Philip Bennett

Legislative Correspondent — Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)

My Bio

I was born in Mexico and grew up in a Jewish household in Los Angeles, CA. I was always exposed to public service and giving back throughout my childhood which lead me to pursue internships in the L.A. Mayor’s Office and my local Councilman’s office during college. I graduated from Knox College (Galesburg, IL) in 2014 with a degree in political science and environmental studies. During college, I participated in Student Senate and was eventually elected President. I always found it rewarding to be directly involved in the decision-making mechanisms wherever I was. After graduating, I moved back to Los Angeles to serve as a Field Deputy to Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz for nearly two years. After the 2016 election, I felt compelled more than ever to be on the frontlines of change and politics and moved to Washington, D.C. After submitting nearly 150 different job applications across the DMV area, I finally received one response which came from Congresswoman Julia Brownley’s office and started right away as a staff assistant in January 2017. A year later, I found myself in Congressman Earl Blumenauer’s office as a legislative correspondent. My journey continues in Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s office as her scheduler in October.

What does it mean to be Hispanic / Latinx on Capitol Hill to you?

I am proud to identify as a brown indigenous Latinx staffer on Capitol Hill. When I have the privilege to hear from younger staffers trying to make their way on Capitol Hill, I remind myself to be the person I wish I had and needed when I was starting out. There is a tremendous amount of pressure to be perfect, know everything, and have an impressive career trajectory. To me, what is more important and fulfilling is being unapologetically yourself, allow yourself the freedom to flourish, and do not let anyone else set the terms of your success.

What kind of impact do you hope to make?

I want to break the mold of who we think can be a Capitol Hill staffer. You should not have to be wealthy, well-connected and white to work here. I am proud to be part of a growing number of a more diverse workforce in Congressional offices. I want to help people realize they can have higher expectations of Capitol Hill, know your worth, and don’t settle. It took me a while to realize that we can and should aggressively raise expectations of where we work.

What motivates you to keep going? Or what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

Where I am today is not even close to what I have yet to achieve and contribute. The idea that there’s more to do and greater heights to reach both overwhelms and excites me. One piece of advice and guidance I wish I had when I was younger is this: Find someone who has your dream job and work backwards from there. Figure out what they did to get where they are. Whether that be internships, career changes, or something unconventional. This one piece of advice has helped me realize that a lot of conventional careerist wisdom doesn’t hold up equally for everyone and that everyone’s trajectory is totally different. Live your truth.