Phil Hare

Former U.S. Representative (January 2007 - January 2011)

(Congress Bio Directory)

Why He Matters

After serving as then-Rep. Lane Evans' (D-Ill.) district director for 23 years, Hare stepped up to replace his friend in 2006 when Evans announced his retirement due to a decade-long battle with Parkinson's Disease. Hare faced an unexpectedly tough contest in 2010 midterms, losing to businessman Bobby Schilling (R).

Because Evans withdrew a week after securing the Democratic nomination, Hare owed his place on the fall ballot to a vote taken by local party leaders rather than to a primary contest.

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Corrections?

Background

At a Glance

Career History: Aide and then district director for U.S. Rep. Lane Evans (1982-2006), worker at Seaford Clothing Factory (1969-1982), U.S. Army Reserves (1969-1975)
Birthday: Feb. 21, 1949
Hometown: Rock Island, Ill.
Alma Mater: attended Black Hawk Community College (1967-1969)
Spouse: Becky

Religion: Catholic
Committees: Education and Labor Committee, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
DC Office: 428 Cannon HOB: (202) 225-5905
District Offices: Moline: (309) 793-5760; Galesburg: (309) 342-4411; Decatur: (217) 422-9150; Carlinville: (217) 854-2290
Web site

Path to Power

After attending Black Hawk Community College, Hare joined the Seaford Clothing Factory, where he worked as a union leader and presided over UNITE HERE Local 617. As a volunteer for Fred Harris and Edward M. Kennedy's presidential campaigns in 1976 and in 1980, Hare worked alongside attorney Lane Evans. The two formed a close relationship, and Hare helped convince Evans to run for Congress.

Longtime Evans Aide

In 1982, Evans was elected to Congress from western Illinois, representing what is now the 17th district. He quickly urged his friend to work for him. "I know you love being a union steward, but instead of 350, how about serving a half million?," he said according to Hare, who soon agreed, accepting a position he held for the next 23 years.

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The Issues

Trade

Hare quickly signaled that one of his legislative priorities would be convincing Democrats to forge a new direction on trade. "Don't ask me to vote for a trade bill that will outsource one more manufacturing job," he warned in 2007. He teamed with like-minded congressmen like Mike Michaud (D-Maine) and Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) to drum up opposition to free-trade agreements with Peru and with Colombia.

Beyond citing the prospect of losing domestic jobs, he argued that Colombia is plagued by so much violence against union leaders that a free-trade agreement would condone human-rights violations and be unfair to Colombian workers. "If we had been born in Colombia, we would probably be dead," he wrote in 2008 op-ed co-written with Michaud, who also was a union leader before joining the House. "As members of our respective labor unions, the fight for higher wages, better working conditions, and a secure pension could have cost us our lives."

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The Economy

Skeptical of tax breaks, for instance those contained in the 2009 economic stimulus bill, Hare supports government spending meant to help working-class families - from incentives for companies to stay in the U.S. and hire American workers to infrastructure spending (he is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee).

In fall 2008, Hare supported the financial bailout bill, invoking Congress' "responsibility" to help working families. "This package is not a bailout," he said. "It is a loan that requires taxpayers to be paid back in full." He praised the inclusion of provisions to fight home foreclosures. In the 111th Congress, Hare supported allowing bankruptcy judges to restructure mortgages on family homes.

Health-Care Reform

Hare is a co-sponsor of H.R. 676, which seeks to establish a single-payer health care system. Along with nearly 60 other Democrats, he has signed a letter stating that he "simply cannot vote" for a bill that "at a minimum" does not have a public option based on Medicare rates. "Health-care reform without a public option is a like a car without a motor. It may look nice, but it isn't going anywhere," he has also said.

Defense

A member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, Hare has advocated a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops, and has voted in favor of Democratic plans to redeploy troops out of Iraq. Yet, Hare has argued that withdrawal cannot be immediate and favors the presence of a peacekeeping force. In 2009, he voted in favor of the war spending supplemental, unlike 32 Democrats, many of them fellow members of the Progressive Caucus.

In 2007, he sided with a narrow majority of Democrats in voting against legislation expanding the government's surveillance powers.

Social Issues

Hare supports civil unions and believes a same-sex couple should enjoy the same rights as a married couple, but he has stopped short of backing gay marriage. He advocates banning employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and argues such a bill should be extended to protect transgender people. He is a co-sponsor of H.R. 1283, which seeks to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell" governing the behavior of gay men or women in the U.S. military.

Hare supports abortion rights and federal funding for stem-cell research. In 2008, he got a low rating from the National Rifle Association, which indicates a record that is supportive of gun control.

The Network

Hare is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which his predecessor helped found in the 1990s and whose members form his core legislative network. In opposing free- trade agreements, Hare has partnered with like-minded Democrats like Reps. Michael Michaud (D-Maine) and Betty Sutton (D-Ohio).

Additional Resources