Tom Harkin

Tom Harkin

Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin (* 19th November 1939 in Cumming , Warren County , Iowa ) is an American politician of the Democratic Party . He represented the state of Iowa in the US Senate from 1985 to 2015 .

Life

Harkin worked as a lawyer before being first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1974 . He was a member of the Chamber of Parliament until 1984; He was then a Senator for Iowa from 1985 to 2015. In 1992 he ran as a presidential candidate, but lost his party's nomination to Bill Clinton , whom he later loyally supported for many years. He distinguished himself as an advocate for people with disabilities and had a decisive influence on legislation in this area.

Harkin is an advocate of a liberal abortion regime and supports educational projects to prevent teenage pregnancies. He voted against the extension of the USA PATRIOT Act in March 2006 . In July 2006, Harkin stood out for speaking in response to George W. Bush's veto of a stem cell research bill. Harkin is considered a supporter of stem cell research.

In January 2013, Harkin stated that he would not run again for his mandate in the 2014 Senate election . In January 2015, he was replaced by the Republican Joni Ernst, who was victorious in the election .

In 2015, Harkin was awarded the Medal of the Ordem de Timor-Leste .

Personal

Harkin's father worked in a coal mine; his mother died when he was ten years old. He has been married since 1968 and has two daughters.

Web links

Commons : Tom Harkin  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Tom Harkin in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Tom Harkin in nndb (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Des Moines Register: Sen. Tom Harkin won't seek re-election in 2014 (January 26, 2013)
2. ↑ Decreto do Presidente da República n ° 43/2015 de 6 de Maio , accessed on September 18, 2019.