Location: Bristol, IN
My Story: Before pursuing the campaign full-time, Michael was an attorney with the full-service Indiana law firm, Stuart & Branigin and specialized in higher education law. Prior to practicing law, Michael served then Indiana Governor Joe Kernan, then U.S. Congressman Tim Roemer, as well as, state and federal courts judges. More recently, Michael assisted Congressman Joe Donnelly in his 2006 congressional victory through organizing voter protection in the Second District. Michael also spent a year drafting and interpreting legislation at the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Michael was a 2005 recipient of the American Bar Association Award of Recognition for Excellence in Local Government and Land Use Law.He has also co-organized a symposium on legislative ethics, and presented along side experts such as Roberta Baskin of the Center for Public Integrity. Michael earned his B.A. degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana where he majored in economics and political science and his J.D., cum laude, from Indiana University School of Law as a Law and State Government Fellow. During law school, Michael served as Executive Production Editor of the Law Review and also as Chief Justice of the Moot Court Society. In addition to his undergraduate and law degrees, Michael studied economics at the University of London (UCL), London, England. Michael was born on the Fourth of July to Jeannie, a school psychologist and Joseph, a small business owner. He is an Elkhart County native whose grandparents and great grandparents resided in the area working as farmers and restaurant owners. Michael is married to Bethany, his college sweetheart. Bethany, is a museum curator at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art and a Research Associate for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Bethany and Michael reside in the same Bristol neighborhood in which he was raised.
Birth Date: July 4th
Issues: Civil Liberties; Civil Rights; Economic Growth; Education; Election Reform; Energy Policy; Environment; Good Government; Healthcare; Military Issues; National Security; Retirement Security
Registered to Vote: Yes
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Political Identification: Don't label me