Inside the office of Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas): David A. Polin Jr.

David A. Polin Jr.

Title: Legislative assistant
Age: 26
Hometown: Weslaco, Texas
Education: B.A. in government, The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
Last job: Campaign manager of the Elect Blake Farenthold Committee
Legislative specialty: Immigration and border security
Favorite bill or law: The Bill of Rights (1791)
If you could create a new committee or subcommittee, what would it be? Oversight of Federal Elections
Most embarrassing moment on Capitol Hill: The first week of 112th Congress, I exited the elevator, hooked the corner, and walked into the wrong office. I had gotten off on wrong floor.
Interests outside of work: Anything that’s not work-related.

David Polin didn’t find politics so much as it found him.

He was working in real estate in Brownsville, Texas, and his boss was the city’s former mayor. In 2007, Polin’s boss decided to run for mayor again, and Polin became campaign manager out of sheer necessity.

“He was going insane — he was on three phones,” Polin recalls. “I said, ‘What do you need?’ He said, ‘I need to get my signs out.’ I said, ‘Okay. Do you have addresses?’ ”

An afternoon of sign delivery turned into Polin helping his boss reclaim the mayor’s office, after a tight four-person race resulted in a runoff victory for them. 

Polin’s cousin then decided to run for the board of the local college, Texas Southmost College, and he tapped Polin to guide the campaign. It was during one of his cousin’s campaign events that he met now-Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) just as Farenthold was getting his congressional campaign off the ground.

Polin’s cousin won his race, and seeing that Polin was 2-0 at that point in his campaign work, Farenthold hired him to oversee his election bid.

Farenthold’s victory brought Polin to Washington, where he’s now a legislative assistant for the freshman lawmaker.

Polin was interested in government and politics before he stumbled into campaign work. He has even been an elected official himself, holding the position of Senate president at his college, The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College (which are combined institutions).

“The administration hated us,” Polin said of himself and his Senate team, as they became experts in filing Freedom of Information Act requests to examine the university’s business in close detail.

As for his campaign success and fast track to Capitol Hill, he says, “It’s been a whirlwind.”

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