Now that Huong has become a serious contender to replace Langevin, the bespectacled 58-year-old Huang and his Allies face a difficult problem. Democrats need seats in Congress to continue the work for disability rights. Or could a Republican who considers Langevin a friend take on the cause he championed?
Although Langevin endorses Rhode Island Treasury Secretary Seth Magal over four other Democratic primary candidates (including his own former staffer Joy Fox), , in a recent interview, said Mr. Fong was "the wrong person for the district" and was being detained. He supports House Republican leaders in "advancing the far-right agenda."
Langevin, however, refused to be dismissive of his Fung, a former college classmate and his two-time Republican gubernatorial nominee, stating, "I think about Alan." I have nothing bad to say," he said.
And he said Fung had reached some agreement that the two would not discuss Langevin's succession dispute.
"I'm not going to make him a problem," Fung said, adding, "I'm just used to being in a minority party in the Blue State."
Indeed, Fung praised Langevin's work in expanding the protections originally established by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and, if elected, would fund existing disability programs. He said he would like to keep the offer. However, it does not yet offer any concrete suggestions on how to improve access and independence for persons with disabilities.
His Fung stance on LGBTQ rights and abortion access has kept him out of the current Republican mainstream. He said that both Republican Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts and Larry Hogan of Maryland were critics of Donald Trump and used his name as a symbol of how he wants to govern in Washington. I am listing.
But Fung also said he would vote next year to elevate his right-wing House Republican leadership team. As such, other Democrats are skeptical of Vong's ambition to make disability advocacy a more bipartisan issue.
As the popular mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, Fung said, "I think it's very clear that he doesn't represent where most Rhode Islanders are actually addressing all the issues." We got around it," Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said in an interview.
Pioneering Presence
Mr. Langevin, in his first appearance in Congress, said that despite being very accessible, Instead, he thought he would have to move between venues alone. Restrictions. It turns out that he had powerful allies from the beginning. He is now Maryland Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and was then the top Democrat on the House Trustees.
First sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act. One Hoyer "rolled out the red carpet" for Langevin, Rhode Islanders recalled. The older man believed that his colleague's arrival in Congress was a direct result of that landmark law.
Langevin therefore did not have to enter the noisy freshman lottery of his space in the House Office. Instead, Hoyer worked with Capitol's architects to secure his first-floor suite with space for a power wheelchair. The team then set about remodeling an accessible bathroom, and the Capitol woodworking shop assembled office furniture.
"He really made sure that the barriers were removed and the opportunities to serve were there," Langevin said of Heuer.
During Langevin's 11th term, the portable wheelchair ramp was replaced with a built-in, and the committee room was slowly renovated to meet accessibility standards. Later, the Capitol Visitor Center was built to comply with his ADA guidelines.
But most of the heavy, narrow doors around the Capitol still lack push-button entrances. A recent audit found thousands of barriers to accessibility across campus. And since a misfired weapon severed his spine at the age of 16, it took nearly a decade for the quadriplegic Langevin to gain access to the speaker's podium.
In 2010, a mechanical elevator finally allowed him to rise to the top of the House of Representatives and preside over the House.
His work is far from over: Despite efforts to study demographic representation in the Congressional workforce, no data are available on how many disabled people work in the Capitol. It's also not uncommon to see voters' wheelchairs unable to pass through office doors and signs without Braille or voice guidance.
Getting off the Hill
Langevin's work to help Americans with disabilities didn't stop at opening the Capitol. did. He advocated for a number of significant policy changes, including Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Congressman Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), and Senator ( D-Mich.) and other supporters. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), home and community care with particular focus on expanding his resources.
Other unachieved benchmarks include making it illegal to pay workers with disabilities less than the minimum wage and the United States signing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. increase.
In November he led all potential Democratic rivals in the Second District in a Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll in June, even though Fung won. That title belongs to his Fitzpatrick, who was named by Langevin as the new co-chair of her Disability Caucus, a bipartisan, respite he is a longtime advocate for issues such as care and paralysis resources.
"He has already started running with me and is very aggressive and forward-leaning," he says Langevin.
But Fitzpatrick is becoming an increasingly anomalous figure in Republican conferences, with Co-Chair's predecessor, the late Don, as influential as Congressman Young (R, Alaska). Is not ...
Fitzpatrick may not be able to cast the Republican majority of votes on any bills or amendments on disability issues, so his fellow Disability Caucus co-chair Dingell may also express their support. She brings her significant personal experience to the cause as the longtime caregiver of her late husband, Rep. Dingell, Democrat, Mich. increase.
"When you actually live with mobility issues, you see real challenges and obstacles," Dingel said in her recent interview. She said, quoting the civil rights leader the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia), "I want to do well on this issue" with Fitzpatrick.
It remains to be seen if anyone will try to fill Langevin's leg on his side, as the incumbent puts his Magazine against his four rivals in next month's primaries. supported. Commerce Department Attorney Sarah Morgenthau. Progressive former city councilor and state legislator David Segal. and Omar Burr, a refugee and entrepreneur.
"No one can replace Jim," Magagher said in an interview. "But what I want to do when I take office is to remain an advocate for the issues he put forward."
Sarah Ferris contributed.
