Nancy Boyda
Encyclopedia
Nancy Boyda is a former Democratic
congresswoman representing .
On November 4, 2008, Boyda was defeated for re-election by Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins
, after serving one term.
Following her term in Congress, Boyda was appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense for manpower and personnel at The Pentagon
, and was sworn into the position on July 20, 2009.
in Liberty, Missouri
, where she received dual degrees in chemistry and education. She began her career in 1978 working as an analytical chemist and field inspector. Boyda grew up in a Republican family, but became a Democrat in 2003. Nancy Boyda is married to Steve Boyda, a Marine Corps
veteran who grew up on his family farm in Marysville, Kansas
.
in Kansas' Second District. Boyda criticized Ryun's support for school vouchers and his lack of support for public schools. She said she had left the Republican Party
because it had become too conservative. Ryun criticized her for taking part in protests against the Iraq War. Boyda spent $1.1 million on her campaign, $300,000 of it her own money. Ryun spent $1.2 million. George W. Bush
carried the district 59%-39% and Ryun defeated Boyda 56%-41%.
Democrats held this district from 1971 to 1995 when voters split their tickets.
him by 51% to 47%, despite the district being low on both national parties' political radars. Boyda was helped by popular Democratic Governor of Kansas
Kathleen Sebelius
winning re-election 57% to 40%. Ryun was a strongly conservative Republican and the Republican Party of Kansas had been rife with infighting between conservatives and moderates; moderate Republicans seem to have defected to both Sebelius and Boyda. There was also the issue of Ryun's purchase of a Washington, D.C.
townhouse from Tom DeLay associates at a price well below market value.
and Agriculture Committee
. In the
110th United States Congress
, Boyda, as a freshman, introduced a bill, , to deny pensions to members of Congress convicted of bribery, conspiracy or perjury charges. The Bill passed in the House of Representatives on January 23, 2007, by a vote of 431-0. Boyda also applied to join the conservative Democrat House caucus, the Blue Dogs. She was unable to join as adding her would have put the blue dogs over their membership limit of 47.
On May 10, 2007, Boyda voted against , a measure, "to provide for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces and defense contractors from Iraq." However, she continues to support gradual troop withdrawal while funding troops until they return.
and biodiesel
production that could benefit Kansas agriculture.
Her Chief of Staff Shanan Guinn said, "She was frustrated with how the administration is handling the war, that no one wants to have a real conversation about ways to move forward and our brave men and women overseas are being played like a political ping pong ball."
Boyda later told the Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury, that she did not "walk out" of the meeting. Instead, she "stepped into a little room" adjacent to the meeting for five minutes, then returned. She hoped to draw a distinction between politely excusing herself and storming out of the room.
Chairman Tom Cole
announced that the NRCC intended to target Boyda in 2008. Ryun announced that he would try to get his old seat back, and Republican leaders reportedly assured him that he would win. On April 4, 2007, State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins
officially announced she would oppose Ryun in the Republican primary
. Other candidates mentioned include former state House Speaker Doug Mays and Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh
, though following the filling deadline, only Ryun and Jenkins qualified for the Republican primary ballot. Jenkins narrowly defeated Ryun in the August 5, 2008 primary.
Boyda and Jenkins were opposed in the general election by Libertarian Party
candidate Robert Garrard and Reform Party
candidate Leslie Martin. Boyda announced she would not seek assistance from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
for her 2008 campaign.
Articles
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...
congresswoman representing .
On November 4, 2008, Boyda was defeated for re-election by Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins
Lynn Jenkins
Lynn Jenkins is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Republican Party. As of the 112th Congress, she is the senior member of Kansas' House delegation...
, after serving one term.
Following her term in Congress, Boyda was appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense for manpower and personnel 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...
, and was sworn into the position on July 20, 2009.
Background
Boyda graduated with honors from William Jewell CollegeWilliam Jewell College
William Jewell College is a private, four-year liberal arts college of 1,100 undergraduate students located in Liberty, Missouri, U.S. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and other civic leaders, including Robert S. James, a Baptist minister and father of the...
in Liberty, Missouri
Liberty, Missouri
Liberty is a city in Clay County, Missouri and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. At the 2007 population estimate, the city population was 29,993...
, where she received dual degrees in chemistry and education. She began her career in 1978 working as an analytical chemist and field inspector. Boyda grew up in a Republican family, but became a Democrat in 2003. Nancy Boyda is married to Steve Boyda, a Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
veteran who grew up on his family farm in Marysville, Kansas
Marysville, Kansas
Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,294.-History:...
.
2004 campaign for Congress
In 2004 she ran against Republican incumbent Jim RyunJim Ryun
James Ronald Ryun is an American former track athlete and politician, who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007, representing the 2nd District in Kansas. In the 2006 election, Ryun was defeated by Democratic challenger Nancy Boyda...
in Kansas' Second District. Boyda criticized Ryun's support for school vouchers and his lack of support for public schools. She said she had left the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
because it had become too conservative. Ryun criticized her for taking part in protests against the Iraq War. Boyda spent $1.1 million on her campaign, $300,000 of it her own money. Ryun spent $1.2 million. George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
carried the district 59%-39% and Ryun defeated Boyda 56%-41%.
