Ed Potosnak is an American teacher and politician in the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

. He was the unsuccessful candidate in the 2010 election for Congress in New Jersey's 7th district

New Jersey's 7th congressional district

New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Leonard Lance.In the 2008 election, Mike Ferguson did not seek another term. Linda Stender won the Democratic nomination unopposed, while Republican primary voters chose State Senator Leonard Lance in a field of...

. He is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for the seat again in 2012.

Early life and education

Ed Potosnak was born on July 2, 1972. He attended Montville Township High School and graduated Rutgers University, earning a Bachelor's of Arts in Chemistry and a Masters of Education. In college, Potosnak worked as an Adviser and Counselor for Residence Life. He served as an electrician at the Cabaret Theatre, director of Into the Woods

Into the Woods

Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...

, and Man of La Mancha

Man of La Mancha

Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote...

 with Rutgers College Program Council, and was President of the Rutgers University Glee Club

Rutgers University Glee Club

Founded in 1872, the Rutgers University Glee Club is the eighth oldest Glee Club in the United States of America, a nationally recognized men's chorus based at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is currently conducted by Dr...

.

Potosnak taught Chemistry at Bridgewater-Raritan High School

Bridgewater-Raritan High School

Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school. It is the single high school of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District serving students from Bridgewater Township and Raritan in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States...

, New Jersey and lectured at Rutgers University. He directed the Spring Musical at Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School. He raised a small amount of money through partnerships with a few local businesses to develop a couple science lessons, fund a few research projects and allow a few students to participate in extra-curricular activities.

He was awarded the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship for math and science teachers. The fellowship is intended to provide an opportunity for teachers to utilize their classroom experience to shape Federal policy in Washington D.C. In his time as an Einstein Fellow, Potosnak worked on education policy in the Office of Congressman Mike Honda

Mike Honda

Michael Makoto "Mike" Honda is an American Democratic Party politician. He currently serves as the U.S. Representative for , encompassing western San Jose and Silicon Valley...

 (D-CA). After two consecutive Einstein Fellowships, Potosnak served briefly as a Legislative Assistant for Congressman Michael Honda (D-CA).

Endorsements

Potosnak is openly gay, and has received an endorsement from the Stonewall Democrats.

Election Results

Running unopposed in the primary election and faced with a low midterm primary turnout, Ed gathered over 8,000 votes in total in his bid to become the nominee.

External links

• Ed Potosnak for Congress official campaign site
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org