Currently a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Donna Brazile, 40, has been involved in politics more than half her life. A Louisiana native who earned her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University, Brazile first gained national attention in 1981 as the National Student Coordinator for the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee, which successfully petitioned to make the civil rights leader's birthday a national holiday.
 
In 1984, she served as Deputy Campaign manager for Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign. Although Jackson lost the Democratic nomination, his showing in that race elevated his stature, and Brazile can claim much responsibility for his "success" because she was head of his get-out-the-vote effort. Later, she served in former Massachusetts' Governor Michael Dukakis' presidential campaign, drawing heat for demanding that then-Republican Vice President and presidential candidate George Bush Sr. air his dirty laundry regarding an alleged extramarital affair. She subsequently was forced to resign her post with the Dukakis campaign.