democrat greg casar now

represent the 35 cgressional district of and is one of neay 80 new house members in the 118tcongress. a former member of the austin, texas city, he told c-span about previous work as a community and labor organizer. his progressive philosophy and how his family first came to texas from, well, my mom and dad both came here shortly before i

was born. my dad, a physician in texas, but actually my grandmother back and forth from mexico as well, because when there was violence in mexico in the teens, the twenties, her father was, her father was killed and so and her mother actually came pregnant over to texas and to el paso and then came back to mexico. and that's where they grew up in so many ways. my family does things just like some of the other families have of coming back and forth between mexico and texas, ultimately making texas a really great place to live. but i was born and raised in texas and i'm really proud of my state and honored to be able to represented here what part of texas i was born and raised in houston? i've been a community organizer in austin, city council member, but my district stretches from downtown san antonio all the way up to east austin, i've done a lot of work in antonio and all the areas in between really those two cities are growing. so that there really working as

a partnership now, even though they're very different cities with different needs, it's really becoming more and more one community. and so i'm really to be able to represent both san antonio and. austin you've been a long time activist. when did that begin for you? for me, my mom always taught me, as my grandmother did, about caring for others and looking out for everybody else because. none of us are really ultimately different from one another. and so me, when i was in high school, some of the big marches, immigration reform were happening throughout houston and throughout the country. some of the biggest demonstrations in this country in its history up until the black lives matter movement of just a few years, that was really inspiring to me. and then when i was a student i was working, i went to the university, virginia, and i was organizing there alongside students and workers for a living wage. and back in texas, over the summers doing summer work and advocacy and organizing particular early for workers that work outdoors in texas in

the texas heat, there were no and our no rules guaranteeing people things like a basic rights to a water break. so the first law that i ever worked on getting as an advocate was bringing workers together, immigrants and us born together asking for city hall to pass a basic right to a water break. and that law stands do that today. where does your in labor rules and activism come from? i see that american history, the labor movement and workers coming together to demand a better deal has been the biggest counter to exploit haitian in our democracy and at the workplace in our history. and so i've seen how people that get thrown aside or don't usually get considered by their government. they come together. they can make big change as. i talked about seeing construction workers come together and demand water. the law across, the country seeing fast food workers talk

about a $15 an hour minimum wage that used to be thought of as some sort of naive ask something that was way too far flung to get to. but now so many folks believe $50 should be the absolute minimum, not something higher. and so i really that when people come together and use collective voice, that's when you can make the most change. so although i'm a member of congress, i don't come here thinking that i myself, the person that's going to drive significant change, i want bring people together, especially at their workplaces or in their neighborhoods, to make a big difference. i don't believe just in work organizing. also things like tenant organizing. i've done a lot of work bringing people together to form the first tenant organizations at mobile home parks and at buildings to make sure that people have a safe place to live or have water. now, some of the demands coming of places like texas is just guarantees that the lights will turn on because saw our entire grid get shut down because of essentially a special interest privatizing our electric grid. so my my interest really is in seeing that within our history,

people coming together and, and using their voices collectively what's move this country forward? any plans to galvanize your fellow colleagues here in congress on a grassroots level to try to make some changes. i think as members of congress we can be organizers in chief. we can validate and support communities coming together with bolder ideas and bolder visions, whatever we think is possible. even just in my first few weeks as a member of congress, i can see how it can grind you down to see how slow it can feel like progress really is. but in my view, it's because it should be the people that lead and politicians that follow. and so if we as members of congress, actually empower people to demand change, that's, i think ultimately is the best whisper of votes. i'm proud this congress to have been chosen by my peers to be the whip of, the congressional progressive caucus. and i'll do my to bring progressives together in the house and to highlight the amazing work that do.

but ultimately, i think the best whip is the american people demanding, demanding change. and so we'll hopefully be working and training fellow members, congress and walking side by side with alongside workers that are demanding a union are to bring people from our districts here to really try to demand change and try get things moving in the congress. for those that don't know, you're counting the votes, the progressive caucus and how many members are in that caucus. we have more strong progressives, this congress, than any other time in modern history. a record 103 members of the congressional progressive. and i expect that those numbers actually grow during this congress. and so the whip position has helping count votes, helping together. the caucus is progressive agenda and. and it's a really exciting position. the number three position within the caucus alongside chair pramila jayapal and deputy chair ilhan omar. and so i'm as a freshman member really honored and humbled to

have been given the responsibility. and i'm going to work as hard as i can on it. who are your political heroes? my very political heroes have actually been people met while i was on the austin city council, people that were brave enough to come and advocate for us to make political change when they were enduring enormous pain. as people like hannah, sancho and marina garrett, who were suffered horrible sexual assaults in austin, oftentimes weren't believed, had their cases left in a case backlog, they were told and time again that when they were bringing up issues, they were doing things like, quote, making mountains out of molehills or the kinds of things i heard said about them by people in power. but they kept on advocating until the council had to see the challenges for what they were and did things like clear the sexual assault kick backlog in our community and start addressing these cases much differently and demanding better from our prosecutors and our police department or people like vanessa bishop, whose cousin and

