| Tom Allen | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 1st district |
|
| In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Jim Longley |
| Succeeded by | Chellie Pingree |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 16, 1945 Portland, Maine |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Diana Allen |
| Residence | Portland, Maine |
| Alma mater | Bowdoin College (B.A.) Oxford University (B.Phil.) Harvard Law School (J.D.) |
| Profession | attorney, political assistant |
| Religion | Non-denominational Protestant |
Thomas Hodge "Tom" Allen (born April 16, 1945) is a former member of the United States House of Representatives representing Maine's 1st congressional district, and the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2008 against Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins. Allen lost to Collins (61.5% to 38.5%).
Allen was first elected in 1996, defeating Republican incumbent James Longley, Jr. with 55 percent of votes cast to Longley's 45 percent. Allen was re-elected five times, receiving over 55 percent of the vote each time in his district, until his defeat in his 2008 run for the U.S. Senate. After, Allen was appointed president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers external link and began his term on May 1, 2009.
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Allen was born in Portland, Maine to Genevieve (“Sukey”) Lahee and Charles W. Allen.[1] He graduated from Deering High School. He went on to Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine before winning a Rhodes Scholarship to Wadham College in the University of Oxford. During this time he became friends with fellow Rhodes scholar Bill Clinton. After Oxford he went on to Harvard Law School and practiced as a lawyer.
He entered the field of politics when he became a staff member for Governor Kenneth M. Curtis and later for Senator Edmund S. Muskie. Allen was elected to the city council of Portland, Maine in 1989 and served as the city's mayor between 1991-1992 before winning election to the House.
Allen fought Republican efforts to weaken environmental rollbacks between 1996 and 2007. Allen called for a pay-as-you-go system that would require offsets to pay for new tax cuts and new spending while on the Budget Committee, much like the system Democrats enacted in their first 100 hours of Congressional control in the 110th Congress.
Allen has made health care, campaign finance reform, and small business his legislative priorities.
| Year | Office | Winner | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Maine's 1st congressional district |
Tom Allen | Dem. | 173,745 | 55.32 | Jim Longley Jr. (Inc.) | Rep. | 140,354 | 44.68 | ||||
| 1998 | 134,336 | 60.33 | Ross Connelly | 79,160 | 35.55 | Eric Greiner | Ind. | 9,182 | 4.12 | ||||
| 2000 | 202,823 | 59.81 | Jane Amero | 123,915 | 36.54 | J. Frederic Staples | Lib. | 12,356 | 3.64 | ||||
| 2002 | 172,646 | 63.81 | Steven Joyce | 97,931 | 36.19 | ||||||||
| 2004 | 219,077 | 59.74 | Charles E. Summers, Jr. | 147,663 | 40.26 | ||||||||
| 2006 | 168,709 | 60.67 | Darlene Curley | 87,589 | 31.50 | Dexter Kamilewicz | Ind. | 21,792 | 7.84 | ||||
| Maine U.S. Senate Election 2008 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Susan Collins (incumbent) | 444,587 | 61.5 | ||
| Democratic | Tom Allen | 278,651 | 38.5 | ||
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Esther B. Clenott |
Mayor of Portland, Maine 1991–1992 |
Succeeded by Peter O'Donnell |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by James B. Longley, Jr. |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 1st congressional district January 3, 1997 - January 3, 2009 |
Succeeded by Chellie Pingree |