Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R) Elected 1982, 12th term
Born:	Sept. 28, 1936, Utica
Home:	New Hartford
Education:	Utica Col., B.A. 1961
Religion:	Catholic
Marital Status:	married (Marianne)
Elected  Office:	Oneida Cnty. Exec., 1978-82.
Military Career:	Army, 1956-58.
Professional Career:	P.R. Mgr., Wyandotte Chemicals Corp., 1961-64; A.A., U.S. Rep. Alexander Pirnie, 1964-72; A.A., U.S. Rep. Donald Mitchell, 1973-79.
DC Office	2246 RHOB20515, 202-225-3665; Fax: 202-225-1891; Web site: www.house.gov/boehlert
State Offices	Auburn, 315-255-0649; Cortland, 607-758-3918; Utica, 315-793-8146.
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One of the first American frontiers was the Mohawk River Valley of Upstate New York--a frontier that remained static for 150 years. From the establishment of Fort Orange in 1624 in what now is Albany until the Revolutionary War, white settlers did not dare move west along the Mohawk. The British used their Iroquois allies as a buffer against the French and in return kept New England Yankees from moving westward. Only after the French were driven from the colonies in 1759 did the pressures for westward settlement prevail; the British tried to keep their word to the Indians, but once the Revolutionary War started, the Iroquois dominion ended.

This is the background of Drums Along the Mohawk and of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. But there is little in these rolling hills today to evoke the bloody violence whose conclusion made possible the digging of the Erie Canal and the building of the New York Central Railroad. The canal was a staggering engineering feat. In 1811, it cost more to ship goods 30 miles inland from New York City than it cost to send them to England. But after eight years of work by 9,000 men, the canal opened in 1825, ahead of schedule and on budget, effectively tying together the nation and cementing the importance of New York City to America's future. Then the New York Central built its water-line route, and the Mohawk Valley became one of the nation's early industrial centers. The little Oneida County hamlets of Utica and Rome, where the canal builders had to dig through the route's highest ground, became sizable factory towns. Even the utopian Oneida Community, with its believers in plural marriage and communal ownership, operated a stainless steel factory. First settled by New England Yankees, these towns attracted a new wave of immigration from the Atlantic coast in the early 20th century, including many Italian- and Polish-Americans.

The 24th Congressional District of New York sprawls through parts of 11 counties in central New York, few of them heavily populated. The biggest centers are Utica and Rome in Oneida County and Auburn in Cayuga County, which sits amidst the narrow Finger Lakes and was the home of Governor, Senator and Secretary of State William Seward. Nearby Seneca Falls was the birthplace of the women's movement in 1848, when Boston transplant Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott produced a Declaration of Sentiments that initiated the push for women's suffrage. Abolition and temperance were also popular here. Today, this is a part of Upstate New York that feels itself bypassed by more recent economic growth and in need of government assistance. Oneida County's population fell 6% between 1990 and 2004, and in the latter year the county lost jobs at Rome Cable, Remington Arms, Oneida Ltd. and Union Tools. Six of the district's other 10 counties lost people as well; the booming business here is the Oneida Indians' Turning Stone Casino. At the south end of Otsego Lake is Cooperstown, where baseball was supposedly invented in 1839 and which is the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Like much of New York, the 24th District is historically Republican, but trended to Democrats in the 1990s. George W. Bush carried it only narrowly in 2000 and by a wider margin in 2004.

The congressman from the 24th is Sherwood Boehlert, a Republican first elected in 1982, now chairman of the Science Committee. Boehlert grew up and went to college in Utica, served in the Army, worked briefly for Wyandotte Chemical. Working as a waiter when he was a student at Utica College, he became friendly with Congressman Alexander Pirnie. In 1964, at 28, he got a job on Pirnie's staff; soon he was Pirnie's chief of staff and, after Pirnie retired in 1972, was chief of staff for his successor, Donald Mitchell, until 1978. Then he went back to Utica and was elected Oneida County Executive. When Mitchell retired in 1982, Boehlert won the seat. For many years Boehlert has had one of the most liberal voting records of any Republican House member--number three in both 1999 and 2000 National Journal ratings and sixth in 2004--and has taken a lead role in defeating what he considers extreme party positions, while maintaining party loyalty on many other matters and trying to forge bipartisan consensus on some issues. He sided with labor in March 2001 as one of 13 Republicans to oppose the repeal of the ergonomics rule, has voted for increased minimum wages, has voted against the partial-birth abortion ban and has supported the National Endowment for the Arts.

Boehlert has played a particularly critical role on environmental issues. His convictions here are strong. After Republicans took control in 1995 he took the lead in opposing environmental policy riders on EPA and other appropriations. In 1995 Speaker Newt Gingrich--to whom he gave crucial support when Gingrich won the whip's post by 2 votes in 1989--named him co-head, with conservative Richard Pombo, of a task force on environmental issues. This produced some results: Republicans agreed on the bipartisan Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996 and the environmental provisions of the 1996 farm bill. But in mid-1997 the intra-party truce broke down; after Boehlert rallied votes to water down an attempt by Western Republicans to exempt flood control projects from the Endangered Species Act, they complained bitterly. In January 2001, he urged caution about overturning last-minute Clinton administration environmental regulations and orders, but he supported the Bush administration on reconsidering 2006 levels of arsenic in drinking water. On the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee he chaired from 1995 until 2001, Boehlert tried to reach bipartisan agreement on Superfund reform, but without success.

