Why I Ran for Office
By Yael Kohen
Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH)
“As a judge, I saw firsthand the evils of domestic violence and the destruction it wreaks in the lives of the innocent. The ramifications of the work done in Washington permeate not only throughout our economy and society, but within communities and households. While we have a responsibility to help, we have an equal ability to harm. My experience and time on the bench inspired me to want to fix a broken system and to bring positive and practical solutions to everyday Americans.”
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
“I was working as a legislative staffer when I was 24 years old and realized that the voice of young women of my generation was basically absent from the debate surrounding important issues. I ran for the Florida House at 25 and was elected to serve with colleagues who were old enough to be my parents and my grandparents!”
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
“I had been working in state politics for a while — for other people — and I thought, Why not me? Why can’t I do this? A lot of people told me that I was crazy and there was no way I could win. In a way, that made me work even harder and want it even more. I defeated incumbents in hard-fought, uphill battles to win seats on the New York city council, then in the U.S. Congress. If I had listened to the naysayers, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I believed in myself, and I’m proud to say that I’ve never lost a race.”
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