really, really close member was needlessly killed on our streets when he was having a mental health crisis. so when people called the police to help him was horrifically killed and she has continued to advocate to make change in the community and so to me, our heroes that come from the community and make those sorts of demands they are what lead to things like the political heroes that know about from texas, like lbj moving forward the civil rights act or the voting rights act or the fair housing act took real acts of bravery and leadership on his part to sign that of and push through that kind of big legislation. but you don't always hear about the heroes that were the everyday people, especially in american south or in texas, that werenessee, and arizona. >> republican nathaniel moran is the new member representing the firscoressional district of texas in the 118th congress. he told c-span about how seein rold reagan running for president sparked his own ve for politics and why he studied

russian in college, and how his parents ended up raising him on the campus of a bible college in texas. rep. moran: in 1976, my parents moved from arizona to east texas to help start a bible college there in southern smith county, i was just shy of being two years old, but me and my three brothers packed up in a car with my parents and moved across half the country to help start a bible college in east texas. >> it was your family and others, what was the idea? rep. moran: the idea was to follow that great commandment of matthew 22, to get out and love others. that is about serving god and serving others. my parents were involved in ministry for many years, and this was just their opportunity to help start something new in the center of the united states, in east texas, and help build that ministry for families going forward. >> how did the mission shape the man? rep. moran: i really modeled

after that commandment, but going up on a bible college campus was fantastic. because you get the energy of young college student, you got to be around so much activity, but you get to see others giving to their communities, learning about the scripture and dedicated to a life of faithful service to jesus christ. >> what sticks with you today from that time or from your faith? rep. moran: for me, that opportunity as a young boy for a -- fantastic for a number of reasons. and i still tell my stories to my kids today. we roamed the woods, we had county roads we went down every which way, we shot our guns off of the bridges and -- and in the woods, i had a wonderful time just growing up. really being able to explore and live in independent life and -- an independent life and figure out life on your own. we had a clothesline in the backyard, where week play -- we play football, we climbed trees we did the things that

, young men and women would expect to do, and along the way, we had four broken bones and a lot of bruises. >> when did you first become interested in politics? rep. moran: it was in 1984, when, after we have established ourselves in the really big city of white house texas, just a local town not far from that. my dad helped bring me through that pathway of watching ronald reagan run for his second term in office, 1984. as we went through that journey together, and we did a mock election in amateur school, and -- elementary school, i remember that to this today -- day. i cast my ballot for president reagan, that began to instill a love of public service. my dad modeled that. he was a small town mayor growing up. but that is about getting back to your community, not about holding a position of authority. it is really about how can you serve those around you. it started there. >> what do you remember your father telling you about why

ronald reagan should be president? rep. moran: simply because you know, we are talking about liberty, we are talking about taking government out of our lives on a day-to-day basis so we can make good decisions for ourselves and our businesses, so we could have opportunities to work hard and have those decisions create opportunities. that is what it is about. government gets in the way most of the time. if we get government out of the way, people are left to be able to make their own decisions and see those decisions where fruit -- bear fruit down the road. my dad did that when we were in white house and started a business out of our garage. it was just him and a little vending truck and a bunch of candy and chips and cookies in our garage. he started a little vending company, got up every morning later than 4:00 a.m., and by 30 years had passed, he and my brother had grown that business to a larger regional vending company. but it took years, in fact, decades of hard work. >> tell us about your education. rep. moran: i started my

education adventure at the united states military academy at west point, i was there for two years. loved that time there, they were valuable to shape who i was, the the moniker of duty, honor, country, was instilled in my heart. it still guides me as to who i am and who i want to become. ultimately i decided to pursue the civilian career, so i transferred to texas tech university, got a russian degree, finished my russian degree, started that at west point. then i got an mba and a law degree and began practicing law after i left texas tech in 2002. but i would not give up that time for anything, both places shaped who i am today. >> why study russian? rep. moran: there's a lot to be said about understanding other cultures, understanding not just the russian culture but other cultures worldwide, and knowing how we need to interface with those cultures, understanding that our perspective is not the only perspective.

but truly we see today, and who knew back then, that area of study would be so important today. understanding in some senses how do we push back against a foe that is really trying to be imperialistic, and do some things around the world that they should not be doing. understanding their culture and their history is vitally important. >> when did you start your political career. rep. moran: you know, i don't call it a political career, i call it a career of service. my first elective service position was on a city council back in 2005, i remembered to -- distinctly, my brother-in-law telling me now when will you run for your first office? and you know what i thought now is the time to do it. i stepped out and one that first election in 2005. i was glad to serve on the council level, and then many years later at the county level. i have had both the city and county levels of experience. county judge, the last six years before i was in congress.

but one of the things i love to talk about in that journey is right after my second term in office in 2009, i left the city council and had been elected there for the third time, and been elected mayor pro tem, but my son had needs, needed special schooling in houston. he is deaf. so my family knew we needed to get down to houston for him. and we walked away from that, and walked away from that time of service to give him that opportunity and the gift of speech. we were incredibly blessed to be able to do that. my son went from four years old and unable to speak to seven years old, three years later, speaking. it was a gift for him for the rest of his life. but we had to walk away from that vocational call of being a public servant. never thinking we would ever be able to get back to that time. but in 2012, we moved back and began serving our committee

