Union speech. Sheehan's attendance at the speech became noted when she was arrested for wearing a T-shirt with a political message.[3]

Religion

In 2007 Woolsey voted to "recognize the commencement of Ramadan," the most important of Islamic religious observances, and of Diwali, a Hindu religious holiday.[4] On December 11, 2007, Woolsey, along with eight other Democrats, voted against a resolution to recognize the United States as a Christian nation.

Indian gaming

Woolsey introduced the Graton Rancheria Restoration Act on August 6, 1998 (105th CONGRESS, 2d Session, H.R. 4434[5]). It was signed by President Clinton as Title XIV of the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act (Public Law No. 106-568) in December 2000.

Testifying in support of H.R. 946 before the House Resources Committee May 16, 2000, Woolsey said[6]:

This consensus bill restores Federal rights and privileges to the tribe and to its members. As is typical with restoration legislation, it reinstates political status and makes tribal members eligible for benefits such as Native American health, education, and housing services. A unique aspect of H.R. 946, however, is that it specifically contains a clause that restricts gaming, gaming on land that is taken into trust for the tribes. This non-gaming clause is at the express request of the tribe, and is the basis for the broad and bipartisan support that this bill enjoys throughout my Congressional District. It is also key to my support for the tribe's restoration.

Woolsey's original bill (H.R. 4434, later H.R. 946) would not have permitted the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to have an Indian casino. Senator Barbara Boxer removed that prohibition when she included Woolsey's bill in the Omnibus Act.

Now the tribe and Station Casinos of Las Vegas, Nevada, propose to build a large hotels and casino complex in Sonoma County, California, near Rohnert Park.

In response, Woolsey introduced H.R. 2656 (which never left the House Resources Committee) and appeared frequently at local town-hall meetings, saying that the Miwok Indians double-crossed her by seeking to legalize gambling on their reservation.[7]

Scouting for All Act

In September 2000 Woolsey sponsored H.R. 4892, The Scouting for All Act, to revoke the charter held by the Boy Scouts of America because of its stand against allowing homosexual boys to become members. "We're not saying the Boy Scouts are bad; we're saying that intolerance is bad," she said.[citation needed]

Health care

After Woolsey declared her support for the Senate version of the health-care bill (which did not include a public option), liberal blogger Jane Hamsher pointed out that this was at odds with her earlier statements and called on her to resign as co-chair of the Progressive Caucus.[8] Woolsey, however, promised to revive the public option in a separate bill and introduced such a bill on July 22, 2010.[9] The Congressional Budget Office projected that the legislation would save $68 billion between 2014 and 2020.[10]

She was strongly critical of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which prevents private health insurance plans from covering abortion if the plan is subsidized by tax breaks in the context of the November 2009 Affordable Health Care for America Act.[11]

Controversies

Darfur protest arrest

Woolsey was arrested April 27, 2009, outside the embassy of Sudan in Washington, D.C., during a protest against genocide in Darfur.[12] Woolsey and four other U.S. lawmakers were protesting the blocking of aid to victims. They were arrested on a charge of trespass after they crossed a police line.

Other Democratic House members arrested were Jim McGovern, Donna Edwards, Keith Ellison and John Lewis.

Stewart Pearson letter

On December 2, 2003, Woolsey wrote a letter on behalf of Stewart Pearson, the son of one of her senior aides, who had pleaded guilty to rape. In a letter written on her official congressional stationery, she asked the judge to consider mitigating circumstances and show leniency. [13] The judge in the case was not swayed by the letter, and sentenced Pearson to eight years in prison, the maximum allowed under the plea bargain. Woolsey has apologized for writing the letter, saying she did not know all the facts; the victim did not accept her apology. [14]

Political campaigns

In 1992, five-term Congresswoman Barbara Boxer gave up her seat to make a successful run for the Senate. Woolsey won a Democratic primary against eight other candidates in a heavily Democratic district. Seven of her opponents lived in Marin County and split that county's vote. In the general election, she faced Republican Assemblyman Bill Filante, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and did not actively campaign. Woolsey won with 66 percent of the vote; she was reelected eight times with no substantial opposition.

