Elect an entrepreneur

Party: Democratic
District: Colorado, 4th
Incumbent and challenger: Marilyn Musgrave (R)
markeyforcongress.com
Outcome: Won

Betsy Markey is no stranger to public service. In the early eighties she worked on Capitol Hill and then for the State Department. From 2005 to 2007, she was an aide to U.S. Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado. But Markey, 52, also boasts a number of entrepreneurial credentials.

Twenty years ago, Markey and her husband co-founded an electronic communications and data processing company, Syscom Services, which survived the dot-com crash and is now a $7 million firm based in Maryland.

Then there was the small coffee and sandwich shop in Fort Collins, Colo., that Markey owned while she was raising three young children.

"I ended up selling it five years later for twice what I paid for it," she says.

It's this combination of business expertise and a public policy background that Markey thinks will make her a good representative in Congress.

"As a small business owner, I've worked hard not to spend more money than we make in order to generate a profit," she says. "But I don't see that happening in Washington. We need to get back to fiscal discipline."

Energy and small business growth are among the first issues Markey would tackle if she wins. She wants to make the renewable energy sector's Production Tax Credit permanent, and support increasing the Small Business Enterprise Credit, which offers a tax deduction for start-up costs, from $5,000 to $10,000.

Although Markey is challenging a three-term incumbent, Congressional Quarterly recently wrote that Democratic strategists view her "as one of their top prospects to win a Republican House seat this year."

NEXT: Richard Hanna