Ready to turn the page on fairy-tale win

The election of former social worker Carol Shea-Porter as New Hampshire's first congresswoman is a political Cinderella story.

"It was the biggest upset in the country," said Dante Scala, a professor at the Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College in Manchester.

Operating with very little money and almost no TV advertising, Shea-Porter, a Democrat, beat heavily favored Republican incumbent Jeb Bradley in November's election. The upset caught political pundits by surprise. But not Shea-Porter.

"I always knew we would win," she said recently. "As we crossed back and forth across the state during the campaign, I often said, if you listen to the ground you could hear the volcano grumbling."

Today, when Shea-Porter is sworn in as the representative of the state's First Congressional District, the fairy tale ends and the nuts and bolts of the politics begin. And she's looking forward to it. "Instead of just sitting in the living room saying we should have ethics reform, I can actually do something about it," she said.

Shea-Porter, 53, was born into a Republican family in New York City, but was raised in the New Hampshire Seacoast. Her late father, William, was a lawyer, and her mother, Peggy , is a homemaker who once ran an antiques business.

With six siblings, elderly relatives, and a number of foster children sharing her childhood home, she said, "the dinner table was always set for 20," and politics was often the topic of lively debates.

"I think those dinner table conversations were very important to her," said Sue Mayer, her friend, campaign manager, and policy adviser. "She comes from a Republican family and was accustomed to discussing politics in a friendly manner with people who disagree with her. Nothing throws her."

Shea-Porter worked her way through the University of New Hampshire as a chambermaid and a production-line worker at Davidson Rubber Co. in Farmington.

After graduation, she directed senior centers in New Orleans and Maryland and taught politics in community colleges.

She moved back to New Hampshire about three years ago with her husband, Gene, 54, and their two children -- one a college student, the other a senior in high school. She volunteered in 2004 for Democrat Wesley Clark's presidential campaign. While working on the campaign, she met Mayer, a medieval historian and high school teacher who also worked as a Clark volunteer.

After George W. Bush won reelection to the White House, Shea-Porter began attending Bradley's community meetings to announce her displeasure with the Republican agenda and the Iraq war. After serving two stints as a Red Cross volunteer in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, she decided to run for Congress.

"I never planned to do this," she said. "I just couldn't stand the direction we were going in."

Running on an antiwar platform in the Democratic primary, she defeated Jim Craig , a state legislator who had the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

In November, she defeated Bradley, who has been in Congress since 2002. It was a close race, with Shea-Porter winning 52 percent of the vote.

"She ran an old-fashioned, grass-roots campaign " said Scala. "It wasn't the most sophisticated campaign, but it was very effective. She had very little money and had her supporters send postcards to friends. She did an excellent job of getting out the anti war vote and energizing her supporters. "

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group, it cost about $1 million to run a successful congressional race last fall. Shea-Porter spent $286,197 on her campaign.

"She ran her campaign door to door, one person at a time, and operated under the radar," said her chief of staff, Harry Gural . "You couldn't trace her progress by the ordinary benchmarks."

Shea-Porter and Mayer traveled tirelessly throughout the district during the campaign. "We went everywhere there were two people together. And if supporters didn't have money to contribute, we asked them to contribute by telling their friends," said Shea-Porter.

"She's gregarious and friendly and loves people and I think it came across," said Mayer. "She was a great candidate, a natural politician, and a centrist who represents the mainstream of American political thought."

December was a busy month for Shea-Porter. She opened offices in Washington, Dover, and Manchester. She said she is hoping to hold office hours in grocery stores if she can work out the details. "I want to be able to meet with people as they go about their day-to-day lives," she said.

In addition to seeking an end to the war in Iraq, she said, she wants to enact legislation to protect workers' rights and promote alternative energy sources. "We have to develop technologies that are environmentally friendly," she said. "As every child understands, global warming is a big issue. They worry about the polar bears and penguins."

Scala said the New Hampshire political establishment will be keeping a close eye on its first congresswoman.

"She's an unknown commodity," he said. "A lot of people will be trying to decide whether to run against her next time. Was 2006 a flash in the pan, or does she have real staying power?"