Seven Princeton Alumni Re-elected to Congress

Seven Princeton alumni running for re-election held onto their seats in Congress last night, while two who challenged sitting elected officials lost.

Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley *82 won a third term in Oregon. He told The Statesman Journal he wants to address the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, systemic racism, the climate crisis, and access to voting and economic opportunity.

Rep. Derek Kilmer ’96 won a fifth term in Washington’s 6th District. Kilmer is chairman of the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of moderate and center-left House Democrats, and told The Kitsap Sun his top priority is making government work better for the people, through reforms like reducing the role of big money in politics.

Rep. Ken Buck ’81, chair of the Colorado GOP, won a fourth term in his state’s 4th District, running on his economic record of protecting oil and gas jobs. 

Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell ’86, who was uncontested, will serve another term in Alabama’s 7th District. Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher ’06 won a third term in Wisconsin’s 8th District.

Rep. John Sarbanes ’84, a Democrat in Maryland’s 3rd District, held onto his seat he’s had for 13 years. He beat the same Republican opponent in 2018, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi ’95 won a third term in Illinois’s 8th District. Since getting elected four years ago, he’s pushed for vaping regulations and college affordability, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. 

Democratic challenger Cathy Kunkel ’06 lost her bid to unseat a three-term Republican in West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. She ran on a platform of economic and environmental issues, arguing the state needs to clean up its natural areas and pivot from coal to tourism, agriculture, and clean energy. 

Green Party candidate Liz Hallock ’02 lost her bid to become governor of Washington. 

Three alumni Democrats lost in their primaries earlier this year: Lawrence Hamm ’78 for a Senate seat in New Jersey; Eric Kutner ’95 for a House seat in California, and Morgan Harper *10 for a House seat in Ohio.

Do you know of other alumni who ran for office yesterday? Write to us at paw@princeton.edu.