Gwen Graham Running for Congress to Represent North Florida with an Independent Voice

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gwen Graham announced that she has filed to run for Congress in Florida’s Second Congressional District, which runs across North Florida.

Graham is a Washington outsider, who first moved to Tallahassee when her father, Bob Graham, was elected as governor. She’s raised her own family – a daughter and two sons in Tallahassee and works for the Leon County School District.

Graham is running because she wants to give the people of North Florida an independent voice in Congress – not one beholden to special interests or party politics.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Congress is a dysfunctional mess. They’d rather fight each other with the goal of scoring points on cable news instead of focusing on creating jobs and balancing the budget – in fact, Congress hasn’t even passed a budget since Bobby Bowden was coach at FSU.

Growing up, my dad told me, citizenship requires us to do more than complain about our problems – we have to work together to fix them.

Our problems can’t be blamed on only Republicans or only Democrats – we need more people in both parties committed to working together and finding real solutions.

I’m running for Congress to represent you with an independent voice in Washington. I will work with anyone, regardless of party affiliation, to create jobs, invest in education and balance our budget – with a plan that stands up for the middle class, keeps taxes low and protects Medicare and Social Security.

I am ready to serve in Congress and be part of the solution, not more of the problem.”
Biography

Full Graham Family at WeddingGwen Graham’s experience as a mother, professional, and consensus builder has given her the skills required to solve complicated problems with commonsense answers. Now, she’s ready to represent you as an independent voice in Washington – working for your family to strengthen education, protect Medicare and create jobs.

Gwen’s path to Northwest Florida is a unique one. She was born in 1963 in Miami Lakes and began spending part of each year in Tallahassee when her father, Bob Graham, was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1966. Upon her father’s election as Governor in 1978, their family moved to the state capital year-round. Gwen graduated from Leon High School in 1980.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina, Gwen earned a law degree from American University in 1988. She then went on to work in the private sector on energy and environmental issues. This experience strengthened her belief that America must become energy independent while also protecting our invaluable natural resources, like Florida’s beaches.

With the birth of her first child, Sarah, in 1990, Gwen left the workplace to focus on her family, and began the most rewarding job she’s had, 13 years as a stay-at-home mom. Her family grew with the addition of two boys, Graham and Mark Ernest. Gwen is married to Stephen D. Hurm, a sworn-in law enforcement officer and general counsel for Florida’s Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles.

Like Gwen, all three of her children attended public schools in Northwest Florida. She understands how important our public education system is, and she served as PTA president and chair of the School Advisory Council.

With her children in school, Gwen returned to the private sector and was practicing law in Tallahassee when Leon County School Superintendent Jackie Pons asked her to join his administration as director of employee relations, later promoting her to division director for professional standards and chief of labor and employee relations.

Working for the school board to find solutions for disputes between employees and management, Gwen became known as a real problem solver. She developed a strong relationship with both sides, earning a reputation as a cool-headed negotiator, able to build consensus out of conflict.

Gwen will bring the same approach to Washington – working with Republicans and Democrats to make a real difference for Northwest Florida families. Using her strong experience as a parent, professional, and consensus builder, Gwen will get to work on day one, fighting for the middle class, to invest in our schools, protect Medicare and create jobs.

Gwen’s roots in our community run deep. She understands the issues facing your family and the unique lifestyle in the Panhandle, and she is running to represent you with an independent voice in Congress.

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Julia Gill, Campaign Manager

press@gwengraham.com

850-559-8914