Post Date: November 3, 2004
Harvard Law alumni from both political parties won elections yesterday to gain or retain seats in the U.S. House and Senate. Perhaps the highest profile winner is Barack Obama, a Democrat who won a senate seat by a wide margin in Illinois. A member of the class of 1991, Obama will become one of 10 Harvard Law alumni in the U.S. Senate. Incumbent senators Michael Crapo ’77 (R-Idaho), Russell Feingold ’79 (D-Wis.), and Charles Schumer ’74 (D-N.Y.) each won re-election. Senator Bob Graham ’79 (D-Fla.) did not seek re-election.
All 10 of the HLS alumni currently serving in the U.S. House who sought re-election won yesterday. They are Tom Allen ’74 (D-Maine), James Cooper ’80 (D-Tenn.), Christopher Cox ’76 (R-Calif.), Artur Davis ’93 (D-Ala.), Barney Frank ’77 (D-Mass.), Jane Harman ’69 (D-Calif.), Sander Levin ’57 (D-Mich.), Thomas Petri ’65 (R-Wis.), Brad Sherman ’79 (D-Calif.), and Adam Schiff ’85 (D-Calif.).
One graduate, John Barrow ’79 (D-Ga.), defeated an incumbent to win a seat in the U.S. House.
In addition to Crapo, Feingold, and Schumer, other incumbent senators from the alumni ranks include Elizabeth Dole ’65 (R-N.C.), James Jeffords ’62 (I-Vt.), Carl Levin ’59 (D-Mich.), Jack Reed ’82 (D-R.I.), Paul Sarbanes ’60 (D-Maryland), and Ted Stevens ’50 (R-Alaska).
Political activist Ralph Nader ’58 ran for president as an Independent and received approximately 1 percent of the popular vote.
Although none were on the ballot yesterday, four Harvard Law alumni currently serve as governors. They are James Doyle ’74 (D-Wis.), Jennifer Granholm ’87 (D-Mich.), Mitt Romney ’75 (R-Mass.), and Mark Warner ’80 (D-Va.).