(Washington, D.C.) – The Board of Directors of the Republican Main Street Partnership voted to add three distinguished former members of Congress to its ranks – Senator Warren Rudman (R-NH), Senator John Danforth (R-MO), and Congresswoman Nancy Johnson (R-CT). “Main Street is honored to have these leading voices for centrist politics and policy join our national Board,” said current President and CEO of the Partnership and former U.S. Representative Charles F. Bass (R-NH). “Each of these individuals brings a wealth of experience, distinguished records of legislative accomplishment, tireless commitment to public service, thoughtfulness and outstanding personal character to Main Street.”
John C. Danforth (R-MO) was elected Attorney General of Missouri in 1968 in his first race for public office. He was re-elected Attorney General in 1972. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976 and re-elected in 1982 and 1988. Danforth was the first U.S. Senator from Missouri to chair a major legislative committee since World War I and the first Republican in the history of the state elected to three terms as U.S. Senator.
While in the Senate, Danforth was active in numerous efforts important to the State of Missouri and to the nation including efforts to reign in the unbridled growth of entitlements, reduce the deficit, encourage long-term economic growth, improve education, reduce hunger and malnutrition throughout the world, and increase production of affordable housing. In June 2004, Senator Danforth was nominated by President Bush to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
Warren B. Rudman (R-NH) was first elected to the Senate in 1980, and was overwhelmingly reelected in 1986.
During his 12 years in the Senate, Senator Rudman established a record of independence by refusing to accept out-of-state political action committee donations. Perhaps his best-known accomplishment came in 1985, when he co-authored the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction law, a historic step that imposed discipline and accountability on the chaotic budget process in order to reduce the federal deficit.
After leaving the Senate, Rudman became a founding co-chairman of the Concord Coalition. The Concord Coalition is a non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits, the long-term challenges facing America's unsustainable entitlement programs, and how to build a sound economy for future generations.
Nancy Johnson (R-CT) represented Connecticut's Sixth District from 1983 to 2007. Representative Johnson was the first Republican woman to serve on the Ways and Means Committee and was the first woman ever to chair one of its subcommittees. Throughout her congressional career, Johnson was a national leader on health care reform, winning passage of several measures making health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans.
As a leading spokesperson on women's issues, Johnson sponsored legislation to maintain quality mammogram standards and to ban discrimination against women and others with a genetic disposition toward diseases like breast cancer. Thanks to her efforts, homemakers can contribute to their Individual Retirement Accounts at the same level as their wage-earning spouses. Representative Johnson was an active and outspoken member of the Republican Main Street Partnership during her time in Congress.
“The Republican Main Street Partnership remains committed to building a thoughtful, fiscally conservative, and inclusive ‘Governing Majority.’ Main Street is on the front lines of the fight to promote a pragmatic, results oriented agenda that appeals to the hope of freedom and prosperity, is faithful to the stewardship of the public’s trust and treasure while understanding the positive role government can play in our communities,” concluded Bass.