-- committee again, -- community again starting a nonprofit and an education foundation, of america. teaching sunday school, basketball teams, whatever we could do. and then in 2016i became county judge. >> you have had a lot of titles. high school teacher, trombone player, coach for your daughter's basketball team, church deacon, which you like the best? rep. moran: being dad's number one, and being a coach. my little girl, not so little anymore, she is almost six feet tall, they loved calling me coach on the basketball court instead of dad, so they look that opportunity. -- left that opportunity. and i think i love coaching that team, just about more than anything, and spending that special time in the cub scouts with my older son. my smallest son is a kindergarten and i am looking forward to when he starts getting big enough to play basketball, and helping with that team and showing him the ropes. >> how many kids? rep. moran: for kids, my wife and i have been married 23 years, we had our first two who

are now 17 and 60 we had then because of the need to focus on my oldest son we waited a year, and we got him on the right track and said let's have some more kids. we have a little seven-year-old and a little five-year-old. two boys and two girls. >> what was the reaction from your kids when you won the seat and he became a member of congress? rep. moran: well, you know, back to kind of the days of campaigning, try to involve them as much as they could, the little ones don't quite understand, but they love to repeat the campaign commercials, and they are involved every step of the way. love being here is part of the -- as part of the process. i am hopeful as they grow older they will see really what i am trying to do is to build in an opportunity for them. so that one of these days they can have the same opportunity, to come from a trailer home on a bible college campus with parents that did not have anything more than a bible

college education to be able to achieve anything you want in life by working hard, by staying steady with good values, by treating people right and giving back to your community. i think that is the formula to get somewhere in life. not for ourselves, but for others. i tell people all the time, that the point of government is to help people get to prosperity. prosperity is not the end. posterity should be the middle point. the endpoint's generosity to others. liberty should lead to prosperity should lead them to generosity and to others. >> greg landsman is a former public school teacher who is now the democratic representative for ohio's first congressional district. one of nearly 80 news house members of the 118th congress. he spoke to c-span about why he attendedarrd's divinity school, some of his faith-based tattoos, and how we first got into public school teaching before running for congress. rep. landsman: my parents were schoolteachers, i grew up, you know, with educators.

and with the core belief that everyone has inherent value. and it is up to the adults to bring that value out in children, to make sure they understand just how significant and powerful they are, and i was really drawn to that idea, and the profession. and i love teaching. it is really hard. teaching is. and ultimately i would go on to do education and child advocacy work, including helping to pass a ballot measure to provide two years of preschool for three and four-year-olds in cincinnati. >> what grade did you teach? rep. landsman: has both spanish -- high school spanish and remedial math. >> was there a phrase or an adage that you sent to the kids? -- sent to the kids. -- said to the kids. rep. landsman: the one thing i

repeated, i tried to repeat over and over with my students was this idea of their own power. that as young people they don't realize just how powerful they are, even as adults we forget just how much we can influence somebody else, with kindness and compassion. and conversely, if we are not very nice, that has real implications in terms of how they will behave with other people. as a student, if you are really kind to somebody, and you lift them up, they will turn around and do that to other people, and that can really change a school. that changes everyone's day but in a good way. and the opposite is true, if you are made to somebody that has a -- made to somebody that has a ripple effect. -- mean it to somebody that has a ripple effect. and so there is just real power and appreciating was something that i kept reminding my students. >> you also have a masters in theology from harvard divinity school. explain. rep. landsman: my faith has

always been a huge part of who i am, ever since i can remember, it was there. and i wanted to go to graduate school, i really wanted to be at harvard, it was something that i had put on my list of things to do, but to study something that would allow me to be a better public servant, to immerse myself in something i care deeply about, my faith. and to study it as broadly and comprehensively as i could. but to do so in the context of a vocational interest, politics and public service. so i got a better sense as to the role religion plays internationally and domestically. and the good ways that religion can bring us together, help us solve problems, the role that faith-based organizations play, in delivering services and lifting people up, so, i think it was a very valuable degree.

especially for somebody who will do public service. particularly in congress. >> you where your faith under your sleepy? -- sleeve? rep. landsman: i have multiple tattoos. each one of them is really grounded in my faith so i have a tattoo here that says believe. it is the idea, a reminder that in order to achieve big things, you really do have to believe in what were doing, at your core. -- you are doing at your core. and so, it helps me pick and choose where i will spend my time and energy, legislatively and otherwise, so that it is those things that i really believe in. and so, i will keep at it until i get it done. which is really important.

>> you have kids as well, tell us about your family. rep. landsman: my wife, sarah and i, have two children, our daughter maddie is almost 13. her bat mitzvah is in 4-5 weeks. that is something that we are preparing for, it is a big deal. and then our son elijah is 11, and so they got to speak to the president last night, we were invited over to the white house, the new members were, with their spouses. and i asked the president if he would say, just videotape like a greeting to my son who has a big basketball game on friday. he said well, let's just call him. and he just facetimed the two kids, which was pretty special. he was just asking about them, he is a genuinely nice human being, and i think he is interested in other people. and he was excited to talk to both of them.

it's a really neat thing to share with your family this experience, there is just such enormous responsibility with this job, particularly now with all of these major things that we are having to tackle. and just to have these moments where you just get to enjoy this experience with your children and your wife is pretty remarkable. >> teenagers typically don't think their parents are cool. do they think you are cool? rep. landsman: i don't think so. i think they appreciate that -- the job and the significance of it, particularly when the president of the united states face times them. i don't think either one of them would say i was cool. >> have you met some good friends here in washington, made good friends? rep. landsman: one of the things that the president spoke about last night was that when he came to congress, and it was

following this awful tragedy, and losing his wife and his daughter, and he didn't expect to stay, he did not think he was going to stay, but it was the friends he made in those early months back, you know, that inspired him to keep doing the job. i have met some really remarkable people, particularly in this freshman class that i suspect will be lifelong friends. >> you are also a boxer, tell us about the hobby and how has it impacted you? what does it say about who you are? rep. landsman: counterintuitively, boxing, most -- columns most of us down. -- columns most of us down. if you spend time in the gym, which i try to do three or four days a week doing bag work, and sometimes sparring you actually