As Science Committee Chairman since 2001, Boehlert has been involved in some important issues. The September 11 attacks prompted action on cyberterrorism; in February 2002 the House passed Boehlert's bill for $880 million in grants to the National Science Foundation for research on cyberterrorism. He sponsored the bill signed into law in December 2003 authorizing $3.7 billion for nanotechnology research over four years.

In 2001 Boehlert supported the space program and opposed administration proposals to cut back the space station to allow just three astronauts to work there. After the loss of the space shuttle Columbia in February 2003, he and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain held joint hearings on the entire space program. In July 2003 Boehlert went ahead with the markup of a bill to allow NASA to offer higher bonuses and salaries up to $198,600 to recruit scientists and engineers, despite Democrats' desire to wait for the Columbia accident report; the bill was signed in January 2004. After China launched a manned space vehicle, Boehlert in October 2003 cautioned against a crash program to match it. "Our vision can't be based on some dreamy, ahistorical view that we can recreate the Apollo era." That month Boehlert and ranking Democrat (he became a Republican in January 2004) Ralph Hall called on NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe to postpone work on the Orbital Space Plane. "Before any work is done, and especially before any money is spent, NASA needs to have a clearer idea of what the next vehicle for human space flight will be required to do." Boehlert was elated by the success of the Mars land rover in January 2004, but said, "Any decisions on the future of manned space flight must be made in the context of budget realities [and] the continuing need for reforms called for by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board." He endorsed George W. Bush's call for missions to the moon and eventually to Mars, but said, "I'm for people in space but on a limited basis, on an as-needed basis." Boehlert steered to passage the reauthorization of indemnification of contractors for liability in the space program, and supported the bill to keep the FAA from immediately regulating space tourism. "This industry is at the stage where it is the preserve of visionaries and adventurers and daredevils. These are people who will fly at their own risk."

Boehlert served on the Intelligence and Homeland Security Committees, but said the latter should not have sole jurisdiction on its issues. "Homeland security is too diffuse and too important … to leave with one committee." He is the third ranking Republican on the Transportation. Republican term limits will cost Boehlert the Science chairmanship after the 2006 election, but he may compete with Transportation's second ranking Republican, Tom Petri, and others for the chair of that committee.

Some of Boehlert's votes have a local angle: he supports dairy subsidies and helped get the Northeast Dairy Compact into the House farm bill (the 24th is part of New York City's milkshed); he sponsored Pledge of Allegiance Day (the Pledge was written by Francis Bellamy in Rome in 1892). He sponsored reauthorization of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and helped get a $25 million facility for the Rome Air Force Research Laboratory. He put into the energy bill an amendment with $300 million to overhaul diesel school buses, but voted against the energy bill because it included oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As a baseball buff, Boehlert was relieved when redistricters kept Cooperstown in his district. The foyer of his Rayburn Building office is lined with pictures of local baseball heroes--William Hulbert of Burlington Flats, the founder of the National League, Bud Fowler of Fort Plain, the first black to play professional baseball, Ben Egan of Augusta, the first catcher for Babe Ruth. Boehlert was a minority owner of Utica Blue Sox until February 2002, when the team was sold to Cal Ripken Jr. and moved to Aberdeen, Maryland. He remains chairman of the Minor League Baseball Caucus and, as an aide said, "He considers anyone ever inducted into the Hall of Fame to be his constituent."

The 24th District is a solidly Republican constituency; Boehlert has won general elections easily. But he has had serious competition in the Republican primary. In 2000 David Vickers, a high school Spanish teacher, held him to a 57%-43% margin, although the challenger spent only $27,000. Boehlert was hurt in Oneida County by his opposition to congressional ratification of old Indian treaties which would extinguish the Oneida Indians' land claims; he backed government payments in out-of-court settlements. Boehlert won the general election with 61% of the vote, but Vickers got 21% as the nominee of the Conservative and Right-to-Life parties. In June 2002 redistricting removed Madison County and added all or parts of five new counties. Vickers did not run again, but at the last minute David Walrath, a physician and Cayuga County legislator, ran. He said he was a "real Republican" and Boehlert a "big-spending liberal"; like Vickers he called for congressional action to extinguish Indian land claims, which were being asserted by the Cayuga Indians in the new parts of the district. He wrested the Conservative nomination from Boehlert and got a court to take Boehlert off the Independence party line, which meant that unless Boehlert won the Republican primary he would not be on the general election ballot. Boehlert spent $1 million over the course of the campaign and Walrath only $99,000. Outside spending also favored Boehlert. The moderate Main Street Partnership spent $10,000 on a phone bank to support Boehlert, while the conservative Club for Growth, which was spending $150,000 on a Maryland primary held the same day in which its candidate lost by a wide margin, contributed only $1,000 for Walrath. Even so the result was very close. Boehlert won by only 53%-47%. He carried the parts of the district he had been representing since 1992 by 58%-42%. But in the new counties in the district, Walrath won 59%-41%. Boehlert had no Democratic opponent in November and won 71% of the vote.

