John Hall

Hall wound up in New York, joining a band known as the Castiles that played at the Cafe Wha? in the West Village and was headed by Bruce Springsteen.

In 1972, Hall helped found the band Orleans, serving as the guitarist for the group that produced the hits "Still the One" and "Dance With Me." During concerts, Hall was known to launch into political speeches highlighting his liberal views. "It was one of the hallmarks of our shows," Larry Hoppen, the band's singer, said in 2007. "We'd be playing, and inevitably John would start going off on the issue of the day. It's one thing to make a passing comment. It's another to do a five-minute, detail-oriented diatribe about nuclear power."

Hall later left the band for a solo career. In 1979, he teamed with musicians Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash to form the Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), which held benefit concerts and produced a film and triple album in opposition to nuclear power.

Hall rejoined Orleans in 1984, touring with the band through the years. In 1990, Hall was elected to a two-year term as an Ulster County legislator. In 2004, Hall led protests against the use of the song "Still the One" by President George W. Bush's reelection campaign. The song was dropped by the Bush team.

House Career

In 2006, Hall challenged moderate Rep. Sue Kelly (R-N.Y.), who represented the 19th district. "I got into this race because my wife told me to stop yelling at the TV," Hall explained.

Hall joined a four-way Democratic primary field, emerging as a favorite of the local Democratic organizations, while using Joe Trippi, who engineered Howard Dean's 2004 presidential bid, as a consultant. Though other strategists believed Hall to be too liberal for the traditionally-Republican district, Hall won the party's nomination, 49 to 27 percent, over attorney Judy Aydelott.

Hall ran the general election as a referendum on President George W. Bush. Hall emphasized his status as a Washington outsider, though his campaign advised him to play down his musical past. Hall did have help from Browne, Raitt and Nash, who wrote fundraising letters and played concerts on his behalf.

Hall ended up singing a duet with Stephen Colbert on the comedian's show weeks before the election. During the campaign, an unsigned flier was circulated featuring Hall as a long-haired, bare-chested musician with the message: "John Hall, wrong for America."

Kelly's campaign took a hit during the congressional page scandal involving then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who sent sexually explicit e-mails to underage pages. Kelly was the chairwoman of the House Page Board from 1999 to 2001, but denied knowledge of any wrongdoing.

Hall won the election by less than 5,000 votes.

2008 House Race

Though Republicans saw Hall as vulnerable in 2008, they were unable to secure a viable candidate after millionaire Andrew Saul dropped out of the race. Hall easily dispatched Kieran Lalor (R), a veteran of the Iraq war, 59 to 41 percent.

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