Michael Joseph Panetta (born July 14, 1971) is a former District of Columbia

shadow representative The posts of shadow United States senator and shadow United States representative are held by elected or appointed government officials from subnational polities of the United States that lack congressional vote. While these officials are not ...

, having served from 2007 to 2013. Though elected by the citizens of Washington, Panetta was not recognized by Congress. A shadow representative is different from a delegate to Congress, an office held by Eleanor Holmes Norton while Panetta was shadow representative. The office of delegate is created by the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and delegates are recognized by that body.

Political career

Panetta has run several high-profile campaigns for D.C. representation, including starting the

District of Columbia Olympic Committee The District of Columbia Olympic Committee was launched in 2005 as an effort to call attention to District of Columbia's lack of voting rights in the U.S. Congress. The District of Columbia, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Isla ...

and leading efforts to rebrand

RFK Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...

as "Taxation Without Representation Field".Internet Archive copy of taxationwithoutrepresentationstadium.com.
/ref> Panetta has pledged to make District of Columbia voting rights a national issue that is embraced by progressive activists across the country. Panetta was reelected in 2008, facing no opposition in the Democratic primary and defeating

D.C. Statehood Green Party The Statehood Green Party, known as DC Statehood Party prior to 1999, is the progressive political party in the District of Columbia. The party is the D.C. affiliate of the national Green Party but has traditionally elevated issues of District ...

candidate Joyce Robinson-Paul in the November election by 86 to 13 percent.

Electoral history

References

External links

www.mikepanetta.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Panetta, Mike 1971 births Living people Washington, D.C., Democrats United States shadow representatives from the District of Columbia American University alumni