Rep. Nicole Malliotakis
Representative for New York s 11th Congressional District
When Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, 40–one of the unprecedentedly large number of GOP women to enter Congress this year–was a child, she suffered from shyness.
A number of suggestions were made: Her pediatrician said Nicole could overcome her reticence by joining sports teams while others suggested theater.
But Nicole’s politically aware and Cuban born mother, Vera Malliotakis, decided to go a different route. “I put her in politics,” Vera told the New York Times. “I picked it because I wanted her to talk to people.”
Nicole signed on as a young volunteer to the successful congressional campaign of Vito J. Fossella, a Republican who would serve six terms representing New York’s 13th congressional district. “She stuffed envelopes, talked to people on the phone, handed out palm cards,” Vera Malliotakis added.