Laura Moser

Laura Moser
Personal details
Born (1977-08-30) August 30, 1977 (age 47)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationAmherst College (BA)

Laura Moser (born August 30, 1977)[1] is an American author and politician who founded the anti-Trump resistance movement Daily Action. She was a candidate for the United States Congress in Texas's 7th congressional district.[2]

Early life and education

Moser's daughter Claudia throws a tantrum at a 2015 White House Passover dinner as she, her husband Arun and the Obamas look on

Moser was born in Houston, Texas.[3] Her grandfather arrived in Houston in 1942 as a refugee from Nazi Germany.[4] She attended St. John's School and graduated from Amherst College in 1999.[1] She later worked in publishing at the Harvill Press in London before becoming a freelance journalist.[1]

Publications and career

Moser published her first book, an "efficient, compact" biography of the actress Bette Davis, in 2005.[5] With her friend Lauren Mechling, she co-authored a series of young adult novels about the experiences of a girl who moves from Houston to Brooklyn.[6]

Moser has contributed to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and The Jewish Daily Forward. She was the education columnist at Slate.[7]

Political involvement

After the 2016 United States presidential election, Moser founded the organization Daily Action.[8] In 2017, she moved back to Texas's 7th congressional district to run for Congress in 2018.[9]

In February 2018, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), citing concerns about Moser's electability in the general election, called attention to her past controversial statements.[10] That DCCC action was condemned by DNC chair Tom Perez[11] and Our Revolution, which endorsed Moser a few days later, on March 1, 2018.[12]

In the March 6 Democratic primary, in a seven-candidate field, Moser earned 24.3% of the vote to Lizzie Fletcher's 29.3%.[13]

In the May 22 runoff, Fletcher defeated Moser, 68% to 32%, becoming the Democratic nominee in the general election.[14]

In the November 6 general election, Fletcher defeated incumbent representative John Culberson by five percentage points (52.5% to 47.5%).[15]

Personal life

Moser is married to Arun Chaudhary, who was President Barack Obama's White House videographer.[16] Her brother is writer and translator Benjamin Moser. She has two children.[17] In April 2020, she and her family moved to Berlin, Germany.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Jewish Women's Archive. "Laura Moser"". Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  2. ^ Diaz, Kevin (May 3, 2017). "In the age of Trump, Democrats zero in on a longtime GOP House seat". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  3. ^ Chandler, Michael Alison. "In desire to turn red states blue, D.C. women return to home towns to run for office". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ Moser, Laura. "From Freelance Writer to Congressional Candidate: My Unlikely Journey to the Front of the Resistance". Vogue. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  5. ^ Taylor, Catherine. "Reading, writing and the dramatic". The Guardian. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  6. ^ Kirchner, Renee (May 30, 2005). "The Rise and Fall of a 10th-Grade Social Climber". Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  7. ^ Moser, Laura. ""Schooled" blog". Slate. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  8. ^ Chandler, Michael Alison. "Capitol Hill mom directs thousands of anti-Trump activists with texts sent from her living room". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  9. ^ O'Keefe, Ed (June 25, 2017). "Democrats field a glut of House candidates in 2018 but remain divided on how to win". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  10. ^ Diaz, Kevin (May 4, 2018). "DCCC head stands by attack on Laura Moser in Democratic primary runoff with Lizzie Fletcher". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 26, 2018. As he has in the past, Lujan said the DCCC's move was about promoting what party officials see as the most electable candidate to challenge Seventh Congressional District Republican incumbent John Culberson in November...Meanwhile, the DCCC has backed away from formally endorsing Fletcher.
  11. ^ Greenwood, Max (March 3, 2018). "DNC chair questions House campaign arm's attack on progressive candidate". The Hill. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. I would have done it differently," he continued. "I think the DCCC has the ability to endorse in primaries, and they do that from time to time. But again, I would have done it differently."...The DCCC has framed Moser as an unelectable candidate in a critical race, pointing to concerns about her residency and accusations that her husband is improperly benefitting financially from her campaign. The Sanders-affiliated group called the DCCC's attacks "ridiculous.
  12. ^ Hagen, Lisa (March 1, 2018). "Sanders allies endorse Texas candidate attacked by DCCC". The Hill. Retrieved May 26, 2018. A progressive group allied with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) endorsed a Texas Democrat running in a crowded House primary on March 1, just days after House Democrats' campaign arm targeted the candidate.
  13. ^ Texas Primary Election Results: Seventh House District, The New York Times, Jasmine C. Lee, Sarah Almukhtar & Matthew Bloch, March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  14. ^ Sullivan, Sean; Weigel, Dave (May 23, 2018). "Lizzie Fletcher defeats Laura Moser in bitter Democratic primary in Texas". Washington Post. Retrieved May 26, 2018. Moser still made it into a runoff against Fletcher but was unable to build momentum during the next two months.
  15. ^ Scherer, Jasper (November 7, 2018). "Lizzie Fletcher looks to legislate the way she won: in moderation". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 20, 2018. The primary in effect became a referendum on whether Democrats should oppose Culberson by whipping up the dormant part of their base or, by nominating Fletcher, pull in centrists and ex-Republicans. Tuesday's election results proved they could do both: In beating Culberson with more than 52 percent of the vote, Fletcher's winning coalition included right-leaning moderates, but also hardline progressives who turned out in droves to support Democrat Beto O'Rourke's turnout-driven Senate campaign.
  16. ^ Greenberg, David. "'First Cameraman: Documenting the Obama Presidency in Real Time,' by Arun Chaudhary". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  17. ^ Moser, Laura (April 15, 2016). "As Barack Obama came in, my two-year-old daughter threw herself on the floor". The Guardian. Retrieved January 25, 2021. I think Claudia will like the photograph when she is old enough to understand it...Arun worked for Obama for four years, and we have pictures of my son Leo with him at Halloween over the years.
  18. ^ Moser, Laura (April 18, 2021). "My Grandfather Fled the Nazis. I Moved to His Old Neighborhood". The New Yorker – via www.newyorker.com.