10 Things You Didn't Know About Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

1. Debbie Wasserman was born September 27, 1966, in Forest Hills, N.Y., to Lawrence and Ann Wasserman. She grew up on Long Island.

2. In 1988, she graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Florida, where she also received a master's degree in political science in 1990.

3. After finishing her master's, she served as a legislative aide to Democratic Florida state Rep. Peter Deutsch.

4. She married banker Steve Schultz shortly before running for the Florida House seat Deutsch was leaving to run for Congress. The couple now has three young children.

5. In 1992, Wasserman Schultz won Deutsch's seat. At 26, she was the youngest woman elected to the state legislature, where she served for eight years, two as minority leader.

6. Wasserman Schultz was elected to the Florida state Senate in 2000, where she served for four years.

7. In 2004, she was elected to Congress to fill the seat vacated by Deutsch. She raised more than $1 million for her campaign and won 70 percent of the vote. Her Republican opponent accused her of not being able to balance motherhood with serving in Congress.

8. She is the first Jewish congresswoman elected from Florida.

9. In 2009, she revealed that over the past year, she had battled breast cancer and undergone seven surgeries, including a double mastectomy.

10. In 2011, President Obama tapped Wasserman Schultz to succeed Tim Kaine as chair of the Democratic National Committee.

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