Electoral history

United States Congressional service
Dates Congress Chamber Majority President District
1993–1995 103rd U.S. House Democratic Bill Clinton District 6
1995–1997 104th U.S. House Republican Bill Clinton District 6
1997–1999 105th U.S. House Republican Bill Clinton District 6
1999–2001 106th U.S. House Republican Bill Clinton District 6
2001–2003 107th U.S. House Republican George W. Bush District 6
2003–2005 108th U.S. House Republican George W. Bush District 6
2005–2007 109th U.S. House Republican George W. Bush District 6
2007–2009 110th U.S. House Democratic George W. Bush District 6
2009–2011 111th U.S. House Democratic Barack Obama District 6
United States House of Representatives elections, 1992[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lynn Woolsey 190,322 65.2
Republican Bill Filante 98,171 33.6
No party Write-in 3,293 1.1
Total votes 291,786 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 1994[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lynn Woolsey (incumbent) 137,642 58.1
Republican Michael J. Nugent 88,940 37.5
Libertarian Louis Beary 6,203 2.6
Peace and Freedom Ernest K. Jones, Jr. 4,055 1.7
Total votes 236,840 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 1996[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lynn Woolsey (incumbent) 156,958 61.6
Republican Duane C. Hughes 86,278 33.8
Peace and Freedom Ernest K. Jones, Jr. 6,459 2.5
Natural Law Bruce Kendall 5,240 2.1
Total votes 254,935 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 1998[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lynn Woolsey (incumbent) 158,446 68.0
Republican Ken McAuliffe 69,295 29.7
Natural Law Alan R. Barreca 5,240 2.2
Total votes 232,981 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2000[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lynn Woolsey (incumbent) 182,166 64.3
Republican Ken McAuliffe 80,169 28.3
Green Justin Moscoso 13,248 4.7
Libertarian Richard O. Barton 4,691 1.9
Natural Law Alan R. Barreca 2,894 1.1
Total votes 283,118 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2002[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lynn Woolsey (incumbent) 139,750 66.7
Republican Paul L. Erickson 62,052 29.7
Libertarian Richard O. Barton 4,936 2.3
Reform Jeff Rainforth 2,825 1.3
Total votes 209,563 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2004[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lynn Woolsey (incumbent) 226,423 72.7
Republican Paul L. Erickson 85,244 27.3
Total votes 311,667 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2006[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lynn Woolsey (incumbent) 173,190 70.3
Republican Todd Hooper 64,405 26.1
Libertarian Richard W. Friesen 9,028 3.6
Total votes 246,623 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2008[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lynn Woolsey (incumbent) 229,672 71.7
Republican Mike Halliwell 77,073 24.1
Libertarian Joel R. Smolen 13,617 4.2
Total votes 320,362 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold

References

  1. ^ Meet Lynn
  2. ^ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll007.xml
  3. ^ "CNN.com - Activist Sheehan arrested in House gallery - Feb 1, 2006". CNN. Retrieved May 12, 2010. {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 27 (help)
  4. ^ "Ramadan Yea, Christmas Nay". Townhall.com
  5. ^ Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)
  6. ^ Hearing on H.R.946, H.R.2671, and H.R.4148
  7. ^ Sen. Boxer ambushes Woolsey, adds casino rights for Miwok
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ [2]
  10. ^ Levey, Noam N. (July 21, 2010). "Proposed deficit remedy: the healthcare 'public option'". The Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ [3]
  12. ^ "U.S. lawmakers arrested in Darfur protest at Sudan embassy". CNN. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
  13. ^ Gollan, Jennifer (February 7, 2004). "Woolsey's pitch for rapist questioned". The Marin Independent Journal.
  14. ^ Gollan, Jennifer (February 15, 2004). "Teen victim rejects Woolsey's apology". The Marin Independent Journal.
  15. ^ 1992 election results
  16. ^ 1994 election results
  17. ^ 1996 election results
  18. ^ 1998 election results
  19. ^ 2000 election results
  20. ^ 2002 election results
  21. ^ 2004 election results
  22. ^ 2006 election results
  23. ^ 2008 election results
Articles
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 6th congressional district
1993–Present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
113th 		Succeeded by

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