US Congress 2018

Political Note #123 Abby Finkenauer IA CD 01

After college graduation, Abby Finkenauer spent nearly two years running for the state legislature. She cherishes the conversations she had with people as she went door to door campaigning for herself. The campaign itself, she thinks, was a right of passage, a process of becoming a genuine grown up taking on adult work. As a legislator in her twenties, Abby Finkenauer did the work. She sought relief for people with college loans, urged that people be able to testify about legislative proposals via the internet, and fought to protect women's right to control their bodies.

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Political Note #122 Dan Feehan MN CD 01

On September 11, 2001, Dan Feehan was in Washington, DC. His public service goal became joining the military. He signed up for ROTC, graduated, and served two combat tours in Iraq from 2006 to 2009. Next, he joined Teach for America and got an internship in the White House. The internship brought him back to the military. After some civilian experiences with the military, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readines

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Political Note #121 Angie Craig MN CD 02

Angie Craig has been head of human resources for a large corporation. Her most recent non-political job was head of communications for St. Judes (a familiar name to those who give to medical charities). The divide in the Democratic Party has largely to do with economic issues, how to work with corporations. Angie Craig, like others who share her perspective, is comfortable with large corporations. She lost a close race in 2016 and is trying to unseat the freshman incumbent who defeated her.

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Political Note #119 Lauren Underwood IL CD 14

Lauren Underwood was a nurse. She became interested in health care policy, earned a degree from Johns Hopkins, and served in the Health and Human Services Department of the Obama administration implementing the Affordable Care Act (the health care part, not the computer part). She grew up in her congressional district, overcame serious illness, stood out as a diligent and agreeable student. People in the district know her, like her, and she knows them. They know her as a courageous, even an audacious young woman. Her run for Congress, as a young, black woman counts as audacious.

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Political Note #118 Gina Ortiz Jones TX CD 23

Ortiz Jones grew up poor. She was raised in public housing by her single mother, an immigrant from the Philipines. She became Director of Investment for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative under President Obama and, briefly, under President Trump. She has attracted a national following. If this were a special election, she would be the next big thing.

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Political Note #114 David Shapiro FL CD 16

David Shapiro's father prospered building houses during Florida's continuing housing boom. David Shapiro went to law school. He stayed local. He thrived, as well. Despite his prosperity, no one accuses him of being a member of the elite. He is a personal injury lawyer; has been for over thirty years. The firm has ten offices on the West Coast of Florida none in New York or Washington. Personal injury lawyers are rarely accused of being members of the elite.

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Political Note #113 Sean Casten IL CD 06

Sean Casten went to Middlebury College in Vermont. With his science degree, he worked at Tufts medical school outside of Boston in a cancer study. From there he went to Dartmouth in New Hampshire where he got two Master's Degrees related to engineering. For three years,Sean Casten worked as a consultant for Arthur D. Little on clean energy. Then he bought a business -- Turbostream Corp. He was President and CEO of a business that custom built fuel efficient heat and power plant. He sold the business, started a new one in Illinois Recycled Energy Development, and created an advocacy organization on behalf of energy companies like his.

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Political Note #112 TJ Cox CA CD 21

TJ Cox had a career in international project management and construction. After he returned home to the Central Valley of California, he founded Central Valley NMTC Fund (CVNF). That is a certified community development entity which uses a federal New Markets Tax Credit program to encourage economic development in disadvantaged communities and neighborhoods.

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Political Note #109 Dana Balter NY CD 24

Dana Balter needs some help. She doesn't have much money. She will figure that out. She has figured everything else out. Unless some new Democrat shows up with a lot of money, she has the nomination for NY 24 wrapped up. The County Democratic Committees in each county in the district have endorsed her. Her principal opponent left the race. Beating the Republican incumbent is another story.

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Political Note #108 Mel Hall IN CD 02

Mel Hall went to Taylor University and Seminary. He graduated as a Methodist minister and volunteered to be sent to Detroit. With a wife and, eventually, two young boys, he served in one of Detroit's poorest neighborhoods for seven years. Mel Hall left Detroit with a new understanding of the world, ready to do something different. He became, as he tells the story, employee number 34 of the start up medical care firm Press Ganey. Ultimately, he owned and ran the company.

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