Paul Strauss

Paul Eric Strauss[1] (born April 11, 1964)[2] is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States shadow senator from the District of Columbia since 1997.[3] He succeeded Jesse Jackson, the first person to hold the elected position of a shadow senator for Washington D.C. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Paul Strauss
United States Shadow Senator from the District of Columbia
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1997 Serving with Mike Brown
Preceded by	Jesse Jackson
Personal details
Born	Paul Eric Strauss April 11, 1964 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	American University (BA, JD)
Profession	Lawyer union organizer
Website	paulstrauss.org

Early life and education

Strauss was born in Brooklyn, raised in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and graduated from Dwight School.[4] His father was a painting contractor for Yankee Stadium.[5] As a youth, Strauss was active in politics, volunteering for the election campaigns of Mario Biaggi, Hugh Carey, and Jimmy Carter.[5] At 17, he interned for New York City mayor Ed Koch with his own desk and phone in the Tweed Courthouse.[5] He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1982 at the age of 18,[6] later earning his bachelor's degree (1986) and Juris Doctor (1993) at American University.[7][8]

Career

Strauss is a former chairperson of the District's Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals.[6][9] He has also been a union organizer for Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union Local 25. Strauss is an attorney and principal of the Law Offices of Paul Strauss & Associates, P.C.,[7] a law firm specializing in real estate, business, and family law.

In his first political campaign in Washington, D.C., he mobilized other college students to register to vote against raising the drinking age to 21.[5]

Shadow Senator

Prior to being elected as a shadow senator in 1996, Strauss served in several locally elected government positions. He served as the at-large member of the D.C. Democratic State Committee, Chairperson of the Democratic Party's D.C. Statehood Committee, Chairperson of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E, and Chairperson of Neighborhood Planning Council #3. Strauss was first elected to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in 1986 as the youngest chairperson and served as a commissioner there until 1996.[10]

As one of the District of Columbia's two shadow senators, Strauss lobbies the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives on behalf of the citizens of D.C. in their attempt to gain full federal representation, self-determination, and eventually admittance to the Union as the 51st state. As a shadow senator, Strauss cannot vote on matters before the Senate.[11]

In 2006, Strauss ran for the Council of the District of Columbia to represent Ward 3.[6] He came in second place in the Democratic primary, receiving 15% of the vote, while Mary Cheh received 44% of the vote.[12]

Strauss was selected to be a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention where he endorsed Barack Obama.[13]

Strauss was re-elected in 2008. Strauss received 65% of the vote in the September Democratic primary, while Democratic challenger Phil Pannell received 33%.[14] In the November general election, Strauss faced Republican Nelson F. Rimensnyder, D.C. Statehood Green Party candidate Keith Ware, and Libertarian Party Candidate Damien Lincoln Ober. Strauss received 82% of the vote, giving him his largest margin of victory ever.

Strauss was again re-elected in 2014, with 77.3% of the vote.[15]

In 2014, Strauss launched the "51 Stars" campaign, enlisting the help of 51 celebrities and public figures to support the initiative for D.C. Statehood and endorse the District of Columbia as the fifty-first star on the U.S. flag upon admittance to the union.[16] Notable endorsers of the public service campaign included Dave Chapelle, Rosario Dawson, Jonathan Banks, and others.[17]

Strauss testified to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs in 2014 regarding the New Columbia Admission Act of 2013.[18] His testimony argued the historical case for D.C. statehood, saying "We are all Americans. We all deserve to participate in the democracy our nation’s founders set before us. To deny basic rights to the citizens of the National Capital, makes a mockery of our attempts to act as a model of democracy for the rest of the world."

International diplomacy

Strauss has engaged in various efforts on the international stage. In 2014, he visited Nagaland in India to take part in the 3rd biennial NER Agri Expo, an exposition attended by farmers, investors, agriculturists, business houses and entrepreneurs.[19]

In 2015, Strauss appeared before a panel of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and citing the lack of statehood for Washington D.C., successfully petitioned for the District of Columbia to become the first and only North American participant in the international body.[20]

In June 2018, Strauss addressed the European Union in Brussels, Belgium to discuss the issue of D.C. statehood.[21] The event was classified as a formal “exchange of views,” and was chaired by former Member of the European Parliament Alex Mayer of the United Kingdom in conjunction with the Secretariat of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the U.S. Lucia Parrucci, DC's advocacy officer from the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, and Richard Schiff, an Emmy Award-winning actor and democracy activist joined Strauss for the presentation.[22] Mayer, a former United Kingdom Labour Party member representing the East of England region, expressed support for D.C. Statehood at a plenary session in the European Union following Strauss's visit, saying "We in the European Parliament call out human rights violations across the world. I see no reason not to do so in this case too. The citizens of D.C. are denied the basic rights that others living in liberal democracies take for granted. It is time that this 200-year injustice was ended."[23]

He is an honorary member of the Global Committee for the Rule of Law.[24]

Personal life

On October 1, 2008, Strauss was arrested for drunken driving.[25] He was found to have a blood-alcohol level at twice the legal level of intoxication.[26] On May 29, 2009, he pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to a 60-day suspended jail sentence, 11 months of supervised probation, a $300 fine, and $100 fine to be paid to the victims of violent crime compensation fund.[27]

Strauss lives in the Observatory Circle/Glover Park neighborhood in the District.[28]

Election history

1996 shadow senator, D.C., Democratic Primary Election[29]

