Lisa Blunt Rochester

Lisa Blunt Rochester
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Delaware's at-large district
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded by John Carney
Personal details
Born Lisa LaTrelle Blunt
(1962-02-10) February 10, 1962
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s)
Alex Bradley
(m. 1982; div. 2003)

Charles Rochester
(m. 2006; d. 2014)
Children 2
Relatives Ted Blunt (Father)
Education Villanova University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
(BA)
University of Delaware (MA)
Website House website

Lisa Blunt Rochester (born Lisa LaTrelle Blunt;[1] February 10, 1962) is an American politician from the state of Delaware. A Democrat, she is a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Delaware's at-large congressional district.

Early life and education

Blunt Rochester was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 10, 1962.[2] Her family moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1969.[3] Her father, Ted Blunt, served on the Wilmington City Council, including as council president.[4] Her mother, Alice LaTrelle, worked in retail.[5]

Blunt Rochester attended Padua Academy and began college at Villanova University. She could not afford the tuition, and transferred to the University of Delaware in her sophomore year.[5] She left college to live in Europe, and later received her bachelor's degree in international relations from Fairleigh Dickinson University and her master's degree in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware.[3][5]

Early political career

Blunt Rochester worked for Tom Carper as an intern in 1989, when he served as Delaware's member of the United States House of Representatives. After the internship, she continued to work for Carper as a constituent relations caseworker, and worked on his transition team when he was elected Governor of Delaware.[5][6][7] Carper appointed her as the deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services in 1993 and as the Secretary of the Department of Labor in 1998. Governor Ruth Ann Minner named Blunt Rochester the state personnel director in 2001.[5]

In 2004, Blunt Rochester left government service and became the CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.[5][3]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Blunt Rochester ran for the United States House of Representatives in Delaware's at-large congressional district in the 2016 election.[8] She won the Democratic Party nomination on September 13,[9] and won the general election in November.[10] When she was sworn into office on January 3, 2017, she became the first woman and the first African-American to represent Delaware in Congress.[10]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Personal life

Blunt Rochester was married to her first husband, basketball player Alex Bradley, from 1982 to 2003. They met at Villanova and lived in Europe while he played basketball professionally. They have two children together.[5] She met her second husband, Charles, later in 2003. They married in 2006.[5] Charles died in 2014.[14][1][7][4] He ruptured his Achilles tendon which caused blood clots to go to his heart and lungs.

While living abroad in China with her late husband, Blunt Rochester co-authored the book THRIVE: 34 Women, 18 Countries, One Goal.[15]

She carries a scarf printed with a Reconstruction Era voter registration card belonging to an ancestor who had been a slave.[7]

Electoral history

Election results
Year Office Election Subject Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
2016 U.S House of

Representatives

 General Lisa Blunt Rochester Democratic 223,554 55.5% Hans Reigle Republican 172,290 41.0%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Weddings". The News Journal. June 20, 1982. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). Roll Call. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Running for Congress, Rochester draws on experience". The News Journal. May 21, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Duvernay, Adam (November 10, 2016). "Rochester wins Delaware congressional race". The News Journal. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Nagengast, Larry (June 2017). "Lisa Blunt Rochester is Ready to Shake Things Up: Get to know Delaware's first black, first female congresswoman". Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  6. ↑ Gaudiano, Nicole (January 3, 2017). "Lisa Blunt Rochester sworn in, makes history". The News Journal. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 "Groundbreaking congresswoman on race, gender and the Joe Biden Hybrid". Usatoday.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  8. ↑ Offredo, Jon; Jonathan, Starkey (October 26, 2015). "Former state labor secretary enters congressional race". The News Journal. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Former Delaware Labor Secretary Lisa Blunt Rochester wins Democratic primary for U.S. House seat". The Washington Post. September 13, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Lisa Blunt Rochester Is Delaware's First Female and the First African American Representative – Rochester Elected to Congress". Cosmopolitan.com. October 17, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  12. ↑ "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  13. ↑ "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  14. ↑ "Charles Rochester Obituary - Wilmington, DE | The News Journal". Legacy.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  15. ↑ https://lisabluntrochester.com/about
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
John Carney		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Delaware's at-large congressional district
2017–present		 Incumbent
Current U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Andy Biggs		 United States Representatives by seniority
375th		 Succeeded by
Anthony G. Brown
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.