Candidates with STEM backgrounds are running for Congress this year in unprecedented numbers

[mahatmakanejeeves]

RogueAltGov Retweeted:

Candidates with science and technical backgrounds are running for Congress this year in unprecedented numbers.

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POLICY & ETHICS

For Scientists Running for Congress, Victory Doesn't Depend on Science

Engineers, researchers, physicians have won or lost primary races based on other factors

By David S. Rauf on July 17, 2018

Aruna Miller entered June’s Democratic primary for a highly prized Maryland seat in the U.S. Congress with several advantages. She had seven opponents, but Miller had pulled in the most money from outside donors, was already a state lawmaker and had locked down endorsements from more than two-dozen of her colleagues, and had gender on her side—women in 2018 are outperforming expectations in U.S. federal election primaries across the country.

But Miller, a civil engineer running to represent Maryland’s sprawling 6th District, ran into a daunting obstacle: a business magnate who spent more than $10 million of his own money on the campaign, dwarfing the roughly $1.3 million that Miller raised. David Trone’s big money helped innundate voters with his name and his messages, and Miller lost by 10 percentage points.

Candidates with science and technical backgrounds like Miller are running for Congress this year in unprecedented numbers, prompted by Trump administration policies on the environment and health that run counter to scientific evidence. Roughly midway to November’s general election, the candidates have reaped a mixed bag of wins and losses. Seventeen people backed by 314 Action, a group recruiting and training such candidates, have been in a primary or special election so far. Eight advanced and nine lost. Four primaries are upcoming in August.

The results show that many factors decide primary outcomes, not just a candidate’s support of evidence-based policies or their background in a STEM field. But some of these people have already proven quite capable on the campaign trail and election handicapping experts predict several candidates have good odds of winning in the big election in November.


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[malthaussen]

1. Doubt they can be much worse than a pack of lawyers.

Too many lawyers and poli sci people are definable as "someone adept at evading the law."

-- Mal

[mopinko]

3. eggzactly

i have come to the conclusion that law school is there to teach you how to get around the law, or change the law to suit your purposes.

[Aristus]

2. Good. We need to kick out the "Ah doan't bleeve global warmin' is happ'nin' " crowd.

[lagomorph777]

4. Looks like a decent percentage of them are winning, too.

It would be great to have some smart people in office for a change.