An outspoken Democrat, Debbie Wasserman Schultz was entrusted with great responsibility for the party both in the US House of Representatives and as chair of the Democratic National Committee. Schultz earned a BA in political science from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1988 and immediately became aide to Peter Deutsch in the Florida state legislature. When he won the race for the US House of Representatives in 1992, Schultz ran for and won his state seat. She served from 1993–2001, retiring due to term limits, but also served in the state senate from 2001–2004 while teaching political science at local universities and community colleges. In 2005 she began her first term in the US House of Representatives, quickly earning appointments to the Democratic Steering Committee and the Appropriations Committee. With Senator Arlen Spector, Schultz spearheaded the resolution for the creation of Jewish American Heritage Month. In 2011, she was appointed chair of the DNC. Throughout her career, she has supported pro–choice, gun control, and LGBT equality legislation. A breast cancer survivor, Schultz has pushed efforts to fund early screening.