Sue Kelly
United States Representative from New York's 19th district
In office 1995 - (term ends 2007)
Preceded by	Hamilton Fish IV
Succeeded by	Incumbent1
Born	September 26, 1936 Lima, Ohio
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Ed Kelly
Religion	Presbyterian
1John Hall defeated Kelly in the 2006 elections and will replace her in the House on January 3, 2007.

Susan Weisenbarger "Sue" Kelly (born on September 26, 1936) has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing the 19th District of New York. She is a Republican. She took over fellow Republican Hamilton Fish IV's seat after he dropped out of the 1994 race due to prostate cancer. Kelly defeated his son, Hamilton Fish V in that race and will serve until the end of the year, when her seat will go to John Hall who defeated her in 2006 congressional election. Rep. ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... United States House of Representative, New York District 19 is located in the southern part of the State of New York in the USA. District 19 is north of New York City and is composed of parts of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester Counties. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hamilton Fish, Jr. ... September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lima Trust Building. ... For other uses, see Republican Party (disambiguation) or GOP (disambiguation). ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... For other people named John Hall, see John Hall. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... United States House of Representative, New York District 19 is located in the southern part of the State of New York in the USA. District 19 is north of New York City and is comprised of parts of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester Counties. ... For other uses, see Republican Party (disambiguation) or GOP (disambiguation). ... Hamilton Fish, Jr. ... The U.S. House election, 1994 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1994 which occurred in the middle of President Bill Clintons first term. ... Hamilton Fish V (also known as Hamilton Fish III and Hamilton Fish, Jr. ... For other people named John Hall, see John Hall. ... This article discusses only races that resulted in a seats party switch in the U.S. House of Representatives in the November 2006 (mid-term) election. ...

Biography

She was born in Lima, Ohio as Susan Weisenbarger and raised Presbyterian. She graduated from Denison University and holds a Masters degree from Sarah Lawrence College. Prior to becoming a Congresswomen, Kelly held jobs as a small business owner, patient advocate, rape counselor, and educator. She is married to Edward Kelly, and they live in Katonah, New York. They have 4 children and 8 grandchildren. Lima Trust Building. ... Denison University is a private liberal arts and sciences college in Granville, Ohio, approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of Columbus. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ... Sarah Lawrence College is a highly selective, private, coeducational liberal arts college located in metropolitan New York City. ... Katonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford. ...

Political career

When Congressman Hamilton Fish, Jr., a Republican, decided not to seek re-election in 1994, Kelly sought and won the nomination for the congressional seat. Kelly defeated Fish's son, who ran as a Democrat, to win the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2004, Kelly easily won re-election with 67% of the vote in New York's 19th Congressional district although the NY Times recently [1] described Kelly's opponents in previous races as "token opposition". Kelly claims a socially moderate and fiscally conservative voting record, however, recent corruption scandals and the GOP majority’s failure to reign in record spending and deficits eventually lead to voter backlash. A recent survey of congressional power and effectiveness by the nonpartisan Knowlegis company shows that Rep. Kelly was among the 100 most powerful lawmakers in the 435-member House. The survey also labeled Kelly as the second most powerful congressperson in the New York delegation, second only to Thomas M. Reynolds, who is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. [2] Hamilton Fish, Jr. ... For other uses, see Republican Party (disambiguation) or GOP (disambiguation). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Republican Party. ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... A Congressman or Congresswoman (generically, Congressperson) is a politician who is a member of a Congress. ... The state of New York ratified the U.S. Constitution on July 26, 1788, thereby becoming the eleventh state. ... Thomas M. Reynolds (born September 3, 1950) is a politician from the U.S. state of New York, currently representing the states 26th Congressional district (map) in the U.S. House. ... The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the Republican Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Republicans to that body. ...

Kelly was Chair of the House Page Board from Feb. 1999 to April 2001. This Board has been under fire because of the Mark Foley scandal. Mark Adam Foley (born September 8, 1954) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 until 2006, representing the 16th District of Florida. ...

Kelly is a member of The Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans for Choice, The Wish List, The Republican Main Street Partnership and Republicans For Environmental Protection. Her NARAL rating is 30% (averaging 1994 - 2005) but 71% (averaging 2000-2005). Her Sierra Club rating 63% (8th highest of Republicans, and 159th overall in the House). She gets negative marks from seniors groups because of her votes on Social Security and Medicare. [3][4] The Sierra Club chose to endorse her competitor in 2006 [5]. She has a lifetime rating of 64% from the American Conservative Union demonstrating a moderate to conservative voting record. [6]. Republicans for Choice, an organization based in the Washington, DC area (Headquarters: 2760 Eisenhower Ave, Suite #260, Alexandria, Virginia 22314) is a political action committee (PAC) composed of members of the United States Republican Party who support legalized abortion. ... The Wish List is an organization whose acronym for Women In the Senate and House. ... The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of social liberals and moderates in the United States Republican Party. ... Republicans for Environmental Protection (or REP America), is a national organization of Republican voters formed in 1995 with the stated purpose of educating and advocating environmental issues and supporting efforts to conserve natural resources and protect human and environmental health. ... NARAL Pro-Choice America (pronounced Nay-ral) is a United States group that favors the right to legal abortions and engages in political action to oppose restrictions on what it portrays as womens right to abort. ... The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known conservationist John Muir, who became its first president. ... The American Conservative Union (ACU) is a large conservative political lobbying group in the United States. ...

