Jake was born and raised in the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District he now represents, the son of a surgeon and a scientist. They taught him the values of curiosity and integrity. He and his older brother and sister grew up in the Jewish faith tradition and attended the Newton Public Schools. His 2nd-grade teacher saw he loved to read and gave him books on United States history. He was hooked.
Jake has been a major supporter of Ranked Choice Voting, which allows voters to rank the candidates on their ballot. It is a simple and fair way to better represent the will of the majority in elections. Jake has also presented at conferences on more equitable and transparent financing mechanisms for political campaigns and journalism.
After corporations spent money on a ballot initiative in Newton, Jake detailed the problem to his constituents in his newsletter and then submitted and passed a resolution with the Democratic City Committee calling for an end to corporate spending in local elections. Jake has not and will not accept any corporate PAC donations.
The common thread is that Jake believes systemic change is the most durable and has the most impact. In Congress, Jake will look at root causes, not just surface problems.