Niki Tsongas | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's3rd district | |
| In office October 16, 2007 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Marty Meehan |
| Succeeded by | Lori Trahan |
| Constituency |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Nicola Dickson Sauvage (1946-04-26)April 26, 1946 (age 79) Chico, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
| Website | House website (archived) |
Nicola Dickson "Niki" Tsongas (/ˈsɒŋɡəs/; néeSauvage; born April 26, 1946) is an American politician who served as aU.S. Representative fromMassachusetts from 2007 to 2019. She held the seat formerly held by her husband, the latePaul Tsongas, for the district numbered asMassachusetts's 5th congressional district from 2007 to 2013 and asMassachusetts's 3rd congressional district from 2013 to 2019. She is a member of theDemocratic Party. In August 2017 Tsongas announced that she would not seek another term in theNovember 2018 election.[1]
Tsongas was born Nicola Dickson Sauvage on April 26, 1946, inChico, California. Her mother, Marian Susan (née Wyman), was an artist and copywriter, and her father,Colonel Russell Elmer Sauvage, was an engineer in theUnited States Army Air Forces who survived theattack on Pearl Harbor.[2] Tsongas graduated in 1964 from Narimasu American High School inJapan while her father was stationed at Fuchu Air Force Base. She spent one year atMichigan State University, then transferred toSmith College inNorthampton, Massachusetts, graduating in 1968 with aBachelor of Arts inreligion.[3][4] After college she moved toNew York City, where she took a job as a social worker for the Department of Welfare.[5] Tsongas earned herJuris Doctor fromBoston University and startedLowell's first all-female law practice.[6] She is anEpiscopalian.[7]
Tsongas interned inArlington, Virginia, forpresidential candidateEugene McCarthy during summer 1967; at a party there she metPaul Tsongas, then an aide to Republican CongressmanBrad Morse. In 1969, she married Paul; they had three daughters: Ashley, Katina, and Molly.[8][9] Paul served in the House fromMassachusetts's 5th congressional district from 1975 to 1979, and theSenate from 1979 to 1985. After being diagnosed withnon-Hodgkin lymphoma, he declined to seek a second term in the Senate; he resigned the day before his term expired. The Tsongases moved fromWashington, D.C., back toMassachusetts for Paul to undergo treatments.[10] After seemingly being cured of his disease, in 1992 Paul ran for theDemocratic nomination for president; he came in third behind formerCalifornia GovernorJerry Brown and eventual winnerBill Clinton. Paul's cancer later returned; he died ofpneumonia andliver failure on January 18, 1997.
Before her election to the House, Tsongas worked as the dean of external affairs atMiddlesex Community College,[5] as a board member ofFallon Health[11] and on the Lowell Civic Stadium and Arena Commission, which oversees several sites, including theTsongas Arena.[5] In 2001, RepresentativeMarty Meehan appointed Tsongas to head a foundation to provide education funding for children of the victims of theSeptember 11 attacks.[12]
After Marty Meehan resigned in 2007 to serve as chancellor of theUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell, Tsongas ran in thespecial election. She defeated four other candidates to win the Democratic primary with 36% of the vote.[13] During her initial campaign Tsongas received endorsements fromThe Boston Globe, theBoston Herald, and theLowell Sun.[14][15] During the general election, formerPresidentBill Clinton, who defeated her husband for theDemocratic nomination in 1992, campaigned for her. At an event inLowell Massachusetts, Clinton remarked: "Congress will be a better place because she is there."[16] Tsongas won the special election against Republican Jim Ogonowski with 51% of the vote on October 17;[17] she became the only female representative from Massachusetts, and the first from that state since the 1983 retirement ofMargaret Heckler, who becameSecretary of Health and Human Services underRonald Reagan.
