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Anh "Joseph" Cao (R-La.)

1. Why He Matters
2. At a Glance
3. Path to Power
1. 3.1. 2008 House Bid
2. 3.2. In Their Own Words
4. The Issues
1. 4.1. Health-Care Reform
2. 4.2. The Economy
3. 4.3. Katrina Recovery
5. The Network

Current Position: U.S. Representative (since January 2009)

Credit: Congress Bio Directory

Table of Contents

1. Why He Matters
2. At a Glance
3. Path to Power
1. 3.1. 2008 House Bid
2. 3.2. In Their Own Words
4. The Issues
1. 4.1. Health-Care Reform
2. 4.2. The Economy
3. 4.3. Katrina Recovery
5. The Network

Why He Matters

After upsetting indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) in a December 2008 election in a district specifically crafted for a black Democratic representative, Cao was greeted by Washington Republicans with thunderous support. "I hope to bring a fresh face and maybe a new perspective to our party," said Cao at his introduction before the Republican National Committee.Tilove, Jonathan, "Mr. Cao goes to Washington" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Dec. 11, 2008

That new perspective may be too much to swallow for the GOP. After President Obama called him the day of the vote, Cao was the sole Republican to vote for the Democrats' health-care reform bill in November 2009. Bash, Dana and Peter Hamby, "Lone GOP vote came after call from President Obama" CNN, Nov. 9, 2009

But that vote may not be enough to save the job of the first Vietnamese-American to serve in Congress. Jefferson's loss was definintely an anomoly for this poor New Orleans district where Democrats will mount one of its strongest challenges in 2010.

At a Glance

Current Position: U.S. Representative (since January 2009)

Career History: Member, Board of Elections for Orleans Parish; Chairman, Louisiana Republican Party; Lawyer, private practice; Philosophy and ethics professor, Loyola University

Birthday: March 13, 1967

Hometown: Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam

Alma Mater: Baylor University, B.S., 1990; Fordham University, M.A., 1995; Loyola University, J.D., 2000

Spouse: Hieu "Kate" Hoang

Religion: Catholic

Committees: Homeland Security Committee, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

DC Office: 2113 Rayburn House Office Building, 202-225-6636

District Office: New Orleans, La., 504-483-2325

Web site

Path to Power

Born in what was then Saigon in 1967, Cao left war-torn Vietnam for Guam with two siblings when he was 8.Troncale, Terri, "Anh "Joseph" Cao for Congress" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Nov. 30, 2008After being moved by his father to Arkansas, he was taken in by a family in Goshen, Ind.Selman, Sheila, "GOP’s ‘loner’ lived in Goshen" Goshen News, Nov. 10, 2009

Cao garnered a degree in physics before moving to New Orleans in 1992. He left in 1995, getting a philosophy degree at Fordham University. He soon returned to New Orleans, working as a philosophy and ethics professor at Loyola University while preparing for a life in the priesthood."Anh 'Joseph' Cao" Biography

Cao said he gave up on his career in the priesthood following a "faith crisis" in the early 1990s. After witnessing poverty during visits to Mexico and Hong Kong, he concluded "God does address the issue of human suffering by sending good people" to alleviate it. His new path: politics.Krupa, Michelle, "Newcomer Joseph Cao hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. William Jefferson" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Dec. 1, 2008

After acquiring his law degree from Loyola University, Cao became the counsel for Boat People S.O.S. Inc., an organization that helped Vietnamese immigrants and other minorities. In 2002, he was chosen as a member of the National Advisory Council of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. One of his focuses was the Catholic response to Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed Cao's home and law office."Anh 'Joseph' Cao" Biography

In 2007, Cao ran in his first election. An independent in a state representative race, Cao came in fifth of six candidates."Election Results" Louisiana Secretary of State

2008 House Bid

Cao began his 2008 House bid shortly after a Virginia grand jury indicted then-Rep. Jefferson on bribery and public corruption charges. With the backing of Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.) among other local GOP officials, Cao was the only Republican to enter the 2008 race against Jefferson in Louisiana's staunchly Democratic 2nd district.Krupa, Michelle, "Anh 'Joseph' Cao beats Rep. William Jefferson in 2nd Congressional District" New Orleans Times Picayune, Dec. 6, 2008

Jefferson survived the primary and a runoff that was postponed until the national election day due to the Hurricane Gustav evacuation earlier in the year.Crouere, Jeff, "Dec. 6 Congressional race is the forgotten election" New Orleans CityBusiness, Nov. 3, 2008

On Nov. 30, 2008, a week before the House election, Cao won the endorsement of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.Troncale, Terri, "Anh "Joseph" Cao for Congress" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Nov. 30, 2008 With low African-American turnout and Jefferson snubbed by Barack Obama, the little-known Cao won the election by less than three percentage points.