, spent the rest of the day or week relatively calm. and so, that is what it has done for me more than anything else. it keeps me in shape, allows me to think. it's the one thing that you cannot do and to on your phone. -- be on your phone. so, you have to really think and get off your phone, which is great. but it also just has made me a, person and i think, folks in my experience are much moreuch more compelling and can communicate more clearly. >> erin houchin is aepublican representing indiana's ninth strict in the 180th congress. one of its nearly 80 new house members. she told c-span about her work expanding rural broadbanas a state legislator. lessons learned from her failed 2016 house campaign and her , roots in southern indiana. rep. houchin: it's home, it has

always been home, i have always lived in the ninth district. i went to indiana university in that district, i am a homegrown indiana girl and i'm happy to be part of the state. >> where do your values come from? rep. houchin: my parents raised me conservative but growing up i really was not -- we were not a political family. i knew where they stood, and when i was in college i really had to do some soul-searching on what part of the political spectrum, where i found myself. as a senior in college, i interned for the state legislature in the state senate and i had to decide which side of the aisle i was going to try to serve. ultimately, for me, it came down to the issue of life, and so that is where i -- and also fiscal responsibility. those two issues pushed me to the republican side. it was really after, in and after college that i really thrived and began a political career. >> what about the issue of life

and where did that belief system come from? rep. houchin: i was raised as a methodist and so my religious background certainly informs that. but also, just our constitution. we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. the first is life. that really spoke to me, that is our first inherent right in the constitution and we should protect that. >> what or who sparked your interest in running for public office? rep. houchin: a lot of different people influence that. a big part of the process when i interned, the best teacher i ever had was my sixth grade teacher. she recently passed away. but, the influence that she had was showing up at the statehouse, advocating for a bill, a member of my community that i respected. she was advocating for joyce. and she was successful that year, when i was an intern and we passed a school choice initiative. and she was part of that process. seeing her to be able to

accomplish like that and being on the sidelines really maybe want to be involved in those types of processes in policymaking. fast-forward to life happens after that, i was -- i worked in child services for the first half of my career, i was to stay-at-home mom, i got a masters in political management from the george washington university, i was at home during that time, in salem indiana, raising my kids, i would put my kids to bed at night and study until three in the morning and get up and be a mom again. halfway through that program, i got a call from our united states senator. asking if i would be interested in interviewing for the regional services director. i was on the republican state committee as district chairman, so i was no, i guess, and that way. i went up to the interview. my husband said don't take the job if they offer, let's talk about it. as they say they made me an offer i couldn't refuse, and when a senator asks you to serve, you serve. even though i was not ready to go back to work at that time, my

youngest child was two years old, i was hoping to stay home until he went to kindergarten, i took the job. i called my husband on the way home and said they made the offer and i took it. that is what sparked me on this journey to run for the state senate, and now to be in congress. >> tells about your time and -- tell us about your time in local politics but would you say you achieved? rep. houchin: at the state level? they were lots of initiatives that we worked on it and that i spearheaded in the legislature. what i try to do as a representative of my community look for big gaping system gaps, where are they and can i fix it with the conversation a policy , change, or law change. a law change being the last resort. broadband was a big issue, lack of access to broadband in my state. my district was the most unserved part of the state of indiana. i was speaking to a high school

group, and i said does anyone know where the most unserved part of the state of indiana for broadband access is and a senior , rate his hand and said my backyard. my district was really unserved. i worked with stakeholders and really tried to not go the route of passing a law, which ultimately nobody stepped up to the plate because in rural areas of our country, it is a return on investment that often spares this investment. -- spurs this investment. it is not usually there. kind of like the rural electric companies when they brought electricity to these parts of the country. i've researched and found that there were two other states that had broadband grant programs, i modeled my legislation on that so indiana became the third state in the nation to have a broadband grant program. at the time we only had $600,000 in the fund that it tapped. broadband expansion was $50,000 a mile. even though it was not going to go very far, my hope was that if anybody came into the state or , if we found the resources we

would spend eight in the areas that needed it most first. after the passage of the bill, the governor invested $150 million and the legislator invested $250 million, and in a few short years we went from having 17% access to one gig speeds to greater than 87%. that is one example. second to that, one of the things i'm most proud of is working to help students with disabilities. our standardized testing for -- students with reading disabilities or blindness, not allowing for a text to speech accommodation. so i fought for and got students with reading disabilities, and blindness, the right to have those accommodations on state testing. it was surprisingly, a couple of year battle to get that done versus the department of education. but we got it down and kids are -- and done and kids are getting the accommodations they are

