Martha Rainville
Martha Rainville (née Trim, born April 9 1958, New London, Connecticut) is a former Vermont National Guard Adjutant General, and retired Air Force Major General. In 2006 she ran as the Republican candidate for Vermont's at-large congressional district. She was defeated by Democratic candidate Peter Welch.
Education and National Guard service
After graduating from the Chamberlain-Hunt Academy (1975), Rainville received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Mississippi (1979). Following graduation, she entered the National Guard, and earned an officer's commission. On February 20 1997, she was elected Vermont’s Adjutant General by a vote of the Vermont General Assembly, making her the nation’s first female adjutant general.[1] The position of adjutant general carried with it the rank of Major General.
Politics
In 2005, Rainville began consulting with members of the Republican and Democratic parties regarding a possible run for the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate. She was courted by members of both parties. It was later rumored that Rainville was prepared to throw her hat into the House race as a Democrat on the condition that no other Democrats ran. Senate President Peter Welch, a Democrat, had already declared that he was a candidate. Rainville announced her candidacy in the early spring of 2006 as a Republican, stressing government reform, ethics, homeland security, a strong national defense, and unqualified support for President George W. Bush’s policy in the Iraq War.
Campaign
Rainville’s campaign, though a positive one, made some early gaffes and struggled to get off the ground. A plagiarizing scandal (originally documented by a blogger) involving one of her staffers resulted in a drop in the polls.[2] She signed a Clean Campaign Pledge in which she vowed to not attack her opponent Welch, and condemned negative TV ads by third parties in the race.
A strong national anti-Republican wave, based partially on dwindling support for the Iraq occupation, combined with a desire to restore an oversight role to the Congress, made winning the seat an uphill battle. On Election Day, Welch was elected with a 9 percent lead. It was Rainville’s first run for office.
There was discussion in the state, to the effect, that if Rainville had caucused with the Democrats (even as an independent) she would have handily won the race. Senator Jim Jeffords summed this up “I must advise that while I think Martha Rainville is a talented leader, I feel very strongly that the country will be better served with Democrats gaining control of the House of Representatives in the 110th Congress. Therefore, for this election, I believe Peter Welch is a better choice for Vermont.”[3]
Family
Rainville is the daughter of Nick and the late Lucille Trim of Port Gibson, Mississippi. Martha Rainville resides in Virginia and has five children, Jen, Nick, Courtney, Hannah and Alex. She is divorced.
FEMA service and the future
After her defeat in the U.S. House race to Peter Welch, Rainville was appointed to the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) as a case studies specialist, who makes recommendations on how to best respond to domestic diasters in the United States. Rainville assumed her role at FEMA on Monday, April 16, 2007.[4] She does not rule out a future run for public office in Vermont.
Notes
- ^ Vermont National Guard to Promote First Woman to Adjutant General, March 1 U.S. Department of Defense. (1997-02-27)
- ^ Julie in VT. Rainville's Stolen Ideas Reason and Brimstone. (October 1, 2006)
- ^ Totten, Shay. Rainville asked to remove Democratic quotes from website Vermont Guardian. (October 20, 2006)
- ^ The Associated Press. Rainville takes job at FEMA Rutland Herald. (April 18 2007)
External links
- Martha T. Rainville bio at DefenseLINK, the official web site for the Department of Defense.