The representative for Virginia’s Third Congressional District has been in office since 1992, when he became only the second black person to represent Virginia in the House, and the first since the Reconstruction Era. In this election, he has no serious contenders whatsoever.
Scott is the leading Democrat on the Judiciary Committees’s crime subcommittee and has championed such laws as the “Death in Custody Act,” which requires states to report information regarding the death of any person during arrests or while in the custody of law enforcement organizations.
Scott was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Virginia. He graduated from Harvard and Boston College Law School, then returned to Virginia to practice law.
He has served in both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia State Senate for a combined total of 15 years, where he was active in increasing health care benefits and advancing education.
—Benjamin A. Black
Former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris is expected to win her race for a seat in the state’s heavily Republican Thirteenth District.
Harris, a 1997 graduate of the Kennedy School of Government who faces Democrat Jan Schneider and write-in candidate Wayne Genthner tomorrow, rose to national prominence following the 2000 presidential election for her role in the controversial recounts that followed.
GOP Rep. Dan Miller, who has held the district seat for four terms, is retiring this year.
Partly because of her role in the 2000 election, the race has been bitterly partisan. For instance, her opponents have called Harris, who has raised almost $3 million in the race, a “tool of the Bush family.”
Issues at the forefront of the race include defense spending, education, social security and the environment.
—Laura L. Krug
Republican Elizabeth Dole, former U.S. labor and transportation secretary, will face Democrat and ex-Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles for a North Carolina Senate seat in one of the most watched Senate races of the year.
Dole, who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1965, is favored to win the position, previously held by Republican Senator Jesse Helms, who is retiring this year.
The race has tightened recently, with a Mason Dixon poll showing Dole’s lead having shrunk over the last month. A month ago, she had a 14 percent lead over Bowles, according to the Associated Press. Currently, her lead is about 6 percent.
Analysts have predicted that Bowles would have won the race if the party’s primary had been held in the spring as originally planned. But it was delayed until the fall because of a redistricting fight. Although the race is likely to tighten, pollsters believe Dole will pull off a narrow victory.
Dole holds a master’s in government and education and is a recipient of the Radcliffe Medal, an award bestowed by the Radcliffe College Alumni Association.
—Laura L. Krug
Former Tennessee Gov. and former Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander returned to his home state to run for the Senate this year against Democrat Bob Clement. The position, which Alexander is favored to win, was opened when Republican Senator Fred Thompson announced his retirement this year.
Alexander is expected to win victory in the state, which has become increasingly Republican in recent elections.
Alexander was Goodman Visiting Professor at the Kennedy School of Government from January 2001 to May 2002 and announced his candidacy while still teaching.
—Laura L. Krug