Editing Rob Simmons (section)

==U.S. Congressional tenure==
===Overview===
[[Image:SimmonsPOW-MIA.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Rob Simmons at a POW–MIA memorial event in 2006]]
Simmons was a member of the [[House Armed Services Committee]] and was involved in issues concerning the district's major defense presence at the [[Electric Boat]] submarine shipyard in [[Groton, Connecticut|Groton]] and the nearby [[Naval Submarine Base New London]]. In 2005, the [[Base Realignment and Closure Commission]] (BRAC) targeted the United States Navy's [[Groton, Connecticut|Groton]] submarine base for closure. Simmons led the successful fight to save the base and the BRAC removed it from its closure list on August 24, 2005.

Simmons also served on the [[House Homeland Security Committee]] as chairman of the Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment. He was a strong advocate of improved intelligence-sharing among federal, state, and local authorities. Simmons also championed [[Open Source Intelligence]] (OSINT) on Capital Hill, where he helped to legally define open source intelligence in the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act, requiring the Department of Defense to establish an OSINT program.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/olc/docs/PL109-163.pdf |title=Sec. 931 of Public Law 109-163, entitled, "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006"<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2018-12-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329142915/http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/olc/docs/PL109-163.pdf |archive-date=2017-03-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He also spearheaded an effort to establish an open source intelligence unit at the [[Department of Homeland Security]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cq.com/public/20050621B_homeland.html|title=CQ.com – Login|publisher=|access-date=2009-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194723/http://www.cq.com/public/20050621B_homeland.html|archive-date=2007-09-27|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Electoral history===
'''[[Connecticut's 2nd congressional district]], 2000''':<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=331 |title=CT District 02 Race – November 07, 2000 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2010-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614103920/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=331 |archive-date=June 14, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* '''Rob Simmons''' (R) – 114,380 (50.63%)
* [[Sam Gejdenson]] (D) – 111,520 (49.37%)

'''[[Connecticut's 2nd congressional district]], 2002''':<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=1026 |title=CT District 02 Race – November 05, 2002 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2010-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614104000/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=1026 |archive-date=June 14, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* '''Rob Simmons''' (R) – 117,434 (54.09%)
* [[Joe Courtney (politician)|Joe Courtney]] (D) – 99,674 (45.91%)

'''[[Connecticut's 2nd congressional district]], 2004''':<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=4066 |title=CT District 02 Race – November 02, 2004 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2010-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614104024/http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=4066 |archive-date=June 14, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* '''Rob Simmons''' (R) – 165,558 (54.18%)
* Jim Sullivan (D) – 139,987 (45.82%)

'''[[Connecticut's 2nd congressional district]], 2006''':
* '''Joe Courtney''' (D) – 121,248 (50.02%)
* Rob Simmons (R) – 121,165 (49.98%)

===Elections===
In 2000, Simmons ran for the [[United States House of Representatives]] defeating ten-term [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] incumbent [[Sam Gejdenson]] by only 2,000 votes.

Despite being in the most Democratic GOP-held seat in the nation and being targeted by the [[Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]] as a possible pickup in 2002, Simmons fought off a challenge from Democrat [[Joe Courtney (politician)|Joe Courtney]], a former state representative from [[Vernon, Connecticut|Vernon]], winning 54% to 46%.

In 2004, Simmons defeated his Democratic challenger, [[Norwich, Connecticut|Norwich]] [[City Councilman]] Jim Sullivan, by a margin of 54% to 46%.

In 2005, the [[National Republican Congressional Committee|NRCC]] listed Simmons as one of their most vulnerable members and his seat was widely seen as a possible Democratic pickup in 2006. Courtney was once again the Democratic nominee in 2006 and the race was considered a toss-up.

On election night Simmons trailed Courtney by 167 votes out of over 242,000 votes cast. This margin was small enough to trigger an automatic recount under Connecticut law. During this recount, elections officials discovered several errors in the original vote. The recount concluded on November 14 giving Courtney an 83-vote victory over Simmons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courant.com/|title=Page Not Found – Hartford Courant|publisher=|access-date=2006-11-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040113021137/http://www.courant.com/|archive-date=2004-01-13|url-status=live}}</ref>

As Simmons fared far better than other defeated Republican incumbents it was speculated he would try for a political comeback in 2008, which he did not rule out in conceding the 2006 election to Courtney. However, on March 4, 2007, on an episode of Face the State, he stated that he would not challenge Courtney in 2008. Simmons was the last Republican to garner even 40 percent of the vote in this district until 2022.{{citation needed | date=November 2023}}