Allyson Schwartz

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I know this topic has been beaten to death, but she is the subject of my government term paper.  If anyone happens to read this before 5 PM EST tomorrow, please let me know if you find any mistakes/have any suggestions.  Thanks!

Allyson Schwartz:  Fighting For Her District

   Congresspersons have several influences on the way they vote.  They include voting strictly with the political and economic interests of the district, gaining representation on committees of particular interest to the constituency and voting in line with interest groups that contribute to the representative’s campaign.  One representative who is able to fulfill all of these requirements is Allyson Schwartz, a Democrat who represents the 13th district of Pennsylvania.  Schwartz, a freshman in the House of Representatives, has been able to stand up strong in support military issues, including fighting to keep a local base open, to use her membership on the Transportation and Budget Committees to her district and state’s benefit and to vote in line in with the interest groups that contributed to her past campaign, notably the pro-abortion group, EMILY’s List.  During her short tenure in Washington, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz has represented her district very well.
   The main way which a Congressperson is able to represent their constituency is through their voting record.  By voting in line with the economic, demographic and ideological interests of their constituents, these voters are in turn more likely to support the politician’s re-election campaigns in the future.  “Decisions on legislative issues are shaped by the potential need to explain and defend them in future campaigns” (Kernell 198).  In addition to just voting with their district’s interests, Congresspersons also take part in credit claiming which is:
[…] acting so as to generate a belief in a relevant political actor that one is personally responsible for causing the government, or some unit thereof, to do something that the actor considers desirable.  The political logic of this, from the congressman’s point of view, is that an actor who believes that a member can make pleasing things happen will no doubt wish to keep him in office so that he can make pleasing things happen in the future (Mayhew 52).

By voting and taking credit for initiatives popular in their home districts, United States Representatives often face simple re-election campaigns.
   Another way that members of Congress are able to represent their constituencies is through the committees in which they are appointed to serve.  “Members pursue committee assignments that allow them to serve special constituent interests as well as their own policy and power goals” (Kernell 216).  For example, a Congressman from Iowa would try to get a spot on the Agricultural Committee, rather than the Transportation one.  Additionally, someone who was elected on a campaign promise of reducing the federal deficit would seek spots on the Budget or Appropriations Committees.  Moreover, members who serve on certain committees are able to use their influence to help gain funding for projects in their home districts.  For instance, a member of the Transportation Committee would be able to secure more funding for local highway projects.  Committee assignments play a large role in how well Congressmen and women are able to serve their home districts.
   A third way in which Congresspersons represent vote is in accordance with the interest groups and political action committees (PACs) that donate to their campaigns.  The main reason for this is to continue to have these organizations’ endorsements and donations.  At times this has caused “members [to] vote with an eye more to the interests of their PAC donors than to those of their constituents or the nation” (Kernell 496).  While this has led to concerns about “vote buying”, “PAC officials counter that they are merely helping to elect legislators who share their own conception of the public interest” (Kernell 497).  Additionally, interest groups help with “the informational needs of politicians and create a basis for mutually beneficial exchanges” (Kernell 487).  Considering both the positives and negatives of interest groups and PACs, they play a large role in fundraising and determining how government officials vote.
   One congresswoman whose record in Congress falls in line with the aforementioned criteria is Allyson Schwartz.   Schwartz was born on October 3, 1948 in Queens, New York to her father, who worked as a dentist and her mother, who fled Austria in 1938 after the German invasion (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).  Schwartz “received a B.A. from Simmons College in 1970, and a Masters degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1972” (Allyson Schwartz).  After she graduated college, Schwartz founded and became “the executive director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Center, a women's health care center in Philadelphia” (Allyson Schwartz).  From 1981-1983 she served on the Governor’s Committee on Health Care Cost Entertainment (Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz (PA)).  She then left the Blackwell Center in 1988 to become the Deputy Commissioner for the Philadelphia Human Rights Department and in 1990 successfully ran for the Pennsylvania state senate (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).  Schwartz’s most notable accomplishment in the Senate was her health insurance initiative.  She:
led the effort to create the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Pennsylvania CHIP program has been nationally heralded as a model program to cover children with health insurance. Today in Pennsylvania 150,000 children of middle and working class families have access to health insurance because of CHIP (Allyson Schwartz (1948-)).

