Jeffrey Landon

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Jeffrey Feuling Landon
US Senator
In Office: 2009 - 2013
Constituency	Washington, Oregon, Hawaii
Preceded by	Vacant
Succeeded by	Ross Kessler
Born	June 8th, 1958 Seattle, Washington; United States
Political Party	Democratic Party
Spouse	Julia Anderson Landon
Religion	None Listed

Jeffrey F. Landon (born June 8, 1958) is a United States politician. He was the Junior United States Senator from the Pacific Coast region from 2009 until 2013.

Contents 1 Early Life 2 Politics 3 2012 Presidential Race 4 Leaving Politics

[edit] Early Life

Jeffrey Francis Landon was born in 1958 in Seattle, Washington, the only child in a small, well-off business-oriented Washington family with roots from Kansas (and a distant relation to that of Governor Alf Landon). His father, Jeffrey Richard Landon, was a Banker and his mother, Agatha Scott-Landon was a Physician. In 1976, Landon was admitted to Yale University and graduated 4 years later with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science.

While studying there, Landon became involved in many activist student organizations, including becoming President of a student nuclear disarmament group. In 1980, he first became interested in politics, supporting Barry Commoner for President (though eventually casting a vote for John Bayard Anderson) in his Independent environmentalist campaign. Landon supported Gary Hart in the 1984 Democratic primary and early in the 1988 primary. He eventually wrote in Lloyd Bentsen's name in the General Election ballot. Landon has two sons, Thomas Jefferson Landon born in 1984, and Jared Landon born in 1990.

[edit] Politics

In 1995, Landon officially joined the Democratic Party. His first run for political office came in 1996 when he ran, partially as an experiment, for the Democratic nomination in the Congressional election for his district's seat. (Washington's 1st) He almost won the nomination, coming within a few percent in a crowded field. After the race, Landon spent several years actively participating in party work across the state, eventualy being elected as one of the deputy party chairmen of the Washington State Democratic Party.

In 2006, after the sudden retirement of the incumbent, Landon announced his intent to run for the seat a second time. He won the seat in the 2006 Democratic takeover of the house, running against District Attorney Ted Styer. The race was relatively clean, with the Styer campaign being focused on law and order and the Landon campaign on environmentalism.

Washington 1st Congressional District

	Candidates	Votes	%
	Jeffrey Landon	31,453	54.23%
	Ted Steyer	26,546	45.77%
Total		57,999

After a relatively quiet and uneventful term in Congress, Landon was drafted by party leaders to run for the Senate seat in the 2008 election. He won the nomination in a quiet primary against Congressman Jesse Cockerham. The Republican nominee was neighboring Seattle Congressman Devin Fox.

The race quickly turned bitter, with Fox attacking Landon for failing to address the issue of numerous jobs lost by Boeing employees in Washington. Landon retorted by attacking Fox's Free Trade policies as leading to outsourcing and further loss of jobs. However, the centerpiece of Landon's campaign was a plan to clean up the Hanford Nuclear Proliferation Site which had been located on the Columbia river for nearly half a century. Landon took a strongly environmental position in order to woo Hawaiian and Washington voters (as his support in Oregon was low due to his support of Civil Unions)

The polls showed both candidates in dead heat. However, as the race went on, Landon's support seemed to fall and many predicted a win for Fox. In the end, despite being outfunded by $9 Million, Landon came from behind in the polls and pulled off a surprise victory. His Hanford Cleanup plan was likely instrumental in winning the support of Washington independents.

U.S. Senate - Pacific Coast - Class 3

	Candidates	Votes	%
	Jeffrey Landon	1,166,334	50.90%
	Devin Fox	1,125,192	49.10%
Total		2,291,526

[edit] 2012 Presidential Race

In late 2011, Landon announced his intent to run for the Presidency. His campaign was initially seen as having promise, largely due to his "Rising Star" status within the Democratic Party and at the conclusion of the year 2011, he had fundraised more money than any candidate except the frontrunner, Illinois Senator Michael Casmir However, illness sidetracked the Landon campaign, forcing him to withdraw from the race days before the first primaries after he was forced to go into treatment for cancer.

[edit] Leaving Politics

With the cancer treatment not as effective as first thought, Landon resigned from his Senate position in 2013.