Chris Carney
Encyclopedia
Christopher P. "Chris" Carney (born March 2, 1959) is the former U.S. Representative
for , serving from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party
and was a prominent member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition.
The district, located in Northeastern Pennsylvania
, includes Lackawanna
and Luzerne
Counties outside of Scranton
and Wilkes-Barre (communities such as Clarks Summit
, Kingston
, and the Back Mountain
towns of Trucksville
, Shavertown
, and Dallas
) as well as all or most of Bradford
, Lycoming
, Montour
, Northumberland
, Pike
, Union
, Snyder
, Sullivan
, Susquehanna
, Wayne
and Wyoming
Counties.
Carney is also an associate professor of political science
at Penn State Worthington Scranton, where he has taught since 1992. In 2011, he was appointed as director of homeland security and policy strategy for BAE Systems
.
in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, received his masters from the University of Wyoming
, and completed his Ph.D in political science
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Carney has been an associate professor of political science
at Penn State Worthington Scranton since 1992.
From 2002 to 2004, Carney served as a counterterrorism analyst for the Bush administration, under Douglas Feith in the Office of Special Plans
and at the Defense Intelligence Agency
, researching links between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein
.
(select) in the United States Naval Reserve
, Carney served multiple tours overseas and was activated for operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle
. He was direct commissioned as an Ensign
in 1995. He served as Senior Terrorism and Intelligence Advisor at the Pentagon
.
He is the recipient of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal
, three joint Service Achievement Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. His awards also include the Naval Rifle Marksman ribbon and the Naval Pistol Expert Medal.
In September 2007, Congressman Carney went on active duty with the Navy for his two weeks of service as a Lt. Commander in the reserves. On active duty, Carney will be working on the "Predator" project near Norfolk, VA.
In July 2008, Carney was promoted from Lieutenant Commander to Commander (select) in the Naval Reserve. He was one of just two members of the House to serve in the military reserves.
During his unsuccessful 2010 re-election campaign Carney revealed that he had served as an interrogator at Guantanamo.
Carol Rosenberg
, writing in the Miami Herald, wrote that although Carney had traveled with fellow Congressional Representatives on fact-finding trips to Guantanamo, he had never informed them that he himself had served there.
In January 2007, Carney was named Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight
, a surprising achievement for a freshman Congressman.
, he said he is open to the idea of adding private accounts in addition to (not at the expense of) traditional defined benefits.
He supports federal investment in stem cell research, and is an advocate of universal healthcare. He supports gun rights, identifies as pro-life
and opposes gay marriage.
Carney made change of direction in Iraq policy a cornerstone of his 2006 campaign, often decrying the Bush Administration
's war policies. However, he subsequently voted to continue the war in Iraq, H.R. 2206, and against H.R. 2956, an effort to establish a timeline to withdraw from Iraq. He was one of only ten Democrats to vote against ending the war. He was not a proponent of investigating pre-war intelligence. “The more energy spent on answering Congressional investigations, the less time will be spent on winning the war”, he stated.
On May 3, 2007, Carney voted with 166 Republicans against the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, although the Pennsylvania delegation (including 4 Republicans) voted 14-4 in favor. In 2008 he was one of the "Blue Dog" Democrats who joined most Republicans in an unsuccessful to attempt to pass a bill amending FISA to grant telecommunications companies immunity from prosecution for their involvement in warrantless wiretapping of American citizens.
Carney voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
and voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
. Congressman Carney also voted for the Affordable Health Care for America Act
as well as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
.
. The 10th had been in Republican hands since 1961. The four-term incumbent had barely defeated Democrat Patrick Casey in his bid to succeed popular 36-year incumbent Joe McDade in 1998, and narrowly defeated Casey in a 2000 rematch. However, the 10th had been made significantly more rural and Republican after the 2000 census, and the Democrats hadn't even put up a candidate since then.
