Zoe Lofgren

Susan Ellen "Zoe" Lofgren (/ˈzoʊ ˈlɒfɡrɪn/;[1][2] born December 21, 1947) is an American politician serving as a U.S. Representative from California. A member of the Democratic Party, Lofgren is in her 13th term as a congresswoman, having been first elected in 1994.

Zoe Lofgren
Chair of the House Administration Committee
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byGregg Harper
Chair of the House Ethics Committee
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byGene Green (acting)
Succeeded byJo Bonner
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
Assumed office
January 3, 1995
Preceded byDon Edwards
Constituency16th district (1995–2013)
19th district (2013–present)
Personal details
Born
Susan Ellen Lofgren

(1947-12-21) December 21, 1947
San Mateo, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
John Collins (m. 1978)
EducationStanford University (BA)
Santa Clara University (JD)
WebsiteHouse website

She was the 16th district's first female U.S. Representative, prior to a portion of the district being redistricted into the 19th congressional district. The district covers much of Santa Clara County, including the cities of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and most of San Jose. Lofgren has long served on the House Judiciary Committee and in the 116th Congress she is Chair of the House Administration Committee.

Early life, education and career

A San Mateo, California native in the area that later became Silicon Valley, Zoe Lofgren's parents worked as a school cafeteria employee and as a beer truck driver.[3] Lofgren attended Gunn High School (1966) in Palo Alto,[4] and while in high school, Lofgren was a member of the Junior State of America, a student-run political debate, activism, and student governance organization.[5] She earned her B.A. degree at Stanford University (1970) and a Juris Doctor degree at Santa Clara University School of Law (1975).[2]

After graduating from Stanford, Lofgren worked as a House Judiciary Committee staffer for Congressman Don Edwards when the committee prepared articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon. [6]

In 1978 she married John Marshall Collins.[4]

Returning to San Jose, Lofgren worked in Don Edwards' district office, while at the same time earning her J.D. degree. After two years as partner at an immigration law firm in San Jose, she was elected first to the board of San Jose City College. She was then elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 1981 representing downtown San Jose and nearby communities, where she served for 13 years.[7]

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1994, Lofgren entered the Democratic primary in what was then the 16th District, after Edwards retired after 32 years in Congress. As a strong Democratic district, the primary was heavily contested. A decided underdog, she managed to defeat the favorite, former San Jose mayor Tom McEnery. Lofgren's victory virtually assured her of becoming only the second person to represent the district since its creation in 1963 (it was numbered as the 9th District from 1963 to 1975, as the 10th from 1975 to 1993, the 16th from 1993 to 2013, and has been the 19th since 2013). She has been reelected ten times with no substantial opposition.

Lofgren during the
109th Congress

Lofgren is the chair of the 46-member California Democratic Congressional Delegation. She serves on the Judiciary Committee and is the chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. In April 2011, she became the first member of Congress to call for federal investigation into the Secure Communities deportation program.[8]

Beginning in 2009, Lofgren served as Chair of the House Ethics Committee. In doing so, she presided over a rare sanction of censure, against long-time member Charles B. Rangel.[9]

In the Stop Online Piracy Act House Judiciary Committee hearings, she defended the current state of the internet in opposition of the bill. She has also opposed the data retention requirements in the H.R. 1981 (the Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011).[10]

In February 2013, Lofgren became one of the sponsors of the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act to expedite open access to taxpayer-funded research.[11]

In May 2016, Lofgren was publicly reprimanded during a House Judiciary Committee hearing after calling witness Gail Heriot of the United States Commission on Civil Rights an "ignorant bigot" because of the characterization of transgender individuals Heriot included in written testimony prior to the hearing.[12] Following the verbal warning from acting committee chairman Steve King (R, Iowa), Lofgren responded, "I cannot allow that kind of bigotry to go into the record unchallenged."[13]

In January 2020, Lofgren was selected as one of seven impeachment managers who presented the impeachment case against President Donald Trump during his trial before the United States Senate.[14]

Lofgren speaking to the California Democratic Party State Convention in June 2019.

