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Numerous former federal employees are running for office at various levels, motivated by the Trump administration's actions. Many are Democrats, seeking to challenge incumbents and bring their expertise to Congress. The article highlights their motivations and the challenges they face.
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- AI Headline
- Former Federal Workers Are Running for Office, Fueled by Trumpβs Attacks on the Bureaucracy
- Simplified Title
- Former Federal Workers Run for Office After Trump Administration
- AI Excerpt
- Numerous former federal employees are running for office at various levels, motivated by the Trump administration's actions. Many are Democrats, seeking to challenge incumbents and bring their expertise to Congress. The article highlights their motivations and the challenges they face.
- Subject Tags
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Politics Federal Government Elections Trump Administration Civil Servants Candidates Congress
- Context Type
- News
- AI Confidence Score
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1.000
- Context Details
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{ "tone": "informative", "perspective": "neutral", "audience": "general", "credibility_indicators": [ "expert_quotes", "data_cited", "reporting" ] }
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Completed
- Submitted By
- Donato V. Pompo
- Submission Date
- February 11, 2026 at 1:28 PM
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{ "source_type": "extension", "content_hash": "de99963e80952353760afb7f928877dc4f9f59bc85aa94bcae1f0481d58a6938", "submitted_via": "chrome_extension", "extension_version": "1.0.18", "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/11\/us\/politics\/federal-workers-candidates.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20260211&instance_id=170910&nl=the-morning®i_id=122976029&segment_id=215096&user_id=b25c5730c89e0c73f75709d8f1254337", "parsed_content": "Trump AdministrationEpstein FilesWhistle-Blower ReportTrump\u2019s Online DrugstoreCall to \u2018Nationalize\u2019 ElectionsPolicy LawsuitsTariff TrackerAlysa Kassay, a 30-year veteran of the Internal Revenue Service, had no immediate plans to retire until President Trump began upending the federal work force last year and firing probationary employees without cause.Mr. Trump was \u201cmaking things as horrible as he can inside the federal government and then taking an ax and hacking it to death,\u201d said Ms. Kassay, 60, who had managed insolvency specialists in the agency\u2019s collection division.One day, she said, \u201cI said to my husband, \u2018I\u2019m going to run for Congress, and I\u2019m going to change the world.\u2019\u201d She launched her campaign nearly four months later.Ms. Kassay, who is now running to be the Democratic nominee in North Carolina\u2019s solidly red Sixth Congressional District, is part of a cadre of former civil servants who left the federal government in 2025 and is now seeking office at the local, state or federal levels.ImageCampaign signs in Ms. Kassay\u2019s trunk.Credit...Travis Dove for The New York TimesThe unusually large collection of former federal workers who have jumped into political campaigns \u2014 many but not all as Democrats \u2014 illustrates one of the byproducts of the administration\u2019s aggressive attacks on the bureaucracy. While many employees left their posts feeling deeply demoralized, others say the attacks mobilized them to try to serve in new ways.The New York Times identified at least 34 novice candidates who worked in the federal government until last year, including some who left after careers that spanned decades. Others were in the early years of what they hoped would be a long and rewarding stint in public service.Some of those running were fired, laid off or pressured to resign. Two \u2014 both running as Republicans \u2014 said they left the government because they wanted to serve in Congress, and the timing was right.Twenty-one of the former civil servants are running for Congress this year, and of them, 13 are trying to unseat incumbents. Many face steep odds and big learning curves. They are grappling with the mechanics of fund-raising and adjusting to putting themselves out front to meet voters after working largely in the background.But they say they are singularly determined.\u201cDonald Trump, I don\u2019t think he really understands what he\u2019s unleashed here,\u201d said Michael Masuda, a former engineer who worked for three and a half years with the State Department on science and technology policy. He is a Democratic candidate for the solidly Republican Fifth Congressional District in California, which includes the Central Valley.Mr. Masuda, 37, said that onetime civil servants are well positioned to provide oversight of the executive branch.\u201cWe had to work across the federal government and understand how those other agencies operate, what they care about, what their priorities are, and how to get things done in this very complicated, bureaucratic environment,\u201d he said.ImageMichael Masuda, a former engineer who worked three and a half years with the State Department, at a town hall last month in Jamestown, Calif.Credit...Laura Morton for The New York Times\u2018Step Up and Do Something\u2019Many former federal workers are positioning themselves as outsiders looking to take on the status quo \u2014 including current Democratic officials, who they say have been too complacent.After Allison Eriksen was forced out of her job at the U.S. Agency for International Development last year, she said that she and other former colleagues went to Capitol Hill each week to meet with lawmakers and explain what was happening. She said the Democratic members they encountered did not have a sense of urgency.