entitled to. >> you first ran for congress in 2016, you lost. tell us about that race and what did it teach you? rep. houchin: it taught me a lot, and i have talked to a lot of people who call and say i have been for this officer that -- i am thinking of running for this officer that office. what are your thoughts, because i have been through both as a winner and a loser. so i went into this process in 2016 knowing that it could be a long shot, but that i might learn something. that is what it took from it the most. it may be a better parent, -- made me a better parent a better business owner, a better public servant. in all the ways that it was an improvement over things, even at a loss. loss sometimes builds your character. my dad would certainly have said that. it will build your character. and it did. i think that, certainly, in my viewpoint, i was meant to stay in the senate for a few more years. we accomplished a lot during those years, like the bills that

i mentioned. so i'm grateful that i did it. and if anybody asks me i always say you should do it, you should go for it. because even in losing, even if you do not win, and you have to be ok with not many, if you do -- not winning, even if you do not waive you gain so much from the experience. >> what you think your dad would say that you have one? rep. houchin: my dad passed away in 2019 of parkinson's. he was a dentist. he told me growing up, erin you can be anything you want to be in the world. just don't be a dentist. so, you know, what i learned and again from him is that he did not like the practice of dentistry, but he loved his patients and cared about his community and that is what came , through to make. i think he would be super proud. i mean, i feel his presence, you know, sort of pride and in what we are doing, i think he would be over the moon excited about having this opportunity to serve my state and the nation in this way.

>> sydney kamlager-dove is tha thcrat now representing california's 37th congressional di in one of the nearly 80 new faces in the house without 0th congress. a former staff los angeles governor karen bass, she talked to c-spat political advice from her former boss, her relationship with her divorced parents, and how she first got into politics. rep. kamlager-dove: well, i really got my first taste of politics working with my grandmother to help elect harold washington as the first black mayor of chicago. i spent time with my mother on picket lines, learning the history of this country and other world histories as well. and i found my way into politics actually quite -- it was a winding road. i came up to los angeles to go to college, i stayed there and i ended up working on some campaigns and ultimately working with my boss to get her elected into the state legislature and followed in her footsteps. now here i am.

>> on the state level, when and where did you serve? rep. kamlager-dove: i served at the local level with the los angeles community college board, and after that i ran for the state assembly in 2018. and then in 2021, i ran for the state senate. both of those happened to be special elections. i guess i am a runner. with mayor karen bass stepping down actually become the mayor of los angeles, i ran for the seat this election cycle. >> any advice she gave you? rep. kamlager-dove: she said have fun, take a breath, she said build relationships, and she said follow your heart and your passion. if there are things that you care about, things about this country that you love and want to protect, if there are communities that you think need to be elevated, lean into those committees and stories and -- those experiences and to stories and successes that help people remember why this country is so great, and why it is so important that we fight for it.

rep. kamlager-dove: have your mom and dad been along for this journey? >> my dad lives in l.a., so he gives you tips, calls me on the phone from time to time to tell me to read an article or give me tips. my mother sent me these emails on a weekly basis, they are testimonials from her friends that are so excited that i ran for office. and then of course they were here to watch me get sworn in, and they were also seeing the sausage not get made for about a week. but they have been so excited and my mom actually wrote me and email -- and email not long ago saying that my dad was showing pictures of the apartment where i was born, just talking to strangers in the capital. that really warms my heart. >> a proud moment for them when you were sworn in then. rep. kamlager-dove: i think so, they have been divorced for a long time, so now they are friends. it was great to hear them hang out together and cry with one another and giggle over the success of their only child.

so it made them proud and it really humbled me. >> how was your childhood, where were -- where did you grow up what was it like? rep. kamlager-dove: i'm originally from chicago, born in lincoln park, raised in hyde park and the southside, product of an interracial marriage, my folks were denied housing because they were an interracial couple. they had to fight the city to allow them to be in this apartment. i was raised on picket lines, my mother is an actress, so i was raised in the back stages of theaters across this country. my dad was a social worker, so i would spend time learning about their work and their fight for social justice. i am a product of the arts, so i believe that artists are some of the most important people in our country. the arts help us heal, understand each other, they elevate our spirits, and so it is so important that i think we invest in art and in artists in our communities.

that really has sort of guided me on my own journey, because while politics is about making sure that there is access to freedom and democracy, it is also about celebrating the diversity and the history of this country and what better way to do that than to elevate the artist? >> would that explain why you are a democrat? [laughter] rep. kamlager-dove: i am a democrat because i believe in freedom for a woman's right to choose, and because i believe everyone has the right to vote, and that the vote should be counted. and i certainly believe in diversity, and this amazing diverse tapestry that makes our country. so i would hope that everyone else would really espouse the same values, and if we all thought that way we would probably have more bipartisan participation in this thing we call government. >> do have a political mentor? rep. kamlager-dove: so many. i never met her, but shirley chisholm, barbara jordan paving the way for so many. i have a ceremonial swearing

that will be happening using the bible of rosa parks. so, she is certainly an icon. my grandmother for helping me understand the importance of local politics, karen bass, l.a. supervisor holly j mitchell, so many women that i look to for inspiration, and also for critique. that is how we get better. >> kiniley is the representative foralornia's third congressional district, one of the nearl80ew house members of the 180th congress. -- hundred and 18th congress. he told c-span about his candidacy in california's 202021 gubernatorial recall election, is views on the role of government and his previous work in the state legislature. rep. kiley: i have spent the last six years as a member of the california state assembly trying to bring some sanity to the pitiful state of california, -- beautiful state of california , and previously i worked as a criminal prosecutor.

