The National Space Society (NSS) congratulates George Whitesides on his successful Congressional campaign. Whitesides was declared the winner of California’s 27th Congressional district after a hotly contested race. His opponent, Mike Garcia, gracefully conceded on Monday.

Bruce Pittman, member of the NSS Board of Directors and long-serving former NSS COO, “On behalf of NSS leadership and our members we congratulate George on winning his race to represent the 27th District of California in the House of Representatives. We hope that his time as Executive Director of the NSS will provide insight and prospective in this exciting new chapter of his career. These are exciting and crucial times for space exploration and development for both the United States and the world, and we hope that George’s experience with the NSS, NASA, and Virgin Galactic will be valuable assets to the Congress as we chart our course into the future.”

Whitesides brings a strong background in spaceflight, technical endeavors, and policy to his seat. During his career, he served as the Executive Director of the National Space Society, the CEO of spaceflight company Virgin Galactic, and NASA Chief of Staff under Charlie Bolden, where he was awarded the agency’s Distinguished Service Medal, its highest recognition. He has also served as co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space Technologies, has been a member of Caltech’s Space Innovation Council and Princeton University’s Advisory Council for Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and is a fellow of the UK Royal Aeronautical Society and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Whitesides is a graduate of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and King’s College at Cambridge. He was also a Fulbright Scholar in Tunisia.

“NSS, as a non-partisan organization, supports the participation of both current and former NSS leaders in the political process,” said Dale Skran, NSS COO and Senior Vice President.  “Although not the first Representative associated with NSS—Newt Gingrich serves on the NSS Board of Governors—George appears to be the first NSS leader elected to Congress.”

Whitesides continues a long tradition of former leaders of the National Space Society stepping into public service with distinction in both parties (the NSS is staunchly nonpartisan). These include former NSS Executive Vice President Scott Pace, who served as the Executive Secretary for the National Space Council from 2017 to 2021 under a Republican President, and former NSS Executive Director Lori Garver, who was the Deputy Administrator of NASA from 2009 through 2013 under a Democratic President.