Background: Law professor; civil rights attorney; former director of Project VOTE.

Why I got into public service: Throughout college, I was inspired by the work of civil rights organizers in the 1950s and 1960s. My first job out of college was as a community organizer in low-income neighborhoods in Chicago, where I learned that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they work together. My law practice, and my political career, is an expression of that continued conviction.

Top Issue: A fiscally sound and efficient program to deliver universal health care to all Americans and a high quality education, from pre-school to college, for all of America's children.

#1 Rule of Politics: You can compromise on strategy and tactics, but not on principles.

First Job: Server at Baskin-Robbins.