However, revelations of Sherwood's five-year-long extramarital affair with a woman more than 30 years his junior, along with allegations of abuse, severely hampered Sherwood's reelection chances in the 10th, which has a strong social conservative tint. Carney also garnered the endorsement of 30 labor unions. In the election, Carney defeated Sherwood, 53% to 47%.
During the campaign, Carney raised money with a wide-variety of supporters including Sen. Barack Obama
, Sen Joe Biden
, Rep. Jay Inslee
, Rep. Jack Murtha, and Richard Perle
, former Chairman of the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee Douglas Feith
, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, congratulated Carney on Election Night.
Carney was one of the few incumbent Democrats to be rated vulnerable in this election cycle, because he was a freshman running in a strongly Republican district (its Cook Partisan Voting Index
was R+8). The National Republican Congressional Committee
advertised for the Hackett, while the Service Employees International Union
and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
--which were among those organizations identifying Carney as especially vulnerable—advertised on his behalf, placing special emphasis on his vote for an increase in the federal minimum wage
to $7.25 by 2009, a measure passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by Bush on May 24, 2007.
Since the summer of 2007, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report and a number of other political analysts listed Carney's District as "slightly" leaning Democratic in 2008, and according to the FEC Carney has raised over $500,000 towards his re-election in the first six months of 2007. Public opinion polls conducted in January 2008 indicated a lead over Hackett (then a candidate in the GOP primary), by significant double-digit margins and even a majority of registered Republicans, 53 percent, approve of Carney's job performance. Carney strove to portray himself as a conservative Democrat and asserted, time and time again, that Republican efforts to portray him as a "tax-and-spend" liberal would fail because 10th district residents are familiar with his moderate policies. The candidates differed over Social Security
. Carney opposed Bush's plan
for privatization, while Hackett supported it.
In the April 22 Pennsylvania primaries, enormous Democratic voter turnout, most certainly due to the presidential race, led Carney to earn over 70,000 votes in the congressional primary, despite running unopposed—more than the combined vote in the Republican primary.
Like all current Democratic members of Congress, Chris Carney was a superdelegate
to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
. In late March, he was reported being somewhat skeptical of Hillary Clinton's electability, citing that her negatives are "widely known", and adding, regarding Barack Obama
, that, "what we don't know is whether the other shoe is going to drop for Mr. Obama." He vowed that he would "wait and see how his district votes", hinting that he would likely issue an endorsement after the April 22 Pennsylvania primary for the candidate that wins by a "landslide"--if a huge victory by either occurs—in his overwhelmingly conservative district in which registered Democrats are few compared to Republicans. Another northeastern Pennsylvania Congressman, Paul Kanjorski, had long endorsed and actively campaigned for Clinton, alongside a number of other Democratic politicians in the state, including Governor Ed Rendell
, while U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Jr.
was Obama's most significant supporter. Prior to 2008, in his 2006 race against Sherwood, Obama had helped Carney raise funds for his campaign. Carney endorsed Clinton on May 9 after she carried his district in the Democratic primary by a whopping 70%-30% margin.
. In the 2010 election, Marino defeated Carney, 55-45%.
in Susquehanna County.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and was a prominent member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition.
The district, located in Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania is a geographic region of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton and Carbondale....
, includes Lackawanna
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 213,295 people, 86,218 households, and 55,783 families residing in the county. The population density was 465 people per square mile . There were 95,362 housing units at an average density of 208 per square mile...
and Luzerne
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
Counties outside of Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
and Wilkes-Barre (communities such as Clarks Summit
Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
Clarks Summit is a borough in Lackawanna County northwest of Scranton in northeastern Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,116 at the 2010 census. It is also the northern terminus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension, I-476.-History:...
, Kingston
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston is a municipality located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre. Kingston was incorporated as a borough in 1857. Kingston has adopted a home rule charter which became effective in January 1976. It is part of the greater metropolitan...