This effort paid off for Schwartz as:

she was re-elected in 1994, 1998, and 2002. In 2000, she was the runner-up in a hard fought six-way primary for United States Senate in which she won Montgomery County and Philadelphia with impressive numbers (Allyson Schwartz).

However, Schwartz took advantage of an opportunity in 2004 when U.S. Representative Joe Hoeffel ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against Senator Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).  Schwartz ran for the seat, which incorporates Northeast Philadelphia and neighboring southeastern Montgomery County, however, she:
faced serious competition in both the primary and the general election.  In the primary she faced Joe Torsella, an aide to Governor Ed Rendell when Rendell was mayor of Philadelphia, and more recently head of the National Constitution Center in Philly.  Torsella won 57% of the vote in Northeast Philadelphia, which had a larger turnout, but Schwartz carried the affluent suburbs of Montgomery County with 62%, for an overall win of 2,000 votes, 52%-48% (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).

In the general election, Schwartz faced pro-choice Republican ophthalmologist Melissa Brown, who narrowly lost to Hoeffel in 2002 and in 2004 survived a bloody three-way primary (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).  The election was a bitter one and "the two opponents proved that women can sling mud as capably as any men” (Heller) with Brown referring to Schwartz as a “radical” and Schwartz deeming Brown “sleazy”.  With respect to the actual issues, a major issue was health care as Brown called for changes in tort reform and Schwartz discussed her record in the state senate and the CHIP program.  In the election, Schwartz won handily receiving 56% of the vote to Brown’s 41% (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).  Allyson Schwartz’ career promoting health care in both the private and public sectors helped to make her a United States Congresswoman.
   Schwartz’s district, Pennsylvania’s thirteenth, contains a number of different regions and is split between Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
    

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[Northeast Philadelphia] is relatively new urban territory, with more than half its houses built after 1950.  When the alley-wide streets of North and South Philadelphia and the river wards were already teeming and the Main Line suburbs were already well-settled, the workers of Philadelphia’s docks, factories and Center City offices were just starting to fill up vacant land here  They settled in neighborhoods like Bustleton, Somerton and Torresdale.  Many of Philadelphia’s Hispanics live in the industrial river wards along the Delaware River, but the other wards of Northeast Philadelphia are still mostly white and ethnic, the kind of places were city cops and firefighters live and the kind that gave big margins to [Republican] Mayor Frank Rizzo in the 1970s and 1980s.  Construction of federal Section 8 housing for low-income tenants caused a local furor.  More recently, outside investors and Hasidic Jews from New York have bid up residential prices (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).

41% of the votes cast in the 2004 race were from Northeast Philadelphia, of which Schwartz won 60%.  The other part of the district, southeastern Montgomery County is “the most populous and second most affluent county in metropolitan Philadelphia, with solid job growth prospects” (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).  From a political standpoint:
Historically, Montgomery was quintessentially Republican, with a style of politics set for years by Ivy-educated Republican men, and with Republicans of more modest and sometimes ethnic backgrounds, but like other affluent suburbs in the Boston-Washington corridor, swung toward the Democratic Party in national politics in the 1990s, with abortion and other cultural issues usually trumping economic interests.  The same county that voted by large margins for Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the 1980s has voted strictly for Democratic presidential candidates since then.  In 2002 Montgomery County backed Democrat and former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell for governor by a 2-1 margin (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).
The remaining 59% of the votes in the 2004 race were cast in Montgomery County, of which Schwartz won 53% of the vote.  On the whole, the district is more affluent than the both the state of Pennsylvania and the national average (see chart for details).  It is alsoPA-13   Pennsylvania   National
Median  Household Income   $49,319   $40,106   $41,994
% Below Poverty Line   7.1%   11.0%   12.4%
Race   85.9% White, 9.9% Black, 3.1% Hispanic   84.1% White, 9.8% Black, 3.2% Hispanic   75.1% White, 12.3% Black, 12.5% Hispanic
% Urban   98.5%   77.0%   75.2%
PA-13 data:  “Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District”
Pennsylvania data:  “Pennsylvania at a Glance
National data (except % Urban):  “Census 2000”
National % Urban data:  “Population 1790 and 1990”

