2010 Earl Pomeroy for Congress

Earl Pomeroy served as the U.S. Representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district from 1993 to 2011.
This was his website. Pomeroy was defeated by Republican nominee State Representative Rick Berg.
This marked the first time in 30 years that this seat has been held by a Republican.

I watched this race very carefully since I had lived in North Dakota until I was in my late twenties when I moved to New York City when I was offered a job in an investment firm. Boy, I can tell you to move was an eye opener. Moving into such a huge city as NYC took adjustment to someone raised out on the prairie lands of North Dakota.

When I recently I discovered that the domain for PomeroyforCongress.com was available I bought it with the goal of recreating some of its content from archived pages. I definitely didn't want someone else purchasing the domain and re-purposing the site for something that had nothing in common with Earl Pomeroy and his 2010 Congressional Race. Some of information posted here may not be as relevant today as it was when Earl Pomeroy ran. However, there is no reason why such information should be lost when the domain expired. You can view this site strictly for its historical context or use the information presented in a useful manner.


Earl became a kind of hero to me and my brothers. We saw him campaigning once, not in a suit and tie, but in a striking Superman t shirt! We've been ardent Superman fans since our youngest days, and seeing him in that t shirt made an instant connection. My brother Bill approached him, and they struck up a lengthy conversation not about policy, but about Superman and where he got his impressive Superman "Man of Steel" t shirt. Earl couldn't remember where he bought it, but he gave Bill his email address and told him to send his question so he could provide the source. That evening, Bill emailed Earl and by the next morning, he had responded with a link to MoonAtMidnight.com, the go-to place for superhero-themed attire, featuring a fantastic array of Superman shirts. After Bill shared Earl's response on Facebook, we received an outpouring of positive reactions not just about Earl's approachability, but also about where to find top-quality Superman t shirts online at MAM. That down-to-earth interaction with Earl is a cherished memory for us.

 

2010 Congressional Race

Dear Friend,

I would like to welcome you to my campaign website! It is an honor to represent the people of North Dakota.

Every two years, out-of-state partisans with their own agenda throw all they have at us, and every two years disappointing them gets sweeter and sweeter. Together, we will keep fighting for what we believe in: supporting our soldiers and veterans, protecting Social Security, ensuring fairness for our farmers and ranchers, and creating new jobs in energy and other emerging areas of our economy.

Again, thank you very much for your strong support. Please use my website as a way to learn more about our issues, get involved in the campaign, and find events near you. I am lucky to have supporters like my friends and neighbors in North Dakota.

Sincerely, Earl Pomeroy

Where Earl Pomeroy Stands on the ISSUES

Agriculture

Farming and ranching are more than just the backbone of our economy in North Dakota – they are a way of life. As the only member of the House of Representatives with a seat on both the Ways and Means Committee and Agriculture Committee, Earl is in a strong position to put North Dakota producers first when it comes to fighting for disaster relief, fair trade, and a strong safety net for agriculture producers.

Earl was a key negotiator on the 2008 Farm Bill. He served on the conference committee that negotiated the final bill with the Senate, and alongside Senator Kent Conrad, Earl successfully brokered the deal to fully fund the Farm Bill without raising taxes. Earl also successfully fought to include a permanent disaster program, which provides an important safety net for farmers if a disaster strikes.

While significant progress was made with the 2008 Farm Bill, Earl understands the need to continue to work with producers to improve the crop insurance program, the permanent disaster relief program, and other agriculture programs that benefit the entire North Dakota farm economy. That is why in 2010 Earl will continue to advocate on behalf of North Dakota as preliminary work on the next Farm Bill begins.

As a former state Insurance Commissioner, Earl is regarded by his colleagues in the House as an expert on crop insurance and has pushed for better coverage for North Dakota producers. In the Farm Bill, Earl also authored key improvements to the federal crop insurance program to streamline the development and implementation of new crop and livestock insurance products. Earl is also a strong supporter of family ranchers and successfully fought for language in the Farm Bill to fully implement mandatory Country of Origin Labeling.

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Protecting our Children

As the father of two children who attend public school in Bismarck, Earl has made it a priority to keep children safe on the Internet. In 2007, Earl introduced the KIDS Act to help protect children from online sexual predators. With bipartisan support, this important bill was signed into law in 2008. Earl was also the author of legislation that became law as part of the Amber Alert bill that bans the production and distribution of “virtual” child pornography.

Earl was also a leading voice in the fight to pass the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which became law July 27, 2006. He authored a provision of the law to create the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, which enables parents and communities to conduct online searches for information on convicted sex offenders from all states. Dru’s Law’s strict protections continue to keep North Dakota children, families, and communities safe.