After running unopposed in 2008, in 2010 Tsongas faced RepublicanJon Golnik, a small businessman and formerWall Street currency trader. During the campaign Tsongas attacked Golnik's history as a Vice President ofAIG,[18] which Golnik called hypocritical as she owned stock in AIG and other large corporations.[19] Tsongas defeated Golnik with 52% of the vote.[20] Following redistricting after the2010 census, Tsongas ran for reelection in the reconfiguredMassachusetts's 3rd congressional district in 2012. In a rematch, she again defeated Golnik.[21]
| 114th Congress(2015–2017)[22] |
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A major issue in her initial election was whether the two candidates would vote to override PresidentGeorge W. Bush's veto of an expansion of theState Children's Health Insurance Program. Tsongas said she would, and it was reported that Ogonowski would not.[23] Hours after being sworn into office on October 18, Tsongas voted to override, but the vote failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority.[24]
As a candidate in 2007, Tsongas promised to withdraw troops and end theIraq War.[25] The first bill she introduced aimed to do this by implementing a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.[26] In 2010, along with other women in Congress, includingHouse SpeakerNancy Pelosi, Tsongas visitedAfghanistan to oversee thewar effort. Upon returning, she spoke of the need for the involvement of women in rebuilding of government.[27]
Tsongas is an advocate foruniversal health care and supports apublic health insurance option.[28][29] In 2010 she voted for thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act andHealth Care and Education Reconciliation Act.[30] In 2012 Tsongas joined a Republican-led effort to repeal a 2.3% sales tax on medical-device manufacturers, which passed the House 270–146; 36 other Democrats voted for it.[31] Tsongas ispro-choice and received a 100% approval rating fromPlanned Parenthood in 2008.[32] A supporter ofLGBT rights, she cosponsored theRespect for Marriage Act to repeal theDefense of Marriage Act;[33] and voted for theDon't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, which allows gays and lesbians to serve openly in theUnited States Armed Forces.
FollowingAnthony Weiner's firstsexting scandal, Tsongas was the only Representative from Massachusetts to call for his resignation, saying, "it would be appropriate for [him] to step down."[34] In the2012 Massachusetts Senate election Tsongas was the first major Democratic politician to endorseElizabeth Warren, whom she called "a fighter for middle-class families".[35] After PresidentBarack Obama appointedJohn Kerry asUnited States Secretary of State, there was much speculation that Tsongas would run in thespecial election for his seat, which her husband had also previously held.[36] She briefly considered a run, but decided she would best be able to serve the people of Massachusetts by staying in the House, and endorsed fellow RepresentativeEd Markey.[37][38]
In January 2013 Tsongas introduced theNashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Act (H.R. 412; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend theWild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of theNashua River inMassachusetts for study for potential addition to theNational Wild and Scenic Rivers System.[39] Tsongas discussed the river's history and past pollution problems in her testimony about the bill.[40] She argued that the study would allow stakeholders to work together to "ensure that it remains a great place for canoeing, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors."[40]
Tsongas was a member of theCongressional Arts Caucus[41] and theU.S.-Japan Caucus.[42]
Opened in 2022, the 87-foot Niki Tsongas bridge in Lowell was named after her.[43]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Niki Tsongas | 54,363 | 51.32 | −47.66 | |
| Republican | Jim Ogonowski | 47,770 | 45.10 | +45.10 | |
| Independent | Patrick Murphy | 2,170 | 2.05 | +2.05 | |
| Independent | Kurt Hayes | 1,125 | 1.06 | +1.06 | |
| Constitution | Kevin Thompson | 494 | 0.47 | +0.47 | |
| Turnout | 105,922 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | -47.66 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Niki Tsongas (incumbent) | 225,947 | 98.71 | +37.39 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 2,960 | 1.29 | −2.29 | |
| Turnout | 302,397 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | +37.39 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Niki Tsongas (incumbent) | 122,858 | 54.84 | −43.87 | |
| Republican | Jonathan A. Golnik | 94,646 | 42.25 | +42.25 | |
| Independent | Dale E. Brown | 4,387 | 1.96 | +1.96 | |
| Independent | Robert M. Clark | 1,991 | 0.89 | +0.89 | |
| All Others | 147 | 0.07 | −1.22 | ||
| Turnout | 229,647 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | -43.87 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nicola Tsongas (incumbent) | 24,105 | 99.2 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 196 | 0.8 | |
| Total votes | 24,301 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Niki Tsongas (incumbent) | 139,104 | 60.3 | |
| Republican | Ann Wofford | 81,638 | 35.4 | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 204 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 230,789 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Niki Tsongas (incumbent) | 236,713 | 68.7 | |
| Republican | Ann Wofford | 107,519 | 31.2 | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 360 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 344,592 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 5th congressional district 2007–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 3rd congressional district 2013–2019 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| People | |
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| Other | |
