Post Date: November 3, 2004
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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.).