Katrina Swett

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Katrina Swett
Katrina and Dick Swett.jpg
Katrina and Dick Swett, at 2008 Milford Labor Day parade
Democratic candidate for
United States House of Representatives NH 2nd District
Election date
2010
Personal details
Born Yvonne Katrina Lantos
(1955-10-08) October 8, 1955 (age 68)
Concord, New Hampshire[citation needed][dubious ]
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Richard Swett (m. 1980)
Children 7
Residence Bow, New Hampshire
Alma mater Yale College B.A. 1974
Hastings College of Law J.D. 1976[1]
University of Southern Denmark Ph.D. 2006
Profession Professor[2][3]
Religion The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)

Katrina Swett (born October 8, 1955) is an American educator and the chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.[4] She ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic candidate for Congress in New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district during the 2002 United States midterm elections.

Early life, education and career

Swett is a second-generation American. Her father, the late congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), a Holocaust survivor, and her mother, Annette Tillemann Lantos, came to the United States from Hungary after World War II. Katrina Swett has a sister, Annette.

She skipped high school, entered college at 14, and transferred to Yale where her older sister Annette was a student. She earned a degree in Political Science there in 1974 at 18, and her Juris Doctor in 1976 from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. At 21, she joined the staff of then U.S. Senator Joseph Biden, Jr.'s Senate Judiciary Committee.[5] In 2006 she earned her Ph.D. in History with a focus on Human Rights and United States Foreign Policy from the University of Southern Denmark.[6]

She is the wife of Ambassador and former Congressman Richard Swett and daughter of the late Congressman Tom Lantos, vice president of Swett Associates, Inc., a consulting firm.[7] Swett met Richard Swett at Yale, where she became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, largely through her interactions with Jeffrey R. Holland.[8] Katrina and Richard married in 1980[9] They have seven children and live in Bow, New Hampshire.[6]

Political career

Swett ran two of her father's campaigns for Congress. She was a Congressional staffer, first as a legislative assistant and then as Deputy Counsel to the Criminal Justice Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7]

She co-hosted a political talk show, "Beyond Politics" on WMUR-TV Channel 9 with former Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Tamposi.[7] She ran in 2002 against Republican incumbent U.S. Representative Charles Bass and received less than 41% of vote, losing by 16%.[10][11][12]

Swett was national co-chair of Joe Lieberman's 2004 presidential race.[13] She accused General Wesley Clark of apostasy on the AUMF in the Iraq War of 2003, and for having linked Al-Qaeda with Iraq.[14] In 2006, she supported Lieberman's successful 2006 re-election campaign as an Independent against Democrat Ned Lamont[13] and Republican nominee Alan Schlesinger.[15]

2002 U.S. House of Representatives campaign

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She ran for Congress in 2002, trying unsuccessfully to recapture the seat previously held by her husband. General Wesley Clark endorsed her; he had known the Swetts he was SACEUR and they lived in Denmark.[14] She enjoyed financial support from her parents, Nancy Pelosi, John and Lisa Pritzker, a San Francisco Supervisor and her husband, Warren Hellman, Mr & Mrs Herbert Sandler, Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw, David Geffen, and other well known Californians.[16]

2008 U.S. Senate campaign

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On January 18, 2007, Katrina Swett announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate in the 2008 elections in New Hampshire, in hopes of being the Democratic nominee to unseat incumbent Republican John E. Sununu. She began fundraising for the 2008 Senate campaign. After former Governor and 2002 nominee Jeanne Shaheen announced her candidacy, Swett withdrew and endorsed Shaheen,[17] who went on to win the election.

2010 U.S. House of Representatives campaign

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On January 14, 2010, Katrina Swett announced her candidacy for the Democratic Primary for Congress in New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district in the 2010 elections.[18] Her more left leaning opponent, Ann McLane Kuster, won the primary election,[19] but Kuster lost in the general election to her Republican opponent, Charles Bass.

Ann Kuster did go on to win the general election in the 2012 U.S. House of Representatives campaign.

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.(video of interview)
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.(rough transcript of interview)
  4. http://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf/dr-katrina-lantos-swett-chair
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Mormon Times, February 7, 2009
  9. N.H. NPR interview synposis
  10. Election 2002 Web Archive Record - Katrina Swett, Democratic Party candidate for House, New Hampshire, 2nd District, 2002
  11. N.H. NPR story on the 2002 campaign
  12. post by Eric M. Appleman at GWU web site
  13. 13.0 13.1 Essay-Blog by Kos dated June 13, 2007, citing Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (both retrieved on June 20, 2007).
  14. 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2006: Information and Much More from Answers.com, citing United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2006
  16. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.. Gale Biography In Context. (subscription required)
  17. Katrina Swett Drops out of NH Senate Race", WCSH-TV 6 September 21, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007
  18. "Swett joins House race", Concord Monitor, January 15, 2010
  19. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links