Sue Kelly

Sue Kelly was born in Lima, Ohio, on September 26, 1936. She was raised Presbyterian and graduated from Denison University in 1958.[2] She also holds a Master's degree from Sarah Lawrence College.

She held jobs as a small business owner, patient advocate, rape counselor, and educator. She first became involved in politics by working as an advisor and campaign manager for Hamilton Fish IV, who represented Kelly’s home area in New York’s Hudson Valley.[3]

When Congressman Hamilton Fish IV, a Republican, decided not to seek re-election in 1994, Kelly sought and won the nomination for the congressional seat. Kelly defeated Fish's son, Hamilton Fish V, who ran as a Democrat, and Conservative Party candidate Joseph DioGuardi, who had been defeated by her in the Republican primary but continued campaigning. She was re-elected by a seven-point margin in 1996 and had comfortable victory margins in her campaigns thereafter.[4] In 2004, Kelly easily won re-election with 67% of the vote in New York's 19th Congressional district although The New York Times described Kelly's opponents in previous races as "token opposition".[5]

Kelly highlighted a socially moderate and fiscally conservative voting record. A 2006 survey of congressional power and effectiveness by the nonpartisan company, Knowlegis, indicated that Rep. Kelly was among the 100 most powerful lawmakers in the 435-member House. The survey also labelled Kelly as the second most powerful congressperson in the New York delegation, second only to Thomas M. Reynolds, who was chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.[6]

Kelly was a member of The Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans for Choice, The Wish List, The Republican Main Street Partnership, and Republicans for Environmental Protection. She received an average score of 30% from NARAL from 1994 to 2005, and an average of 71% from 2000–2005. Her Sierra Club rating of 63% was 8th highest among Republicans during her congressional career, and 159th overall in the House. Some seniors advocacy groups have questioned her votes on Social Security and Medicare.[13][14] The Sierra Club chose to endorse her competitor in 2006.[15] She has a lifetime rating of 64% from the American Conservative Union demonstrating a moderate to conservative voting record.[16]

Kelly, a former small business owner, received a 22% rating from the US Women's Chamber of Commerce.[17] She received a grade of a C+ from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America,[18] an issue which she felt strongly on because of her nephew's service in Iraq and Afghanistan with the United States Special Forces. Kelly voted in favor of so-called "pork amendments 84% of the time according to the conservative Club for Growth,[19] and has declined to answer questions from the National Taxpayers Union, a non-partisan group focused on taxpayer's waste.[20]

In February 2006, the House voted 216 to 214 to cut domestic spending by $39 billion, primarily by cutting $11 billion from Medicaid and another $12.7 billion from federal student loans, which led to protest [21] in her district. Sue Kelly and Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) were the deciding votes.[22][23]

She voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004 and in 2006, a bill to permanently ban gay marriage in all states. These votes cost her the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign, which had supported her campaigns prior to 2004.[24] Her rating on the Human Rights Campaign Congressional Scorecard is 25%.[25]

She is married to Edward Kelly, and they live in Katonah, New York. They have four children and eight grandchildren.[26]

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN