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Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Tom Daschle
House and Senate Minority Leaders
Live Webcast Jan. 27, 2003, 1pm ET/10am PT
 Listen to the event
 Browse for other NPR stories about Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Browse for other NPR stories about Sen. Tom Daschle.
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in the U.S. Congress when House Democrats elected her on Nov. 14, 2002, to serve as minority leader. Pelosi has represented California's 8th district -- the majority of which is the City of San Francisco -- in the House of Representatives for the past 15 years. Before being elected leader, Pelosi served as House Democratic Whip.
Pelosi is a champion of women's rights and serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services and Education, where she has focused on women's health and violence against women. Other priorities include homeland security and economic growth.
A graduate of Trinity College in Washington, D.C., Pelosi began in politics by volunteering for the Democratic Party while raising her children. Throughout her career, she has held leadership positions within the California Democratic Party and was the chair of the 1984 Democratic National Convention Host Committee. She served as a Democratic National committeewoman from California for 20 years between 1976 and 1996.
Pelosi and her husband, San Francisco native Paul Pelosi, have five children: Nancy Corinne, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul and Alexandra, and five grandchildren.
Tom Daschle
Tom Daschle (D-SD) serves as minority leader of the upper chamber, a post that caps nearly a quarter century in Congress. Daschle served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1978 to 1986, when he made a successful bid for the U.S. Senate.
Born on Dec. 9, 1947, in Aberdeen, S.D., Daschle grew up in a working-class family as the eldest of four brothers. He became the first person in his family to graduate from college when he earned a political science degree from South Dakota State University in 1969. After college, Daschle worked for three years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command. He then signed on as an aide to then-South Dakota Sen. James Abourezk.
Daschle has fought to get veterans the benefits they deserve and has enacted legislation to help those affected by exposure to Agent Orange. He has also had legislation enacted to improve the lives of Native Americans. In the 107th Congress, Daschle worked to cut taxes for working families, pay down the national debt, and shore up social security and Medicare for future generations. Daschle currently serves as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. In past Congresses, he has served on the Veterans, Indian Affairs, Finance and Ethics committees.
Daschle is married to Linda Hall Daschle; they have three children, Kelly, Nathan and Lindsay.
Related Links:
• Rep. Nancy Pelosi's Web site.
• Sen. Tom Daschle's Web site.
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