David Adam Segal (born 1979/1980)
is an American politician, activist, and writer who was a
Democratic member of the
Rhode Island House of Representatives
The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected ...
, representing District 2 (
East Providence and
Providence) from 2007 until January 2011. Prior to that, he served as Minority Leader of the Providence City Council from 2003 until 2007, elected at the age of 22 as the first and only member of the Green Party ever elected in Rhode Island. Segal was a candidate for the
U.S. House of Representatives in the state's
1st congressional district on September 14, 2010.
He serves as the executive director of the online organizing group
Demand Progress.
Early life and education
Segal was born in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
He graduated
magna cum laude with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
in
mathematics from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 2001.
[ He has served as a fellow at Yale Law School's ]Information Society Project
The Information Society Project (ISP) at Yale Law School is an intellectual center studying the implications of the Internet and new information technologies for law and society. The ISP was founded in 1997 by Jack Balkin, Knight Professor of Con ...
and at Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society.
Political career
Segal's political career began in 2002, following his work as activist in support of a living-wage ordinance and a civilian review board to review accusations of police abuse. Segal ran as a Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...
for the Providence City Council and was elected to the Providence City Council
The Providence City Council is the fifteen-member legislative body of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. The two major responsibilities of the council are enacting ordinances necessary to ensure the welfare and good order of the city and a ...
, representing Ward One, with approximately 38% of the vote in a four-way general election.
Segal was chairman and founder of the federal political action committee Greens for Impact
Greens may refer to:
* Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc.
Politics Supranational
* Green politics
* Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics
* Global Greens
* Eu ...
which helped steer the Green Party to endorse David Cobb rather than Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes.
The son of Lebanese immigrants to the U ...
, and ran a national media and direct-mail campaign in 2004, encouraging Greens and progressives in swing states to fight the re-election of George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
by voting for John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
, and promoting electoral reform.
Following a party switch to the Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, Segal won the party primary election for state representative in Rhode Island House District 2 with 68.5 percent of the vote on September 12, 2006. Segal faced no partisan opposition on the November 7, 2006, state general election. Segal was re-elected in 2008, again winning 68.4% of the Democratic primary vote.
During his tenure in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, Segal was a member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee as well as the Judiciary Committee. He previously served on the Corporations Committee. He has sponsored and overseen the passage of legislation promoting renewable energy and public transit, reform of the criminal justice system, progressive taxation, maintenance of social services, equitable school funding, and more. He was secretary of the House of Representatives' progressive caucus during the 2009-2010 sessions. '' The Providence Phoenix'' declared him "The Hippest Guy in State Government".
Congressional campaigns
2010
Segal ran for Congress in the 2010 elections for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district
Rhode Island's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It includes all of Bristol and Newport counties, along with parts of Providence County, including most of the city of Providence.
The di ...
, for the seat held by Patrick J. Kennedy
Patrick Joseph Kennedy II (born July 14, 1967) is an American politician and mental health advocate. From 1995 to 2011, he served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 1st congressional distr ...
, who did not seek re-election. Segal lost in the four-way September 14, 2010, Democratic Party primary to David Cicilline
David Nicola Cicilline (; born July 15, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 36th mayor of Providence from 2003 to 2011, the first openly ...
,
2022
Segal ran for the Democratic nomination in Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in southern and western Rhode Island. The district is currently represented by Democrat James Langevin, who has represented the district since January 2001.
Composition
T ...
in the 2022 election, for the seat being vacated by James Langevin
James R. Langevin ( ; born April 22, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the first quadriplegic to serve in Congress; Langevin was appointed to be the firs ...
, coming in second place out of six candidates in the Democratic primary.[
]
Activism
As the executive director of the online organizing, policy, and lobbying group Demand Progress, Segal has advocated to defeat SOPA
Sopa or SOPA may refer to:
* Sopa (tribe), an Albanian tribe of the Sharr Mountains
* Lake Sopa, Albania
* School of Performing Arts Seoul, an arts high school in Seoul, South Korea
* Senior Officer Present Afloat, a term used in the U.S. Navy ...
, curtail mass surveillance, protect net neutrality
Network neutrality, often referred to as net neutrality, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, offering users and online content providers consistent rates irrespective of co ...
, confront corporate monopoly power, reduce militarism, and promote other progressive causes. Segal is a co-editor of a book about the organizing that led to the defeat of SOPA, published by O/R Books, called ''Hacking Politics''.
References
External links
Profile
at Project Vote Smart
Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in s ...
Providence Daily Dose
blog
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Segal, David
1979 births
21st-century American politicians
Candidates in the 2010 United States elections
Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections
Columbia College (New York) alumni
Jewish American people in Rhode Island politics
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
Providence City Council members
Rhode Island Greens