Bruce Braley battles bravely
- “Like us, he ‘walks the walk’ as well as ‘talks the talk’ – he knows first-hand what it’s like for a family to suffer from an on the job injury. He saw his own father have to change careers because of a terrible workplace accident. Like me, he went to work at a young age, helped pull his own weight, was an athlete in college and was able to balance a wife, children and a challenging legal career helping those disabled and injured by the negligence of others. I also admire the fact that he has been an overachiever here in DC and that he takes time out his busy schedule to speak to those who give voice to the disabled, the downtrodden, those suffering from occupational disease, the injured and those whose deaths have left behind grieving, struggling families.”
By way of background, Braley grew up on a small farm in Iowa. His father was seriously injured in a fall from a grain elevator and his mother went back to work as a teacher to support the family. His father eventually went into the insurance business, while Braley began working in his teens to help the family. Bruce Braley became a successful lawyer in Waterloo, Iowa and was elected president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association. Rather than “resting on his laurels,” and “feathering his nest,” he opted instead for a role in public service. In 2006, Braley ran for an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. His victory gave Democrats control of Iowa’s First Congressional District for the first time since 1992.
In his short political career, Braley has rapidly climbed the ladder of leadership in the House. During his first term, he received a waiver to serve on three committees instead of two, and he was the first freshman to chair a subcommittee since the start of congressional record-keeping in 1959. Braley founded and chairs the Populist Caucus, which is a congressional group devoted to economic issues of the middle class. During his second term, Braley was appointed to the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. For more on this exciting Congressman, click here.