Paul Strauss (D) 74%

Eduardo Burkhart (D) 22%

Write-in 4%

1996 shadow senator, D.C., General Election[30]

Paul Strauss (D) 76%

Gloria R. Corn (R) 14%

George Pope (Umoja) 9%

Write-in 1%

2002 shadow senator, D.C., Democratic Primary Election[31]

Paul Strauss (D) 66%

Pete Ross (D) 31%

Write-in 3%

2002 shadow senator, D.C., General Election[32]

Paul Strauss (D) 73%

Norma M. Sasaki (R) 8%

Joyce Robinson-Paul (Statehood-Green) 18%

Write-in 1%

2006 representative for Ward 3 in the D.C. Council, Democratic Primary Election[31]

Mary M. Cheh (D) 44%

Paul Strauss (D) 14%

Sam Brooks (D) 8%

Robert Gordon (D) 8%

Cathy Wiss (D) 8%

Erik S. Gaull (D) 7%

Bill Rice (D) 7%

Eric Goulet (D) 3%

Jonathan Rees (D) 0%

Write-in 0%

2008 shadow senator, D.C., Democratic Primary Election[33]

Paul Strauss (D) 65%

Phillip Pannell (D) 34%

Write-in 1%

2008 shadow senator, D.C., General Election[34]

Paul Strauss (D) 81%

Nelson F. Rimensnyder (R) 8%

Keith Ware (Statehood-Green) 7%

Damien Lincoln Ober (L) 3%

Write-in 1%

2014 shadow senator, D.C., General Election[35]

Paul Strauss (D) 77%

David Schwartzman (Statehood-Green) 11%

Glenda Richmond (I) 7%

John Daniel (L) 5%

Write-in 1%

2020 shadow senator, D.C., Democratic Primary Election[36]

Paul Strauss (D) 97%

Write-in 3%

References

1. "District of Columbia v. Strauss, Paul Eric: Gerstein Affidavit" (PDF). Superior Court of the District of Columbia. via Washington City Paper. November 6, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
2. "Voters Guide 2006 Supplement" (PDF). The Washington Informer. September 24, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2008.
3. "Congressional Delegation (Shadow)". Government of the District of Columbia. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2008.
4. "From Anglo-American to the U.S. Senate: Paul Strauss '82, Senator". Retrieved May 16, 2019.
5. Vest, Jason (January 25, 2000). "Shadow in Doubt". Village Voice.
6. Dufour, Jeff (May 31, 2006). "Paul Strauss: From senator to D.C. councilmember?". The Hill. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
7. "The Washington Informer Voter's Guide 2006 Supplement" (PDF). The Washington Informer. August 24, 2006. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2008.
8. "SPA Notable Alumni". School of Public Affairs, American University.
9. "Composition of the Board". District of Columbia Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
10. "Paul Strauss, Democratic candidate for shadow Senator, Flyer, August 2002". www.dcwatch.com. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
11. Manteuffel, Rachel (May 29, 2018). "D.C. shadow senator emerges from the shadows". Washington Post.
12. "Democratic, Republican News, Elections and Results". NBC4. NBCUniversal. February 26, 2006.
13. Stone, Peter H. (February 22, 2008). "The K-Street Superdelegates". National Journal. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
14. "Election Night Unofficial Results" Archived September 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. District of Columbia Board of Ethics and Elections. September 10, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
15. "The Washington Post". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
16. "A "shadow senator" recruits celebs in D.C. statehood push". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
17. "Dave Chappelle Urges DC Statehood In New Video". Washington DC, DC Patch. June 21, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
18. Homel, U. S. Senate Committee on; Security; Washington, Governmental Affairs 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building; DC; Committee, 20510224-4751 Get Directions Contact The. "Hearings | Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee". www.hsgac.senate.gov. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
19. "US senator to visit Nagaland | Guwahati News". The Times of India. November 11, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
20. "DC Joins Underrepresented Territories Organization". December 4, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
21. "UNPO: US Senator Paul Strauss Addresses the EU Parliament". unpo.org. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
22. "Paul Strauss: Denial of democratic equality for DC violates international law". TheDCLine.org. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
23. "Member of European Parliament Calls for DC Statehood". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
24. "Paul Strauss". GCRL. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
25. Yehle, Emily (October 31, 2008). "Shadow Senator Arrested for Drunken Driving". Roll Call. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
26. Cherkis, Jason and DeBonis, Mike. "Strauss Flashed Senate ID to Cops Before Arrest". WRC-TV. November 14, 2008. Retrieved on November 30, 2008.
27. Cherkis, Jason (June 1, 2009). "Shadow Senator Paul Strauss Pleads Guilty To DUI". Washington City Paper. Washington, DC. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
28. "D.C. Primaries: Paul Strauss". The Washington Post. 2006.
29. "Final and Complete Election Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. September 10, 1996. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
30. "Final and Complete Election Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. November 5, 1996. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
31. "Certified Election Results for the September 10, 2002 Primary Election". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. September 20, 2002.
32. "Final and Complete Election Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. June 3, 2008.
33. "Certified Election Results for the September 09, 2008 Primary Election". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. June 3, 2009. Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
34. "Final and Complete Election Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. June 3, 2008. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
35. "DCBOE Election Results". electionresults.dcboe.org. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
36. "DCBOE Election Results". electionresults.dcboe.org. Retrieved June 21, 2020.