Forum Post: Lieutenant Colonel Tammy Duckworth!!! OR Joe (you lie) Walsh???

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Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born 1968) is the Democratic nominee in Illinois's 8th congressional district for the United States House of Representatives.[1] In 2006, Duckworth was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives seat for another district, Illinois's 6th congressional district, losing to her opponent Peter Roskam by 2% of the vote.[2] Previously she was the Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs[3][4] and the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.[5][6] Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran and former U.S. Army helicopter pilot whose severe combat wounds cost her both of her legs and damaged her right arm. She continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard along with her husband, Major Bryan W. Bowlsbey, a signal officer and fellow Iraq War veteran.[7]

A supporter of the presidential election campaign of Barack Obama, Duckworth was given a prime-time speaking slot on the third night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.[8] She served as the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011.[9][10] In March 2012, Duckworth defeated Raja Krishnamoorthi to win the Democratic nomination in Illinois's 8th congressional district and will face incumbent Republican Congressman Joe Walsh in the general election on November 6, 2012.[1]