2006 New Member Profiles
Iowa's 1st District: Bruce Braley (D)
The Almanac of American Politics
© National Journal Group Inc.
| Bruce Braley |
| Born: |
Oct. 30, 1957 |
| Family: |
Wife, Carolyn; three children |
| Religion: |
Presbyterian |
| Education: |
Iowa State University, B.A. 1980; University of Iowa Law, J.D. 1983 |
| Career: |
Lawyer |
Elected
Office: |
None
|
Bruce Braley's trial-lawyer background was both a blessing and a curse in his successful campaign to succeed Republican Rep.
Jim Nussle, who ran for governor.
Braley is a former president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association, and his candidacy drew considerable financial support from the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and many of its members and officers. But those connections also made him the target of lawyer-bashing: The National Republican Congressional Committee disparaged Braley as "a trial lawyer's trial lawyer." And his Republican opponent, wealthy entrepreneur Mike Whalen, charged that Braley contributed to higher health care costs and the "medical liability crisis."
From the outset of the campaign, both parties recognized the Democratic-leaning 1st District as a prime takeover target. Nussle had never won with more than 57 percent of the vote, and this was one of only 18 Republican-held congressional districts that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry carried in 2004.
Before claiming the Democratic nomination in the June 6 primary, Braley had to overcome two competitive opponents: former state Rep. Rick Dickinson and 2004 Democratic nominee Bill Gluba. Although Braley was making his first run for office, he had a distinct fundraising advantage and the support of the Iowa AFL-CIO. He won the six counties farthest from the Mississippi River, garnering 36 percent to Dickinson's 34 percent and Gluba's 26 percent.
In the general election, Braley framed Whalen, the owner of the Machine Shed restaurant chain, as an out-of-touch millionaire. He claimed that Whalen wanted to privatize Social Security, and he attacked Whalen's opposition to raising the minimum wage.
When Whalen insisted that his employees all receive better than the federal minimum wage, Braley produced a Machine Shed waitress who claimed that, even with tips, she and many of her co-workers earn only minimum wage. Although the NRCC spent heavily on direct-mail and television ads against Braley, it wasn't enough to keep the seat in GOP control.
As the husband, son, and grandson of teachers, Braley is interested in a slot on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. He also plans to lobby for seats on the House Agriculture and Judiciary committees.
