What famous or well-known Democratic politicians (or party officials) have you met?

[Oopsie Daisy]

I've only ever met and interacted with local politicians (some are more open and engaging than others) but I've never met anyone at the state-level or national-level. Maybe someday... just not yet.

[Lochloosa]

1. Jimmy Carter in 1995. Also, my stepbrother is a US Congressman.

I won't say who on here obviously, but he's a big deal.

[malaise]

2. Shirley Chisolm

decades ago - at my great aunt’s home in New York. I had no idea she was such an important figure at that time😀.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. My Dad met her, too, as a young man.

A group of politicians from downstate same upstate to visit our city (Saratoga Springs, NY) and my Dad was assigned to this tiny lady, was supposed to show her around. My Dad was always very friendly, so he got to know her on that day. He found out that she was particularly intelligent with terrific ideas - and though he only spent that day with her, he became a lifelong admirer and was grateful that he had been her escort. Whenever her name came up, he would smile and want to talk about how he got to know her and how much he came to think of her.

[malaise]

24. Very cool

[Drum]

3. Hillary Clinton, and Senator Schumer. nt

[brush]

4. I worked on a Dem campagin in Las Vegas where I met Cecile Richards.

[barbtries]

5. a couple governors

Jerry Brown stood next to me at the unveiling of a billboard in LA many years ago (my picture was on the front page of a local newspaper following that event).

In NC, Roy Cooper, at the Durham County convention a few years ago. We shook hands.

I also went to rallies for President Obama and should be president Kamala Harris.

[Tommy Carcetti]

7. My rough list (includes quick handshakes):

Joe Biden (briefly said hello)
Bill Clinton (handshake)
Hillary Clinton (handshake)
Janet Reno (had a substantive conversation with her)
Howard Dean
Steny Hoyer
Bill Nelson
Bob Graham
Evan Bayh
John Edwards
Lois Frankel (congresswoman)
Ted Deutch (former congressman)
Bob Butterworth (former long time serving Florida AG)
Dave Aronberg (Florida SA and frequent cable news guest)
Alex Sink (Former Florida CFO and gubernatorial candidate)

About 15 years ago or so I was very actively involved in campaign work and I met various local, state and federal officials. There have to be others I'm forgetting and there are a few that I think I may have met but I'm not 100% certain.

[Goonch]

8. None but I did meet....

Dick Clark and got his autograph ;-{)

[sarisataka]

9. Paul Wellstone

Last edited Fri Jan 17, 2025, 11:03 AM - Edit history (1)

First met him when he came to see our unit off as we deployed for Desert Shield. Ran into him twice after that before his passing.

He is the only politician I have met in person that I felt truly believed in everything he stood for. He spoke honestly whether he thought you would like it or not.

[ArnoldLayne]

10. Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Al Gore in Wheeling WV 1991.

[hlthe2b]

11. Jimmy Carter (multiple times), Joe Biden (once), Barack Obama (once), Howard Dean (DNC-Denver several times),

several Governors--mostly R's though and none which I consider especially notable.

[DeepWinter]

12. Bill and Hillary Clinton

durring his campaign in 1992.

Shook Bill's hand and had a brief chat at a meet and greet. Super friendly and easy to talk to. Good listener. He just had charisma. Wasn't surprised in the least that he won.

Hillary, not so much. Maybe she was having a bad day. I decided to let that instance go.

[mopinko]

13. have met my senators, durbin & duckworth. was on the other end of her 1st primary.

and senate candidate obama. had a lovely chat. the cong candidate i was working for was close to him.
have shaken his hand about a half doz times since, and got his autograph.

i’ve been to parties at jan schakowsky’s house. worked for her office for obama in 2012.
have met and chatted w howard dean a few times, too.

eta- got al gore’s autograph at a signing for his book- the assault on reason.

[Aristus]

14. I met John Kerry when he came to Tacoma in 2008 to campaign for

Barack Obama. That was a privilege.

Non-political observation: I was struck by the fact that, despite his wealth, he was wearing a really cheap-looking navy blazer. I’m a clothes-horse, and can spot quality tailoring, or the lack of it, a mile away. Maybe he chose a garment that could stand up to the rigors of campaigning, and saved “the good stuff” for banquets and whatnot.

I also had the immense privilege of meeting our adored Senator, “Fighting Patty” Murray. She was sweet, but also smart and tough. I’m so proud to be a Washingtonian.

[greatauntoftriplets]

15. Hubert Humphrey when he was VP in 1966.

It was on the steps of the Capitol, and he was carrying a leg of lamb. He'd been meeting with Australian officials about importing more of their lamb.

[rurallib]

16. I lived in Iowa and met most Dems from 1992 to 2020

I was a county central committee member so we met some very close and personal.
That included my own senator, Tom Harkin.

Met Obama several times. Had about a half hour with Michelle by ourselves one day. Is she ever nice
Bill and Hillary Clinton. Hillary was a close friend of friends of ours.
John Edwards. Better than that, Elizabeth Edwards who was a very special person.

Elizabeth Warren - super nice.
John Kerry
Howard Dean
Martin O'Malley
Steve Bullock - really liked him - very real.
Bernie Sanders (and Mrs. Sanders)
Kirsten Gillibrand
And oh my - Bill Richardson - what a likeable son of a gun. He was fun and seemed larger than life.