Democrats held this district from 1971 to 1995 when voters split their tickets.
2006 campaign for Congress
Boyda challenged Ryun again in 2006. She upsetUpset
An upset occurs in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, when the party popularly expected to win , is defeated by an underdog whom the majority expects to lose, defying the conventional wisdom...
him by 51% to 47%, despite the district being low on both national parties' political radars. Boyda was helped by popular Democratic Governor of Kansas
Governor of Kansas
The Governor of the State of Kansas is the head of state for the State of Kansas, United States. Under the Kansas Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Kansas executive branch, of the government of Kansas. The Governor is the...
Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was the second female Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors...
winning re-election 57% to 40%. Ryun was a strongly conservative Republican and the Republican Party of Kansas had been rife with infighting between conservatives and moderates; moderate Republicans seem to have defected to both Sebelius and Boyda. There was also the issue of Ryun's purchase of a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
townhouse from Tom DeLay associates at a price well below market value.
Service in the House of Representatives
Boyda was assigned membership to the Armed Service CommitteeUnited States House Committee on Armed Services
thumb|United States House Committee on Armed Services emblemThe U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives...
and Agriculture Committee
United States House Committee on Agriculture
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
. In the
110th United States Congress
110th United States Congress
The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...
, Boyda, as a freshman, introduced a bill, , to deny pensions to members of Congress convicted of bribery, conspiracy or perjury charges. The Bill passed in the House of Representatives on January 23, 2007, by a vote of 431-0. Boyda also applied to join the conservative Democrat House caucus, the Blue Dogs. She was unable to join as adding her would have put the blue dogs over their membership limit of 47.
On May 10, 2007, Boyda voted against , a measure, "to provide for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces and defense contractors from Iraq." However, she continues to support gradual troop withdrawal while funding troops until they return.
Environmental record
Boyda supported research toward renewable forms of energy, particularly ethanolEthanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
and biodiesel
Biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....
production that could benefit Kansas agriculture.
Armed Services Committee hearing, July 2007
Congresswoman Boyda made news on July 27, 2007 by leaving a Congressional hearing while a retired Army general testified about US progress in Iraq. Retired Army General Jack Keane had testified that since the troop surge began, U.S. forces "are on the offensive and we have the momentum." He also said security has improved in every neighborhood and district in and around Baghdad, and that "cafes, pool halls, coffee houses that I visited are full of people". Boyda said she left the House Armed Services Committee hearing during the testimony of General Keane because "there was only so much that you could take," and continued to say she felt Keane's picture of the situation in Iraq was inappropriately "rosy."Her Chief of Staff Shanan Guinn said, "She was frustrated with how the administration is handling the war, that no one wants to have a real conversation about ways to move forward and our brave men and women overseas are being played like a political ping pong ball."
Boyda later told the Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury, that she did not "walk out" of the meeting. Instead, she "stepped into a little room" adjacent to the meeting for five minutes, then returned. She hoped to draw a distinction between politely excusing herself and storming out of the room.
Committee assignments
- Armed Services Committee
- Subcommittee on Military Personnel
- Subcommittee on Readiness
- Agriculture Committee
- Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research
- Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry
- Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
2008 campaign for Congress
In January 2007, National Republican Congressional CommitteeNational 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....
Chairman Tom Cole
Tom Cole
Thomas Jeffery Cole is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a Deputy Minority Whip. The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2006 to 2008, he was, during his tenure, the fourth-ranking Republican leader in the...
announced that the NRCC intended to target Boyda in 2008. Ryun announced that he would try to get his old seat back, and Republican leaders reportedly assured him that he would win. On April 4, 2007, State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins
Lynn Jenkins
Lynn Jenkins is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Republican Party. As of the 112th Congress, she is the senior member of Kansas' House delegation...
officially announced she would oppose Ryun in the Republican primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. Other candidates mentioned include former state House Speaker Doug Mays and Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh
Ron Thornburgh
Ron E. Thornburgh, was the 29th Secretary of State of Kansas. He was elected in to his first term in 1994 and was subsequently re-elected in 1998, 2002, and 2006....
, though following the filling deadline, only Ryun and Jenkins qualified for the Republican primary ballot. Jenkins narrowly defeated Ryun in the August 5, 2008 primary.
Boyda and Jenkins were opposed in the general election by Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
candidate Robert Garrard and Reform Party
Reform Party of the United States of America
The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...
candidate Leslie Martin. Boyda announced she would not seek assistance from the 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...
for her 2008 campaign.
External links
- Nancy Boyda for Congress, Campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
CongresspediaCongresspediaCongresspedia was a wiki that ran from April 2006 to March 2009, designed to hold information on the workings of the U.S. Congress. It was fully contained within SourceWatch, a larger wiki meant to document the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda. The Congresspedia portion of...
Articles
- http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Campaign/011807_boyda.html
- http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/01/ryun_to_run_aga.html#more
- http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/013007/bradley.html
- http://www.cjonline.com/stories/100306/loc_ryunboyda.shtml