Career
As one of the District of Columbia"s two Shadow Senators, Strauss lobbies the United States. Senate and the United States. House of Representatives on behalf of the citizens of District of Columbia in their attempt to gain full federal representation, self-determination, and eventually admittance to the Union as the 51st state. In 2006, Strauss ran for the District"s City Council to represent Ward 3. He came in second place in the Democratic primary, receiving 15% of the vote, while Mary Cheh received 44% of the vote.
Strauss was selected to be a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention where he endorsed Barack Obama.
Strauss was re-elected in 2008. Strauss received 65% of the vote in the September Democratic primary, while Democratic challenger Philosophy Pannell received 33%.
In the November general election, Strauss faced Republican Nelson F. Rimensnyder, District of Columbia Statehood Green Party candidate Keith Ware, and Libertarian Party Candidate Damien Lincoln Ober. Strauss received 82% of the vote, giving him his largest margin of victory ever.
Strauss was again re-elected in 2014, with 77.3% of the vote.
Strauss" trips to Iowa in early 2015 prompted speculation that he was considering running for President in the 2016 election. Strauss was born in Brooklyn, was raised in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He moved to Washington, District of Columbia in 1982, earning his bachelor"s degree (1986) and Juris Doctor (1993) at American University.
Strauss lives in the Observatory Circle/Glover Park neighborhood in the District.
Strauss is an attorney and principal of the Law Offices of Paul Strauss & Associates, Professional Corporation, a law firm specializing in real estate, business, and family law. Strauss is a former Chairperson of the District"s Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals.
He has been a union organizer for Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union Local 25. As a youth, Strauss was volunteer in election campaigns of Mario Biaggi, Hugh Carey, and Jimmy Carter.
At 17, he interned for New York City Mayor Editor Koch with his own desk in the Tweed Courthouse.
In his first political campaign in Washington, District of Columbia, he mobilized other college students to register to vote against raising the drinking age to 21. On October 1, 2008, Strauss was arrested for drunken driving. He was found to have a blood-alcohol level at twice the legal level of intoxication.
On May 29, 2009, he pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to a 60-day suspended jail sentence, 11 months of supervised probation, a $300 fine, and $100 fine to be paid to the victims of violent crime compensation fund.
1996 Shadow Senator, District of Columbia, Democratic Primary Election
1996 Shadow Senator, District of Columbia, General Election
2002 Shadow Senator, District of Columbia, Democratic Primary Election
2002 Shadow Senator, District of Columbia, General Election
2006 Representative for Ward 3 in the District of Columbia Council, Democratic Primary Election
2008 Shadow Senator, District of Columbia, Democratic Primary Election
2008 Shadow Senator, District of Columbia, General Election.