more urban and racially homogeneous than the rest of the state and nation.  Additionally, the district has a large military presence with Northeast Philadelphia’s Naval Support Activity facility which employs 5,700 people (Representative Schwartz’s Statement) and Montgomery County’s Willow Grove Naval Air Base which employs 6,200 people (Rendell) but was slated to be closed by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.  Pennsylvania’s thirteenth district contains several areas with distinct social and industrial characteristics.
Allyson Schwartz followed up on her campaign rhetoric with respect to Health Care by sponsoring legislation in the United States House similar to her CHIP program she implemented in the Pennsylvania Senate.
Kids First, HR 1668, would establish a federal/state partnership to provide all children and teenagers under 21 years of age with health coverage. At a time when many states are struggling with financial burdens, Kids First would provide substantial financial incentives to state governments in exchange for their commitment to expand their participation in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, SCHIP (Representative Schwartz Leads Efforts).

This decision to sponsor this bill sends a message to her constituents that she does deliver her campaign promises.  Additionally, in the press release issued by Schwartz on the matter she prominently mentions several times that she worked with Senator John Kerry (D-MA) in drafting the bill.  Just six months before Kids First was introduced, Kerry received 56% of the votes in the district (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District) and by associating herself with a popular figure such as Kerry, she in turn has attempted to boost her own popularity.
   Schwartz has shown solidarity with military interests of the region by fighting for veterans’ benefits.  She introduced the Veterans Employment and Respect Act (VERA) which “would aid returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan in quickly finding gainful civilian employment by offering tax incentives to employers who hire them” (Representative Allyson Schwartz Introduces Bill).  Additionally, Schwartz joined with:
206 other Members of Congress [in sending] a letter to President Bush demanding that he address the recently announced $1.3 billion shortfall in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget for healthcare (Representative Schwartz Calls on President Bush).

By promoting veterans’ benefits, Schwartz was able to improve her standing with that community and the large military presence in the district.
Schwartz was able to gain additional support among the military community by opposing the closing of the Willow Grove Air Force Base. 
On Friday, May 13, 2005, the Department of Defense released a list of U.S. military facilities that included a recommendation that NAS JRB Willow Grove be closed as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) process (Join the Coalition).

The base is important to the district because “currently, there are 1,200 active-duty personnel and 5,000 reservists [stationed at the base]” (Rendell).  Additionally, the “decision would remove a critical element of our National Security, our Homeland Defense, and have an enormous negative effect (dollars/jobs) on everyone in this region” (Join the Coalition).  Immediately after the announcement, Schwartz issued a press release stating “I am dismayed that the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove has been included on the Department of Defense’s list of bases recommended for closure” (Representative Schwartz’s Statement).  Schwartz followed up on her statement by voting “to overturn the recommendations of 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission” (Representative Schwartz Votes).  Schwartz’s opposition to the closing of Willow Grove demonstrates to her constituents her willingness to stand up for the economic and military interests of the district.

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Allyson Schwartz’s committee assignments also allow her to stay in touch with the district.  She currently sits on the Budget Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as subcommittee assignments on the Highways, Transit & Pipelines and Water Resources & Environment subcommittees.  Schwartz explained how her appointments to both committees would make her able to help the district.  With respect to the Budget Committee, she said:
As the sole member of the Budget Committee from the Pennsylvania congressional delegation, I will work to ensure that the priorities of the 13th congressional district and of the Commonwealth are heard (U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz Appointed).

