A year or so back, I personally helped a congressman campaign for office. I made phone calls, marched in parades with him and even attended a party at his home. Eventually, he was elected. I remember one of his aides mentioning that he would be more than willing to write me a letter of rec. I am interested in a major in politics and attending a school in the DC area. Would a letter from a local congressman be significantly better than one by a teacher (who knows me much better)? Thanks in advance for any replies!
I don’t think it would be INSTEAD of a letter of rec from a teacher, right? But in addition to your teacher recs? I’m pretty sure teacher recs are required.
Can this congressman be specific to you in the rec or will it be fairly generic? I get the sense you volunteered for his campaign but did you have a close working relationship with him? If not, it won’t help too much.
The teachers’ recommendations are important and will carry more weight. Definitely include the required number of teacher recommendations! But if the Congressman actually knows you personally and can speak about you knowledgeably, it won’t hurt to send it in as an ‘extra’ letter, particularly given your intended major. It would show you have been acting on your passionate interests. But if the Congressman does not know you well and the letter would read as kind of generic and nonspecific, don’t bother.