welcome to DC, rep. kathy hochul!

Unfortunately blurry photo of me, a fellow IWPR intern and new Rep. Kathy Hochul! (camera was malfunctioning, oh well)

I was lucky enough to attend a reception at the PPFA office Monday night welcoming New York Rep. Kathy Hochul to Washington, D.C. as another strong pro-choice voice in the House! Not only were there heavy hors d’oeuvres and free booze, I got to meet Rep. Hochul, who was a smart, funny woman with a strong political background.

She spoke to the crowd, which was comprised of advocates from progressive and women’s interest groups who all contributed to her campaign effort. For the first time ever, Planned Parenthood “embedded” one of its field organizers into a political campaign, ensuring that a reproductive rights expert was advising Hochul on strategy. Hochul said she knew the huge, supportive network of women’s organizations that threw its support behind her was a key factor leading to her important victory, and that she wouldn’t forget that support. “I was getting checks from states I’d never been to before!” she said.

Another grainy photo of Rep. Hochul speaking to the reception attendees.

Hochul recounted her very first vote – rejecting the controversial budget proposal of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, whom she said still won’t meet her eyes on the House floor.

Hochul was at one time a legslative aide for former New York Sen. Daniel Moynihan and recalled an era when she’d often be sent to Republican Senators’ offices to collaborate with their staffers on bipartisan solutions to policy debates. She said she hoped to use that philosophical mindset to work with all members of the House to achieve compromise. But one issue Hochul didn’t seem willing to compromise on was health care – she ran her campaign on her commitment to protect Medicare and Medicaid, her surprising success in a typically conservative district interpreted by some to be a public referendum on the Ryan budget plan.

I met a fabulous UNC alum at the event, too – she was a policy adviser for PPFA and told me all about her career path (which was definitely indirect) and invited me to stay in touch. Networking is so much easier when you’ve had a couple glasses of wine…