Luther alums have gone on to find success in many fields, and come November 2008, another could succeed as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Kurt Meyer (‘76) is running in Iowa, and his family, including Luther junior Ellie Meyer (‘09), is proudly supporting him.

“It means a lot of life changes for me, and I’m really excited,” said Ellie of her involvement in the campaign. “It’s uprooting but also exciting.”

Kurt Meyer has not run for Congress in the past due to family responsibilities, but now that almost all of his children are out of high school, Meyer decided it is time to run.

“He’s the kind of guy who’s passionate about what he’s doing, and he’s been putting it on the back burner because of our family,” said Ellie. “He’s finally at a point in his life where it’s possible for him to run.”

This is not the first time that Meyer has thought about running.

“He’s always been super passionate about politics and serving people, and he stands for a lot of things that I think could mean really big changes in a positive way,” said Ellie. “I feel like my dad is one of the most passionate men I know, and his passion is inspirational. When he puts his mind to something, he gets it done.”

Thankfully, Iowa ranks high on Meyer’s list of passions.

“He’s so passionate about Iowa and the environment of Iowa, and he really wants to represent the people of Iowa,” said Ellie. “He really wants to represent the true voice of fourth district Iowans.”

Meyer has three main campaign goals. The first is to get soldiers home from Iraq quickly and safely. The second is to ensure that every woman, man and child has healthcare, and the third is to strengthen the economy. He is also concerned about the environment.

Before the campaign can really take off, Meyer must win the primary on June 3 in order to continue in the race.

“There are three other Democratic candidates going against him in the primary, and if — I mean when — he wins that, he’ll be going up against Latham,” said Ellie. “He really feels it’s an issue of misrepresentation of Iowa’s fourth district, and he wants to beat Tom Latham.”

One event Kurt Meyer supporters should watch for is approaching.

“April 26 is the district convention in Boone, Iowa, and the campaign is looking for people to go and support Kurt Meyer,” said Ellie. “I will update the Facebook site regarding it.”

Ellie created a Facebook group in support of her father, and she keeps the information updated to inform his supporters of new developments.

“I made it global over spring break so that Luther students and people in the district and other areas could get fired up for the campaign,” she said.

Ellie has also extended her support well beyond the realm of the Internet.

“I’ve already visited county conventions throughout northeast Iowa,” she said. “This summer I’m staying in Decorah and continuing on the campaign. It will be an exciting summer.”

Ellie’s summer will be spent between Decorah, the campaign headquarters in Ames and the family’s hometown of Mona, Iowa.

But Ellie is not the only family member who is helping with her dad’s campaign.

“[My mom] is his main sidekick,” said Ellie. “She was vice president of mutual funds at American Express until she retired a couple of years ago. Now she has more time to commit to the campaign, and she really helps him.”

Kurt’s wife Paula is also a Luther alumna.

“[Being a Luther alum] definitely helps with the campaign, because people all over Iowa respect the name of Luther,” said Ellie. “People know what it stands for and really respect it. It’s an awesome institution.”

The Luther community has also helped Ellie in her quest to get her dad elected.

“[Luther] is a great support system for me, and many people go out of their way to help me out in my work on the campaign,” she said.

Overall, the thought of her dad winning the election is very exciting for Ellie.

“It’d be really cool to be a congressman’s daughter,” she said. “I’ve never considered if I’m interested in doing anything political myself, but I don’t want to count anything out.”

Anyone who would like to join Ellie on the campaign trail or would like more information on her work for her father’s campaign can e-mail her at meyeel02@luther.edu and Kurt Meyer’s stances on the issues can be found at http://www.kurtmeyerforcongress.com.