Niki Tsongas
Encyclopedia
Nicola Dickson "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since a special election in 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party
.
She is the widow of U.S. Senator
Paul Tsongas
, who represented the 5th district in the 1970s. She became the first woman from Massachusetts
elected to Congress in 25 years.
, the daughter of Marian Susan (née Wyman), an artist and copywriter, and Colonel Russell Elmer Sauvage, an engineer in the United States Air Force
who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor
. She is a 1964 graduate of Narimasu American High School in Japan
, where her father was stationed at Fuchu Air Force Base and then spent one year at Michigan State before attending Smith College
in Northampton
, Massachusetts. After graduating from Smith in 1968, she moved to New York City, where she took a job as a social worker for the Department of Welfare.
Tsongas earned a law degree from Boston University
and started Lowell's first all-female law practice. In 1967, while spending the summer in Arlington, Virginia, she met Paul Tsongas
, then an aide to Congressman Brad Morse. In 1969, she married Paul and they had three daughters: Ashley, Katina, and Molly. Paul was a Massachusetts congressman and senator. In 1992, he became a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He died in 1997 due to complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Niki has worked as the Dean of External Affairs at Middlesex Community College, as well as a Board Member of Fallon Community Health Plan
and actively serving on the Lowell Civic Stadium and Arena Commission (which oversees the Tsongas Arena
, the LeLacheur Ballpark, the Merrimack Repertory Theatre
, and the Lowell Plan). In 2001, she was appointed by Representative Marty Meehan
to head a foundation to provide education funding for the children of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
When Meehan resigned in 2007 in order to serve as Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell
, Niki Tsongas ran for the vacant seat in a special congressional election
. She defeated four opponents in the Democratic primary with a 36% plurality of the vote. Her leading opponent in the general election on October 16, 2007 was Republican
Jim Ogonowski. In addition, there were two independent candidates and one from the Constitution Party
. During her campaign, Tsongas received endorsements from the three major newspapers in the area: the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald
, and the Lowell Sun
. Tsongas won the special election with 51 percent of the vote.
Tsongas did not face any opponents in the 2008 election. She was challenged by Republican nominee Jon Golnik, a former Wall Street currency trader and small businessman, in the 2010 election, but kept her seat.
, and voted to instate the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act
in February 2010. She has supported economic stimulus efforts during the late-2000s recession, including the Economic Stimulus Act
(a tax rebate and incentive policy) in February 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
(which established the Troubled Asset Relief Program) in October 2008, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(a $787 billion economic stimulus) in January 2009. In trade agreements for 2011, Tsongas voted against the Free Trade Agreement with Korea,but voted for trade promotion agreements for Panama and Colombia.
. In her 2007 election, she campaigned on setting a timetable to end the Iraq War. The first bill she introduced in Congress, which died in committee, aimed to implement a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Tsongas believes the War in Afghanistan
should be, “not just of a military nature, but also necessitate long term diplomatic, reconstruction and development efforts” and had opposed President Obama’s request for supplemental funds to support the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan. As a member of the Armed Services Committee in the House, Tsongas has also been a long advocate of light-weight armor and the prevention of sexual assault in the military.
and supports a public health insurance option
, as long as it "[is] self-sufficient, relying on the premiums it collects." In January 2009, she voted to re-authorize and expand the Children's Health Insurance Program. She voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act
in March 2010. On her website, Tsongas explained her vote in support of the legislation, saying, "The bill preserves what is best in the current system," in regards to Americans' choices in health care, and that it "will reduce our nation's growing deficit over 10 years by $104 billion" but stated that she was "very disappointed" at the restrictions on public funding for abortions built into the bill.
system, respectively.
. Tsongas received a 100 percent approval rating from Planned Parenthood
in 2008. She recently voted against an amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act
"that would prohibit all federal funds...from being used to pay for abortion except in the case of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother." Tsongas also advocates for same-sex marriage and the rights for LGBT. She has cosponsored many proposed legislations, such as the Respect for Marriage Act
. She also voted “yea” to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
. Due to her views, she receives high scores from LGBT interest groups such as the Human Rights Campaign
. Tsongas is also a supporter of stricter gun regulation and voted against the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 and received a 100 percent rating from the Brady Campaign
, a non-profit organization that promotes stricter gun regulation laws. Because of her views, pro-gun interest groups, such as the Gun Owners of America
, have given her near to failing ratings.
, and President Clinton’s Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 have failed, “to adequately address the primary driver of immigration: employment due to the unmet demands for workers”. On her website she states that in order for immigration to be reformed the government should, “secure the border, fixe the system at its roots, hold employers accountable, and strengthen workforce verification”. Like many of her fellow Democrats, Tsongas was a major supporter of the DREAM Act
and receives high ratings from immigration interest groups such as the National Latino Congreso
and the American Immigration Lawyers Association
.
. On the contrary, Tsongas has a high support from major American worker unions such as the AFL-CIO
and the AFSCME
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 since a special election in 2007. She 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...
.
