Candidate, 25, who's never held office runs for Congress (10/15/07 - KTRK/SUGAR LAND, TX) - A local man has his eye on Washington, DC. But what makes him different from the other candidates in District 22 is his age.
There are at least nine candidates who have indicated they want to be the republican candidate in Congressional District 22. Only one lives at home with mom and dad.
Driving a flashy purple Corvette which in 1998 was the official pace car for the Indianapolis 500, Alan Steinberg jokes that the stuffed duck which sits on his dash is his campaign strategist. While pounding the pavement and talking to voters, the 25-year-old gets serious, saying one of the toughest obstacles he's facing is his age.
"Everyone has something older than me," Steinberg explained. "Whether it's a bottle of scotch, a pair of boots, a hat -- someone's got something. Usually it's their kids."
He grew up in Sugar Land, graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from A&M and a master's degree in defense and strategic studies from Missouri State. He's worked for the defense department in Washington and proudly admits he's never held any elected position.
"I have none," he said. "Never ran for anything. I never even ran for student council."
But he says he decided to run for Congress this summer after having enough of politics as usual. He wants to see elected leaders who will listen more to constituents, not special interest groups. He describes himself as a fiscal conservative -- a label he says exemplified by the fact that he lives at home in Sugar Land with mom and dad.
"I just think of it as being responsible with money," Steinberg explained.
Most of the other candidates are nearly 20 years older than Steinberg. One is nearly 30 years his senior.
District 22 candidate Shelley Sekula-Gibbs said, "Serving in Congress gives me a lot of experience going forward and makes me a better representative to the people."
The competition, though, says Steinberg's age is not of greatest concern. They suggest his lack of political experience is a larger issue.
Former Sugar Land Mayor Dean Hrbaceck said, "I think that's going to be very important in a voter making a decision, versus someone who has an unproven or unknown track record."
A person must be at least 25 years old to take office. The youngest congressman ever is Adam Putnam of Florida who was 26 at the time of his election last fall.
One more note on our young candidate. You'll remember Tom DeLay served as representative for District 22 for a number of years. When he was elected to the house in 1984, Alan Steinberg was just two years old. You can read more about this story in our Houston Community Newspaper partner, "The Fort Bend Sun."
- KTRK-TV -Ch 13 Houston (10/15/07)
