From 1989 to 1992, Cowan was Press Secretary and Legislative Assistant to Congressman
Mel Levine (D-CA). Cowan then focused on political advocacy because he believed no one was acting as an "activist social-change agent in [his] generation." With the bipartisan help of former U.S. senators
Paul Tsongas (D-MA) and
Warren Rudman (R-NH), The organization, with no paying members, was primarily funded by American businessman
Pete Peterson. In 1994, Cowan and Nelson co-authored the book
Revolution X: A Survival Guide for Our Generation. During the second
Clinton administration, Cowan served as Chief of Staff of the
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. During that presidency, Cowan also served as Senior Advisor to Secretary
Andrew M. Cuomo and as Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs under Secretary
Henry Cisneros. In 2000, Cowan became President of a new organization,
Americans for Gun Safety. In 2005,
Americans for Gun Safety was folded into the new, multi-issue think tank
Third Way, which Cowan co-founded along with Matt Bennett, Jim Kessler, and Nancy Hale. ==References==