Considering the number of political science majors here, it's no surprise that several alumni are making big names for themselves in the world of politics. Arts and Sciences alumnus Andy Barth, class of '68, said his experience as an undergraduate at Hopkins helped prepare him for his current bid for a seat in the House of Representatives.
"Hopkins -- then and now -- was full of very bright people, and simply making it through was challenging," said Barth, who's been a TV news reporter in Baltimore for the past 35 years. "There were a lot of smart people to compete with and to learn from, and I think that gave me pretty rigorous intellectual training."
Barth must have missed some of that Hopkins competition, as he's now running against another Hopkins graduate, Peter Beilenson, to win the vote of Maryland's 3rd Congressional District. They're competing for an open seat, as Ben Cardin -- who currently represents the district in the House -- is running for Senate.
Beilenson -- who graduated from Hopkins School of Public Health -- has been Baltimore's health commissioner for the past 13 years.
Both men have had a strong presence in the community they hope to one day represent, and though their backgrounds differ, both are nonetheless suitable for a post in Congress. Barth grew up in D.C., moving to Baltimore to attend Hopkins. After graduating, he spent a year working in Minnesota and a semester in law school before deciding it wasn't the path he wanted to take. He returned to Baltimore, and has "been here ever since."
Although he admits schooling in the law could prove useful for a career in Congress, he says he acquired a more valuable education as a reporter in Baltimore.
"What a reporter does is a lot like what a Congressman should do -- go out and investigate problems, talk to people, get a sense of the merits of both sides, try to analyze what the issue is," he said.
"What I've always done is simply tell people what the problem is. Now, I'd like to come up with a solution. Instead of just reporting problems, I'd like to solve them. Instead of just reporting events, I'd like to shape them."
He also believes his chances of winning the election are "excellent."
"I think that in the 35 years I was on TV here I've gotten to know the district better than any of the other candidates. I know the people, I know the problems, I know the strengths," he said.
"Also, I think the people in the district have gotten to know me. People say, `I grew up watching you on TV,' and many did. ... I grew up while they were watching. I became educated and became more grown up and people were able to kind of experience that with me. ... I think people get a sense of what kind of guy you are and that is what I hope will persuade them to vote for me. As I've said, I hope to be a voice for decency and common sense," he added.
If elected, Barth hopes to plan a withdrawal from Iraq, so that we can focus our resources elsewhere.
"If we succeed in ending the involvement in Iraq," he said, "it will free up vast resources to devote to research ... [and] education in general as well as improving the environment and homeland security."
Peter Beilenson also plans on keeping America safe from terror, citing his background in developing preparedness plans as Baltimore's Health Commissioner. Additionally, he believes in fiscal responsibility and wants to secure affordable health insurance for all Maryland residents.
Beilenson also has a long history in Baltimore. After graduating from Harvard College, he attended Emory University School of Medicine and received a Master's degree from the Hopkins' School of Public Health in 1990.
It didn't take long for him to end up as Health Commissioner.
"One month after finishing my chief residency here at Preventative Medicine, Mayor Schmoke called me and asked me (to take) the Health Commissioner job," said Beilenson. "I accepted, and that's what I did until I stepped down a few months ago to run for Congress."
And it's clear that he did a good job. Baltimore Magazine recognized him as the city's "Best Civil Servant" for his work as Health Commissioner.
Beilenson sees himself as ideally suited to be a congressman because of the unique perspective and experience he brings with him.
"I would be the only person in all of the Congress who has actually had experience running local terrorist preparedness exercises, and obviously Congress deals all the time with emergency preparedness, natural disaster preparedness and terrorism preparedness," he said. "Hopefully I'd be one of the people other representatives would turn to, because I actually know what is needed for terrorism preparedness at the local level."
He also hasn't lost touch with the Hopkins community. Over the past 13 years, he's had interactions with people at several Johns Hopkins institutions on an almost daily basis.
"Everything from terrorism preparedness to infectious diseases to environmental issues to infant mortality -- on all of those and many, many more issues I had literally almost daily contact with some faculty members at either the Hopkins School of Public Health, School of Nursing or School of Medicine," he said.
"I also taught undergraduate Intersession courses for several years, so I've both had practically daily contact with faculty all over the institution, as well as with ... students."
He hopes to continue teaching in the future as an unpaid associate as long as Hopkins wants him.
"I've given probably a hundred lectures as an associate," he said, "and obviously look forward to continuing to do so."
Because of this, Beilenson says he's gotten overwhelming support from students, faculty and staff.
"I couldn't imagine anyone getting more support," he said. "In terms of volunteers and financial support, Hopkins students, faculty and staff have been just tremendously helpful."
For students aspiring towards politics, Beilenson has some advice.
"It's fascinating, and it's very useful to know what you're getting into," he said, recommending that students volunteer to assist during a campaign -- preferably his own.
Barth offered a few tips as well, recommending that those interested in politics "take a lot of English, history and political science" courses.
Barth and Beilenson aren't the only two Hopkins grads facing off in the upcoming election. Kweisi Mfume, who received a Master's degree in Liberal Arts from Hopkins in 1984, is a past president of the NAACP, a trustee of Johns Hopkins University and a former congressman.
He's running for the same seat in the Senate as Michael Steele -- Maryland's lieutenant governor who graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1981.
Although Barth and Beilenson aren't the only ones running for the seat in the House, it's quite possible that another Hopkins graduate will soon join the United States Congress.
Author's Note: For students not currently registered, and interested in voting in the upcoming election, visit http://www.elections.state.md.us.