, and the Back Mountain
Back Mountain, Pennsylvania
Back Mountain is a census-designated place in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is near the cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. The population was 26,690 at the 2000 census...
towns of Trucksville
Trucksville, Pennsylvania
Trucksville is an unincorporated community in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the "neighbor town" of Shavertown, located literally adjacent to Trucksville. The village is the site of the Lands at Hillside Farms, a popular small dairy store planned to expand...
, Shavertown
Shavertown, Pennsylvania
Shavertown is an unincorporated community in Kingston and Jackson Townships, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies approximately west of the city of Wilkes-Barre and southwest of Scranton.-Vice-presidential visit:...
, and Dallas
Dallas, Pennsylvania
Dallas is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,557 at the 2000 census. It was created by a charter granted April 21, 1879 from land entirely within Dallas Township. The township had been formed in 1817 and was named for Alexander J. Dallas, who was the 6th...
) as well as all or most of Bradford
Bradford County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,761 people, 24,453 households, and 17,312 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 28,664 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
, Lycoming
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
-Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Plateau:Lycoming County is divided between the Appalachian Mountains in the south, the dissected Allegheny Plateau in the north and east, and the valley of the West Branch Susquehanna River between these.-West Branch Susquehanna River:The West Branch of the...
, Montour
Montour County, Pennsylvania
Montour County is located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, the county's population was 18,267. Its county seat is Danville. It is named for Andrew Montour, a prominent métis interpreter who served with George Washington during the French and Indian War. The county is part of the...
, Northumberland
Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
There were 38,835 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% had...
, Pike
Pike County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River * Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
, Union
Union County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 41,624 people, 13,178 households, and 9,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile . There were 14,684 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
, Snyder
Snyder County, Pennsylvania
Snyder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 39,702. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County...
, Sullivan
Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population is 6,428. Sullivan County was created on March 15, 1847, from part of Lycoming County and named for Charles Sullivan, leader of the Pennsylvania Senate...
, Susquehanna
Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,238 people, 16,529 households, and 11,785 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 21,829 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
, Wayne
Wayne County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,722 people, 18,350 households, and 12,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile . There were 30,593 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
and Wyoming
Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was created in 1842 from part of Luzerne County. Its county seat is Tunkhannock.-Geography:According to the U.S...
Counties.
Carney is also an associate professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Penn State Worthington Scranton, where he has taught since 1992. In 2011, he was appointed as director of homeland security and policy strategy for BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
.
Early life, education and career
Carney earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell CollegeCornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...
in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, received his masters from the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
, and completed his Ph.D in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Carney has been an associate professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Penn State Worthington Scranton since 1992.
From 2002 to 2004, Carney served as a counterterrorism analyst for the Bush administration, under Douglas Feith in the Office of Special Plans
Office of Special Plans
The Office of Special Plans , which existed from September 2002 to June 2003, was a Pentagon unit created by Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith, and headed by Feith, as charged by then-United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to supply senior George W. Bush administration officials with...
and at the Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
, researching links between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
.
Military service
A CommanderCommander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
(select) in the United States Naval Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
, Carney served multiple tours overseas and was activated for operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle
Operation Noble Eagle
Operation Noble Eagle is the name given to military operations related to homelandsecurity and support to federal, state, and local agencies...
. He was direct commissioned as an Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in 1995. He served as Senior Terrorism and Intelligence Advisor at the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
.
He is the recipient of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
The Defense Meritorious Service Medal is the third-highest award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense...
, three joint Service Achievement Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. His awards also include the Naval Rifle Marksman ribbon and the Naval Pistol Expert Medal.
In September 2007, Congressman Carney went on active duty with the Navy for his two weeks of service as a Lt. Commander in the reserves. On active duty, Carney will be working on the "Predator" project near Norfolk, VA.
In July 2008, Carney was promoted from Lieutenant Commander to Commander (select) in the Naval Reserve. He was one of just two members of the House to serve in the military reserves.
During his unsuccessful 2010 re-election campaign Carney revealed that he had served as an interrogator at Guantanamo.
Carol Rosenberg
Carol Rosenberg
Carol Rosenberg is a senior journalist, currently with the McClatchy News Service.Rosenberg works at the Miami Herald, which has provided extensive coverage of the operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.-Biography:...
