Neil Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is a
Democratic member
of the
United
States House of Representatives, representing
Hawaii's 1st congressional
district (
map) since 1991. He is running for the office
of
Governor of Hawaii in the
upcoming
2010
election.
Biography
Abercrombie was born in Buffalo, New
York
, to Vera June and Donald Abercrombie.
Upon
graduating from Williamsville High School (now Williamsville South High
School), he went on to pursue studies in sociology at Union College
in Schenectady, New York
. There, Abercrombie obtained his bachelor's
degree in 1959.
He moved to Honolulu, Hawaii
, and studied at the University of
Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
where he obtained his doctorate in 1974. There he
attended classes with and befriended current
United States President
Barack Obama's parents,
Ann Dunham and
Barack Obama, Sr. As a result, Abercrombie
is the only member of Congress to have met Barack Obama when Obama
was a child in Hawaii where Obama's parents lived.
Abercrombie first participated in a political campaign in 1970,
seeking the Democratic nomination to the
United States Senate. Unsuccessful,
Abercrombie ran for the
Hawaii State House of
Representatives where he served from 1975 to 1979. He moved to
the
Hawaii State Senate, where
he served from 1980 to 1986. After Representative
Cecil Heftel resigned from the
United States Congress in July 1986
to run for
Governor of Hawaiʻi,
Abercrombie was elected to the House in a September 1986 special
election to complete Heftel's unexpired term. However, on the same
day Abercrombie lost the Democratic primary for a full two-year
term to
Mufi Hannemann, who went on
to lose to Republican
Pat Saiki in the
general election.
Abercrombie then set his sights on a seat of the
Honolulu City Council. He won the race
and served from 1988 to 1990. At the end of his council tenure,
Abercrombie once again ran for Congress and won in 1990, and has
since been reelected ten times. In the 2008 election, he won with
70.6% of the vote.
Neil Abercrombie is a member of the
Congressional Progressive
Caucus and has generally compiled a liberal voting record. On
October 10, 2002, Neil Abercrombie was among the 133 members of the
House who voted against authorizing the
invasion of Iraq.
On Sunday, March 9, 2009, Abercrombie announced his intention to
again run for Governor of Hawaii instead of running for an 11th
Congressional term..
Abercrombie is an avid weight-lifter and has a stated goal of
lifting 200 lbs more than his age on each birthday. It has been
reported and witnessed by other members of Congress that
Abercrombie can indeed do this. On his 67th birthday, he bench
pressed 268 lbs.
Abercrombie currently resides in Honolulu
, Hawaii
and plans to
run for governor in
2010.
Committee assignments
Caucuses
Transparency record
Support for gun control
Abercrombie cosponsored H.R. 1312 (Assault Weapons Ban and Law
Enforcement Protection Act of 2005) on July 28, 2005.
[49305]
Abortion
Abercrombie's record indicates that he is supportive of most issue
positions commonly held by liberal Democrats. He is pro-choice, and
has voted against a ban on partial birth abortion. He voted with
the interests of NARAL and Planned Parenthood 100% between
2000-2006.
[49306]
Voting rights
He has voted for bills designed to make it easier for Americans to
vote, such as the "Motor voter" bill.
[49307]
Civil liberties
He has also advocated strongly for civil liberties; his voting
record is supported by both the American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) and American Library Association. He has also voted against
a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to being between one
man and one woman. Notably, he was one of only nine representatives
not to cast a vote for or against the USA PATRIOT ACT in 2001. In
2005, he voted against the extension of the act, calling it “a
blank check to trample civil liberties."
[49308]
Healthcare
In 2007, he signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 676, which would
establish a national health insurance program.
[49309]
Education
He did support and vote for No Child Left Behind, as many other
Democrats did.
[49310]
2008 Campaign Finances
Summary
Election Cycle 2008
Total Income $1,444,071
Total Spent $1,005,218
Cash On Hand $1,072,495
Debt $0
[49311]
Top Contributors
BAE Systems $19,190
Novasol $15,550
International Longshoremens Assn $15,000
Hunt Building $13,800
University of Hawaii $12,470
Lockheed Martin $12,200
Star Cruises $12,000
Boeing Co $11,200
Seafarers International Union $10,920
Air Line Pilots Assn $10,000
American Crystal Sugar $10,000
American Federation of Teachers $10,000
American Postal Workers Union $10,000
Boilermakers Union $10,000
Carpenters & Joiners Union $10,000
General Dynamics $10,000
Honeywell International $10,000
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $10,000
Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union $10,000
Marine Engineers Beneficial Assn $10,000
National Air Traffic Controllers Assn $10,000
National Assn of Realtors $10,000
National Auto Dealers Assn $10,000
Northrop Grumman $10,000
Painters & Allied Trades Union $10,000
Sheet Metal Workers Union $10,000
United Technologies $10,000
United Transportation Union $10,000
The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came
from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or
owners, and those individuals' immediate families.
[49312]
Top Sectors
Labor $271,870
Defense $147,420
Finance/Insur/RealEst $122,590
Lawyers & Lobbyists $114,261
Misc Business $105,470
Transportation $91,200
Construction $81,900
Health $76,547
Energy/Nat Resource $54,910
Other $53,630
[49313]
Top Industries
Transportation Unions $96,560
Defense Aerospace $78,860
Real Estate $73,050
Lawyers/Law Firms $72,288
Building Trade Unions $71,300
Sea Transport $67,260
Public Sector Unions $52,290
Health Professionals $51,560
Defense Electronics $42,500
Lobbyists $41,973
[49314]
Footnotes
- abercrombie
- The Story of Barack Obama's Mother
-
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6154147
- [1]
- Albert Eisele, "Menendez: Turn the tables on journos", The
Hill, July 6, 2005.
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