Sen. Tom Harkin

Tom Harkin is a product of small town in Iowa who has not forgotten his origins. He was born November 19, 1939, to a coal miner father and a Slovenian immigrant mother who passed away when Tom was 10 years old. Tom, his three brothers and two sisters, and their parents shared a two-bedroom home in Cumming, Iowa (population 150). Tom is a fourth generation Iowan, a father of two, a Navy veteran, and a graduate of Iowa State University.

Growing up the Harkin children learned well the importance of family, community, responsibility, and hard work. Tom puts those lessons to work for Iowa. He has earned a reputation for giving a voice to those too often overlooked in Washington: working families, women, people with disabilities, children, students, seniors, family farmers, and small business owners. In Congress Tom is a recognized leader in areas including education, health care, and labor.

In September 2009 Tom succeeded Sen. Ted Kennedy in becoming chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, or HELP, Committee. Tom believes that to serve in this capacity is to carry on the legacy of Sen. Kennedy, who dedicated his life to ensuring that our economy works for all Americans, guaranteeing every child the opportunity to pursue a quality education and, of course, the cause of his life: access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans.