Basic Information
Character Name: Nathan Cohen
Avatar: Jacob Frey
Seat: Massachusetts (Class 2)
Party: Democratic
Major Caucus: Progressive Democrats
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Homosexual
Race/Ethnicity: Ashkenazi
Religious Affiliation: Jewish
Date of Birth: July 23, 1975
Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts
Place of Residence: Provincetown, Massachusetts
Family Information
Parents: David Cohen; Judith Cohen (née Hoffman)
Siblings: Rebecca Levy (née Cohen); Leah Friedman (née Cohen)
Spouse: Ezra Abrams
Educational History
Boston Latin School – Diploma (1993)
Boston University – Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (1997)
Harvard Law School – Juris Doctor (2000)
Occupational History
Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy (2000-2003)
United States Army (2003-2011)
Rank of Captain at time of retirement
U.S. Representative from Massachusetts' 10th District (2009-2013)
Committee on Armed Services
Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
Committee on Education and Labor
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment, and Cyber
Subcommittee on Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (2013-)
Committee on Armed Services
Subcommittee on Airland
Subcommittee on Personnel
Subcommittee on SeaPower
Committee on Foreign Relations
Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy
Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation
Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Subcommittee on Children and Families
Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Key Votes
111th Congress
Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010: Nay
112th Congress
United States–Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Nay
113th Congress
Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization: Yea
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013: Yea
114th Congress
Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015: Yea
Biography
Nathan Tobias Cohen was born on July 23, 1975, the youngest of David and Judith Cohen's three children and their only son. His father was a civil rights lawyer and his mother was a professor of philosophy and bioethics at Boston University. Though his family could afford private schooling, his parents believed strongly in the public school system so Nate and his two older sisters attended Boston Latin School. While in high school, Nate was on the soccer and swim teams as well as being on the debate team and the student council. Nate graduated valedictorian of his graduating class in 1993. After graduating high school, Nate attended Boston University where he studied political science. He was a member of the Mu chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, active in the College Democrats, and served in the BU Senate, the representative branch of the BU Student Government. He graduated from Boston University with his BA in Political Science in 1997, then received his JD from Harvard in 2000.
Fresh out of law school, Nate decided to forego pursuit of any prestigious clerkships and followed his true passion for politics. He went to work as a legislative assistant to Senator Ted Kennedy, whom he'd personally met through the College Democrats while at Boston University. He had also interned in Kennedy's office during his time at Harvard Law. Nate worked in Kennedy's office for only a little over a year before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 occurred. By 2003, the war in Afghanistan was still ongoing and war with Iraq was imminent. Like Kennedy, Nate didn't agree with the Iraq War, but he felt called to serve alongside high school and college friends who had enlisted. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and progressed through Officer Candidate School, commissioned as a second lieutenant later that year. He went on to do two tours of duty in Iraq.
By the time Representative Bill Delahunt announced he wouldn't seek re-election to another House term in 2008, Nate had relocated to Provincetown after completing his active duty commitment and was finishing his service commitment in the Individual Ready Reserve. After consulting with family and friends, including political connections he'd made while working for Kennedy, he declared his candidacy to replace Delahunt in the House of Representatives. He ran an unabashedly progressive campaign in a district that had elected only Democrats since 1982, earning him victory in the Democratic primary. With 2008 being a very good year for Democrats thanks to the Obama wave, he coasted to victory with only token Republican opposition as expected in the reliably blue district.
It was during his freshman term in the House that he reconnected with Ezra Abrams, a fellow ZBT alumnus from Boston University, and the two began discreetly dating. Nate had been out to close family and friends for years, but thanks to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy he hadn't fully come out of the closet for the sake of maintaining his service in the Army. Nate publicly came out in 2010 during the debate over repealing DADT, despite the possibility he would be discharged. The discharge never came and DADT was repealed that year, a vote Nate has described as his proudest in Congress. Nate retired from the Army in 2011 and he and Ezra married later that year.
Incumbent U.S. Senator John Kerry was nominated to serve as U.S. Secretary of State in the Obama administration following President Obama's re-election, leaving a vacancy in the Senate pending his confirmation. Though progressive Representative Ed Markey was widely expected to run for the seat, he ultimately declined. Nate announced his candidacy after it was clear Markey wouldn't seek the seat, and faced off against fellow Representative Stephen Lynch, whose more conservative record on social issues — particularly abortion — galvanized grassroots progressive opposition against his primary candidacy. In the 2013 special election, Nate faced Republican businessman and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez, defeating him by a ten point margin on election day. He was easily re-elected to a full term in 2014.
Nate has been a consistently progressive voice in Congress since his election to the House in 2008, and an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights even before publicly coming out. He has supported public health care and voted in favor of the House health care reform bill that included a public option, though he ultimately cast his vote in favor of the Affordable Care Act despite omission of the public option from the final bill. Nate opposed the Iraq War and has called for a responsible withdrawal from Afghanistan, though he isn't as dovish as some of his fellow progressives in Congress. His overall record has trended even more progressive since his election to the Senate.
Nate and Ezra continue to reside in Provincetown. They're dog dads to a Fox Red Labrador Retriever named Rusty, but have put off child adoption for now due to their busy careers, with Ezra maintaining a pediatrics practice. They are active in Cape Cod Synagogue, a Reform Jewish congregation. Nate and Ezra are vegan, which Nate has called the easiest way to keep kosher, something they choose to do as a matter of personal choice even though Reform Judaism doesn't require it. They are also involved in community service projects, including running in the Boston Marathon for charity every year. Nate is a diehard New England Patriots fan and also casually follows other Boston teams.
Points
Gender: Male (0 points)
Age: 40-44 years old (10 points)
Sexuality: Openly Homosexual (25 points)
Race/Ancestry: Sephardic/Ashkenazi/Mizrahi (10 points)
Religion: Jewish (5 points)
Education:
College Degree at Private University (5 points)
JD at Top University (20 points)
Socioeconomic History: Top 5% (-10 points)
Career Information:
Federal Political Staffer (10 points)
Commissioned Officer, O-3 (10 points)
Political Experience:
House of Representatives (3 points x 2 terms = 6 points)
Senate (5 points)
Total: 96 points