In 2004 Walrath ran again. The White House and the House leadership left no doubt where it stood: Karl Rove spoke at a Boehlert rally in October 2003 and Tom DeLay sent a check. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich asked the Club for Growth not to support Walrath and came in to speak for Boehlert four days before the primary. Boehlert raised and spent $1.4 million, Walrath only $156,000, most of that early on. Walrath's campaign was plagued with problems: in February a warrant was issued to him for payment of $3,600 in back taxes; in May he demoted an aide who sent three letters to the editor and signed them with a Boehlert supporter's name. "My opponent has been attacking me to deflect attention from a record he can't defend," said Walrath. "I am at the peak of my influence in a town where experience and seniority really count," Boehlert proclaimed. "My opponent is ineffective and doesn't vote like a Republican," Walrath replied. Boehlert bragged that he had voted for every tax cut since Ronald Reagan was president and noted that he voted for the partial-birth abortion ban and against the ban on snowmobiles in national parks. Walrath continued to oppose the Cayuga Indian land claim; Boehlert said it should be settled locally. Boehlert won the September 15 primary 59%-40%, his best showing in three successive primaries; he lost only Cayuga County.

On September 28 Boehlert had heart bypass surgery and did no more active campaigning. He won the general election with 57% of the vote; Walrath as the Conservative nominee got 9%. After the election Boehlert said he planned to continue in office "as long as I'm productive, enjoying it and in good health." As for primary challenges, he said, "I just hope finally they'll go away."

Committees

• Science (Chmn. of 24 R).
• Transportation & Infrastructure (3d of 41 R): Highways, Transit & Pipelines; Railroads; Water Resources & Environment.

Group Ratings (More Info)
	ADA	ACLU	AFS	LCV	ITIC	NTU	COC	ACU	NTLC	CHC
2004	40	29	25	55	100	56	84	50	75	53	--
2003	25	--	38	65	--	49	80	52	--	--	--

National Journal Ratings (More Info)
	2003 LIB	--	2003 CONS		2004 LIB	--	2004 CONS
Economic	52%	--	47%		51%	--	49%
Social	53%	--	47%		55%	--	45%
Foreign	49%	--	51%		47%	--	53%
For National Journal's complete 2004 Vote Ratings, as well as previous ratings dating back to 1995, please click here.

Key Votes Of The 108th Congress (More Info)
1. Drilling in ANWR N 2. Approve Bush Tax Cuts Y 3. Medicare/Rx Bill Y 4. Bar Overtime Pay Regs. Y 5. DC School Vouchers N 6. Ban Human Cloning N		7. Restrict Gun Liability Y  8. Ban Partial-Birth Abortion Y  9. Ban Same-Sex Marriage * 10. Fund Iraq War Y 11. Bar Cuba Embargo Funds N 12. Intelligence Reorg. *

Election Results (More Info)
	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
2004 general	Sherwood Boehlert (R-Ind)	143,000	57%	$1,524,703
	Jeffrey Miller (D)	85,140	34%	$32,965
	David Walrath (C)	23,228	9%	$234,640
2004 primary	Sherwood Boehlert (R)	22,908	59%
	David Walrath (R)	15,394	40%
	Other	588	2%
2002 general	Sherwood Boehlert (R)	108,017	71%	$1,063,823
	David Walrath (C)	32,991	22%	$104,975
	Mark Dunau (Green)	6,660	4%
	Other	5,109	3%
Prior winning percentages: 2000 (61%); 1998 (81%); 1996 (64%); 1994 (71%); 1992 (64%); 1990 (84%); 1988 (100%); 1986 (69%); 1984 (73%); 1982 (56%)

2004 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 147,509 (53%) Kerry (D) 130,568 (47%)

2000 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 129,050 (48%) Gore (D) 126,021 (47%)

For 1992 and 1996 presidential results in the Twenty-Fourth District, please see the Almanac 2000 online. Please note that these older returns reflect district lines as they existed prior to 2002 redistricting.

• Cook Partisan Voting Index: R + 1
• District Size: 6,356 square miles
• Population in 2000: 654,361; 50.5% urban; 49.5% rural
• Median Household Income: $36,082; 12.6% are below the poverty line
• Occupation: 24.4% blue collar; 57.3% white collar; 18.3% gray collar; 14.2% military veterans
• Race/Ethnic Origin: 92.2% White, 3.3% Black, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% Amer. Indian, 0.0% Hawaiian, 1.1% Two+ races, 0.1% Other, 2.3% Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 12.3% Irish, 11.9% German, 10.9% Italian
• Click here for statewide demographic data.