Halvorson elected freshmen class president

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Working to bring common-sense to Washington while finding common-ground with colleagues from both sides of the aisle, Rep. Debbie Halvorson (IL-11) was recently voted in as Freshman Class President by freshmen Democratic House members.

“Washington isn’t working for us; I came here to change that, and taking a leading role among my fellow freshmen is one way to ensure that the ideas, concerns and priorities of our district will be heard and amplified,” Halvorson said in a press release. “Regardless of where we come from or our party, the members who are serving their first term in the 111th Congress — both Republicans and Democrats — were elected to put our economy back on track, put people back to work, empower our small businesses and protect our families and our veterans. I intend to use my new role to promote these causes by working with my Republican counterpart to encourage bipartisanship on the big issues that face our country.”

The Democratic freshmen class consists of 42 members of Congress serving in their first term. Most of the members were elected in November 2008, and sworn in at the beginning of the 111th Congress in January 2009, though some were elected through special elections to fill vacancies.

“I hope to work with my fellow freshmen, both Democrats and Republicans, to get the people’s work done, and to ensure that we can get Washington working again. Partisanship plays a large role in why Washington faces gridlock, and changing that won’t be easy, but I am looking forward to the challenge” Halvorson said.