Jake Zimmerman '96, candidate for the Missouri House of Representatives, will visit the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on Tuesday, Sept. 19 to discuss "Running and Winning: What it Takes." The public portion of his discussion begins at 6:45 p.m.; seating is free, on a first-come basis.
After charting a political course from long-shot outsider to established unopposed candidate in less than a year, Zimmerman will begin serving in the Missouri Legislature in January 2007. His experience running for office in an important swing state offers an enticing glimpse into the real dynamics of campaign life.
Zimmerman, a Missouri native, graduated with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and government, and from Harvard Law School in 2000. While attending CMC, Zimmerman served as ASCMC vice president. He has been recognized with several awards for his leadership and dedication to public service, including the esteemed Harry S. Truman scholarship. After several political internships including one in Bill Clinton's White House, Zimmerman worked as a campaign field office director, an attorney in private practice, assistant Missouri attorney general, deputy chief counsel to the governor of Missouri, and again as a private-sector attorney before running for office.
As assistant Missouri attorney general, Zimmerman fought on behalf of people victimized by fraud and illegal business practices. Some of his major successes include the prosecution of Internet scammers pretending to sell computers on e-Bay while pocketing the money without shipment, suing cell phone companies who misled customers by disguising extraneous fees as taxes, and putting a fraudulent "training school" out of business that conned $2,500 in tuition fees from potential students.