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This is the second in a special five-part series, "The Other Contenders." Each installment looks at one Republican and one Democratic presidential candidate who is less well known than the leading candidates.

Dec. 10, 2007

The Other Contenders: Hunter and Dodd

By Bryan Warner

(l-r) Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)

RALEIGH – The calendar continues its push toward January’s Iowa caucuses and the launch of primary voting around the nation.  As such, the N.C. Center for Voter Education offers part two of our five-part series “The Other Contenders,” looking at presidential competitors who are overshadowed by the leading candidates. 

By no means are these profiles intended to be endorsements of any kind.  Rather, our goal is simply to empower voters with information that they may otherwise lack as the media spotlight shines unrelentingly on those candidates who lead in popularity, fundraising and name recognition.

In this installment, we highlight two longtime members of Congress who hail from opposite ends of the country and from opposing sides of the political aisle, but who share in common the daunting quest to become the next commander in chief.

A native of California, Republican Duncan Hunter enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1969 as the nation was embroiled in the Vietnam War.  Hunter served in that conflict with the 75th Army Rangers Regiment.  Upon returning home, he used the G.I. Bill to earn a law degree.

At 32 years old, Hunter embarked upon an underdog bid to defeat 18-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Lionel Van Deerlin in 1980.  With his service in the U.S. Army an asset in a congressional district covering several military bases in the San Diego area, Hunter won office as part of that year’s “Reagan Revolution” that saw a pro-GOP trend nationally.

Among the accomplishments touted by Hunter during his nearly three decades of congressional experience is his time as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.  Hunter also points to his authorship of the Secure Fence Act, signed by President George W. Bush in 2006, that calls for extending a fence 854 miles along the southern boarders of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Hunter has been married to his wife, Lynne, for 33 years.  They have two sons. When Hunter announced his candidacy for the White House, he also stated that he would not seek re-election to Congress in 2008.  That decision prompted Duncan D. Hunter, a two-tour veteran of the Iraq War, to launch a bid for the congressional post held by his father for the past 27 years.

It was the same year that Duncan Hunter first arrived as a freshman in the U.S. House of Representatives that Democrat Chris Dodd left that chamber after six years of service to take his seat as a newly elected senator.

Born in Connecticut, Dodd learned of public service and politics from an early age.  His father, Thomas Dodd, was one of the lead prosecutors during the Nuremberg Nazi war crimes tribunals and a two-term U.S. senator who lost his first campaign for that office to Prescott Bush (father and grandfather of two future presidents).

In 1966, Chris Dodd joined the U.S. Peace Corps and moved to the Dominican Republic.  There he helped build a school and clinic, while becoming fluent in Spanish.  Upon returning home, Dodd joined the Army National Guard.  At 30, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Three terms later, Dodd followed in his father’s footsteps when he won a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he has served since.

After 33 years of congressional experience, Dodd counts among his successes service as a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  Dodd also holds up his years working to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act.  Signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, the act allows an employee to take unpaid leave to care for a sick family member or upon the birth of a child.

Dodd has been married to his wife, Jackie, since 1999.  They have two daughters, ages six and two.  Like Hunter, Dodd has announced that he will not seek re-election for the Senate in 2010 if his run for the White House falls short.

Bryan Warner is the director of communications with the N.C. Center for Voter Education, a Raleigh-based nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving elections in North Carolina.