2008 Election Wrap-Up
by Government Relations Staff
November 20, 2008—The long 2008 campaign season ended November 4 with victories by congressional champions for psychology issues, paving the way for continued successful advocacy in the new Congress that commences January 6, 2009.
Psychologist Candidates
Two incumbent U.S. representatives who are psychologists won reelection comfortably:
• Reps. Brian Baird, PhD (D-WA)
• Tim Murphy, PhD (R-PA)
Three psychologists who ran for Congress for the first time were all unsuccessful in challenging incumbents:
• Mark Mays, PhD, JD (D-WA)
• Carl Mumpower, PhD (R-NC)
• Dennis Shulman, PhD (D-NJ).
Psychology Champions Reelected
Leaders of key health committees who championed psychology's priorities of mental health parity and Medicare reimbursement restoration into law this year were reelected. These include:
• Reps. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Pete Stark (D-CA) of the Ways & Means Committee
• Reps. John Dingell (D-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) of the Energy & Commerce Committee
• Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Rob Andrews (D-NJ) of the Education & Labor Committee.
All will be active in the 2009 debate over health care reform, a top priority of President-Elect Barack Obama.
Senate Races
Most key committee chairs and ranking Republicans were not up for election this year, so continuing in the same role and considering health care reform will be:
• Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Michael Enzi (R-WY) of the Health Committee
• Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) of the Finance Committee.
Congressional Races
Most members of Congress who seek reelection win it, and the 2008 election was no exception. In a few instances, however, the loss of key Republican members through retirement and defeat will leave big shoes to fill.
After 36 years in office, Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), the lead sponsor of the newly enacted mental health parity law, is retiring. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), a Finance Committee member who sponsored several bills strongly supported by the mental health community, narrowly lost his bid for reelection to a third term. Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN), the lead cosponsor of parity who sat on the Ways & Means Health Subcommittee, also retired.
State Races
In races for state legislatures, all six incumbent psychologists won reelection. They are:
• California Sen. Alan Lowenthal, PhD (D)
• Maine Rep. Richard V. Wagner, PhD (D)
• Massachusetts Rep. Ruth Balser, PhD (D)
• Massachusetts Rep. John Scibak, PhD (D)
• New Hampshire Rep. William Butynski, PhD (D)
• Oregon Rep. Phil Barnhart, JD, PhD (D)
Two non-incumbent psychologists ran for a state legislative seat. Bill Kennemer, PhD, a Republican who served as a state senator from 1987 to 1996, won an open seat in the Oregon House of Representatives. First-time Democratic candidate Sara Orezco, PhD, lost in a challenge to an incumbent Massachusetts state senator.
These seven victors will join three psychologist/state senators who are in the middle of their current four-year terms. There will be 10 doctoral level psychologists serving in state legislatures in 2009, down from 14 in the prior cycle due to retirements.
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