Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.)

Also during her first year in Congress, Kirkpatrick supported legislation that allowed bankruptcy judges to restructure mortgages on family homes. As of November 2009, she had not joined the 227 House members who have signed up as supporters of the Employee Free Choice Act, a legislative priority for unions.

Health-Care Reform

Kirkpatrick favored President Obama's March 2010 health-care reform, noting that she had "always put the needs of my district first," standing up to the president and House Democratic leadership by opposing bank and auto bailouts, along with the climate change bill.

"I am putting my district first again by voting for this reform package. Health insurance reform is critical to ending denials of coverage based on pre-existing conditions, making sure our children can get the care they need and protecting our seniors from unaffordable prescription drug costs.

In November 2009, Kirkpatrick voted for House Democrats' health-care bill, which contained a public option. "We can't keep going with the clunker we've got now," she said a few weeks before the vote.

But Kirkpatrick did portray herself as undecided on the public option, floating the possibility of establishing non-profit co-ops instead. But she has indicated that she would personally switch to a government plan if one was implemented.

The Environment

During her 2008 campaign, Kirkpatrick described global warming as a great challenge the country must face and embraced "a free market cap-and-trade system" that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Yet, in June 2009, she was one of 44 House Democrats to oppose the energy bill that seeks to remedy climate change by creating such a system; she argued the legislation threatened jobs and the U.S. economic recovery.

Kirkpatrick also supported additional offshore oil drilling. Her congressional record has attracted the animosity of environmental groups like the League of Conservation Voters, which the congresswoman dismisses as "special interests."

Another source of dissension arose over Kirkpatrick's decision to throw her support behind a proposed land swap between the federal government and a developer that would pave the way for a large underground copper mine.

Native-American Rights

On Kirkpatrick's radar screen were issues of interest to her district's substantial Native American community.

For instance, she was the lead sponsor of legislation to amend the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act to allow disabled veterans and their families to access housing aid they were denied because they received veterans' benefits.

Immigration

To display her willingness to crackdown on illegal immigration, Kirkpatrick supported the installation of a "smart fence" relying on a ground-based radar system along the Mexican border, more investment for the U.S. Border Patrol as well as Arizona's tough law sanctioning businesses that employ undocumented workers.

She also argued for a temporary-worker program that would give some immigrants who were in the country illegally a path to U.S. citizenship.

Social Issues

Kirkpatrick supported abortion rights. In November 2009, she voted against the Stupak amendment, which would have toughened restrictions on federal funding for abortions. She opposes constitutional bans on same-sex marriage, both at the federal and at the state level. As of November 2009, however, she was not one of the 183 Democratic co-sponsors of H.R. 1283, a bill to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy governing gays in the U.. military.

Kirkpatrick was also skeptical of gun control; in spring 2009, she invoked the Second Amendment in asking Attorney General Eric Holder not to push for a reinstatement of the ban on assault weapons.

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