Zoe Lofgren
Zoe Lofgren | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the House Administration Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Gregg Harper |
| Chair of the House Ethics Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Gene Green (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Jo Bonner |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Don Edwards |
| Constituency | 16th district (1995–2013) 19th district (2013–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Susan Ellen Lofgren December 21, 1947 San Mateo, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | John Collins (m. 1978) |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) Santa Clara University (JD) |
Susan Ellen "Zoe" Lofgren (/ˈzoʊ ˈlɒfɡrɪn/;[1][2] born December 21, 1947) is an American politician serving as a U.S. Representative from California since 1994.
She was the 16th district's first female U.S. Representative, prior to 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. She is the Chair of both the House Committee on House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, and the House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.
Contents
Early life, education and private career[edit]
A Bay Area resident, Lofgren attended Gunn High School (1966) in Palo Alto,[3] 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.[4] 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. [5]
In 1978 she married John Marshall Collins.[3]
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, then to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, where she served for 13 years.[citation needed]
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
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 Democrat 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 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.[6]
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.[7]
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).[8]
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.[9]
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.[10] 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."[11]
Committee assignments[edit]
- Committee on House Administration (Chair)
- Subcommittee on Oversight (Ranking Member, 112th Congress)
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Committee on Science, Space and Technology
- Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress
Caucuses[edit]
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (Associate Member)[12]
- Congressional Progressive Caucus[13]
- Congressional Arts Caucus[14]
- Afterschool Caucuses[15]
- Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus[16]
- Congressional Freethought Caucus[17]
Electoral history[edit]
 | This section needs to be updated. (July 2017) |
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Guide to Frequently Mispronounced Congressional Names".
- ^ a b Lynne E. Ford. Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
- ^ a b "Official Congressional Directory, 2005–2006, 109th Congress, Convened ..." Congress, Joint Committee on Printing. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
- ^ "Notable Alumni of the Junior State of America". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-congress-impeachment-democrats-zoe-lofgren-20190611-story.html
- ^ Romney, Lee (April 22, 2011). "Congresswoman calls for investigation of enforcement program that screens for illegal immigrants in jails". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Kane, Paul; Farentholt, David A. (December 2, 2010). "House censures Rep. Charles Rangel in 333–79 vote". The Washington Post.
- ^ Gross, Grant (July 28, 2011). "House Panel Votes to Require ISPs to Keep Customer Records". PC World. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
- ^ "Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Mike Doyle and Kevin Yoder Introduce Bill Expanding Access to Federally Funded Research". Archived from the original on October 25, 2013.
- ^ Testimony of Gail Heriot to the Task Force on Executive Overreach, May 26, 2016
- ^ Lavender, Paige (May 26, 2016). "Congresswoman Shuts Down Transphobic Woman: 'You're A Bigot, Lady'" – via Huff Post.
- ^ "Members". Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- ^ "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- ^ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "Members". Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "Members". Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Congressional Freethought Caucus expands rapidly". Freedom from Religion Foundation. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
- ^ Our Campaigns "California District 16 – Democratic Primary Race," (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
- ^ Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1994" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
- ^ Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
- ^ Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1998" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
- ^ Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
- ^ 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).
- ^ Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives[dead link] "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
- ^ 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).
- ^ 2006 Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives[permanent dead link] "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008" (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
- ^ Office of the California Secretary of State Archived October 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (retrieved on August 8, 2009).
External links[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zoe Lofgren. |
- Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren official U.S. House website
- Zoe Lofgren for Congress
- Zoe Lofgren at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
| 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 |
- 1947 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians
- American Lutherans
- American women lawyers
- California Democrats
- California lawyers
- County supervisors in California
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Female members of the United States House of Representatives
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from California
- People from Palo Alto, California
- People from San Mateo, California
- Politicians from San Jose, California
- Santa Clara University School of Law alumni
- Stanford University alumni
- United States congressional aides
- Women in California politics
