Alumni

John Baughman is Associate Professor and Chair of Politics at Bates College. His research focuses on the institutional development of Congress, with a particular focus on the pre-Civil War era, and he teaches on U.S. political institutions, elections, and political behavior. Prior to arriving at Bates in 2000, he worked for British M.P. Rhodri Morgan and for U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago.

Ben Cline conveys Virginia’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he is a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on the Budget. He previously served as a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 24th District from 2002-2018. In the Virginia House, Cline chaired the Committee on Militia, Police, and Public Safety.

Prior to his election to the House of Representatives in 2018, Ben was an attorney in private practice. From 2007 until 2013, he served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Rockingham County and the City of Harrisonburg.

Ben also worked for Congressman Bob Goodlatte, beginning as a member of his legislative staff in 1994 and ultimately serving as the Congressman’s Chief of Staff.Ben grew up in Rockbridge County, Virginia, and is a 1990 graduate of Lexington High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bates College and his law degree from the University of Richmond. Ben and his wife Elizabeth live in Botetourt County with their two daughters.

Congressman Jared Golden represents the Second District of Maine in the United States Congress, where he serves on the Small Business Committee and the Armed Services Committee.

Congressman Golden grew up in Leeds, working in his family’s multi-generational small business in Androscoggin County. Following graduation from Leavitt Area High School, Jared entered the University of Maine at Farmington with the intention of becoming a teacher. Just a year into college, however, the events of 9/11 led him to enlist in the Marines, where he served combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Upon returning, he sometimes held down three jobs — from stretching pizza dough to pushing a broom — to make ends meet. The congressman went on to complete college on the GI Bill before returning to Afghanistan as a civilian to help establish schools for young Afghans. He also served as a policy advisor on the U.S. Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee before running to represent Lewiston in the Maine State Legislature.

Congressman Golden currently lives in Lewiston with his wife Isobel and daughter Rosemary.