Krystal Ball

Krystal Marie Ball is a 29-year-old former Congressional candidate and current Democratic Strategist; in addition to being a Certified Public Accountant, software engineer, small business owner and mother. Krystal was the Democratic Nominee for US Congress for the 1st District of Virginia in 2010. Although she did not win, her electoral performance was exceptional given the overall climate for Democrats in 2010. Her campaign displayed an unusually strong fundraising prowess and excelled in the use of social media in politics. The campaign raised over $1M as a first time candidate from more than 6,000 donors in all 50 states. The campaign also weathered a high-profile controversy when party photos from Ball’s early twenties were released by a Republican blog. The photos made Krystal into an overnight internet superstar and her forceful response made her into an icon for many young feminists. Krystal was born in rural King George County, Virginia, where she had her own pet goats and attended local public schools. Krystal was an undefeated state champion swimmer, NCAA Div I scholarship athlete and has a degree in economics from the University of Virginia. For the previous four years, Krystal has owned her own educational software design company, building learning software used in public and private schools around the world, including the New York City public schools. Krystal is married to Jonathan and has a 2 year old daughter, Ella Marie.