, writing in the Miami Herald, wrote that although Carney had traveled with fellow Congressional Representatives on fact-finding trips to Guantanamo, he had never informed them that he himself had served there.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Homeland SecurityUnited States House Committee on Homeland SecurityThe U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Its responsibilities include U.S...
- Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and OversightUnited States House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and OversightThe U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Management is a standing subcommittee within the House Homeland Security Committee....
(Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight
- Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureUnited States House Committee on Transportation and InfrastructureThe U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. John Mica currently chairs the committee.-History:...
- Subcommittee on Highways and TransitUnited States House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and TransitThe House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The subcommittee oversees highway, transit, and highway safety programs in the United States, as well as policy governing how highway and transit projects...
- Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
- Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
In January 2007, Carney was named Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight
United States House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight
The U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Management is a standing subcommittee within the House Homeland Security Committee....
, a surprising achievement for a freshman Congressman.
Political positions
While opposing proposals to privatize Social SecuritySocial Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
, he said he is open to the idea of adding private accounts in addition to (not at the expense of) traditional defined benefits.
He supports federal investment in stem cell research, and is an advocate of universal healthcare. He supports gun rights, identifies as pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
and opposes gay marriage.
Carney made change of direction in Iraq policy a cornerstone of his 2006 campaign, often decrying the Bush Administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
's war policies. However, he subsequently voted to continue the war in Iraq, H.R. 2206, and against H.R. 2956, an effort to establish a timeline to withdraw from Iraq. He was one of only ten Democrats to vote against ending the war. He was not a proponent of investigating pre-war intelligence. “The more energy spent on answering Congressional investigations, the less time will be spent on winning the war”, he stated.
On May 3, 2007, Carney voted with 166 Republicans against the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, although the Pennsylvania delegation (including 4 Republicans) voted 14-4 in favor. In 2008 he was one of the "Blue Dog" Democrats who joined most Republicans in an unsuccessful to attempt to pass a bill amending FISA to grant telecommunications companies immunity from prosecution for their involvement in warrantless wiretapping of American citizens.
Carney voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of , commonly referred to as a bailout of the U.S. financial system, is a law enacted in response to the subprime mortgage crisis...
and voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
. Congressman Carney also voted for the Affordable Health Care for America Act
Affordable Health Care for America Act
The Affordable Health Care for America Act was a bill that was crafted by the United States House of Representatives in November 2009. At the encouragement of the Obama administration, the 111th Congress devoted much of its time to enacting reform of the United States' health care system...
as well as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law is the principal health care reform legislation of the 111th United States Congress...
.
2006
When Carney entered the race for the 10th, he was initially considered an underdog against Republican incumbent Don SherwoodDon Sherwood
Donald L. "Don" Sherwood is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district, from 1999 to 2007...
. The 10th had been in Republican hands since 1961. The four-term incumbent had barely defeated Democrat Patrick Casey in his bid to succeed popular 36-year incumbent Joe McDade in 1998, and narrowly defeated Casey in a 2000 rematch. However, the 10th had been made significantly more rural and Republican after the 2000 census, and the Democrats hadn't even put up a candidate since then.
However, revelations of Sherwood's five-year-long extramarital affair with a woman more than 30 years his junior, along with allegations of abuse, severely hampered Sherwood's reelection chances in the 10th, which has a strong social conservative tint. Carney also garnered the endorsement of 30 labor unions. In the election, Carney defeated Sherwood, 53% to 47%.
During the campaign, Carney raised money with a wide-variety of supporters including Sen. Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, Sen Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, Rep. Jay Inslee
Jay Inslee
Jay Robert Inslee is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes many of Seattle's northern suburbs in King, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties...
, Rep. Jack Murtha, and Richard Perle
Richard Perle
Richard Norman Perle is an American political advisor, consultant, and lobbyist who began his career in government, a senior staff member to Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson on the Senate Armed Services Committee in the 1970’s...
