Penn alumnus Dennis Spivack says his political career began at age six, when he would place bumper stickers on the back of his parents' car.
Now, the Democrat is a first-time candidate running for Delaware's sole congressional seat.
After fending off his party rivals in the primary last month, Spivack faces popular 14-year incumbent Mike Castle in the election on Nov. 7.
Spivack used to worry that a lack of funds would hinder his campaign, but says he has since stopped worrying about that.
Though he has only raised $400,000 compared to the $1.4 million collected by his opponent, Spivack says this number surpasses those of others who have run in similar races.
He has a long way to go to catch up with Castle, though, who led him by 39 percentage points according to an independent poll released Sept. 25.
Spivack is steadily catching up, though, his campaign manager said.
"I always felt that if there was a Democratic candidate that actually went to the people, explained the issues, and listened, that such a candidate would become a viable opponent to Mr. Castle," Spivack said.
Spivack said that he has been campaigning actively since last year, and that while he has never previously run for office, he has a long history of political involvement.
Glenn Shipley, Spivack's campaign manager, said the campaign has a "great feat to overcome" facing Castle, a Republican.
"Our opponent has an incredible name recognition," Shipley said. "We just introduced Dennis to other political leaders and politicians, and started from ground zero."
Shipley said he was confident that Spivack has a shot at winning in November.
"Our chances are pretty good," he said.
Jim Catella, campaign manager for Castle, said that Spivack was a "serious competitor."
"He's worked hard, he's very aggressive. . Regardless, Castle always runs hard and he runs on his record. . It doesn't matter to us how hard our opponent is working," Catella said.
Spivack said he pledges to address issues such as the Iraq war, implementing universal health care and improving education.
He added that his Penn education greatly influenced his political development, especially "the fact that so many speakers came with so many different perspectives, and I got to hear . their different views."
Spivack also attributes his development as a politician to the era in which he grew up.
"There was an explosion of ideas in the '60s," he said. "It was so unusual because we really had what I considered to be great leaders emerging that inspired the college generation," he said.
Spivack added that leaders such as John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King "made people aware of what was happening, and inspired students to a certain greatness and a certain commitment to their country."
A good leader, he said, is "an ordinary person that does extraordinary things."