Additionally, when Schwartz was appointed to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee she stated:
The work of this committee affects the everyday lives of the 13th congressional district and I welcome the opportunity to address issues of critical importance to my constituents such as controlling sprawl, mass transportation, and infrastructure improvement.  I intend to use my position on the committee to ensure the region receives its fair share of funding (Congresswoman Allyson Y. Schwartz Appointed)

Being on the Water Resource subcommittee was especially vital for Schwartz because the district contains “Philadelphia’s docks [… and] industrial river wards along the Delaware River” (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District).  Schwartz has already started to fulfill her promise of using her clout and leverage to support projects in the 13th district as she was able to “secure $42 million for critical local transportation and infrastructure projects” (Representative Schwartz Secures).  According to Schwartz, the funding will “create new jobs, improve business opportunities and spur economic growth” (Representative Schwartz Secures).
Allyson Schwartz has also voted in lines with interest groups that supported her campaign, especially with respect to the abortion issue.  In her primary campaign against Torsella, Schwartz:
was backed by EMILY’s List [an abortion rights interest group] which made a $170,000 independent expenditure on Schwartz’ behalf in March and April, and raised other funds, phoned voters and sent out mailings that even a Torsella strategist said were the best he had ever seen” (Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District). 

Overall, EMILY’s List raised over $370,000 for Schwartz’ campaign (Top Contributors).  Schwartz has responded with two key pro-abortion votes thus far.  Schwartz voted against “a bill that prohibits the transportation of a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion without the consent of a parent or legal guardian” (Child Interstate).  Additionally, she voted for a measure “to allow military personnel and their dependents overseas to use their own funds to obtain abortion services in overseas military hospitals” (Overseas Military).  The correspondence between Schwartz’s votes and campaign contributions signify the importance of political donations.
Allyson Schwartz is an example of a Congresswoman who is able to serve her constituents, voters and donors well on several accounts.  The large military presence in the district is supported in her voting record by her support for veterans’ benefits and for keeping the Willow Grove Naval Air Base open.  She has followed through on her campaign promise by promoting health care for underprivileged children.  She has also satisfied her campaign’s largest donor, EMILY’s List, by voting in favor of abortion rights measures.  In her brief tenure in Congress, Allyson Schwartz has done an excellent job representing her constituency.






WORKS CITED
“Allyson Schwartz”.  Wikipedia.  2 Oct 2005.  13 Nov 2005.  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allyson_Schwartz>.

“Allyson Schwartz (1948-)”.  The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise.  2005.  16 Nov 2005.  <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ASchwartz.html>.

“Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act”.  Project Vote Smart.  24 Oct 2005.  13 Nov 2005.  <http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?vote_id=3510&can_id=BS023316>.

“Congresswoman Allyson Y. Schwartz Appointed to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure”.  10 Jan 2005.  29 Oct 2005.  <http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa13_schwartz/pr_050110_transportationcmte.html>.

Heller, Karen.  “She’ll Stand Out”.  Philadelphia Inquirer.  07 Nov 2004.

“Join the Coalition – Save the Base”.  Save Willow Grove.  13 May 2005.  13 Nov 2005.  <http://www.savewillowgrove.com>.

Kernell, Samuel and Jacobson, Gary C.  The Logic of American Politics:  Second Edition.  Washington: CQ Press, 2003.

Mayhew, David R.  Congress:  The Electoral Connection.  New Haven:  Yale University Press, 1974. pp. 52-53.

“Overseas Military Facilities Abortion Amendment”.  Project Vote Smart.  24 Oct 2005.  13 Nov 2005.  <http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?vote_id=3531&can_id=BS023316>.

“Pennsylvania at a Glance”.  National Journal’s Almanac of American Politics.  15 Aug 2005.  13 Nov 2005.  <http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/almanac/2006/states/pa>.

“Pennsylvania:  Thirteenth District:  Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D)”.  National Journal’s Almanac of American Politics.  22 June 2005.  29 Oct 2005.  <http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/almanac/2006/people/pa/rep_pa13.htm>.

“Population:  1790 to 1990”.  U.S. Census Bureau.  27 Aug 1993.  15 Nov 2005.  <http://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/table-4.pdf>.

