June 25, 2021

PHILADELPHIA — Today, 314 Action Fund announced its endorsement of industrial engineer, science teacher, and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan in her 2022 re-election campaign for Pennsylvania’s sixth congressional district. Houlahan had the support of 314 Action Fund as a first-time candidate in 2018 — as their first-ever congressional endorsement — and the organization is eager to support her re-election campaign next year.

“As a Pennsylvanian myself, I know how important it has been for our state — and the people of the sixth district especially — to have a smart, driven leader like Chrissy in office,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action. “Her engineering background, along with her experience as a member of our armed services, a teacher and a business leader, have made her a formidable champion for Pennsylvania families in Congress. It’s critical that we send her back to the U.S. House for another term, because if she has proven one thing during her successful tenure as a member of Congress, it’s that Chrissy knows how to get things done for the people of the Commonwealth.”

“Since first running for public office, I’ve been proud to have earned the support of 314 Action,” said Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan. “We share a common goal — getting more STEM professionals elected to Congress. In Pennsylvania and in Washington, I’ve brought my engineering experience to the forefront – passing legislation to support and diversify our STEM talent pipeline, founding the first ever Women in STEM Caucus and working to increase and improve STEM education for all ages. I like to joke that if you want to get something done, ask an engineer. It’s high time we get more STEM professionals in Congress. Our country will be better for it.”

314 Action Fund, which aims to elect scientists and candidates with STEM backgrounds to office, has significant resources to spend on electing pro-science candidates in states across the country. In the 2020 cycle, 314 Action Fund’s independent expenditure arm spent over $11.5 million.

In 2022, 314 Action Fund will aim to spend $50 million to elect scientists across all levels of government, with initial targets of seven U.S. Senate races, forty U.S. House races — including PA-06 — and twenty-one statewide races. In 2020, the organization spent $25 million on behalf of its endorsed candidates and raised a total of $5 million in grassroots donations for scientists running for office.

ABOUT CONGRESSWOMAN CHRISSY HOULAHAN :

Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan is an engineer and the first woman ever elected to represent Pennsylvania’s sixth congressional district. Houlahan, who served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and naval officer, making her the third generation of military veterans in her family.

Houlahan received an engineering degree from Stanford University as well as a master’s degree in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Houlahan has also ventured into the classroom and business world, working as a chemistry teacher in Philadelphia, the COO of AND1 Basketball, and the founding COO of the non-profit B-Lab. Houlahan also served as the President and COO/CFO of the non-profit Springboard Collaborative, which aims to engage communities across the nation to improve literacy in early childhood.

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314 Action Fund is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people working to elect scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care. In 2018 and 2020, we played a pivotal role in flipping the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, electing eleven Democratic scientists to federal office, as well as over 100 to state and local offices. In 2021 and 2022, 314 Action Fund will continue working to elect science leaders and defeat climate deniers in Congress and legislatures across the country.