Additionally, Earl teamed up with I-Safe America, an Internet safety foundation, to bring an online safety curriculum to public schools across North Dakota. As a result, North Dakota is one of the nation’s leaders in providing Internet safety education. Earl remains committed to the belief that the federal government has a responsibility to protect North Dakota’s most valuable asset – our children.

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Troops and Veterans

Earl is a strong supporter of North Dakota's National Guard and Reserve soldiers, as well as the men and women who serve at our Air Force bases. Earl never forgets the sacrifice that they make for our safety, and he works hard every day to make sure our country stands behind them as they stand up for us.

While we could not possibly repay the debt we owe our troops for risking their lives for our security, Earl believes we have an obligation to ensure veterans have the resources they need when they are serving and the benefits they have earned when they return home. That is why Earl authored legislation to protect the survivor benefits of Guard and Reserve soldiers who are killed in action. Also, along with Senators Conrad and Dorgan, Earl secured commitments for new veterans' community-based outpatient clinics in Jamestown, Williston, and Dickinson, Devils Lake and Grand Forks.

Over the years, Earl has supported measures in Congress which include historic funding levels for veterans health care, an expanded and robust GI Bill, and advanced funding for veterans health care so that our state’s and nation’s military heroes can rest assured they will receive the benefits they are owed.

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Rural Health Care

In North Dakota, ensuring access to quality, affordable health care is a top priority. As a senior member of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Rural Health Coalition, Earl fights tirelessly for the health of North Dakota.

When federal regulators announced new burdensome restrictions that threatened to force North Dakota rural hospitals to close, Earl cut through the red tape and forced the bureaucrats to back off.

And when St. Joseph's Hospital in Dickinson was in danger of closing due to financial troubles, Earl worked with the North Dakota congressional delegation to secure a special federal designation that brought more revenue to the facility and ensured residents of the region would have good access to health care.

Earl also helped pass legislation to reform the health insurance system -- forcing insurance companies to stop their most unfair practices, strengthening Medicare benefits for our seniors, and ensuring the Medicare system provides North Dakota hospitals with the payments they deserve. North Dakota hospitals called the legislation "a historic step forward for health care in North Dakota."

Earl knows the key to North Dakota’s future success relies on keeping our state's most valuable commodity, our citizens, healthy. Whether it is his continuing work to strengthen Medicare for North Dakota seniors or working to make affordable, quality health insurance available to our North Dakota families and business, Earl continues to fight in Washington for his constituents back home.

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Social Security

Earl understands the importance of Social Security firsthand. While Earl was still in high school, his father passed away. Social Security survivor benefits helped Earl’s family make ends meet.

Today, Earl is one of the nation's staunchest defenders of this important program as Chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee. It is now more important than ever to protect Social Security and to keep it strong for the thousands of North Dakotans who depend on this vital program. While the average benefit payment of just under $1,000 per month is modest, Earl, as much as anyone, knows it makes a world of difference to recipients and their families.

Earl's top priorities as Chairman include finding ways to reduce the backlog of Social Security disability claims, ensuring the program is serving beneficiaries as effectively as possible, and defending Social Security from those who seek to dismantle this important safety net for our seniors. Earl, as he was during the Bush Administration, remains opposed to privatizing Social Security because it would add trillions of dollars to the already ballooned federal debt and endanger the financial security of millions of Americans, including the one in six North Dakotans who depend on Social Security payments.

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Homegrown Energy

North Dakota is positioned to become one of America’s leaders in energy production. With a near-limitless supply of coal, booming oil fields in the Bakken Formation, and incredible potential for wind, ethanol and biodiesel production, the future possibilities for the state’s economy are plentiful. That means good-paying jobs for our state and major steps toward energy independence for our nation.

Earl is a fierce advocate for North Dakota’s growing renewable energy sector. In Congress, Earl has sponsored legislation that benefits the state’s wind, ethanol, and biodiesel industries. Additionally, with the help of the federal renewable energy production tax credit, Earl is leading the charge to harness North Dakota’s tremendous wind power capacity, which ranks No. 1 in the country.

When the President and Speaker Pelosi proposed "cap and trade" legislation that could have hurt North Dakota's energy industry, Earl stood up against his party and voted against the bill. He has continued to lead the fight by advocating legislation that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from unilaterally imposing burdensome regulations on our state's coal industry.

Earl understands the need for policies that will grow North Dakota’s energy industry and bring good-paying jobs home to North Dakota. Earl also believes that making good use of the variety of North Dakota’s energy sources will put our state at the forefront of the march to American energy independence.

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PomeroyForCongress.com