Felicia Gross has never been a woman of small ambitions. As a Duke undergraduate, she triple-majored in economics, English and political science, and now--just three years after graduating from the School of Law--has launched a campaign for Congress.
Gross, Trinity '96, Law '99, officially declared her candidacy in the First Congressional District of New York March 5, and hopes to obtain the Democratic nomination this summer.
"The district needs a new voice, new energy and a new agenda," Gross said. "I am running against career politicians who don't sense the urgency of the issues facing the district."
Gross is campaigning on a platform of protecting the environment, improving education, providing quality and affordable health care and helping Long Island families through the current economic downturn. If Gross receives the Democratic nomination this summer--delayed until district boundaries are redrawn--she will be running against incumbent Felix Grucci, a first-term Republican.
Her campaign, in a strong Republican Suffolk County district, faces heavy odds. But among those who knew her during her undergraduate and law school years, there is little doubt that Gross has the ability to see her
Ole Holsti, professor of political science, whom Gross identified as one of her mentors, recalled Gross as one of his top students.
"She is very bright, very articulate, and as far as I know, she is a person of absolute integrity," he said. "Today in Congress, turnover is so small, and there are not too many very competitive districts. I think a fresh, bright face such as hers would be a terrific asset."
Although Holsti said that he had faith in Gross's ability to serve as a representative, he also noted that her youth could potentially be a negative factor in the campaign.
"It's obviously very unusual to be running this soon after [graduating from law school]," Holsti said. "If you have a guy or a woman who's in office for 10 or 12 years, they may say that this is a time of great national emergency; that this is not a time when we want to rely on someone so young."
Gross did not believe that her youth would work to her disadvantage. Instead, she said getting her message out is her biggest campaign challenge.
Gross remembered her time at Duke fondly, crediting the University with impressing upon students "the value of stepping into the arena and trying to make a difference."
The Wading River, N.Y., native was extremely active on campus during her undergraduate and law school years. As an undergraduate, she participated in the Class of 1996's Community Interaction Committee, Model United Nations and the Mayor's Advisory Council for Duke-Durham Relations.
While in law school, she won the Dean's Cup for oral advocacy, was a member of the Moot Court Board and the Philip Jessup International Moot Court Team and was a founding member of the William Blackstone Society.
In addition to practicing civil and criminal litigation at a New York City law firm, she has been a counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, worked as a specialist assistant at the New York Stock Exchange and served in the U.S. Embassy in Paris.
Gross said until the redrawn district lines are announced in June, she will continue to use the delay to campaign. "For now, we're kind of hanging on a thumbnail," she said.
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