John,
When I got to Congress in 2019, I was the only single-mom there.
While I was first running a lot of people asked me how I was going to make it all work. And I’ll be honest, my first reaction was ‘would they ever ask a male candidate that?’ But I realized that people were genuinely concerned—moms were saying ‘we have so much on our plate already, how are you going to add in being a Congresswoman?’
It’s a fair question (the answer includes a lot of juggling), and the biggest difference between myself and many of my colleagues is that if you ask me who I am, I say I’m a single-parent first, and a member of Congress second.
But I firmly believe that being a parent has made me a better representative. I see and feel the struggles of families everyday—whether it’s while looking at the cost of college with my son or while figuring out my childcare situation.
Being a parent has also taught me how to question a witness in a congressional hearing. (Ben Carson has nothing on a teenager, any parent can tell you that). Take for example, when I ask one of my sons if they have done their homework. Sometimes you get the ‘well, I..’ and I say ‘No, the answer is no.’ I can tell you I still haven’t met a witness as tough as my kids!
They’re also some of my toughest constituents. I mean, one of my sons has a sign on his door that says ‘zero emissions 2030 or do not enter.’ Talk about accountability and oversight.
My situation may be unique, but my family looks a lot like families all across the country–in fact 25% of American children live in a single parent household. It’s important that we have diversity in Congress, and that means electing people from all sorts of backgrounds and walks of life. I’m so proud to be fighting for working people and families, and I’m only able to do that because of the support of people like you. Thank YOU for being on Team Porter.
Katie
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Congresswoman Katie Porter is fighting for affordable child care, lower cost prescription drugs, climate action, and a strong, stable, globally competitive economy that works for everyone. She’s standing up to corporate special interests and doesn’t take any money from corporate PACs or lobbyists, so we rely on grassroots supporters like you pitching in when they can. Make a contribution today. |