“Rendell Says Base Will Stay Open”.  Save Willow Grove.  29 Aug 2005.  12 Nov 2005.  <http://www.savewillowgrove.com>.

“Representative Allyson Schwartz Introduces Bill to Aid America’s Troops”.  U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz.  20 Apr 2005.  17 Nov 2005.  <http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa13_schwartz/VERA.html>.

“Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz (PA)”.  Vote Smart.  2002-2004. 29 Oct 2005.  <http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=BS023316>.

“Representative Schwartz Calls on President Bush to Fix the $1.3 Billion Shortfall in Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare Budget”.  U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz.  29 Jun 2005.  17 Nov 2005.  <http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa13_schwartz/VAFUNDING.html>.

“Representative Schwartz Leads Efforts to Cover All Children with Health Insurance”.  U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz.  2 May 2005.  29 Oct 2005.  http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa13_schwartz/KidsFirst.html>.

“Representative Schwartz Secures $42 Million for Philadelphia and Montgomery County Projects in National Highways Bill”.  29 Jul 2005.  29 Oct 2005.  <http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa13_schwartz/HighwayBill.html>.

“Representative Schwartz Votes to Overturn BRAC Process”.  27 Oct 2005.  29 Oct 2005.  <http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa13_schwartz/BracVote.html>.

“Representative Schwartz’s Statement on the Navy Support Activity Facility”.  15 May 2005.  29 Oct 2005.  <http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa13_schwartz/NavySupportActivityFacility.html>.

“Top Contributors:  2004 Race:  Pennsylvania District 13”.  Open Secrets.  22 Jul 2005.  29 Oct 2005.  <http://www.opensecrets.org/races/contrib.asp?ID=PA13&cycle=2004&special=N>.

“U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz Appointed to
House Committee on the Budget”.  14 Feb 2005.  29 Oct 2005.  <http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa13_schwartz/pr_050214_budgetcmte.html>.

“U.S. Summary 2000”.  U.S. Bureau Census.  July 2002.  15 Nov 2005.  <http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/c2kprof00-us.pdf>.
   

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Allyson Schwartz did not create CHIP. She interjected herself into the conversation at its ending c any member of the legislature. As for the base, the neighboring congressman did more to keep it open than Schwartz and its in the 13th!!!
Further, she does not vote in line with her district. The 13th is a moderate district; no lean. The district is prolife while Allyson ran an abortion clinic and has yet to change her views on the issue.
I do not know anyone in the district who has any strong view on Rep. Schwartz as she sorta disappeared once she got elected.

Where are you getting that the district is pro-life from?  Obviously, some parts in NE Philly but Montgomery County is very, very pro-choice.

Thanks for the props, Flyers.

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Update on the paper - unfortunetly there was a problem with electronic submission thing so I probably won't be getting it back till Friday or Monday.

I'd also like to ask Phil and DMK, if the district is so pro-life, why were 98% of the votes cast in this race (and 70% or so in the Republican primary) for a candidate who supports abortion rights?

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For the record, I got an A on the paper, although my professor found a couple typos.

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For the record, I got an A on the paper, although my professor found a couple typos.

I knew you would.  Paper was excellent.

No, it was the damn liberal professoriate

Thanks Flyers.  And, yes, the professor is very liberal.  He's actually a local Democratic officeholder and usually starts class with a 20-minute rant discussing the problems facing the Republican party.

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For the record, I got an A on the paper, although my professor found a couple typos.

I knew you would.  Paper was excellent.

No, it was the damn liberal professoriate

Thanks Flyers.  And, yes, the professor is very liberal.  He's actually a local Democratic officeholder and usually starts class with a 20-minute rant discussing the problems facing the Republican party.

Well, there maybe a liberal bias, but still a good paper.  I do sometimes think that conservatives suffer under PC liberal professors and seen it myself at Temple.  I had one ultra-feminist that subtly favored women and pushed women's studies classes on us and this was a history class.

My friend did his on Eric Cantor (although my friend is very liberal).  I should ask him what he got on it.