In 1992, Stupak ran for the House of Representatives in the 1st District, covering the Upper Peninsula and the northernmost swath of the Lower Peninsula. The district had previously been the 11th, represented by retiring seven-term incumbent Republican Robert William Davis. Stupak won the heavily contested Democratic primary, and defeated Republican Philip Ruppe, Davis' predecessor, in the general election. He was the first Democrat to represent this district since 1967, and only the third Democrat to win it in the 20th century. He was easily reelected in 1994 during a bad year for Democrats, becoming the first Democrat in 56 years to be elected to more than one term in the Northern Michigan district.
On April 9, 2010, Stupak announced that he would not run for re-election, and that he would retire from Congress at the end of his then-current term.[5][6]
Campaign funding
Electric utilities and health care professionals were among the top four industries contributing to his campaigns in 2006, 2008 and 2010.[7] Of his top 20 largest contributors throughout his political career, 16 were unions and associations, two were energy companies, one was an insurance company and one was a telecommunications firm.[8]
During his service in Congress, Stupak sponsored 36 bills, but none became law. He cosponsored 157 bills, 5 of which were enacted into law. He voted with the members of his party 96% of the time, and abstained from 5% of the votes. Because of the 1st District's extensive length of Great Lakes shoreline (over 1,600 miles), Stupak was very active on issues related to the protection of the Great Lakes, including opposing sale or diversion of Great Lakes water and drilling for oil and gas under the lakes.[9]
Political positions
Financial system
In 2009, Stupak voted against the Dodd–Frank Act, which expanded Federal regulation and oversight of the US financial system in the aftermath of the US financial and banking crisis of that year.[10]
Civil liberties
Stupak voted for the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, which expanded the definition of hate crimes to include crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity.[11]
Stupak expressed a desire to support the 2009 health care reform bill put forth by President Obama,[12] but wanted restrictions on coverage for abortion.[13] Therefore, Stupak and Republican Congressman Joseph R. Pitts submitted an amendment known as the Stupak–Pitts Amendment to prohibit such payments. The Stupak–Pitts Amendment was adopted by the House of Representatives, but a similar provision was defeated in the Senate version of the legislation (known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act).[14] Stupak announced that he and several other Democratic representatives who supported health reform legislation but opposed abortion would not vote for the final version of the legislation unless the Stupak-Pitts Amendment was included.[15] The ensuing controversy made Stupak "perhaps the single most important rank-and-file House member in passing the bill."[1]
Abortion-rights advocates held a "Stop Stupak" rally on Capitol Hill in December 2009.[16] In the ensuing months, Stupak publicly stated that the pressure and opposition he received in regard to his abortion stance on the health reform legislation had caused him to unplug the phone at his house due to "obscene phone calls and threats" and had made his life a "living hell."[12][17] "My staff is overwhelmed and we're accosted basically wherever we go by people who disagree," Stupak added.[17]
In March 2010, President Obama and Stupak reached an understanding whereby the President promised to sign an Executive Order barring federal funding of abortion through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,[18] and Stupak and several of his allies promised to withdraw their opposition to the bill.[19]Anti-abortion advocates accused Stupak of betraying their movement,[20][21] with the Susan B. Anthony List revoking an award it had planned to give to him and instead running $150,000 worth of radio advertisements against him.[20][22] Stupak was targeted by the Tea Party movement in the wake of his compromise.[23] In April 2010, Stupak announced his intention to retire from Congress,[24] leading conservative groups to point to the political consequences of his compromise as a possible reason for his decision.[22][23] However, Stupak himself attributed his retirement to the exertion of constant travel back and forth from Washington, D.C.[25]
Stupak rented a room at the C Street Center, a Washington, D.C. facility of The Fellowship (also known as The Family), a Christian fraternal organization.[27][28] The Fellowship has been the subject of controversy over its claimed tax status as a church, the ownership of the property and its connection to the Fellowship, and the reportedly subsidized benefits the facility provides to members of Congress.[29]
Jeff Sharlet, author of a book about The Fellowship, said, "When I lived with The Family at Ivanwald, a house for younger men being groomed for leadership, I was told that Stupak was a regular visitor to the Cedars." The Cedars, according to the Washington Independent, is also owned by The Family and hosts weekly prayer events.[30] Stupak has denied any affiliation with the Family and appeared to deny knowledge of the organization, stating "I don't belong to any such group" and that "I don't know what you're talking about, [The] Family and all this other stuff."[31]
^Stupak, Bart (December 11, 2002). "Safety Issues Surrounding Accutane". Testimony before U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. U.S. House of Representatives. Archived from the original on March 9, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
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