Rep.-elect Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) held stints as the manager of government affairs and communications and media relations for the Space Foundation, the nonprofit advocacy group supported by many of the space industry's biggies. | Sue Ogrocki/AP Photo POLITICO SPACE Space policy wonk prepares to take her seat in Congress Kendra Horn, a former head of government affairs for the Space Foundation, sees a critical need to invest in the nation's space infrastructure.

Rep.-elect Kendra Horn, who pulled off an upset last month to win a seat in Oklahoma not held by a Democrat in 44 years, has a background in space policy -- and says she plans to apply it as a new member of Congress.

Horn, 42, who defeated GOP Rep. Steve Russell, held stints as the manager of government affairs and communications and media relations for the Space Foundation, the nonprofit advocacy group supported by many of the space industry's biggies.


Now, one of her goals is ensuring the federal government invests in the nation's aging space assets and infrastructure, just like it does roads and bridges.

“Things like the NOAA weather satellite system have been aging for a long time,” says Horn, who is seeking a perch on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. “We are wholly as a society growing more and more reliant on much of this infrastructure that has to be a part of the conversation as we talk about infrastructure packages.”

Horn, who also worked for former Rep. Brad Carson (D-Okla.) and has spent the last few years recruiting women for public office, spoke with POLITICO about why decided to to run and why space is important to her Oklahoma City district.

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This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell us about your space background.

I worked for the Space Foundation for a number of years, first in [Washington,] DC, in their government affairs department and then in their headquarters in Colorado where I was director of communications. I also worked for a small satellite start up company a few years ago that is no longer around [but] most of my time in space was with the Space Foundation.

There’s a lot of things that piqued my interest in space. I’ve always had an interest in science and space...I was introduced to the Space Foundation when I was leaving the Hill and had the opportunity to work on the breadth and depth of space relation issues. The Space Foundation works across the sector, including civil, commercial and national security space issues...It was a great opportunity to advocate for issues I think are really important for technological and scientific advancement. It was a lot fun.

Do you hope to tackle space issues in Congress?

Yes. There’s so many things that are important...I think there are some other tie-ins that people don’t think about. One of the pieces is in our infrastructure...It’s something that is important to many of us, but a lot of people think about just roads, bridges, water and power...Those are all very important things, but one of the things that gets left out of the conversation is our aging satellite infrastructure that covers communications and weather. Those are important pieces for us to include in the conversation.

Are you interested in serving on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee?

It is on the list of committees that I have requested because I did have the opportunity to work pretty closely with the science committee during my time with the Space Foundation.

Why is space important to Oklahoma?

Aerospace is a big interest in my district. In addition to my background and experience, there are a lot of other tie ins. Tinker Air Force Base is in [Republican Rep. Tom] Cole’s district right at the edge of mine, but a lot of employees and others that fall in my district are crossovers to the aerospace sector.

Oklahoma City, which is the largest city in my district, is really a growing and thriving community with a strong aerospace sector. We have the opportunity to bring in more business that can do scientific research but also work on developing some of the technologies.

From a science perspective, it’s also really critical because Oklahoma is impacted by weather in significant ways like tornadic activity and seismic activity...The ability to understand and predict weather is something that’s very important...There’s a tie-in to infrastructure, which is something that I want to continue to talk about because things like the NOAA weather satellite system has been aging for a long time. We have to address that. It’s an infrastructure issue but also a public health issue.

The third piece is...the challenges with our GPS system and the ability to have accurate information at different locations. We are wholly as a society growing more and more reliant on much of this infrastructure that has to be a part of the conversation as we talk about infrastructure packages

What made you pursue a career in politics?

I had spent the past few years after leaving the space industry...working on recruiting and training women to run for office and getting people more involved. I decided to run simply because I wanted to make a difference. I moved back to Oklahoma a few years ago because I saw a lot of challenges...We have more in common than we have different. We just have to get to work. In true Okie fashion, my parents taught me if you see a problem, you can’t complain unless you’re willing to get to work to fix it...That’s what made me decide to run.