i was an attorney in private practice fighting for small businesses and defending the constitution in our courts. i actually began my career as a high school teacher, teaching 10th grade english in inner-city los angeles. >> why a teacher? rep. kiley: well, after college, i was looking for overweight to -- a way to really have an impact in a very immediate way. my mom was a teacher. and i have always been drawn to education, so i was able to begin teaching right away from a program called teach for america, which places recent college graduates in underserved communities. and so, you know, i received a teaching credential as i begin the process of being a 10th grade teacher. i taught at a school called manual arts, and it was a school where they were a lot of -- there were a lot of challenges, in terms of the rating level the students were at, which was at the fifth grade. and they were in a 10th grade class.

that experience really opened my eyes in a lot of ways. to the challenges that we face in public education and assuring educational equity and opportunity, and trying to overcome the achievement gaps that are as wide in our state as just about anywhere in the country. that experience very much informed my role as vice chair of the education committee in our state assembly. and will do the same here as i will not be a member of the -- now be a member of the education and workforce committee in congress. >> what did you learn about yourself, being a teacher? rep. kiley: i learned how to be patient. [laughter] i taught 10th graders with no limit on class size, so i would teach about 40 students. i was in a portable, a very small room with 10th graders. so you know, at that age, kids can present some interesting scenarios that you deal with. on a day-to-day basis. so you know, i really learned how to be patient, and i think

that has served me well as i move into politics as well. >> why are you a conservative? rep. kiley: i tend to believe that decisions are made closest to the folks that they affect. and really the lifeblood of our communities of family, families and small businesses and service organizations and faith organizations, these are the things that make a community check. and so i tend to believe that the role of government should be one that aims inasmuch as possible to allow the decisions that drive daily life to take place within those institutions. and to the extent that the government needs to be involved, it should be at the level closest to the folks that it affects. the level of the board of supervisors, the city council. state government should give -- deal with state concerns, and the federal government should do with federal concerns. and i think that is important

for a lot of reasons. and perhaps most of all it is really what this country was about from the beginning, self-government. giving each individual citizen i had in our shared political destiny. -- a hand in our shared political destiny. the way to do that is not by centralizing political power in a far-off capitol building. it is by allowing for a decision to be made in a way that is accessible to folks who are affected. >> do have a political mentor or someone you want to model yourself after? rep. kiley: quite a few, on -- depending on which weight you look at it. abraham lincoln is always a safe answer right? [laughter] but it think that also just a number of our founders and whether that is jefferson, hamilton, madison, and the sort of idea of self-government that was really the great american nation that they not only sort -- innovation that they not only sort of installed in this country via the constitution and explicated in their various writings, but then instantiated as statesmen in the early days of the republic.

that is the guiding star of my political philosophy. i think in many ways that idea of self-government is something that we have drifted from as a country over the years and decades and centuries. but i think it is one we would do well to return to as much as possible. >> is there someone or something you are looking forward to doing it here in washington? -- doing here in washington. rep. kiley: there are a lot of things i am looking forward to doing here. >> or someone you are looking forward to meeting? rep. kiley: i think there are are a number of members of congress that i admire that i would enjoy getting to know. really i'm here to do a job. that is to help our country get back on track. by the time i was elected, a couple months ago, we were seeing record levels of dissatisfaction on the public with the direction of this country, when it comes to the economy, the border, crime, when it comes to the accountability of our government, but it comes

to our education system, and so -- when it comes to our education system, and so i am really here to fight for change, to get us back on track, and, you know, i am interested in meeting and working with anyone on both sides of the aisle who i can find common ground with to make that happen. in 2021 work a candidate during the governor recall election. tell us why. rep. kiley: in 2021, we had this extraordinary movement, of his and throughout california who had come together to produce the single largest petition drive ever in united states history. we had just been in the midst of the most severe lockdowns of any state in the country, california had the most extreme business closures and the most extreme school closures, and the most extreme church closures. even in new york or some of these states, this was not a debate about whether lockdowns were right or wrong, it's about why is california the very most extreme in every single respect.

citizens had been denied sort of their ability to exit take part -- actually take part in government at all. as we have what many considered to be a centralization of authority in the hands of the governor. the recall became answer it to -- an instrument to fight back. and to reassert the agency of citizens in our democracy. and you know, at the end of the day, it also became a moment to sort of reflect upon the direction of california as a state. this used to be the state where anyone could get ahead. everyone wanted to move there. now it the state that some many can't wait to leave behind. it is the most popular state to leave because of the soaring cost of living. the highest poverty in the country. huge amounts of inequality. failing public education systems. by far the worst homelessness in the country. soaring crime rates. i do think it became sort of a referendum on the fundamental failures of california government, for a variety of reasons, and the recall did not ultimately succeed in its immediate objective.

