Jim Himes (D-CT) for House

Rep.-Elect Jim Himes

Party: Democrat
State: Connecticut - 4th District
What you should know: Jim Himes delivered a major upset to 21-year incumbent Chris Shay's by winning the general election.

Jim Himes, the Democrat running for Congress in Connecticut's fourth Congressional District, has a diverse background that makes him uniquely qualified for public service.

Born in Lima, Peru in 1966 to American parents, Jim spent the first 10 years of his childhood in Peru and Colombia while his father worked for the nonprofit Ford Foundation and for UNICEF. As an American abroad, Jim grew up fluent in both Spanish and English.

"Growing up abroad, I was raised with an awareness of the unique position of the United States in the world - a leader in civil liberties, democratic self-government, and the rule of law, and a beacon of hope and economic opportunity for others around the world."

The Himes family returned to the United States in time for Jim to attend high school, where he excelled. At Harvard College, he worked closely with the Pulitzer-prize winning author Dr. Robert Coles on his book The Spiritual Life of Children, a job which took him to Nicaragua for a summer of research. Himes received a prestigious Rhodes scholarship to attend Oxford, where he wrote a dissertation on Nicaragua.

Himes returned to the United States and a job on Wall Street as an investment banker at Goldman-Sachs. Over a 12 year career Himes worked his way up to Vice President, but found the business world ultimately unfulfilling. In 2004, Himes began a second career as a non-profit executive at Enterprise Community Partners. At Enterprise, Himes led the way in financing the construction of thousands of affordable housing units in the greater New York and Northeast regions, often using new green technologies to achieve energy efficiency and to reduce utility costs.

Himes is challenging long-time incumbent Rep. Chris Shays (R). While the district votes Democratic for most offices, Shays is personally popular with his constituents, who have elected him to 11 terms. Although a moderate on domestic issues, Shays has been a consistent and vocal supporter of George W. Bush's foreign policies and the war in Iraq.

In contrast, Himes is a tough critic of President Bush:

"Growing up abroad, I was raised with an awareness of the unique position of the United States in the world - a leader in civil liberties, democratic self-government, and the rule of law, and a beacon of hope and economic opportunity for others around the world. Unfortunately, disastrous decisions by George Bush have eroded our country's standing in the world and have crippled our economy. The fact that our country seems to have wavered in our commitment to doing the right thing both at home and abroad is one of the primary reasons that I am running for Congress."

In this difficult race, you can help Jim Himes restore America's global reputation by making a contribution.