I have worked for some fantastic clients, and I have learned from and appreciated all of them. Among the candidates I have been hired by, a few stand out, and many of them may not have succeeded in a particular contest, but they still seem like very successful people in the most important measures. Daniel Epstein is a man who truly lives the philosophy of pragmatic idealism, the sort of person you read about in novels. Syamala Krishnamsetty has a capacity for seeing all of the implications of complex policy that is dazzling and delightful. And Jimmy Garfield will forever hold a special place in my heart as the first candidate to say Mike Madigan needed to step down as Speaker of the House of Representatives in Illinois and to pledge to oppose his candidacy.
Politics in a state like Illinois are absolutely dominated by money, which makes the work that is done outside the limits of the halls of power even more important. The work of people like the dynamic founders of the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition, Dr. Dilara Sayeed and Reema Kamran, in organizing regular people so their voices will be heard is fundamental to the health of our democracy, and it is a great honor to have advised and served them.