Lynn Hardy Yeakel is a former 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...

 politician from Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. Yeakel ran for Senate in 1992 against powerful but vulnerable incumbent Arlen Specter

Arlen Specter

Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...

; despite leading in the polls early in the campaign, she ultimately lost due to political inexperience.

Yeakel is the daughter of Porter Hardy, Jr.

Porter Hardy, Jr.

Porter Hardy, Jr. was a U.S. Representative from Virginia.Born in Bon Air, Virginia, Hardy attended the public schools and Randolph-Macon Academy, Bedford, Virginia....

, who represented Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 in Congress from 1947-69. She attended Randolph College

Randolph College

Randolph College is a private liberal arts and sciences college located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Founded in 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman's College, it was renamed on July 1, 2007, when it became coeducational....

, an exclusive all-female liberal arts school, before pursuing a career in advertising. In 1965, she married wealthy Kidder, Peabody & Co.

Kidder, Peabody & Co.

Kidder, Peabody & Co. was a U.S.-based securities firm, established in Massachusetts in 1865. Its operations included investment banking, brokerage, and trading....

 executive Paul Yeakel. Prior to entering politics, she was involved with philanthropy in the exclusive Philadelphia Main Line; in 1977, she co-founded Women's Way, an organization designed to raise awareness on for issues related to women's rights. In 1991, after experiencing outrage over Specter's patronizing tone toward Anita Hill

Anita Hill

Anita Faye Hill is an American attorney and academic—presently a professor of social policy, law and women's studies at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management. She became a national figure in 1991 when she alleged that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had...

 in the Clarence Thomas

Clarence Thomas

Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....

 proceedings, she jumped into politics; by continuously making Specter's perceived sexism an issue, she jumped out to an early lead, but the political savvy of the incumbent lead to her ultimate loss.

In 1994, Yeakel took a position with the Department of Health and Human Services as a regional director for nonprofit coordination. Currently, she is a director of women's studies at Drexel University

Drexel University

Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...

.