NURSES IN CONGRESS
by Vince Elliott, RN
NOVA Immediate Past President
Welcome to 2006! NOVA sends its best wishes to you for a peaceful and prosperous new year.
The year 2006 is an election year; members of Congress rerunning for their seats will be in a re-election campaign from now until the November 7 elections. Additionally, one-third of the Senate will be up for re-election in 2006 as well as numerous state and local officials.
The year's first Hot News story focuses both on the nurses currently serving in Congress as well as the nurses launching November re-election campaigns. Political ads will start shortly. States will start having their primary elections by late spring. I don't have to tell you what we think of political ads these days. Survey-after-survey demonstrates Americans are upset with the increasingly negative tone of political ads.
There are no nurses serving in the Senate, nor have there ever been any. There are three nurses serving in the House of Representatives. They are:
- Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-TX;
- Carolyn McCarthy, D-NY; and
- Lois Capps, D-CA.
These three members of Congress are running for re-election in relatively safe districts and are favored to win re-election.
Three nurses have announced they are running for the House of Representatives and are:
- Paula Hollinger, currently serving as a Democratic State Senator in the Maryland Legislature;
- John Russell, a Democrat running in Florida; and
- Sheila Sorensen, a former Republican State Senator in the Idaho Legislature.
One nurse, Rosalind Kurirta, has announced her candidacy for the Senate. She is a Democratic State Senator in the Tennessee Legislature.
NOVA will follow all these nurses as the year unfolds, and bring you regular updates.
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