She is the widow of U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Paul Tsongas
Paul Tsongas
Paul Efthemios Tsongas was a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 1979 to 1985. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 1992 presidential election. He previously served as a U.S...
, who represented the 5th district in the 1970s. She became the first woman from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
elected to Congress in 25 years.
Early life, education and career
Tsongas was born Nicola Dickson Sauvage in Chico, CaliforniaChico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
, the daughter of Marian Susan (née Wyman), an artist and copywriter, and Colonel Russell Elmer Sauvage, an engineer in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. She is a 1964 graduate of Narimasu American High School in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where her father was stationed at Fuchu Air Force Base and then spent one year at Michigan State before attending Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in Northampton
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
, Massachusetts. After graduating from Smith in 1968, she moved to New York City, where she took a job as a social worker for the Department of Welfare.
Tsongas earned a law degree from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and started Lowell's first all-female law practice. In 1967, while spending the summer in Arlington, Virginia, she met Paul Tsongas
Paul Tsongas
Paul Efthemios Tsongas was a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 1979 to 1985. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 1992 presidential election. He previously served as a U.S...
, then an aide to Congressman Brad Morse. In 1969, she married Paul and they had three daughters: Ashley, Katina, and Molly. Paul was a Massachusetts congressman and senator. In 1992, he became a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He died in 1997 due to complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Niki has worked as the Dean of External Affairs at Middlesex Community College, as well as a Board Member of Fallon Community Health Plan
HMO Research Network
The HMO Research Network is a consortium of 16 health care delivery organizations with integrated research divisions. Formed in 1995, the HMORN’s goal is to improve health and transform health care practice through a broad spectrum of population-based research studies...
and actively serving on the Lowell Civic Stadium and Arena Commission (which oversees the Tsongas Arena
Tsongas Arena
Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell is a multi-purpose facility, on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Arena was opened and dedicated to the memory of prominent local and national politician Paul Tsongas on January 27, 1998...
, the LeLacheur Ballpark, the Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Merrimack Repertory Theatre is a non-profit professional theatre located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Performances are presented September–May at the historic Liberty Hall, a 308-seat theatre located adjacent to the Lowell Memorial Auditorium...
, and the Lowell Plan). In 2001, she was appointed by Representative Marty Meehan
Marty Meehan
Martin Thomas "Marty" Meehan is an American attorney and politician from the state of Massachusetts. He is the current Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a position he assumed on July 1, 2007...
to head a foundation to provide education funding for the children of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Congressional career
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
, Niki Tsongas ran for the vacant seat in a special congressional election
Massachusetts's 5th congressional district special election, 2007
Massachusetts held a special election to fill a vacancy in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district on October 16, 2007. Democrat Niki Tsongas won election to congress defeating Republican Jim Ogonowski in an election that was closer than expected....
. She defeated four opponents in the Democratic primary with a 36% plurality of the vote. Her leading opponent in the general election on October 16, 2007 was Republican
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...
Jim Ogonowski. In addition, there were two independent candidates and one from the Constitution Party
Constitution Party (United States)
The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
. During her campaign, Tsongas received endorsements from the three major newspapers in the area: the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
, and the Lowell Sun
Lowell Sun
The Sun is a daily newspaper based in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States, serving towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the Greater Lowell area and beyond. Its circulation is about 50,000...
. Tsongas won the special election with 51 percent of the vote.
Tsongas did not face any opponents in the 2008 election. She was challenged by Republican nominee Jon Golnik, a former Wall Street currency trader and small businessman, in the 2010 election, but kept her seat.
Economy and the budget
Tsongas is a member of the House Budget CommitteeUnited States House Committee on the Budget
The U.S. House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress...
, and voted to instate the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act
The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, Title I of , , enacted on February 12, 2010, is a public law passed during the 111th United States Congress and signed by President Barack Obama...
in February 2010. She has supported economic stimulus efforts during the late-2000s recession, including the Economic Stimulus Act
Economic Stimulus Act of 2008
The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 was an Act of Congress providing for several kinds of economic stimuli intended to boost the United States economy in 2008 and to avert a recession, or ameliorate economic conditions. The stimulus package was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on January...
(a tax rebate and incentive policy) in February 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
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...
(which established the Troubled Asset Relief Program) in October 2008, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
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...
(a $787 billion economic stimulus) in January 2009. In trade agreements for 2011, Tsongas voted against the Free Trade Agreement with Korea,but voted for trade promotion agreements for Panama and Colombia.
|
Foreign policy
Tsongas serves on the House Armed Services 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...
. In her 2007 election, she campaigned on setting a timetable to end the Iraq War. The first bill she introduced in Congress, which died in committee, aimed to implement a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Tsongas believes the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
should be, “not just of a military nature, but also necessitate long term diplomatic, reconstruction and development efforts” and had opposed President Obama’s request for supplemental funds to support the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan. As a member of the Armed Services Committee in the House, Tsongas has also been a long advocate of light-weight armor and the prevention of sexual assault in the military.