\u201cWe\u2019re telling you that people are losing programs that help them to heat their homes or that track deadly diseases around the world. And I don\u2019t think we have time to wait for the midterms,\u201d she recalled telling members of Congress.\u201cI realized that I was waiting for someone to step up and do something,\u201d said Ms. Eriksen, 39, a former humanitarian assistance officer, who is running as a Democrat for a seat on the Montgomery County, Md., council.Rachel Porter, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame, said there has been a rise in the past decade of what she calls \u201camateur\u201d candidates \u2014 those without previous political experience \u2014 running for Congress. The pandemic prompted many doctors and scientists to pursue office, she noted. But this may be the first time in recent history that so many former federal workers have jumped into the fray, she said.While some members of Congress formerly worked in the federal government, it\u2019s not a common path to elected office. Civil servants are required to be apolitical and closely adhere to a federal law designed to safeguard the federal work force from political influence and coercion.Mr. Trump\u2019s efforts to politicize government agencies prompted some former federal workers to run, particularly those who worked at agencies such as the Justice Department, which have been at the center of his retribution agenda.\u201cThe overt hostility toward all these hard-working men and women I knew in the F.B.I. and D.O.J. was really galling and unpatriotic for me,\u201d said Zach Dembo, 40, a former Justice Department prosecutor who is running as a Democrat in Kentucky\u2019s Sixth Congressional District.\n \n \nContinue \u00bb\nSome candidates hail from departments such as Agriculture, like Megan O\u2019Rourke, 46, who is running as a Democrat in New Jersey\u2019s Seventh Congressional District, a seat now held by Republican Thomas Kean Jr. Or the Social Security Administration, where Lauren Reinhold, 55, worked for more than 15 years and is now running as a Democrat in Kansas\u2019s very red First Congressional District.Alissa Ellman, an Army veteran, was just shy of her one-year mark at the Department of Veterans Affairs when she was swept up in Mr. Trump\u2019s purge of probationary employees last year.After she spoke at a city committee meeting in Lockport, N.Y., last May about her experience as a casualty of Mr. Trump\u2019s government-shrinking efforts, a political consultant approached her about running for office. She said she was initially skeptical.\u201cI\u2019m not a weirdo who\u2019s a narcissist, which is like half of our government right now,\u201d said Ms. Ellman, 42. But she decided to launch a campaign as a Democrat to challenge the Republican incumbent, Claudia Tenney, in the seat representing New York\u2019s 24th Congressional District. The political consultant who approached her is now her campaign manager.A few former federal workers are running on the G.O.P. ticket.Jorge Malavet, who worked as a branch chief in a field office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is competing in the Republican primary in the Ninth Congressional District in Central Florida, a seat currently held by Democrat Darren Soto.Mr. Malavet, 56, a Navy veteran, said running for office has long been on his bucket list. And when he was given the chance to leave his job early last spring and continue to be paid through September, it presented the perfect opportunity.He said he supports the Trump administration and its efforts to deport immigrants who are in the country without authorization. But if he makes it to Congress, he said he wants to move past the extreme rhetoric.\u201cWe still need to be able to have a conversation about policy, about its implications, and about the ultimate benefit for the country as a whole,\u201d Mr. Malavet said.Crash Course in PoliticsImageStar Black launched her campaign to represent former Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene\u2019s district three days after leaving the Federal Emergency Management Agency.Credit...Dustin Chambers for The New York TimesFor Star Black, a nearly 30-year veteran of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, \u201cGoing from ground zero to launching a full federal campaign was wild, I have to admit.\u201dMs. Black, 63, is running as a Republican to represent former Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene\u2019s district. She launched her primary campaign before Ms. Greene announced her plans to step down, and is now in a crowded race with at least 20 others for a special election in March to determine who will serve in the seat the rest of this year. She is also running in the G.O.P. primary in May to compete in the fall election.Before leaving FEMA, where she worked managing training for the agency\u2019s public assistance program, she said she used her vacation time to attend classes at a program for conservative leaders in Arlington, Va., where she said she learned about fund-raising, how to deliver a stump speech and other campaign fundamentals.Three days after she resigned from FEMA at the end of May, she launched her campaign.Eric Chung, who left the Commerce Department last year where he was working on a jobs creation program, led his own educational journey.