Zephyr Teachout for Congress

I don't often wish I still lived in New York state, but I sure would like to vote for Zephyr Teachout, who's running for the House of Representatives in New York's 19th district.

I first heard of her on either Melissa Harris Perry or Chris Hayes's show. It was three or four years ago, so I'm not sure which. She's a law professor at Fordham University who grew up in Vermont. I remembered her right away because of her crazy name, but her work against political corruption at all levels is what's truly memorable.

I would have been in favor of having Teachout in Congress regardless, but then I heard who her likely Republican opponent is: John Faso, a lobbyist funded by hedge-fund owner Paul Singer. Singer helped fund the Swift Boat campaign against John Kerry and now pitches into the Club for Growth and the Koch brothers' various efforts.

If that doesn't symbolize the kind of corruption Teachout is fighting, I don't know what does.

Teachout has been endorsed by the New York Times. The editorial board wrote,

...she has the potential to be a rarity in Congress — an effective local representative who has national stature as a legal expert on political reform.... Her political skills and expertise would make her a powerful ally for those who have become angry and disillusioned by Washington’s chronic dysfunction. Ms. Teachout could focus attention on the ways big business, big agriculture and big monopolies distort the economy and hobble those trying to survive.

One bright spot I hope to see in the polluted miasma that is our Congress.