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Lynn Kahn
Lynn Kahn (Green Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent New York's 21st Congressional District. She lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Kahn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House New York District 21
Incumbent Elise Stefanik defeated Tedra Cobb and Lynn Kahn in the general election for U.S. House New York District 21 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Elise Stefanik (R) | 56.1 | 131,981 |
 | Tedra Cobb (D) | 42.4 | 99,791 | |
 | Lynn Kahn (G)  | 1.5 | 3,437 | |
| Total votes: 235,209 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Katie Wilson (Working Families Party)
- Dylan Ratigan (Women's Equality Party)
- Chris Schmidt (L)
- Steve Krieg (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 21
Tedra Cobb defeated Katie Wilson, Dylan Ratigan, Emily Martz, and Patrick Nelson in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 21 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tedra Cobb | 55.7 | 10,853 |
 | Katie Wilson | 12.1 | 2,356 | |
 | Dylan Ratigan | 11.9 | 2,313 | |
 | Emily Martz | 11.1 | 2,165 | |
 | Patrick Nelson | 9.2 | 1,802 | |
| Total votes: 19,489 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Don Boyajian (D)
- Ronald Kim (D)
- Tanya Boone (D)
- Sara Idleman (D)
- David Mastrianni (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 21
Incumbent Elise Stefanik advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 21 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Elise Stefanik |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Russell Finley (R)
- Steven Schnibbe (R)
Green primary election
Green primary for U.S. House New York District 21
Lynn Kahn advanced from the Green primary for U.S. House New York District 21 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Lynn Kahn |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Women's Equality Party primary election
Women's Equality Party primary for U.S. House New York District 21
Dylan Ratigan advanced from the Women's Equality Party primary for U.S. House New York District 21 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Dylan Ratigan |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Working Families Party primary election
Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 21
Katie Wilson advanced from the Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 21 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Katie Wilson |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Kahn was a 2016 independent candidate for President of the United States.
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lynn Kahn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kahn's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
universal health care whole-of-government climate change response Congressional hearings on authorization for military force and why we go to war
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
social justice, climate change, universal health care, honest conversations about why we go to war
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
Ambassador John W. McDonald - focused for more than fifty years on multi-track diplomacy
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
My last book - Performance Networks: Transforming Government for the 21st Century
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Integrity, capacity for deep listening, courage, knowledge and experience driving solutions to complicated problems
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
With my Ph.D. in clinical psychology and 32 years experience inside the federal government working as an organizational psychologist, I have brought together many different stakeholders including regular people and community-based organizations to drive solutions to complicated problems. I helped with the architecture that brought stakeholders together to modernize our airspace system then adapted that model for consulting work in criminal justice reform.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Serve and fight for the people I represent and boldly advocate for national priorities including universal health care, a whole-of-government response to climate change, and global ceasefire.
What legacy would you like to leave?
shifted our foreign policy toward peacebuilding; launched universal healthcare; transformed the Veterans Administration; saved America's family-owned dairy farms; led the whole-of-government response to climate change including realistic attention to the national security implications of climate change; tackled the poisons in our air, water, soil, food, and everyday items from stain resistant carpeting to firefighting foam and gear; educated the public about successful models for justice reform and tacking institutional racism; and solved the invisible problems in family court and foster care that have damaged millions of parents and children.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The election of John F Kennedy; I was 14.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
Aside from babysitting as a teenager, I worked alongside my dad at the 1964 New York Worlds Fair at his souvenir stand.
What happened on your most awkward date?
I realized I have no patience for fools and racists.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Thanksgiving - the one day my father really took time off from work and the day is filled with memories of family around the dining table, football on TV, and walking in the crisp fall air.
What is your favorite book? Why?
Right now I am reading The Adams (Abigail and John) - Jefferson Letters. I fully appreciate the early struggle to define our nation and governance structures, and that so many of the same issues are relevant today from trade and foreign policy to economic growth and the meaning of freedom.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Supergirl
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
Collage of photographs of my parents, our relatives, my son and his friends.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
RESPECT - I hear Aretha's voice!
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
My mother, her two sisters, my father and his brother spent most of their growing up in the same orphanage, so the phrase "I did not know what I did not know" rings true for me and I still struggle with the "polite" thing to say.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
Independent reviews by committees representing ALL active political parties in that district with inut from the community.
What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?
This is truly the people's house and represents our greatest ability to shape a proud, strong and united America.
Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?
Yes - and I believe my 32 years working inside the federal government as an organizational psychologist including 6+ years on the White House Partnership to Reinvent Government means I am good to go on Day 1.
What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?
climate change, growing green jobs, achieving greater social justice, and instilling hope in our young people
If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
House Oversight and Government Reform - where I can hold every agency accountable for doing the right thing and stop wasting taxpayer money. I was called The Government Mechanic when I ran as an independent candidate for President in 2016 - I can look under the hood of government and see what is right, what is wrong and what needs to be fixed.
Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?
yes
What are your thoughts on term limits?
I absolutely support terms limits - two terms should be enough. In 2018, our elected officials clearly have lost touch with the wants and needs of We the People, are ignorant about America's growing diversity and clamor for social justice, and have criminally ignored our Constitutional demands for public conversation about why and when we go to war. I am horrified about the lack of attention to climate change, institutional racism and real poverty in our cities and especially in rural America.
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
I believe 2018 will bring dramatic change and I will be the first Green Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Angus King - independent from Maine - shines bright for me.
Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
I'm outraged about what is happening in Congress right now and I believe both corporate-funded political parties are destroying America (and too much of the rest of the world). The 2-party system is broken and only a voter's revolution will change that.
Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
I've heard too much heartbreak from veterans, parents with children stolen by family court, and families destroyed by poisons such as PFAS in our drinking water. What stands out this minute, are the stories of our generational farmers. The 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills are a weapon aimed at family-owned dairy farms, driving farmers into bankruptcy, devastating the economies of our rural towns, and destroying America's control over our local food supply. In a recent mailing, one of the largest New England co-ops sent out information about suicide hotlines for farmers. Wake up America - buy local, go to farmer's markets, and always ask where you food comes from (and choose to buy American grown food) before 5,000 farms in our state turn to 5 mega-farms.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- New York's 21st Congressional District election, 2018
- New York's 21st Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
