U.S. House of Representatives
Elections After Marty Meehan resigned in 2007 to serve as chancellor of the
University of Massachusetts Lowell, Tsongas ran in the
special election. She defeated four other candidates to win the Democratic primary with 36% of the vote. During her initial campaign Tsongas received endorsements from
The Boston Globe, the
Boston Herald, and the
Lowell Sun. During the general election, former
President Bill Clinton, who defeated her husband for the
Democratic nomination in 1992, campaigned for her. At an event in
Lowell Massachusetts, Clinton remarked: "Congress will be a better place because she is there." Tsongas won the special election against Republican Jim Ogonowski with 51% of the vote on October 17; she became the only female representative from Massachusetts, and the first from that state since the 1983 retirement of
Margaret Heckler, who became
Secretary of Health and Human Services under
Ronald Reagan. After running unopposed in 2008, in 2010 Tsongas faced Republican
Jon Golnik, a small businessman and former
Wall Street currency trader. During the campaign Tsongas attacked Golnik's history as a Vice President of
AIG, which Golnik called hypocritical as she owned stock in AIG and other large corporations. Tsongas defeated Golnik with 52% of the vote. Following redistricting after the
2010 census, Tsongas ran for reelection in the reconfigured in 2012. In a rematch, she again defeated Golnik.
Tenure A major issue in her initial election was whether the two candidates would vote to override President
George W. Bush's veto of an expansion of the
State Children's Health Insurance Program. Tsongas said she would, and it was reported that Ogonowski would not. Hours after being sworn into office on October 18, Tsongas voted to override, but the vote failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority. As a candidate in 2007, Tsongas promised to withdraw troops and end the
Iraq War. The first bill she introduced aimed to do this by implementing a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. In 2010, along with other women in Congress, including
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Tsongas visited
Afghanistan to oversee the
war effort. Upon returning, she spoke of the need for the involvement of women in rebuilding of government. Tsongas is an advocate for
universal health care and supports a
public health insurance option. In 2010 she voted for the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. In 2012 Tsongas joined a Republican-led effort to repeal a 2.3% sales tax on medical-device manufacturers, which passed the House 270–146; 36 other Democrats voted for it. Tsongas is
pro-choice and received a 100% approval rating from
Planned Parenthood in 2008. A supporter of
LGBT rights, she cosponsored the
Respect for Marriage Act to repeal the
Defense of Marriage Act; and voted for the
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, which allows gays and lesbians to serve openly in the
United States Armed Forces. Following
Anthony Weiner's first
sexting scandal, Tsongas was the only Representative from Massachusetts to call for his resignation, saying, "it would be appropriate for to step down." In the
2012 Massachusetts Senate election Tsongas was the first major Democratic politician to endorse
Elizabeth Warren, whom she called "a fighter for middle-class families". After President
Barack Obama appointed
John Kerry as
United States Secretary of State, there was much speculation that Tsongas would run in the
special election for his seat, which her husband had also previously held. She briefly considered a run, but decided she would best be able to serve the people of Massachusetts by staying in the House, and endorsed fellow Representative
Ed Markey. In January 2013 Tsongas introduced the
Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Act (H.R. 412; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the
Nashua River in
Massachusetts for study for potential addition to the
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Tsongas discussed the river's history and past pollution problems in her testimony about the bill. She argued that the study would allow stakeholders to work together to "ensure that it remains a great place for canoeing, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors." and the
U.S.-Japan Caucus. ==Legacy==