TrendPo Midnight Vignettes — Adam Kinzinger

At 34 years old, Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) is one of the youngest members of Congress. Raised in Bloomington, Illinois, Adam graduated from Illinois State University in 2000 and went on to join the US Air Force in 2003. He was promoted to Major during three tours of duty in Iraq. In 2010, he was endorsed by Sarah Palin and won the 11th Congressional District against Democratic incumbent Debbie Halvorson. This year, he faced long time Rep. Dan Manzullo in a March primary after re-districting. He defeated Manzullo 56%-44%.

In 2006, the Wisconsin Red Cross named Kinzinger “Hero of the Year” for wrestling a knife-wielding man to the ground after the man had cut the throat of a woman on the street. Kinzinger stated “The whole time it was, to me, kind of a done deal that I was going to get stabbed in the process, but I knew that this wasn’t something I could wake up to…everyday with that memory that I watched her die.” The woman survived. For this act Kinzinger also received the United States Air Force Airman’s Medal and the National Guard’s Valley Forge Cross for Heroism.(TrendPo will highlight a new politician each night at midnight EST until Nov. 6th)