Carol Shea-Porter and the Fall of America's Only All-Female Delegation

By: Shannon MacLeod, NWPC Political Planning Intern 
and former Intern for Rep. Shea-Porter

The people of New Hampshire have a lot to be proud of. They were the first state to declare their independence from Great Britain (#trendsetters), incredibly popular fictional President Josiah Bartlett lived there (so did incredibly unpopular real president Franklin Pierce, but we don’t have to talk about that), and they were the only state to ever have elected an all-female Congressional delegation.

As Democrats everywhere said a somber goodbye to their Senate Majority, they also said goodbye to two-time (yes, that’s time, not term) Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. Shea-Porter lost a heated battle with one-time congressman Frank Guinta. The two have been dueling for the opportunity to represent the 1^st district since 2010 when Guinta unseated Shea-Porter in the first Republican Wave. New Hampshire voters then changed their minds when they re-elected Shea-Porter in 2012, but apparently changed their minds yet again in 2014. These fickle New Hampshirans (New Hampshireites?) seem to have found the solution to the problem of congressional races: Taking turns.

I, like 48.2% of voters in the New Hampshire 1^st, am sad to see Carol Shea-Porter go. She has been a staunch supporter of women’s issues, co-sponsoring bills like the Supporting Working Moms Act and the Women's Health Protection Act. She has steadfastly voted against anti-choice legislation that would limit access to abortion, such as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Frank Guinta’s record is far more troubling, having voted for the No Tax Payer Funding for Abortion Act and stating that he supports Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Thankfully, we have probably not have seen the last of Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. She has run in every congressional race since 2006, regardless of incumbency, and her dedication to the citizens of New Hampshire never seems to falter. New Hampshire might not have an all female delegation anymore, but that doesn’t mean they won’t again soon.