but i think it did succeed in bringing a lot of public awareness to the issues and getting citizens m more involved inernment. i think that movement has ly can be -- continue to grow. >> sheila cherfilus-coick is a democrat representing fli's 20th congressional district, and what was slightl -- one was slightly more experienced than other members the 1/18 congress. she told c-span about her haitian heritage and about how she arrived on capitol hill a year before the 118th congress convened. rep. cherfilus-mccormick: i want -- what a special election and i was sworn in on january 18 of 2021-- 2022! the years are going by so fast. so i am like a super freshman or late sophomore, whatever you call it. i'm just excited to be here. after being here that year, i really learned a lot about how all of this works, especially in an election year. so i feel like when you come off an election and you go into a new congress, it is exciting to see the difference of the whirlwind of a special election

where training is right there, and now we are having real training and we see the difference. >> did you go through freshman orientation? rep. cherfilus-mccormick: we were invited, and we can choose which one we want to go to. i just saw what we missed out on right. so a lot of us came in last year through specials. as we were going together as a group we will like we missed out -- we were like man we missed out on all of these good things on these trainings. at least we get to go now. >> how many elections have you been through? rep. cherfilus-mccormick: so i have had for elections within 10 months. >> what was that like? rep. cherfilus-mccormick: grueling. because we were learning the legislation. building a team. we were in district actually building so we have two offices in district, a mobile office and that we had the campaign that -- that we had the campaign that was still running. so we had to do it all at the same time. i think it was one of the best experiences because really understanding what the needs of the people are, and having a pulse on the community you are serving really helped us to keep

-- to hit the ground running. because we were able to add to the conversation of what average americans were feeling. we were always at their door, always in their face providing services. so i feel like it was a blessing in disguise. >> tell us about your political philosophy. rep. cherfilus-mccormick: at the heart of it is living up to the greatness of america, and that comes down to equity, equality and justice for all. so what we are focusing on is that everybody has the opportunity to live their american dream either through fair immigration processes or processes that were included in the infrastructure act, and all of the infrastructure going on. -- implementation going on. we can make sure that we have racial equity at the forefront, that everyone gets to live equally, that has been such an issue when we look at health care. when we back the rights of women, and inserting government into private health care decisions. so really pushing our country

forward, so we can live up to our great potential. >> do you have a political mentor, someone you have looked up to in life? rep. cherfilus-mccormick: there has been many. i can't even mention. i think what is great about being in congress at this time, we have just had so much support with the congressional black caucus, and the congressional progressive caucus with so many great leaders that have been mentoring and pushing us for. -- forward. that has been an excellent experience, especially at this time. >> what does it mean to be the only haitian-american elected to congress? rep. cherfilus-mccormick: it is a huge responsibility. especially when we are dealing with immigration right now, and haiti is in a crisis. as you move forward we are looking for more equitable processes for african descendants, black migrants, and this is really testing our country on how we are doing that. i command -- command the biden administration with the pathway to entry, but we have to start looking at these countries and see what the specific issues, especially when it comes to haiti.

as of january 9, there were no elected officials present so government is very fragile because no one has been elected. along with the humanitarian crises, access to health care, and even being on the brink of a famine, and when you at the -- add that to the crime element, the games that are there, we realize there is a real crisis brewing. and that is pushing the migration issues that we are seeing. we have seen more than five times as many migrants in florida than we usually do, and we also see that being replicated at the border. it is not just here, you're looking at cubans were coming. so the whole of hispaniola, latin america and even south america are going through changes. this is a great time for us to actually test our country and make sure that we have an equitable process, but we are not sacrificing asylum and people have a pathway. >> what committees will you serve on? rep. cherfilus-mccormick: foreign affairs. that should be my committee, and i'm excited, i am a -- was a permanent member last year. i'm also looking to join infrastructure, which is important to us.

right now i serve as the chair for diversity and inclusion, with the democratic women's caucus. and we will be focusing heavily on how the money is being distributed for all of these initiatives. we had some many different initiatives last year workshops and inclusion, and i just want to make sure that everybody is having a seat at the table, minorities are having their seat at the table, and anyone who is not a itional participant has that opportunity. >> andy ogleishe republican representing tennessee's fifth congressional district in the 118th core. he talked to c-span about how teachers instilled a sense of patriosm within him. his earlier work as a restaurateur, and his childhood in franklin tennessee, which he now represents in congress. rep. ogles: i am a native of tennessee, and i grew up in franklin, of course now it is one of the big cities in the country, back that it was cows

and corn. i went, i live in a rural area, and now it is becoming a metropolitan area. it has been fascinating to watch it grow, and since that time we moved up to the country to give our children kind of that sense of farm life you the big city. -- near the big city. >> can you trace your conservative roots back to that time? rep. ogles: so i am an eagle scout, and so i think you know, i come from a family of law enforcement, firemen, military, and eagle scout, it was kind of put into me to love country, to love god and do the right thing. >> was there someone or something that sparked your interest in public office? rep. ogles: you know, i think i can give credit to teachers, along the way, for really instilling patriotism. i am a big nerd for our founding fathers, which is part of the reason why we have the conversation during the speaker's fight, which was really about the rules. >> explain more. rep. ogles: for me it was never about an individual. i will use an example of congressman greene, a native tennessee representative, or jim

jordan, a dear friend. if either of those gentlemen had run for speaker, i would still have wanted the same rules package. it was about how does the house of representatives run, let's restore the rules today to how our founding fathers intended. where i can offer an amendment, where we could push against a senate on bill. -- omnibus bill. so that is what we fought for. it was also a church style committee, which allows representatives to hold rogue agencies accountable for their actions. >> you are one of the 20 that did not vote for kevin mccarthy, in those number of rounds. and you are saying it was not in opposition to kevin mccarthy. rep. ogles: not at all. kevin is a long-standing member, has served his country, done a great job of unifying our caucus, to lead us forward. we all know that the country is in peril. we know the government is broken. we have to have solutions that address those issues. >> you said it is because you are a big nerd of the founding fathers. how big? rep. ogles: i am a big nerd, i was just on the phone with my