\u201cI just honestly texted almost every friend I knew who had some experience in politics,\u201d said Mr. Chung, 33, who is running in the Democratic primary for a congressional district just north of Detroit.Eventually he had a spreadsheet filled with a list of people to contact and questions to ask. People were generous with their time, he said and offered tips. \u201cYou have to find a media consultant. You have to get a mail firm. You have to have a compliance firm.\u201dMr. Chung said he has already been endorsed by 10 current members of Congress representing districts around the country. And he has raised more than $1.1 million, including, he said, donations from current and former federal employees across the country.In the 88 percent white Minnesota congressional district north of the Twin Cities, where Mr. Trump\u2019s deportation offensive has been on full display, Trina Swanson, a Democratic candidate for a House seat, said she has noticed that more voters are asking questions about immigration policy at town hall meetings and community events.\u201cPeople are very interested, one \u2014 to just learn more about immigration and the processes, and actually engage with me on how things happen, how people get here, what vetting they go through, and who they\u2019re detaining,\u201d Ms. Swanson, 45, said.And after working for almost two decades at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services \u2014 the agency that facilitates all legal immigration into the country \u2014 Ms. Swanson said she has answers.Chris Backemeyer, a nearly 20-year veteran of the State Department, has found that his background as a diplomat is striking a cord with voters in Nebraska\u2019s First Congressional District, where he is running as a Democrat to unseat Republican Mike Flood.\u201cThere are concerns about the possible permanent loss of the Chinese market for soybeans and what that means for demand in the long term,\u201d said Mr. Backemeyer, 50. \u201cI\u2019ve been to Beijing, negotiated with the Chinese. I know what it takes to make deals with them.\u201d\u201cThat resonates with people,\u201d he added.At least two former federal workers are running for Congress as Democrats to unseat Democratic incumbents in the suburbs of Washington, home to a large concentration of federal workers who were affected by the administration\u2019s cuts.\u201cBringing people back to work is my top priority,\u201d said Michael Duffin, who was among the more than 1,000 employees laid off from the State Department in July. Mr. Duffin, 47, is running against Representative Don Beyer, who has represented the district in Northern Virginia since 2015. Mr. Duffin said someone in Congress needs to make this issue a top priority, or nothing will happen.Others agree.\u201cIf this were a Pennsylvania steel town, and someone were doing this to the steel mill, that steel town congressman would speak of little else,\u201d said Jonathan White, 56, who retired from the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps last year after a 21-year career.He is running as a Democrat in Maryland\u2019s Fourth Congressional District against incumbent Representative Glenn Ivey, a Democrat. Mr. White, 56, said he wants to see more former federal workers challenge incumbents from both parties.\u201cI think we need more people who are career technocrats making decisions and fewer demagogues,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cRecently departed feds need to get into Congress and start passing laws.\u201dKitty Bennett and Dylan Freedman contributed research.Eileen Sullivan\u00a0is a Times reporter covering the changes to the federal work force under the Trump administration.See more on: U.S. Politics, Donald TrumpShare full articleRelated ContentAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT", "ai_headline": "Former Federal Workers Are Running for Office, Fueled by Trump\u2019s Attacks on the Bureaucracy", "ai_simplified_title": "Former Federal Workers Run for Office After Trump Administration", "ai_excerpt": "Numerous former federal employees are running for office at various levels, motivated by the Trump administration's actions. Many are Democrats, seeking to challenge incumbents and bring their expertise to Congress. 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<html lang="en" class="story nytapp-vi-article nytapp-vi-story story nytapp-vi-article " data-nyt-compute-assignment="fallback" xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/" data-rh="lang,class"><head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title>After Trumpβs Cuts, Some Former Federal Workers Are Now Seeking Office - The New York Times</title> <meta data-rh="true" name="robots" content="noarchive, max-image-preview:large"><meta data-rh="true" name="description" content="A collection of former civil servants are waging first-time campaigns this year. Some said that President Trumpβs attacks on the work force motivated them to run."><meta data-rh="true" property="twitter:url" content="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/us/politics/federal-workers-candidates.html"><meta data-rh="true" property="twitter:title" content="After Trumpβs Cuts, Some Former Federal Workers Are Now Seeking Office"><meta data-rh="true" property="twitter:description" content="A collection of former civil s... - Parsed Content
