U.S. House District 1 Dem. Primary: Bill Shein

Bill Shein is a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Massachusetts first district.

Shein was born in Harrison, N.Y. in 1967. His father died the following year, so he grew up with his mother and two older sisters. When his mother was remarried in 1983 they moved to New York City.

With the help of financial aid and work-study jobs, Shein graduated from Tufts University in 1990. He went to work in Washington for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He left the DSCC to work as a writer and humorist -- he wrote jokes for now-Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota).

Shein now lives in the town of Alford in Berkshire County. His girlfriend, Christina, has three teenagers.