Krystal Ball
Encyclopedia
Krystal Marie Ball is a businesswoman, certified public accountant
, and political commentator. She was the Democratic Party
nominee for United States Congress
in Virginia's 1st congressional district
in the 2010 election, losing to Republican Rob Wittman
.
Ball has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Virginia
. She is a business owner and CPA. Ball and her husband, Jonathan Dariyanani, have a daughter, Ella, born in 2008.
Ball had worked for the federal contractor CGI Group
. She traveled to Louisiana to assist in the court’s efforts to recover after Hurricane Katrina. While working full-time with the courts, she took night classes to earn her CPA.
72% of Ball's funding was from out of state donors.
and CNN
, before becoming a paid employee of MSNBC
as a "contributor" and "Democratic strategist".
attached to her then-husband's nose. Ball admitted the photos depicted her, adding "of course it's embarrassing, but more than that, I'm pretty angry about it. I think this is incredibly sexist. I think it's outrageous." In a response article published by The Huffington Post, Ball stated that "[s]ociety has to accept that women of my generation have sexual lives that are going to leak into the public sphere". She also attributed reactions to the photos as due to "this whole idea that female sexuality and serious work are incompatible" and expressed concern that accepting such conduct as part of politics would create a glass ceiling
for women in politics.
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
, and political commentator. She was 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...
nominee for United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in Virginia's 1st congressional district
Virginia's 1st congressional district
Virginia's first congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. It is often referred to as "America's First District" as it includes Jamestown, the first English settlement in the New World...
in the 2010 election, losing to Republican Rob Wittman
Rob Wittman
Robert J. Wittman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from the fringes of the Washington suburbs to the Hampton Roads area...
.
Personal life, education and career
Ball's father, Edward Ball, was born in West Virginia and has a Ph.D. in physics. Her mother, Rose Marie Ball, is an educator in King George County. The name Krystal came from her father, a physicist who did his dissertation on crystals.Ball has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. She is a business owner and CPA. Ball and her husband, Jonathan Dariyanani, have a daughter, Ella, born in 2008.
Ball had worked for the federal contractor CGI Group
CGI Group
CGI Group Inc. is an information technology management and business process services company. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, CGI employs approximately 31,000 professionals in over 125 offices in 16 countries. As of September 2010, CGI had an annual revenue of CA $3.7...
. She traveled to Louisiana to assist in the court’s efforts to recover after Hurricane Katrina. While working full-time with the courts, she took night classes to earn her CPA.
2010 U.S. Congressional campaign
In 2010 Ball ran to represent Virginia's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives and was defeated by Republican incumbent Rob Wittman. Early in the race, Ball was endorsed by WUFPAC (Women Under Forty Political Action Committee). Despite being defeated by a margin of 63.90% to 34.76%, the former candidate was named by Forbes Magazine as number 21 on the magazine’s "The Top 25 Most Powerful Women Of The Midterm Elections".Political positions
Ball supported:- Education reform, including charter schools, using technology, alternative certification of teachers, and paying teachers six figure salaries.
- The 2nd amendment as insuring individual gun right (she is an NRA member). Ball has stated that she is "uneasy" about guns in National Parks.
- Supports a lifetime ban on lobbying by former members of Congress, banning lobbyist gifts, increasing disclosure, and establishing a new Independent Ethics Commission to investigate and audit influence by special interests.
72% of Ball's funding was from out of state donors.
Political commentator
After the end of her campaign, Ball made appearances on the Fox News ChannelFox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, before becoming a paid employee of MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
as a "contributor" and "Democratic strategist".
Controversial photos
In October 2010, Ball received national attention when photos taken six years earlier emerged showing her at a holiday party dressed as a "naughty Santa" sucking a red dildoDildo
A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for bodily penetration during masturbation or sex with partners.- Description and uses :...
attached to her then-husband's nose. Ball admitted the photos depicted her, adding "of course it's embarrassing, but more than that, I'm pretty angry about it. I think this is incredibly sexist. I think it's outrageous." In a response article published by The Huffington Post, Ball stated that "[s]ociety has to accept that women of my generation have sexual lives that are going to leak into the public sphere". She also attributed reactions to the photos as due to "this whole idea that female sexuality and serious work are incompatible" and expressed concern that accepting such conduct as part of politics would create a glass ceiling
Glass ceiling
In economics, the term glass ceiling refers to "the unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements." Initially, the metaphor applied to barriers in the careers of women but...
for women in politics.
External links
- Krystal Ball for Congress official campaign site
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org