Representative+in+the+United+States+Congress

=Representatives in the United States Congress=



**What You Need to Know:** The United States House of Representatives enacts federal laws. Within the House of Representatives are the congressmen and congresswomen who are representatives of their specific congressional districts. Representatives act as a link between the people of their district and the National Government, responding to their concerns and demands as well as balancing the responsibility of lawmaking. This is made convenient through their offices in Washington and within their current district. Representatives of the United States Congress are not only representatives of their districts, but they are also legislators, committee members, servants for their constituents, and politicians. Members of the House of Representatives have a busy schedule consisting of introducing bills and resolutions as well as offering amendments and serving on committees. They are elected for a two-year term and earn a yearly salary of $174,000. Springfield and Morton are part of the Pennsylvania 7th Congressional District and the candidates are Democrat George Badey and Republican Patrick L. Meehan. Read more about them below.



=What does it take to become a Representative?= > staff, literature, TV time, etc.
 * = ==**Formal Qualifications:**==
 * At least 25 years old
 * United States citizen for at least 7 years
 * Inhabitant of the state he or she represents
 * Must live in district he or she represents. ||= ==**Informal Qualifications:**==
 * The desire to devote oneself to public service
 * The ability to attract a network of support
 * The ability to raise enough money to fund a campaign and pay for an office,
 * Knowledge of national and world events
 * The ability to articulate positions and ideas
 * The ability to debate
 * Familiarity with the district and/or state
 * Good people skills
 * The ability to listen to conflicting views and hear a consensus
 * Good health and lots of energy. ||



=Meet the Candidates=

Democratic Party -- George Badey[[image:mcraegov/badey.png width="207" height="259" align="right"]]
George Badey, the Democratic candidate, was born and raised in South Philadelphia and graduated high school as Valedictorian at South Philadelphia High School. At University of Pennsylvania, he was awarded a bachelor degree in both Political Science and Music. He then went on to Villanova Law School and passed the bar exam on the first try. Once he was a licensed lawyer, he began to represent the people and not the big powerful companies, often going up against powerful industries. He has fought against big tobacco, pharmaceutical giants and the insurance industry.

For the last 25 years, George has lived in Radnor Township, Delaware County, where he has served as the Chair of the Radnor Democratic Committee. Since the age of 13, in 1971, George has been a Mummer, and is a tenor saxophone player in the Fralinger String Band. In recent years, when the very existence of the Mummers Parade was threatened by City budget cuts, George founded and remains Chairman of the Board of “Save The Mummers,” an organization dedicated to preserve the tradition. Unlike his opponent, George is not a career politician on the taxpayer payroll since the 1980's. Unlike his opponent, George will not go to Washington to march in lockstep with the Tea Party, but will find solutions for all of us. For more information on George Badey, click here.

[[image:mcraegov/elephant.gif width="168" height="103" align="right"]] Republican Party -- Patrick L. Meehan
Pat Meehan was born and raised in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania by his parents Leo and Julia; Meehan attended Bowdoin College in Maine and graduated in 1978 with Bachelor of Arts. While at Bowdoin, he was a hockey player and went on to spend two years in the National Hockey League as an official. Meehan attended Temple Law School in Philadelphia, and graduated with his Juris Doctorate in 1986. Meehan, his wife Carolyn, and their three sons live in Drexel Hill, Delaware County. While serving as the elected District Attorney for Delaware County, Meehan was appointed by the President to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2001 and was sworn in just days after the September 11th attacks. On November 2, 2010, Pat Meehan was elected to serve as the Representative of Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District in the United States Congress. In the 112th Congress, Meehan serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform and the Homeland Security Committees. . For more information on Pat Meehan, click here.