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2008 Elections : NOW PACs Profile
Dan Seals (D-Ill., 10th District)
Grassroots candidate making big strides
March 25, 2008
Democratic candidate Dan Seals is back after his narrow 2006 loss against Republican incumbent Mark Kirk to win the seat in the 10th District of Illinois. In his first attempt to win the seat, Seals depended on grassroots and volunteer support for his campaign. Despite receiving very little funding from the national party, he gained 47 percent of the votes in 2006. This support from the electorate stunned both political pundits and his opponent, Kirk. Undaunted, Seals is working for the seat again to help implement progressive policies and fairly represent the 10th District.
Seals grew up in Hyde Park, raised primarily by his mother, a social worker who taught him about the value of improving others' lives. He began his public service as an English teacher in Japan. After returning to the United States following his stint as an educator, Seals earned a master's degree in international economics and Japan studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He was awarded the Presidential Management Fellowship, served as an aide to the assistant secretary of commerce, and an economics fellow in the U.S. Senate. While working at the Department of Commerce, he tracked exports of U.S. technology to foreign markets and worked on tax, budget, economic development and international trade issues in the Senate.
After finishing his fellowship, Seals earned a M.B.A. degree at the University of Chicago. He has worked as a manager at Sprint and a Director of Marketing at GE Capital. Seals continues to serve as a business consultant and an adjunct professor at Northwestern University.
Seals is a strong supporter of women's reproductive rights and has openly criticized Bush for attempting to curtail a woman's right to choose. He has also spoken out against policies preventing the release of emergency contraception and for cutting funding for family planning programs overseas. When elected, Seals will be a firm protector of women's rights, health care, and economic advancement.
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