| Having
represented his San Diego district for 14 consecutive terms, Rep. Duncan Hunter,
R-Calif., is best known for his advocacy on behalf of the military and the war
in Iraq. He launched his bid for the presidency Jan. 25, 2007, in the early
voting state of South Carolina, saying he wants to deliver the Ronald Reagan "policy
of peace through strength." Before winning his House seat in 1980,
Hunter was an Army ranger in the 173rd Airborne and 75th Army Rangers and used
the G.I. Bill to attend Western State University Law School in San Diego -- now
Thomas Jefferson School of Law -- before opening his own law practice.
Until
Democrats took control of Congress in 2006, Hunter was chairman of the House Armed
Services Committee, the powerful panel that oversees military policy. He
is a strong opponent of illegal immigration and wrote legislation resulting in
over 59 miles of fencing and border infrastructure in San Diego County. He also
wrote the Secure Fence Act, to extend the San Diego fence 854 miles across California,
Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Another key issue in Hunter's career has
been opposition to free trade policies that encourage what he calls cheap overseas
labor that harms U.S. manufacturers. The Hunters have just completed rebuilding
their California home, which was destroyed in the October 2003 wildfires. | 
