Dan Seals (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dan Seals
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Seals in 2008
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| Born | June 19, 1971 |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago (MBA) Johns Hopkins University (MA) Boston University (BA) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mia Seals |
| Children | 3 |
Daniel Joseph Seals (born June 19, 1971) is an American business expert and a Democratic politician from Illinois. He ran for a spot as a U.S. Representative for Illinois's 10th district three times. In 2006 and 2008, he lost to the person already holding the job, Mark Kirk. In his third try in 2010, he was defeated by Robert Dold.
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Early Life and Education
Daniel Joseph Seals was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 19, 1971. His father, George Seals, was a football player for the Chicago Bears. His mother was a social worker. Dan's parents divorced, and his mother mostly raised him in Hyde Park.
He finished high school at Kenwood Academy in 1989. Dan went on to earn several college degrees. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Boston University. He also earned a master's degree in International Economics and Japanese Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Later, he received an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Dan Seals lives in Wilmette with his wife, Mia, and their three daughters.
Career Before Politics
After college, Dan Seals taught English in Japan from 1993 to 1995. He then worked for the government as a Presidential Management Intern. This job allowed him to help important leaders like the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Senator Joe Lieberman.
Later, he worked in marketing for big companies. He was at Sprint from 2001 to 2003. Then he became the Director of Marketing for General Electric Commercial Finance. He left that job in 2005 to run for Congress.
In 2009, Dan Seals worked as a consultant for different groups. He also taught at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. In 2011, the Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, chose him to be an assistant director for a state department that helps with business and jobs.
Running for Congress
Dan Seals ran for the U.S. House of Representatives three times. He wanted to represent Illinois's 10th Congressional District.
2006 Campaign
In 2006, Dan Seals first ran for the Democratic Party's nomination. He won against Zane Smith, another candidate. After winning the primary, he faced Mark Kirk, who was already the U.S. Representative for the district.
Seals talked about how many people were unhappy with the war in Iraq. He also pointed out problems with some Republican politicians. He lost to Kirk, but he got closer than other Democratic candidates had in previous elections.
2008 Campaign
Dan Seals decided to run for Congress again in 2008. He won the Democratic primary election easily. This time, he faced Mark Kirk again in the main election.
The election was very important because Barack Obama was running for president. Obama was from Illinois and was expected to win his home district. Even though Obama won the district by a lot, Dan Seals still lost to Mark Kirk.
2010 Campaign
In 2009, Dan Seals announced he would run for Congress a third time. This time, Mark Kirk was not running for the House seat. Instead, Kirk decided to run for the U.S. Senate.
Seals won the Democratic primary election by a small amount against Julie Hamos. Then, he ran against a Republican businessman named Bob Dold in the general election.
Many groups supported Dan Seals in this election. These included groups that support a strong US-Israel relationship, environmental groups, and labor unions. Even some newspapers in the area supported him. However, Dan Seals lost to Bob Dold in a very close race.