I know I am missing several.

Also met Republicans John McCain and Mittens Romney (who was described by a doctor sitting next to me as the phoniest SOB I have ever seen).

Got a special invite to an Obama appearance in Iowa after he became president. When I went to the window to get tickets I gave my name and was promptly escorted from the line and stood by a wall with a guy with a spaghetti strap and a dark suit. I was really confused.

After a few minutes two more guys came to escort me into an inner office. In there was a guy who had been a campaign worker for Obama in our county. I breathed a sigh of relief. We exchanged warm greetings and he gave me whatever seats I wanted.

That was an experience

[Oopsie Daisy]

17. Elizabeth Edwards ... aww ... I always admired her.

Beauty, charm, intelligence, grace, dignity... and courage. She deserved so much better. The world is a better place because she was a part of it.

[rurallib]

19. Yep - she will aways have a special spot in my memory

[VGNonly]

18. John Glenn, a handshake and a few words.

Remember he wasn't just an astronaut.

Kerry Kennedy a hand shake and a short but heartfelt conversation.

Have seen John Kerry, John Edwards, Elizabeth Edwards, all within about 50 feet.

[hedda_foil]

20. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Howard Dean, Jimmy Carter, Dick Durbin,

several Congresspersons.

[walkingman]

35. Cool, do you have a favorite? I notice you live in Naperville...I worked at Bell Labs and visited

Indian Hill frequently in the 90s. I tried to go there when the week that the Bears played Green Bay - there was a cool bar just a few blocks away from the labs - had a lot of fun. ☮

[hedda_foil]

36. Obama will always be my favorite.

Before I moved to Naperville, I lived in Evanston and was on the board of the Democratic Party of Evanston, which is pretty influential in Illinois Dem politics. I met Obama at the very start of the state primary for Senate. He was far from the favorite at the time, but I was all in for him from the start.

[Rebl2]

21. I met Harry Truman

when I was a child. My sister and I had a dentist appointment and dad took us. The dentist said to my dad after we arrived would it be okay if President Truman went before us and of course he said yes. I believe the dentist had been in the military with President Truman in WWI. Even though my dad was a republican, he had great respect for President Truman.

[jalan48]

22. RFK in 1967.

[maveric]

23. JFK.1960. I was four and can't remember it.

My parents swore to me for years that it happened.

[Oopsie Daisy]

30. If your parents said so... that's good enough for me. Very cool bragging rights!

[LeftInTX]

25. I attended a private event with Nancy Pelosi. Almost got a selfie with Biden at one of his rallies.

But he had to take off.

I know a few local Democratic congress critters

[gab13by13]

26. Jack Murtha

We were lobbying him to vote against a bill that was in committee. He went around the table and asked everyone of us to give him reasons to vote against the bill.

Then he took our group onto the floor of the House.

[snowybirdie]

27. Sargeant Schriver

when he ran for President. My two teenaged daughters protected Sen Edw. Kennedy at a rally when he ran against Carter. A friend was in charge of Security and put the two cute girls up front, near the candidate, for the camera. I freaked when I saw them in tv. next to Sen Kennedy. Both his brothers had been shot! My friend got my wrath after the rally

[walkingman]

28. Jesse Jackson - was walking around my work place at lunch an he was a couple

of blocks away walking the picket line with a company called cablevision in Austin (no longer in business). I went over an introduced myself and shook his hand.

[MurrayDelph]

29. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley

Living in Oregon makes it easy. They each hold a town hall in every county of the state every year.

[musette_sf]

31. RFK and Nancy Pelosi

[highplainsdem]

32. Bobby Kennedy, in 1968, if shaking his hand just before he gave a speech counts as meeting him.

A few governors, US senators, state senators, mayors, a state Democratic Party chair whose office I worked in briefly, and a lieutenant governor I worked for briefly. One of the governors offered to buy me a drink, but I had a date I was meeting at that club. Housesat once for a jobhunting friend interviewing at colleges a thousand miles away - I was taking care of her pets - and she lived next to a former governor I hadn't met, though my friend said the teenaged boy sometimes in the back yard looking in through the floor-to-ceiling windows sounded like the former governor's grandson. (Editing to add that there was no fence between the properties and the kid was in my friend's parklike back yard with a Labrador retriever, either his or his grandfather's.)

There's a good chance you've encountered or maybe lived near state-level politicians but just didn't know who they were.

[BeeBee]

33. For me, the highest ranking and best known is Nancy Pelosi.

She was at a reception for our rep's 25th anniversary in public office. Almost all Northern California reps were there, including Leon Panetta.

I also met Madeline Albright a few years after she was Secretary of State.

[Shambala]

34. Bill Clinton

When he was running for president the first time he made a stop at Los Angeles City Hall. I was a new wet behind the ears staffer for one of the city departments and stepped outside to take a break and was right next to the ramp up to a platform where he was making some remarks. I figured he would walk the other way to the crowd and reporters when he was done but he starts walking down the ramp toward me! I said something stupid like "don't forget the California environment" expecting a passing hand shake but he stops and starts talking about his environmental policy for several minutes to me, a nobody. I didn't realize the moment until he won the presidency and thought back on how cool that was.