5 Things To Know About North Carolina Democratic Primary Winner Kathy Manning

By Alyssa Fisher May 9, 2018

Kathy Manning handily won the Democratic primary in North Carolina’s 13th congressional district on Tuesday, earning more than 70% of the vote. She will face off in November against first-term incumbent Rep. Ted Budd to represent Greensboro in Congress.

Here’s what you need to know about her:

1. Manning was the first woman to chair the Jewish Federations of North America.

She also went on to become the founding chair of Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools.

2. She is an alumna of both Harvard University and the University of Michigan Law school.

She also went on to help found Harvard’s first women’s a capella group.

3. She’s lived in Greensboro for more than 30 years.

She moved there with her husband in 1987, where they raised their three children. She served as a partner at a major law firm for 16 years before leaving to start her own business.

4. Fixing the healthcare system has personal importance to her.

After one of her daughters was diagnosed with a chronic illness, she became inspired to help others frustrated by big insurance companies and the rising costs of life-saving medication, in addition to grappling with the realization that having a pre-existing condition could prevent getting insurance in the future.

5. She’s cited her Judaism as part of why she’s running.

“I was raised with the understanding that I have an obligation to give back,” she told JTA last year. She cited a passage from the rabbinic book Pirkei Avot: “It’s not our obligation to complete the work, but neither are we free from the obligation to get it started.”

Contact Alyssa Fisher at [email protected] or on Twitter, @alyssalfisher

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