wife and we were talking about how i might decorate the office. i want a picture of george washington crossing the delaware, and the fifth congressional district was the home of james k polk, and andrew jackson. i plan to have their portraits in my office as well because of that homage to our founding fathers and what they fought for, and the country we live in today because of them. >> what did you do before you came to congress yeah, --? rep. ogles: i was an entrepreneur young in my career, fast forwarding to my midlife crisis, i was in law enforcement and went into international sex crimes. i worked in the child trafficking fight. so i was chief operating officer for an organization and we fought child trafficking globally. from there i went on to work for newt gingrich and david koch industries, i became mayor of my community and now i am a congressman. so i studied international relations and economics in college, it was not until later in my career that i kind of

circled back to work on economics and be in the position i am in now. >> how old are your kids? rep. ogles: 13, 15, and seven, and a true story, funny story, our seven-year-old is at that age where he frequently likes to make after breaks. -- bathroom breaks. so i was on c-span a lot, but i picked that seat because it was in a back row. i had no idea this camera should be there all the time. -- would be there all the time. it was just by happenstance that we were sitting there, and the rest is history with the scuffle and everything else that happened. but it was just me trying to be aware and thinking at some point i will have to sneak out of here with my child and get to the restroom. and i just want to go unnoticed. meanwhile i am on camera 24/7. it is ok. >> did you, was it just your seven-year-old in the chamber during speaker votes? what did he think? rep. ogles: all three children and my grandparents and my wife. the adults sat next to me, and they got to watch history firsthand.

-- the adults were in the balcony, the kids were next to me. and they got to watch history firsthand. and our children know me as the mayor, and i was a very outspoken mayor during covid and fought for the individual liberty. so they are accustomed to me being me, but to see buyout on -- it play out on tv and to those who are camera was a very surreal moment for me and my family. >> do they think you are cool? [laughter] rep. ogles: i don't know, i will say i never gave us a deck of cards, and my son picked up his five favorite members of congress. i won't tell you, but it wasn't bad. >> eli crane is represents arizona's second congressional district and is one of the new the 80 new house membe of the 118th congress. he talks to c-span about why he ran for office, the small businesse arted with his wife, and his 13 years in the military that led to his service as a navy seal.

rep. crane: not all of those 13 years were in the seal teams. i did not make it the first try, i was persistent and kept at it. and finally made it to the -- through the pipeline. i was a seo for about eight years. tell us about that experience of trying and then not succeeding the first time, but trying again. rep. crane: you know, they want the best of the best and like many candidates, they go through that program, you think you're ready. you get into that pressure cooker and find out that you are not. so, like many candidates, i had to go back, spend time in the fleet, and thankfully i got an opportunity to come back and try again. >> what did that expansive to -- experience to teach you about yourself? rep. crane: absolutely, i think adversity is one of the best teachers we can ever have. it was definitely a blessing for me. it taught me that just because you think you deserve something does that mean you deserve it. -- does not mean you deserve it. and it taught me perseverance and resilience. so i'm grateful for it. >> for those eight years that you were a navy seal, what were your response ability's and what

-- responsibilities and what characteristics from that experience, how did it define you yet, --? rep. crane: like a lot of organization to start at the bottom, i started as a turk -- turret gunner and the machine gunner and i worked up to the , end of my career, lead sniper, point man and lead navigator. it just taught me leadership, it just taught me accountability, teamwork, and i think that translated into small business, which is where i went before i came here to congress. it translate -- translates here as well here as well because it body with 400 and 35 people, and you have the senate and the estate of branch, it would not get a lot done here. >> what is the transition like? rep. crane: it's going to be difficult. you come from an environment

where it's high-speed, there is a lot of pressure. you are not allowed to make a lot of excuses. we come into the sector, but like i said we make a lot of products in the usa. i went from something that challenged me that has always been a big deal. >> tell us about the business you started. rep. crane: it was featured on shark tank. we got a deal with mark cuban and kevin o'leary. it was an honor, we are able to manufacture a product here. i got to see firsthand how difficult it is to manufacture things in the united states and outplays into things i care about, small business,

manufacturing in the usa. making sure we don't lose manufacturing capabilities. >> who did the pitch on shark tank? rep. crane: my wife and i did the pitch. if you watch the episode, the cooks you can find on the internet are for five minutes. it was an amazing opportunity. >> what is the product? rep. crane: we started making 50 caliber bottle openers. a lot of guys have never held a 50 caliber round in their hand, definitely not one that has their name or company logo on the back. i learned a lot about small business manufacturing. learning to work with my life

which is a challenge in itself. it made our marriage stronger and i know that the world is full of adversity. >> why did you decide to run for office? i decided to run for office the same reason the same reason i decided to join the navy that week after 9/11. we have forgotten, i wanted to make sure i did everything i could some of my daughters go through school and get a job, they have some -- >> you have some navy seal buddies in congress.

rep. crane: it's really good. when you come into an environment like this, it is so massive and i feel like i'm getting lost every 15 seconds around this maze. it's good to see. will come from the same community. i call it banta therapy. makes me feel like i'm home. >> is it something you say just between navy seals? rep. crane: that you up. if kaiser not giving you a heart