This is Democracy Or Else, where we're bringing you amazing progressive candidates in

down-ballot races, activists, and community leaders from around the country.

I'm Criccadmedia Sarah Garcia.

Today, I talk with Congresswoman Alyssa Slokkin, who is running to represent Michigan's

seventh congressional district.

Welcome Representative Slokkin.

Thanks for having me.

Um, why don't we start off by having you telling us a little bit about yourself and what

you're running for?

I'm Congresswoman Alyssa Slokkin, currently representing Michigan's eighth district,

running to represent a newly drawn Michigan's seventh district.

I'm a former CIA officer and Pentagon official, uh, who's done three tours in Iraq.

And so my whole background is national security until 2018, when I ran for the first time.

And what inspired you to go into public service?

To be honest, my entire family is in the hotdog business or was in the hotdog business.

What?

It was definitely not that, um, but I happened to be on my second day of grad school in New

York City when 9-11 happened.

I had just started at Columbia.

I was in some sort of remedial economics class or something and came at a class to make

Xerox copies of something and someone said, oh, it's so weird, you know, a plane hit

the World Trade Center.

...