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 commanded special-operations-capable units, and he knows what the United States military is capable of—and what it is not. Massive troop deployments in nation-building exercises waste blood and treasure.
As a congressman, Jake would work to reduce the conventional ground-force footprint, to scale naval, air, and cyber commands that protect the global commons, and to invest in surgical special operations that can identify, target, and neutralize terrorists across the globe without overextending the United States.
In addition, Jake believes that international aid and robust diplomacy can strengthen our standing in the world while helping those most in need around the globe.