People in the news

Glenn Nye

Former U.S. Representative

(House web site)

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: United States Agency for International Development, (2003-2007); State Department Foreign Service (1999-2003); European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Birthday: Sept. 9, 1974
Hometown: Philadelphia, Penn.
Alma Mater: Georgetown University, B.A., 1996
Spouse: single
Religion: Presbyterian

Committees: Veterans' Affairs; Small Business; Armed Services
DC Office: 116 Cannon House Office Building, 202-225-4215
State/District Office: Virginia Beach, 757-326-6201; Accomac, 757-789-5092
Email
Web site

Path to Power

Born in Philadelphia in 1974, Nye was raised in the Hampton Roads area as a fifth-generation resident of the region.

Nye graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in 1996 and began his career in diplomacy with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

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Diplomatic Career

In 1999, Nye joined the U.S. State Department and was stationed in various countries including Singapore and Kosovo. In 2001, he was one of a dozen workers at the U.S. embassy in Skopje, Macedonia who helped Americans escape while the country was engaged in civil war. He earned awards from the State Department for securing the release of an American held by an insurgent group as well as for his contacts and analysis of the country's ethnic Albanian population.

Nye left the State Department in 2003 and went to Afghanistan with USAID, helping the country with its constitutional convention. In 2005, he was stationed in the West Bank, working on community development projects. During a stint in Iraq in 2007, Nye helped run a program that sought jobs for unemployed Iraqis.

2008 House Bid

After returning from Iraq, Nye announced he would run for the Democratic nomination to face Rep. Thelma Drake (R-Va.) in his Virgina's 2nd district, the sole Democrat to do so. Largely unknown in the district, Nye said in a January 2008 news release he would bring foreign policy experience and an "ability to broker compromise" to Washington.

Nye's darkhorse bid quickly gained steam, drawing endorsements from Virginia's prominent Democratic leaders, including Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), and became part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee "Red to Blue" fundraising program.

Nye painted Drake as an ideologue too closely aligned with the George W. Bush White House. Nye also focused heavily on riding the coattails of Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Va.), and Senate candidate, former Gov. Mark Warner (D-Va.), in a district where one-fifth of the residents are African Americans. Nye won the general election by four percentage points.

With the victory, Nye inherited Drake's seat on the House Armed Services Committee, a key seat for his district that is home to military installations and a large veterans' population. He also sits on the House Veterans Affairs and Small Business committees, serving as chairman of the Small Business subcommittee overseeing government contracts and technology-based firms.

In June 2009, the National Republican Congressional Committee identified Nye's district as one of the top six most vulnerable in the 2010 election. As of September 2009, six Republicans have entered the race to unseat Nye.

The Issues

A member of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Nye quickly established himself as an independent voter. As of October 2009, Nye voted with his party just 83 percent of the time during the 111th Congress.

During his 2008 campaign, Nye said he opposed offshore oil drilling, saying such development off Virginia's coast could threaten the Navy's training exercises. He said he supports an energy plan that would increase drilling on land already leased to oil companies, regulation on oil speculation and investment in alternative energy. Nye voted against the June 2009 House "cap-and-trade" bill that would require businesses to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

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Nye ran in 2008 on a platform focused on American foreign policy and military issues. Nye campaigned heavily on formulating a U.S. exit strategy in Iraq.

Health-Care Reform

During a September 2008 debate with then-Rep. Thelma Drake (R-Va.), Nye said he'd support "pragmatic reforms to expand basic coverage to everyone in this country."

In summer and fall 2009, Nye said any federal coverage plan must be self-supporting and compete fairly with private insurers. Nye also said he'd oppose any bill that would raise the federal deficit.

Nye stopped short of dismissing a public option, saying he would support one"if it can be set up in such a way that it does not crowd out the private insurance market. That reduces choice, not increases it."

Though heavily lobbied on the issue, he ultimately opposed President Obama and House Democratic colleagues on the issue and voted against the March 2010 health-reform overhaul, citing the fact the military health plan TRICARE wasn't exempted.

Military Issues

A representative of a district with heavy military presence, Nye used his committee assignments as a plank for his defense and veterans' affairs agenda.

Nye was one of several Virginia representatives who have tried to block the $46.3 million dredging of the Mayport Naval Station in Florida, a move intended to keep the Navy from moving one of its nuclear aircraft carriers from its port in Norfolk, Va.

In March 2009, Nye led a congressional effort protesting President Obama's plan to shift costs for veterans' service-related injuries to private insurers. The White House scrapped the plan shortly after it received a letter signed by about 70 lawmakers of both parties, against the proposal, which Obama eventually took off the table.

In April 2009, the House approved a credit-card reform bill that included a Nye-authored amendment that barred companies from issuing unfavorable credit reports about deployed soldiers.

During the 2008 campaign, Nye attacked Drake for her vote against a 2008 bill expanding college tuition grants for veterans. She later supported a revised version.

The House passed a Nye-authored bill in July 2009 creating national network help-centers providing business support specifically for veterans. The Senate has not taken up the bill.

The Economy

On taxes, Nye wrote in a 2008 op-ed for The Virginian-Pilot that he would seek a repeal of the alternative minimum tax, saying it was hurting middle-class families.

Nye supported the economic stimulus package that passed in February 2009. He introduced a provision that would give tax credits to businesses that hire unemployed veterans recently released from duty. It was included in the final $787-billion bill, which Nye voted for after opposing the bill in a series of procedural votes.

The Network

During his 2008 campaign, Nye aligned himself closely with Sens. Webb and Warner, with Warner making late campaign stops to Nye's district.

In addition to working with both of Virginia's Democratic senators, Nye has also worked closely with fellow representatives from his state, most notably on military issues. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Randy Forbes (R-Va.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.) all have been involved in efforts to keep the naval aircraft fleet intact in Norfolk.

Additional Resources