WP: Vets Running for Congress Fight 'One-Issue' Label

Vets Running for Congress Fight 'One-Issue' Label
By Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 21, 2006; A03

LOUISVILLE -- Andrew Horne's political résumé starts with his military service in Iraq, he recently told a candidates meeting in west Louisville. The Marine Reserve lieutenant colonel said the war represents a failure of Republican leadership, and he won applause when he declared, "I've seen it when they're lying."

When Horne had finished asking for help in unseating Rep. Anne M. Northup, the GOP incumbent in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District, Paul Porter still had his doubts.

"Horne, he sounds like a single issue," said Porter, a retired lawyer. "The issue is quality of life here. It's eroding. You've got to show you understand the people and their day-to-day lives."

Porter's skepticism underscores one of the biggest challenges facing a platoon of Iraq war veterans, almost all of them Democrats, running for Congress this year in mostly Republican districts. While they are pitching themselves as tough on national security and reaping some of the benefits of growing antiwar sentiment, many are struggling to raise their profiles and prove they can talk about more than the war.

There are 10 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars running for Congress this year. Today may provide an early indicator of their chances: Tammy Duckworth, the star of the class, is entered in a competitive Democratic primary in Illinois that includes Christine Cegelis, a more seasoned candidate....Several of the newcomers may yet develop into formidable candidates, but election analysts note that most face experienced and well-financed Republicans in districts that have tilted toward the GOP, often for years....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/20/AR2006032001778_pf.html