Obama Defense Secretary Panetta Endorses Farkas for Congress

Evelyn Farkas, Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Obama, has announced that Leon Panetta, former Secretary of Defense and White House Chief of Staff has endorsed her campaign to succeed retiring Rep. Nita Lowey in New York’s 17th Congressional District.

Before being appointed secretary of defense by President Obama, Panetta’s career included a lengthy tenure in the House of Representatives and service in such critical appointed positions as CIA Director under Obama and Director of the Office of Management and Budget and Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton.

“When I was Secretary of Defense, Evelyn served me and the nation as an outstanding public servant,” Panetta said. “She will serve you as an outstanding member of Congress.”

“I am truly honored to have the support of Secretary Panetta, who was a mentor during my tenure at the Department of Defense and is someone I continue to consider a role model,” Farkas said. “Secretary Panetta is also the child of immigrants and exemplifies hard work and service to country. I am exceedingly proud of the work we did together, keeping Americans safe and standing up for democracy and the rule of law. Today, with the Republican assault against voting rights, healthcare, and a woman’s right to choose, I am running for Congress to continue the mission to which Secretary Panetta and I have dedicated our careers: defending our nation’s values and protecting the promise of the American Dream.”

Secretary Panetta’s endorsement adds to a growing list of support for Farkas from such experienced leaders as former Secretary of State John Kerry, Senators Carl Levin and Bob Graham and Representatives Marcy Kaptur and Tom Malinowksi, as well as progressive activists Rob Reiner and Jane Lynch.

The daughter of Hungarian refugees, Farkas was raised in Westchester and attended public school there. For nearly three decades, she has represented the United States defending democracy and advancing human rights in the Defense Department and on the Senate Armed Services
Committee staff. She has served as executive director of the WMD Commission and was a human rights officer in Bosnia and a professor at the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College. She has advised numerous former senators and representatives, including Hillary Clinton and Nita Lowey.

New York's 17th Congressional District for the United States House of Representatives is located in the Lower Hudson Valley. It includes all of Rockland County and portions of central and northwestern Westchester County, including Chappaqua, Mt. Kisco, Ossining, Peekskill,
Pleasantville, Tarrytown, White Plains, Cortlandt and Yorktown Heights. District residents interested in Farkas' election campaign can visit evelynforny.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to learn more, volunteer or contribute.