For Maryland Congressional District 1 candidate Heather Mizeur, the January 6 attack on the Capital was the last straw. Once again, she found herself rising to the challenge of wanting to make a difference in a fractious political environment.
But that’s thing about Mizeur: she looks for common cause, the similarities, not the differences where polar opposites dominate the national conversation, and she’s had lots of experience building those bridges serving as the 20th District of Montgomery County in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007 to 2015.
Lauded by the Baltimore Sun as “one of the leading environmental advocates in the General Assembly” for her work on the environment,” Mizeur in 2011 authored a democratic National Committee resolution urging the president to reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline and also called for stronger oversight of the hydraulic fracking process.
In 2009, Mizeur introduced and passed the Family Coverage Expansion Act to allow young adults to stay on family health plans until age 25. In 2009, she introduced and passed the Foster Kids Coverage Act to extend Medicaid coverage to former foster care youth.
For the last four years, Mizeur has been working with her non-profit social justice and educational foundation, Soul Force Politics “dedicated to the cultivation, empowerment, and alignment of inner wisdom and external engagement as a catalyst for individual and community transformation.”
“The fundamental question we ask at Soul Force is ‘how the world would be different if politics would be grounded in the ethic of love, because when we’re engaging in the dialogue from a place of love and care we are putting aside our judgement, we’re putting aside our division and we’re open too being curious and compassionate, kind, and respectful about where someone else is coming from,” she says.
With the next election being held on November 8, 2022, Mizeur is familiar with the rigors and outreach required for campaign trail. Former District 1 Republican Representative Wayne Gilchrest’s recent endorsement is an early sign of her appeal to those who do not see Andy Harris in alignment with the District’s values.
The Spy interviewed Heather Mizeur last week on the farm near Chestertown she shares with her wife, Deborah, a clinical herbalist and nutritionist.
Original source can be found here