Other low ratings include her 22% score, considering she was a former small business owner herself, from the US Women's Chamber of Commerce [7], a C+ from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America [8], an issue that she has constantly argued that she is strong on, and a 22% score from the Children's Defense Fund [9]. Kelly has also voted in favor of pork amendments 84% of the time according to the conservative Club for Growth [10], and has refused to answer questions from the National Taxpayers Union, a non-partisan group focused on taxpayer's waste [11]. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is a non-profit (501(c)(4)), non-partisan Veterans organization that seeks to amplify the soldiers voice in the American public dialogue. ... The Childrens Defense Fund is a child advocacy group. ... The Club for Growth is a Reaganite section 527 political organization and an affiliated political action committee that raise money for candidates who support a pro-tax cut and limited government agenda. ... National Taxpayers Union (NTU) is an pro-taxpayers advocacy organization in the United States, founded in 1969 by James Dale Davidson. ...

In February 2006, the House voted 216 to 214 to cut domestic spending by $39 billion primarily by cutting $11 billion from Medicaid and another $12.7 billion from federal student loans which led to protests [12] in her district. Sue Kelly and Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) were the deciding votes.[13][14] Frank A. LoBiondo (born May 12, 1946) is a trucking executive and American politician, and has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing New Jerseys Second Congressional District (map). ... New Jerseys Second Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Frank LoBiondo. ...

She voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment to permanently ban gay marriage in all states once in 2004 and again in 2006. These votes cost her the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign, which had supported her campaigns prior to 2004[15].Her rating on the Human Rights Campaign Congressional Scorecard is 33%. Some claim that her her vote for the amendment cost her the election. [16] The Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would define marriage in the United States as a union of one man and one woman. ...

2006 election

Under fire in October 2006 for her connection to the Mark Foley scandal, Kelly ran away from a news camera after having failed to respond to a debate invitation from the non-partisan League of Women Voters. [17] Kelly was represented by an empty chair at the debate. See reference at 1:15 Mark Foley The Mark Foley scandal, which broke in late September 2006, centers on sexually explicit and solicitative e-mails and instant messages sent by Mark Foley, a Republican Congressman from Florida, to congressional pages and former pages. ... The League of Women Voters is a United States non-partisan political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during a meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. ...

Kelly was recently endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group.[18]. Her score of 92% was the highest among any Republican Member of Congress in 2006. Kelly had earned a 17% score from the LCV in 2005, but attributed that score to the many missed votes that came in the several days she was absent due to a death in the family [19].

Despite her attempts to distance herself from Republican leadership and the Bush administration — by claiming she is an "independent voice" for example — the Times Herald Record reported that in the 25 closest House votes last session, Kelly sided with the Republican leadership 24 of those times (the other time she missed the vote) [20].

Fundraising numbers, [21] as of September 30, show that nearly 60% of her money comes from PACs. In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group organized to elect or defeat government officials in order to promote legislation, often supporting the groups special interests. ...

In 2006, comedian Stephen Colbert invited Kelly to an interview for for his "Better Know A District" segment on The Colbert Report. Upon Kelly's refusal, Colbert interviewed Kelly's challenger, John Hall. According to the American Prospect, "(Kelly's) refusal to appear on cable's popular The Colbert Report may have also proven somewhat costly." Colbert took credit for Hall's election win on this November 8, 2006 edition of the Colbert Report. This article is about Stephen Colbert, the actor. ... Better Know A District is a recurring segment on The Colbert Report. ... The Colbert Report (pronounced )[1] is an American satirical television program on Comedy Central that stars comedian Stephen Colbert, best known previously as a senior correspondent for The Daily Show. ... For other people named John Hall, see John Hall. ...

On November 7, 2006, Sue Kelly lost her seat to Democractic challenger John Hall in her reelection bid during the 2006 mid-term elections.^[1] On November 16, nine days after the election, she conceded the election; although she still had a mathematical chance of winning, she needed to receive nearly 70% of the votes of these previously uncounted absentee ballots. The state will certify the official voting results on December 15. For other people named John Hall, see John Hall. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Controversy and criticism

Main article: Mark Foley scandal

On October 9, 2006, the New York Times reported the Mark Foley scandal has put several Republican's re-election bids at risk, but in Kelly's case is "far more tangential and less publicized, but still potentially damaging politically, is the question of whether Kelly herself knew about Foley’s lewd behavior during her tenure as Republican chairwoman of the House Page Board from 1998 to 2001."^[2] Further, "The Washington Post reported this past weekend that, during Kelly’s time as board chairwoman, allegedly explicit e-mails from Foley to a page came to the attention of Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona, the only openly gay Republican House member.^[2] Mark Foley The Mark Foley scandal, which broke in late September 2006, centers on sexually explicit and solicitative e-mails and instant messages sent by Mark Foley, a Republican Congressman from Florida, to congressional pages and former pages. ... Mark Adam Foley (born September 8, 1954) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 until 2006, representing the 16th District of Florida. ... House Page Board is a the oversight group of elected official who oversee the United States House of Representatives Page. ... James Thomas Jim Kolbe (born June 28, 1942) is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, having served since 1985, currently representing the 8th District of Arizona (map), which was previously numbered as the 5th District from 1985 to 2003. ...

References