, former Chairman of the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee Douglas Feith
Douglas Feith
Douglas J. Feith served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for United States President George W. Bush from July 2001 until August 2005. His official responsibilities included the formulation of defense planning guidance and forces policy, United States Department of Defense relations...
, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, congratulated Carney on Election Night.
2008
On November 4, 2008, Carney defeated Chris Hackett 56% to 44%.Carney was one of the few incumbent Democrats to be rated vulnerable in this election cycle, because he was a freshman running in a strongly Republican district (its Cook Partisan Voting Index
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
was R+8). The National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives....
advertised for the Hackett, while the Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield...
--which were among those organizations identifying Carney as especially vulnerable—advertised on his behalf, placing special emphasis on his vote for an increase in the federal minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
to $7.25 by 2009, a measure passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by Bush on May 24, 2007.
Since the summer of 2007, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report and a number of other political analysts listed Carney's District as "slightly" leaning Democratic in 2008, and according to the FEC Carney has raised over $500,000 towards his re-election in the first six months of 2007. Public opinion polls conducted in January 2008 indicated a lead over Hackett (then a candidate in the GOP primary), by significant double-digit margins and even a majority of registered Republicans, 53 percent, approve of Carney's job performance. Carney strove to portray himself as a conservative Democrat and asserted, time and time again, that Republican efforts to portray him as a "tax-and-spend" liberal would fail because 10th district residents are familiar with his moderate policies. The candidates differed over Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
. Carney opposed Bush's plan
Social Security debate (United States)
This article concerns proposals to change the Social Security system in the United States. Social Security is a social insurance program officially called "Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance" , in reference to its three components. It is primarily funded through a dedicated payroll tax...
for privatization, while Hackett supported it.
In the April 22 Pennsylvania primaries, enormous Democratic voter turnout, most certainly due to the presidential race, led Carney to earn over 70,000 votes in the congressional primary, despite running unopposed—more than the combined vote in the Republican primary.
Like all current Democratic members of Congress, Chris Carney was a superdelegate
Superdelegate
"Superdelegate" is an informal term commonly used for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the United States Democratic Party....
to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
. In late March, he was reported being somewhat skeptical of Hillary Clinton's electability, citing that her negatives are "widely known", and adding, regarding Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, that, "what we don't know is whether the other shoe is going to drop for Mr. Obama." He vowed that he would "wait and see how his district votes", hinting that he would likely issue an endorsement after the April 22 Pennsylvania primary for the candidate that wins by a "landslide"--if a huge victory by either occurs—in his overwhelmingly conservative district in which registered Democrats are few compared to Republicans. Another northeastern Pennsylvania Congressman, Paul Kanjorski, had long endorsed and actively campaigned for Clinton, alongside a number of other Democratic politicians in the state, including Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
, while U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Jr.
Bob Casey, Jr.
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as Pennsylvania Treasurer, and Pennsylvania Auditor General. He is the son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr..He is the first Democrat elected to a full term in...
was Obama's most significant supporter. Prior to 2008, in his 2006 race against Sherwood, Obama had helped Carney raise funds for his campaign. Carney endorsed Clinton on May 9 after she carried his district in the Democratic primary by a whopping 70%-30% margin.
2010
Carney was challenged by Republican nominee Tom MarinoTom Marino
Thomas Anthony Marino is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party.The district, located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, includes Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties outside of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre as well as all or most of...
. In the 2010 election, Marino defeated Carney, 55-45%.
Personal life
Carney lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their five children in Dimock TownshipDimock Township, Pennsylvania
Dimock Township is a township in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,398 at the 2000 census. It is the home of former U.S...
in Susquehanna County.
External links
- Chris Carney For Congress official campaign site
- Securing America
- Band of Brothers
- VetPac
- Vote against Violence
- Carney enters race for Congress Robert L. Baker, Wyoming County Press Examiner, September 14, 2005
- Carney’s campaign color: green Roderick Random, The Times-Tribune, September 10, 2005