U.S. Senate race a personal mission for Andrew Rice
2007-09-04
Source: Norman Transcript
For state Sen. Andrew Rice the race is personal.
email this
print this
del.icio.us
digg this
rss feedVery personal.
Rice, a freshman Democrat from Oklahoma City, wasn't really planning a foray into the electorial politics. In fact, Rice had earned his master's in theology at Harvard Divinity School and had planned to get a doctorate.
From there, he figured he would teach.
He traveled to India to help film a documentary about the country's AIDS crisis, and also went to Sri Lanka and Thailand to work on social issues.
He was concerned about world issues, but politics wasn't really on his radar screen.
"Sure there were issues I believed in," he said. "But I'd never run for anything before. I'd never been on the student council or involved in student government."
Then his brother, David, died.
David, a graduate of Bishop McGuiness High School and a Fulbright scholar, was working at the investment firm Sandler O'Neill when terrorists flew jets into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
And at that moment, politics and government became very personal for Andrew Rice.
"My beliefs didn't really change, but my commitment level did," he said. "I realized how the decisions we make as a government affect people."
With the death of his brother in the back of his mind, Rice "rededicated himself" to social justice and, as he says, common sense public policy.
He also ran for office.
Read More...