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Trump AdministrationEpstein FilesWhistle-Blower ReportTrumpβs Online DrugstoreCall to βNationalizeβ ElectionsPolicy LawsuitsTariff TrackerAlysa Kassay, a 30-year veteran of the Internal Revenue Service, had no immediate plans to retire until President Trump began upending the federal work force last year and firing probationary employees without cause.Mr. Trump was βmaking things as horrible as he can inside the federal government and then taking an ax and hacking it to death,β said Ms. Kassay, 60, who had managed insolvency specialists in the agencyβs collection division.One day, she said, βI said to my husband, βIβm going to run for Congress, and Iβm going to change the world.ββ She launched her campaign nearly four months later.Ms. Kassay, who is now running to be the Democratic nominee in North Carolinaβs solidly red Sixth Congressional District, is part of a cadre of former civil servants who left the federal government in 2025 and is now seeking office at the local, state or fede...
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π€ The author π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Employment π a1164762-b8c0-451b-8b8e-f064dbbc3faaSimplified: Alysa Kassay had no plans to retire until President Trump began upending the federal work force last year and firing probationary employees without ca...
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π€ The author π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Government π a1164763-5aaf-442d-a799-b1b9df873bcbSimplified: Ms Kassay is part of former civil servants who left the federal government in 2025 and is seeking office
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π€ The author π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Government π a1164763-8eb7-4d27-836b-a9cba22569d0Simplified: The large collection of former federal workers jumping into political campaigns illustrates a byproduct of the administrationβs attacks on the bureauc...
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π€ The New York Times π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Government π a1164763-b6f2-478b-a1e0-6b026688cb1dSimplified: The New York Times identified at least 34 novice candidates who worked in the federal government until last year
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π€ The author π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Government π a1164763-ddb8-45c3-afa9-38716a2bf61bSimplified: Twenty-one former civil servants are running for Congress this year and 13 are trying to unseat incumbents
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Simplified: They are grappling with fund-raising mechanics and adjusting to meeting voters after working in the background
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Simplified: Michael Masuda said Trump does not understand what he unleashed
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Simplified: Masuda is a Democratic candidate for the Republican Fifth Congressional District in California
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π€ Mr. Masuda π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Government π a1164764-7dfa-4431-9e13-332593b0087dSimplified: Masuda said onetime civil servants are well positioned to provide oversight of the executive branch
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Simplified: Masuda said they had to work across the federal government and understand how other agencies operate
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π€ Allison Eriksen π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Government π a1164764-fed4-4ac2-90f8-9ebc781aa7abSimplified: Allison Eriksen said she and other former colleagues went to Capitol Hill each week to meet with lawmakers after being forced out of her job last year
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Simplified: Eriksen said the Democratic members they encountered did not have a sense of urgency
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Simplified: Eriksen is running as a Democrat for a seat on the Montgomery County council
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Simplified: Rachel Porter said there has been a rise in the past decade of amateur candidates running for Congress
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π€ The author π News Article π·οΈ Government , Law π a1164766-6d90-4662-8a92-e84c63927f61Simplified: Civil servants are required to be apolitical and adhere to a federal law
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Simplified: Zach Dembo said the overt hostility was galling and unpatriotic
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Simplified: Megan OβRourke is running as a Democrat in New Jerseyβs Seventh Congressional District
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Simplified: Lauren Reinhold is running as a Democrat in Kansasβs First Congressional District
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π€ The author π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Employment π a1164767-37e3-4a58-aee3-4f02ec31e8adSimplified: Ms. Ellman spoke at a city committee meeting in Lockport NY last May about her experience as a casualty of Mr. Trumpβs government-shrinking efforts