Health care
Tsongas advocates for universal health careUniversal health care
Universal health care is a term referring to organized health care systems built around the principle of universal coverage for all members of society, combining mechanisms for health financing and service provision.-History:...
and supports a public health insurance option
Public health insurance option
The public health insurance option is a proposed government-run health insurance agency which competes with other health insurance companies. It is not the same as Publicly-funded health care. Called the public insurance option or public option, for short, it was a proposed health insurance plan...
, as long as it "[is] self-sufficient, relying on the premiums it collects." In January 2009, she voted to re-authorize and expand the Children's Health Insurance Program. She voted for 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...
and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 is a law that was enacted by the 111th United States Congress, by means of the reconciliation process, in order to amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act...
in March 2010. On her website, Tsongas explained her vote in support of the legislation, saying, "The bill preserves what is best in the current system," in regards to Americans' choices in health care, and that it "will reduce our nation's growing deficit over 10 years by $104 billion" but stated that she was "very disappointed" at the restrictions on public funding for abortions built into the bill.
Clean energy
In a press release, Congresswoman Tsongas cited a 9 percent increase in jobs in the clean energy sector, more than twice the rate of growth of traditional jobs, from 1998 to 2007. Tsongas has also voted "yes" on the Energy Act of 2007, Alternative Energy Tax Incentives, and Energy Law Amendments (Cap and Trade), which aim to mandate increased minimum fuel efficiency cars may have in the United States, reduce taxes for the producers of alternative energy, and institute an Emissions TradingEmissions trading
Emissions trading is a market-based approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants....
system, respectively.
Social issues
Tsongas is an advocate of abortion rightsAbortion in the United States
Abortion in the United States has been legal in every state since the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, on January 22, 1973...
. Tsongas received a 100 percent approval rating from Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
in 2008. She recently voted against an amendment to 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...
"that would prohibit all federal funds...from being used to pay for abortion except in the case of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother." Tsongas also advocates for same-sex marriage and the rights for LGBT. She has cosponsored many proposed legislations, such as the Respect for Marriage Act
Respect for Marriage Act
The Respect for Marriage Act, or RFMA , is a proposed bill in the United States Congress that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and allow the U.S. federal government to provide benefits to couples in a same-sex marriage; the bill would not compel individual states to recognize same-sex...
. She also voted “yea” to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 is a landmark federal statute that establishes a legal process for ending the Don't ask, don't tell policy , which since 1993 prevented openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the United States Armed Forces.The Act did not immediately repeal the...
. Due to her views, she receives high scores from LGBT interest groups such as the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
. Tsongas is also a supporter of stricter gun regulation and voted against the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 and received a 100 percent rating from the Brady Campaign
Brady Campaign
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence are affiliated non-profit organizations in the United States. They are named after James Brady who was permanently disabled as a result of an assassination attempt on U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
, a non-profit organization that promotes stricter gun regulation laws. Because of her views, pro-gun interest groups, such as the Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America is a gun rights organization in the United States with over 300,000 members. They make efforts to differentiate themselves from the larger National Rifle Association , and have publicly criticized the NRA on multiple occasions for what the GOA considers to be the selling out...
, have given her near to failing ratings.
Immigration
Tsongas believes that Reagan’s Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
The Immigration Reform and Control Act , , also Simpson-Mazzoli Act, is an Act of Congress which reformed United States immigration law.In brief the act:* required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status....
, and President Clinton’s Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 have failed, “to adequately address the primary driver of immigration: employment due to the unmet demands for workers”. On her website she states that in order for immigration to be reformed the government should, “secure the border, fixe the system at its roots, hold employers accountable, and strengthen workforce verification”. Like many of her fellow Democrats, Tsongas was a major supporter of the DREAM Act
DREAM Act
The DREAM Act is an American legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 and most recently reintroduced there on May 11, 2011....
and receives high ratings from immigration interest groups such as the National Latino Congreso
National Latino Congreso
The National Latino Congreso is a political organization in the United States of Latino Americans for the purpose of mobilizing voters and strengthening the impact of the Latin-American community in the political sphere. It has held meetings in 2006 and 2007 in Los Angeles and advocates issues such...
and the American Immigration Lawyers Association
American Immigration Lawyers Association
- About AILA :The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the United States' immigration bar association. AILA is a non-profit organization that consists of lawyers and law professors that are dedicated to the practice and teaching of immigration law. Its member attorneys represent U.S....
.
Interest group ratings
On taxation and financial/budgetary issues, Tsongas has received low or failing ratings from some right wing groups like the National Taxpayer's Union, FreedomWorks, the National Tax Limitation Committee, and Americans for Tax ReformAmericans for Tax Reform
Americans for Tax Reform is an advocacy group and taxpayer group whose stated goal is "a system in which taxes are simpler, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today. The government's power to control one's life derives from its power to tax...
. On the contrary, Tsongas has a high support from major American worker unions such as the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
and the AFSCME
Electoral history
External links
- Congresswoman Niki Tsongas official U.S. House site
- Niki Tsongas for Congress official campaign site
- Blog on Blue Mass. Group
- Boston.com: Tsongas receives endorsement from state treasurer August 21, 2007