After the upset, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a memo saying "The Future is Cao" and the Louisiana Republican's victory is "a symbol of what can be achieved when we think big, present a positive alternative, and work aggressively to earn the trust of the American people."Kane, Paul, "GOP Finds an Unlikely New Hero in Louisiana" The Washington Post, Dec. 9, 2008

The honeymoon was short-lived. After party leaders pressured Cao into voting against the February 2009 economic stimulus, a group of African-American ministers led a campaign to recall him.Krupa, Michelle, "Recall reports 13,000 signees" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Feb. 20, 2009 The Louisiana attorney general ruled that House members could not be recalled.LaRose, Greg, "AG rules against Cao recall, ministers to file suit" New Orleans CityBusiness, March 4, 2009

Cao sits on three House Committees: Homeland Security; Transportation and Infrastructure; and Oversight and Government Reform.

In Their Own Words

"I had to make a decision of conscience based on the needs of the people of my district," Cao said after voting for the Democrat's health-care plan in November 2009. "A lot of my constituents are uninsured, a lot of them are poor."Herszenhorn, David M., "Louisiana Republican Breaks Ranks on Health Bill" The New York Times, Nov. 8, 2009

The Issues

Through November 2009, Cao was rarely loyal to Reublicans, voting with the GOP only 79.6 percent of the time. Of GOP members, only Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and former Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) ranked lower."Washington Post Votes Database"

In April 2009, Cao was one of 18 Republicans to vote for a bill that sought to extend hate-crime protections to victims of crimes based on gender, sexual identity or handicap.Tilove, Jonathan, "Hate crimes bill gets Cao's vote" New Orleans Times-Picayune, April 30, 2009 Those protections were passed in an October 2009 in a defense bill.

Health-Care Reform

The sole Republican to vote for the Democrats' health-care reform plan in November 2009, Cao gave early clues that he would support it. Democrats saw Cao as one of their few Republican allies on the issue. Obama went out of his way to shake Cao's hand following a September 2009 speech to Congress on the issue. "I love this guy," Obama said.Tilove, Jonathan and Bruce Alpert, "Health care plan's effect on Medicare questioned" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Sept. 11, 2009

At an August 2009 forum, Cao said he was "leaning" towards voting for the bill provided it did not fund any abortions. He told a constituent that stance was based on a "moral position," not a religious one.Hughes, Cathy, "U.S. Rep. Ahn 'Joseph' Cao says he's 'leaning' toward House Democrats' health plan" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Aug. 13, 2009 His other stipulations included addressing small-business concerns, not adding to the federal deficit and maintaining benefits for the elderly and poor.Sparacello, Mary, "Cao tells crowd he'll be objective on health plan" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Sept. 1, 2009

The Economy

Prior to the vote for Obama's $787-billion economic stimulus package in February 2009, Cao indicated that he would vote his conscience and support the bill, even if he were the only GOP member to do so.Tivole, Jonathan, "Cao may cast lone GOP vote for stimulus" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Feb. 12, 2009 But ultimately, Cao opposed the stimulus, saying after the vote, "One of my family values is fiscal responsibility."Tivole, Jonathan, "Cao sticks with GOP to vote no against stimulus" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Feb. 14, 2009 Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the GOP's chief deputy whip, stood near Cao until the end of the vote.O'Connor, Patrick and Alex Isenstadt, "Unanimous 'no' from House GOP" Politico, Feb. 13, 2009

Katrina Recovery

At an April 2009 White House reception, Cao handed Obama a letter asking for $490 million to replace New Orleans' Charity Hospital, which has been shut down since Hurricane Katrina. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied funding to reconstruct the hospital. Cao has said he'll appeal to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, who oversees FEMA.Tilove, Jonathan, "Cao hands Obama letter on Charity" New Orleans Times-Picayune, April 24, 2009

In May 2009, Cao introduced the Ratepayer Recovery Act of 2009, seeking to allow private utilities to receive federal funding after natural disasters in order to protect customers from rate hikes."Cao calls for recovery funds for utilities" New Orleans CityBusiness, May 20, 2009

Cao appealed to FEMA in September 2009 to forgive disaster loans given to the city of New Orleans following Katrina.Alpert, Bruce, "Cao assails lengthy delay in forgiving disaster loans" New Orleans Times-Picayune, Sept. 30, 2009

The Network

Cao is close to Lousiana Gov. Jindal, after the governor gave him a strong endorsement during the 2008 House race.

In March 2009, Boehner visited New Orleans to raise money for Cao's re-election bid.Tilove, Jonathan, "'Future is Cao' author visits La." New Orleans Times-Picayune, March 28, 2009

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