Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.)

U.S. Representative (since November 1996)

(Emerson Facebook page)

Why She Matters

Now the dean of Missouri's congressional delegation, Emerson was elected to her eighth term in 2010, the same number of wins as her husband Bill Emerson who she succeeded in 1996 after he died from cancer.

Forced to run as an independent in 1996 due to the state's election rules involving an incumbent's death, Jo Ann Emerson has maintained that distinction despite serving as a House Republican. Though she has traditionally backed the GOP on the big bills, she has also found herself on the opposite side when voting on issues such as the Medicare prescription drug bill or the Iraq war. The Obama administration briefly and unsuccessfully courted the moderate Emerson in hopes of garnering support for the 2010 health-care reform bill. She is one of four co-chairs of the Center Aisle Caucus, a group of lawmakers dedicated to civility.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, American Insurance Association (1994-1996); Director of State Relations and Grassroots Programs, National Restaurant Association (1991-1993); Deputy Communications Director, National Republican Congressional Committee (1983-1990)
Birthday: Sept. 16, 1950
Hometown: Bethesda, Md.
Alma Mater: Ohio Wesleyan University, B.A. (1972)
Spouse: Ron Gladney
Religion: Presbyterian
Committees: Appropriations

DC Office: 2440 Rayburn House Office Building, 202-225-4404
State/District Office: Cape Girardeau, 573-355-0101; Farmington, 573-756-9755; Rolla, 573-364-2455; West Plains, 417-255-1515
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Path to Power

Emerson was born in 1950 in Bethesda, Md., the daughter of two Republican activists who lived next door to House Majority Leader Hale Boggs (D-La.).

A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, she married Bill Emerson in 1975. A Republican who once worked as a congressional page, Bill Emerson was a Washington lobbyist before moving back to Missouri and winning a House seat in 1980.

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The Issues

During the 111th Congress, Emerson voted with fellow House Republicans 92 percent of the time.

Though she has often offered bills seeking to restrict abortion rights, Emerson bucked President George W. Bush's 2005 veto of a embryonic stem-cell research bill. While she once said she would never support such research, her opinion changed due to deaths of several people close to her, including her husband and mother-in-law.

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After the June 2009 House passage of cap-and-trade legislation, Emerson authored legislation along with Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) that would've limited the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. "Left unchecked, EPA's proposed regulations will certainly increase energy costs for Missouri families, farms and businesses. That is totally unacceptable, and it is why the U.S. Congress must stand up for the legislative process and stand up to EPA," the two wrote in an op-ed.

Health Care

Emerson has found herself at the center of two major legislative battles involving health care: the 2003 Medicare prescription-drug bill and the 2010 health-care reform bill.

Initially opposing the House version of the prescription-drug bill, Emerson cast the deciding vote sending it to conference. During the early morning scene, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and other GOP leaders surrounded her seeking to change her mind. After Republicans refused Emerson's request to remove a provision making it difficult to import drugs from Canada, she relented once she was promised there would be a separate vote on her bill allowing the import of prescription drugs.

Emerson's negotiations proved for naught. While the House passed Emerson's bill allowing for impors from Canada and other industrialized countries, then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) worked to bar it from the final Medicare bill. In response, Emerson opposed the final drug bill.

On the health-care reform measure, Emerson was among the handful of House Republicans targeted by the Obama administration to mount bipartisan support around it. "I think all of us have to be willing to give a little," said Emerson in March 2009 following a presidential summit on the issue.

Ultimately, Emerson joined all Republicans to oppose against the final version of the 2010 bill and voted for its repeal in 2011. Emerson has said any reform would have to tackle the costs of prescription drugs and require challenging big pharmaceutical companies.

Cuba

Emerson has supported lifting the trade embargo on Cuba, saying it would give her district's rice farmers an ideal market. Ahead of the 2008 presidential election, she acknowledged the election of Barack Obama would help achieve that goal as opposed to victory by other leading candidates.

Iraq

In 2007, Emerson joined a bipartisan coalition on Iraq, pushing a middle course "compact" on the war. The plan sought to continue the war, using benchmarks to measure progress, but without a withdrawal timeline.

In April 2007, Emerson voted present instead of joining Republican ranks on a war-spending bill that included a withdrawal plan. "I cannot abide by the way this war is being conducted, but neither can I lend my support to a measure that politicizes the men and women in uniform so bravely serving our country," Emerson said in a statement.

The Network

Emerson was one of the co-founders of the Center Aisle Caucus, which got its start in 2005 and is committed to the idea of "real debate" over personal attacks and stereotypical partisanship. Her co-chairs are Reps. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.), Tim Johnson (R-Ill.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

Emerson and Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) are co-chairs of the Tuesday Group, a moderate Republican caucus. "I think that our goal is really to try and find common ground so that we can actually get things done and try to work for the best solutions, and we have the ability to work with the conservative Democrats on the other side," she said about the group.

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