Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat – Challenger, New Hampshire. Endorsed for U.S. Senate by Council for a Living World Candidate Fund

New Hampshire has had a political revolution, joining the rest of New England in overwhelmingly electing Democrats to political office. This new environment gives former Governor Jeanne Shaheen’s second challenge to incumbent Senator John Sununu an important edge. Republican Sununu is considered the most endangered incumbent in the nation.

In the 2002 election, Sununu, the son of former Governor John Sununu who later became Pres. George H.W. Bush’s Chief of Staff, won the contest 51% - 47%. In 2006, this once reliably Republican state went overwhelmingly Democratic. Both GOP incumbent House members went down to defeat. Democrats won a 14-10 majority in the state Senate, a 239 – 161 majority in the state House and a 3 – 2 margin on the state Executive Council. Democratic Governor John Lynch captured 74% of the vote.

Shaheen begins her campaign with a strong lead over Sununu, 53% - 42% in the late October Survey USA poll and an ever larger lead in an earlier Granite State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire. She has close to 100% recognition from her three successful terms as Governor.

Sununu has been a Bush loyalist, particularly on the Iraq war. He voted to authorize the war in 2002 and has refused to support any of the legislation to bring American troops home from Iraq. After one vote on March 18, 2007 against a deadline, he said “I voted no because it’s irresponsible to tell al-Qaida members or insurgents or other terrorists what day we’re going to begin withdrawing and what day we’re going to complete withdrawing.” He criticizes opponents of the war. On May 21, 2006, he said: “Those that advocate an immediate withdrawal don’t have the best interests of the Iraqi people at heart because that simply isn’t what the democratically elected government in Iraq wants right now.”

Sununu has also voted to proceed with the nuclear bunker buster and new low-yield nuclear weapons, opposed attempts to cut funding for National Missile Defense, supported the nomination of John Bolton to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and voted for the U.S.-India nuclear deal. Sununu has averaged a dismal 8% on Council for a Livable World’s annual voting record. He supports President Bush on virtually every issue. Jeanne Shaheen’s positions are quite different. While she supported the authorization for the use of force in Iraq in 2002, she is now strongly opposed to the war. Shaheen explains:

“The Bush Administration’s mishandling of Iraq has been one of the worst foreign policy disasters in our nation’s history. The war in Iraq has diverted critical intelligence, military, and diplomatic resources from the effort to hunt down Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and those who attacked us on 9/11 and who continue to threaten us … I therefore support bringing home the vast majority of U.S. troops, beginning immediately, leaving behind only a limited number of forces in the region to carry out a greatly reduced mission. The task should be completed as quickly as can be done to ensure the safety and security of our armed forces.”

While Sununu has endorsed the Bush Policy of preemptive war, Shaheen opposes it:

“I oppose the Bush doctrine of preemption because it implies that the United States will use preemption as a first option, rather than a last resort. America and all nations have long had the right to prevent an imminent attack with proportional military force. But the Administration’s new take on this established doctrine to justify invading Iraq was not only reckless but dangerous to U.S. national security.”

Shaheen supports ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, opposes building a new generation of nuclear weapons and supports the Kissinger-Shultz-Nunn-Perry vision of moving forward toward a world free of nuclear weapons. She urges the United States to seek an international ban on space weapons while refraining from placing weapons in space.

Jeanne Shaheen was born in St. Charles, Missouri in 1947. She earned a B.A. in English from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania in 1969 and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Mississippi in 1973. She taught high school in Mississippi and New Hampshire and operated a small business. For years, Shaheen was very active with the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League.

Her initial involvement in politics was in Jimmy Carter’s 1976 and 1980 campaigns as she worked in the New Hampshire presidential primary. In 1990, she was elected to the first of three state Senator terms. A talented political strategist as well as candidate, she managed Council for a Livable World Chairman Gary Hart’s campaign for President in New Hampshire in 1984. Shaheen’s gubernatorial win in 1996 shocked the political world; she ran a well-organized campaign and benefited from a bitter Republican primary. A successful Governor, she was twice easily re-elected. She remained active in public life after leaving the Governor’s office, including serving as director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and as national chair of John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.

While Shaheen starts out ahead in the contest, the outcome may hinge on financial resources. At the most recent reporting period, Sununu had $2.7 million in the bank, Shaheen less than $200,000. She will need to raise $10 million. The Sununu name is still a formidable political asset in New Hampshire, although his support for the Iraq war has diminished his favorable rating among the voters.

Jeanne Shaheen will be a welcome addition to the U.S. Senate. Her victory will help produce a working majority to stop the Iraq war and support multilateral engagement with the rest of the world. If you agree that it is important to replace John Sununu with Jeanne Shaheen in the U.S. Senate, please make your check out to:

Jeanne Shaheen for Senate
Mail to: Council for a Livable World
322 4th Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
Or donate online: http://www.clw.org/contribute

Contributions are not tax deductable for federal income tax purposes.

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