James A. Guest

James Alfred "Jim" Guest[1] (born December 25, 1940) is an American lawyer, consumer advocate and former politician.

[2] He unsuccessfully sought election to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1988 election for the Vermont seat; he was part of a four-way primary race for the Democratic nomination, against State Representative Paul N. Poirier of Barre, State Senate President Peter Welch of Windsor County, and political newcomer Dolores Sandoval, a University of Vermont professor.

[6][1] In 2009, as president and CEO of the Consumer Union, Guest appeared in the 72-year-old organization's first-ever television advertisement, urging Congress to pass the Affordable Care Act.

[7] NPR described Guest as a "quietly influential figure" who was mostly unknown to Americans but exercised influence through the widely read Consumer Reports magazine and website.

[7][8] Guest noted that the Consumers Union had favored health care reform since 1939, "taking the position that everybody in the country ought to have insurance coverage.