Joel Pollak
| Joel Pollak | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Joel Barry Pollak April 25, 1977 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Residence | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Social Studies and Environmental Science & Public Policy (A.B.) Jewish Studies (M.A.) Law (J.D.) |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University University of Cape Town |
| Occupation | Lawyer, writer |
| Known for | Nominee for Representative for Illinois's 9th congressional district |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Julia Inge Bertelsmann |
| Children | 1 |
Joel Barry Pollak (born April 25, 1977) is a South African-born American political commentator and author. He serves as the senior-editor-at-large for Breitbart News. In 2010 he was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress from Illinois's 9th congressional district, losing decisively to incumbent Democrat Jan Schakowsky with 31% of the vote.
Pollak was born to an Orthodox Jewish family in Johannesburg, South Africa but his parents emigrated to the United States shortly after his birth. He became a U.S. citizen in 1987. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs, principally in Skokie. He attended Solomon Schechter Day School and Niles North High School, where he was the class valedictorian in 1995.
Pollak attended Harvard College and graduated magna cum laude in 1999 with a joint degree in Social Studies and Environmental Science & Public Policy (ESPP). He earned a master's degree in Jewish Studies from the University of Cape Town in 2006. He then enrolled at Harvard Law School. He married Julia Inge Pollak (née Bertelsmann) in December 2009. They have a daughter named Maya (b. February 1, 2012).
In 2010 Pollak was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress from Illinois's 9th congressional district, challenging incumbent Democrat Jan Schakowsky, whom he had voted for while still a Democrat (prior to 2006). He lost, garnering 31.1% of the votes to Schakowsy's 66.3%. Pollak was endorsed by the Chicago Tea Party and refers to himself as a Tea Party Republican.
After losing the election, Pollak was asked by Andrew Breitbart to become in-house counsel at his Breitbart.com websites, and Pollak moved to California. He later became editor-in-chief of the website.
After Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields alleged she was attacked by Donald Trump presidential campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, leaked internal memos showed that Pollak ordered staffers to stop defending Fields. Pollak also posted a lengthy article to the website questioning Fields's account of the incident. Fields and fellow editor Ben Shapiro resigned over the incident, and questioned the site's support of Trump.
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