Committee assignments

Caucuses

Electoral history
16th Congressional District of California, Democratic Primary election, June 7, 1994[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren 16,168 45.3
Democratic Tom McEnery 15,037 42.2
Democratic Dick Lane 1,537 4.3
Democratic Cynthia Williamson 1,414 4.0
Democratic Tom Harney 780 2.2
Democratic Edward R. Dykes 721 2.0
Total votes 35,657 100.0
Turnout  
United States House of Representatives elections, 1994[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren 74,935 65.0
Republican Lyle J. Smith 40,409 35.0
No party Barraza (write-in) 8 0.0
Total votes 115,352 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 1996[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren (incumbent) 94,020 65.7
Republican Chuck Wojslaw 43,197 30.2
Libertarian David Bonino 4,124 2.8
Natural Law Abaan Abu-Shumays 1,866 1.3
Total votes 143,207 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 1998[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren (incumbent) 85,503 72.82
Republican Horace Eugene Thayn 27,494 23.42
Natural Law John H. Black 4,417 3.76
Total votes 117,414 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2000[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren (incumbent) 115,118 72.1
Republican Horace "Gene" Thayn 37,213 23.3
Libertarian Dennis Michael Umphress 4,742 3.0
Natural Law Edward J. Klein 2,673 1.6
Total votes 159,746 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2002[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren (incumbent) 72,370 67.1
Republican Douglas Adams McNea 32,182 29.8
Libertarian Dennis Michael Umphress 3,434 3.1
Total votes 104,556 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2004[27]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren (incumbent) 129,222 70.9
Republican Lawrence R. Wiesner 47,992 26.4
Libertarian Markus Welch 5,067 2.7
Total votes 182,281 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2006[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren (incumbent) 98,929 72.8
Republican Charel Winston 37,130 27.2
Total votes 136,059 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2008[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren (incumbent) 146,481 71.3
Republican Charel Winston 49,399 24.1
Libertarian Steven Wells 9,447 4.6
Total votes 205,327 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren (incumbent) 105,841 67.9
Republican Daniel Sahagun 37,913 24.3
Libertarian Edward M. Gonzalez 12,304 7.8
Total votes 156,058 100.0
Democratic hold
United States House of Representatives elections, 2012[30]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Zoe Lofgren (incumbent) 162,300 73.2
Republican Robert Murray 59,313 26.8
Total votes 221,613 100.0
Democratic hold

See also

References
  1. "Guide to Frequently Mispronounced Congressional Names". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  2. Lynne E. Ford. Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  3. Shear, Michael D. (January 15, 2020). "Zoe Lofgren: Impeachment Manager Is a Veteran of Two Impeachment Inquiries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  4. "Official Congressional Directory, 2005–2006, 109th Congress, Convened ..." Congress, Joint Committee on Printing. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  5. "Notable Alumni of the Junior State of America". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Zoe Lofgren - County Archives - County of Santa Clara". sccgov.org. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  8. Romney, Lee (April 22, 2011). "Congresswoman calls for investigation of enforcement program that screens for illegal immigrants in jails". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  9. Kane, Paul; Farentholt, David A. (December 2, 2010). "House censures Rep. Charles Rangel in 333–79 vote". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  10. Gross, Grant (July 28, 2011). "House Panel Votes to Require ISPs to Keep Customer Records". PC World. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  11. "Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Mike Doyle and Kevin Yoder Introduce Bill Expanding Access to Federally Funded Research". Archived from the original on October 25, 2013.
  12. Testimony of Gail Heriot to the Task Force on Executive Overreach Archived August 30, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, May 26, 2016
  13. Lavender, Paige (May 26, 2016). "Congresswoman Shuts Down Transphobic Woman: 'You're A Bigot, Lady'". Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016 – via Huff Post.
  14. Wilkie, Christina (January 15, 2020). "Pelosi taps Schiff, Nadler and 5 others as Trump impeachment managers". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  15. "Members". Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  16. "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  17. "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  18. "Members". Afterschool Alliance. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  19. "Members". Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  20. "Congressional Freethought Caucus expands rapidly". Freedom from Religion Foundation. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  21. Our Campaigns Archived January 31, 2008, at the Wayback Machine "California District 16 – Democratic Primary Race," (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
  22. Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives Archived May 25, 2017, at the Wayback Machine "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1994" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
  23. Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives Archived May 25, 2017, at the Wayback Machine "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
  24. Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives Archived January 23, 2017, at the Wayback Machine "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1998" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
  25. Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives Archived May 25, 2017, at the Wayback Machine "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
  26. 2002 Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives Archived February 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
  27. Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
  28. 2006 Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives Archived November 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
  29. 2006 Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
  30. Office of the California Secretary of State Archived October 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Don Edwards		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 16th congressional district
1995–2013		 Succeeded by
Jim Costa
Preceded by
Gene Green
Acting		 Chair of the House Ethics Committee
2009–2011		 Succeeded by
Jo Bonner
Preceded by
Jeff Denham		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 19th congressional district
2013–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Gregg Harper		 Chair of the House Administration Committee
2019–present
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Sheila Jackson Lee		 United States Representatives by seniority
40th		 Succeeded by
Mac Thornberry
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.