Moms Away by Andrew Stuttaford The new brand of gun nut.

Bush first met Ridge in 1980, when Ridge was a supporter of Bush’s father during the Republican primaries and George W. was traveling in Pennsylvania. Two years later, Ridge won a House seat by just 729 votes in a district full of union members. He was reelected five times, but the races were never very close—perhaps because Ridge became one of the Reagan administration’s leading Republican adversaries in Congress.

Just as most Pennsylvania Democrats are more conservative than the national party, Pennsylvania Republicans are typically more liberal. Ridge fits the mold. Between 1984 and 1988, for example, he was more likely to oppose President Reagan’s position on a given issue than he was to support it, according to a Congressional Quarterly analysis. In 1987 and ‘88, he aligned himself with the Reagan White House only 40 percent of the time. He supported President Bush somewhat more often, but he still lagged far behind the typical House Republican. Following a minimum-wage vote on which Ridge was one of only 19 Republicans to favor a hike, a reporter asked Pennsylvania congressman Bill Goodling whether Ridge had any friends left in Congress. “On our side of the aisle, he would have none,” replied Goodling.

Featured Tags

Bush first met Ridge in 1980, when Ridge was a supporter of Bush’s father during the Republican primaries and George W. was traveling in Pennsylvania. Two years later, Ridge won a House seat by just 729 votes in a district full of union members. He was reelected five times, but the races were never very close—perhaps because Ridge became one of the Reagan administration’s leading Republican adversaries in Congress.

Just as most Pennsylvania Democrats are more conservative than the national party, Pennsylvania Republicans are typically more liberal. Ridge fits the mold. Between 1984 and 1988, for example, he was more likely to oppose President Reagan’s position on a given issue than he was to support it, according to a Congressional Quarterly analysis. In 1987 and ‘88, he aligned himself with the Reagan White House only 40 percent of the time. He supported President Bush somewhat more often, but he still lagged far behind the typical House Republican. Following a minimum-wage vote on which Ridge was one of only 19 Republicans to favor a hike, a reporter asked Pennsylvania congressman Bill Goodling whether Ridge had any friends left in Congress. “On our side of the aisle, he would have none,” replied Goodling.