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Simplified: A political consultant approached Ms. Ellman about running for office
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Simplified: Ms. Ellman said she was initially skeptical
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Simplified: Ms. Ellman decided to launch a campaign as a Democrat to challenge Claudia Tenney in the seat representing New Yorkβs 24th Congressional District
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π€ The author π News Article π·οΈ Employment , Politics π a1164767-c0be-4334-bd03-80b9474ec35cSimplified: Jorge Malavet worked as a branch chief in a field office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
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Simplified: Jorge Malavet is competing in the Republican primary in the Ninth Congressional District in Central Florida
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Simplified: Jorge Malavet was given the chance to leave his job early last spring and continue to be paid through September
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π€ Jorge Malavet π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Immigration π a1164768-5498-4fb1-a00e-8995546d931eSimplified: Jorge Malavet supports the Trump administration and its efforts to deport immigrants who are in the country without authorization
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Simplified: If Jorge Malavet makes it to Congress he wants to move past the extreme rhetoric
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π€ The author π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Employment π a1164768-99f0-470e-b187-796438c9f7c8Simplified: Star Black launched her campaign to represent former Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greeneβs district three days after leaving the Federal Eme...
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Simplified: Star Black is a nearly 30-year veteran of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Simplified: Star Black is now in a crowded race with at least 20 others for a special election in March to determine who will serve in the seat the rest of this y...
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Eric Chung left the Commerce Department last year where he was working on a jobs creation program.0.950Simplified: Eric Chung left the Commerce Department last year where he was working on a jobs creation program
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Simplified: Eric Chung led his own educational journey
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Eric Chung is running in the Democratic primary for a congressional district just north of Detroit.0.950Simplified: Eric Chung is running in the Democratic primary for a congressional district just north of Detroit
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Simplified: Eric Chung has already been endorsed by 10 current members of Congress representing districts around the country
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π€ Trina Swanson π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Immigration π a1164769-ecee-4060-8608-b35e94353e30Simplified: Trina Swanson said she has noticed that more voters are asking questions about immigration policy at town hall meetings and community events
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Simplified: Trina Swanson is a Democratic candidate for a House seat in the 88 percent white Minnesota congressional district north of the Twin Cities
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Simplified: Ms Swanson has worked for almost two decades at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
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π€ The author π News Article π·οΈ Politics , Employment π a116476a-4cba-4836-b50a-a9537c770cb5Simplified: Chris Backemeyer has found that his background as a diplomat is striking a cord with voters in Nebraskaβs First Congressional District
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Simplified: There are concerns about the possible permanent loss of the Chinese market for soybeans and what that means for demand in the long term
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Simplified: Chris Backemeyer has been to Beijing and negotiated with the Chinese
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Michael Duffin was among the more than 1,000 employees laid off from the State Department in July.0.950Simplified: Michael Duffin was among the more than 1000 employees laid off from the State Department in July
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Simplified: Michael Duffin is running against Representative Don Beyer who has represented the district in Northern Virginia since 2015
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Simplified: Jonathan White retired from the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps last year after a 21-year career
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Simplified: Mr White wants to see more former federal workers challenge incumbents from both parties
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Simplified: He thinks more career technocrats making decisions are needed fewer demagogues