Dennis Cardoza
| Dennis Cardoza | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Gary Condit |
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| In office 1996–2002 |
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| Preceded by | Sal Cannella |
| Succeeded by | Greg Aghazarian |
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| Born | March 31, 1959 Merced, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Kathie McLoughlin |
| Residence | Atwater, California |
| Alma mater | California State University, Stanislaus, University of Maryland, College Park |
| Occupation | rancher, small business owner |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Dennis A. Cardoza (born March 31, 1959) is an American politician who has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing the 18th District of California.[1] He defeated his former boss, Congressman Gary Condit, in the March 2002 Democratic Party primary election. Cardoza is a Blue Dog Democrat.
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[edit] Early life
Cardoza was born in Merced, California, of Portuguese ancestry.[2] He grew up in Atwater, California and graduated from Atwater High School. He was educated at the California State University, Stanislaus in Turlock, California then transferred to University of Maryland, College Park. He is a member of Theta Chi Fraternity.
[edit] Political career
Cardoza served as a city council member in both Merced and Atwater and was a Member of the California State Assembly from 1996 to 2002 before entering the U.S. House of Representatives by winning the seat of Congressman Gary Condit, Cardoza's early mentor.
Cardoza and Condit have a long-standing relationship. When he was starting out in politics, Cardoza had been Condit's Chief of Staff while Condit was still in the California Assembly.[3] Condit's son, Chad, eventually worked as an aide to Cardoza in the California Assembly.[4] Condit's sister, Dovie Wilson, was Cardoza's office manager in October 2001.[5] Chad’s wife, Helen, worked as a paid fundraiser for Cardoza in 2000, and another Condit relative described by the press as an "in-law," Jamie L. Filice, worked for Cardoza as a senior field representative in the same time period.[5]
When Condit's career came under a cloud because of his extramarital affair with murdered intern Chandra Levy, Cardoza, who had promised to never run against Condit, ran against him in the 2002 Democratic primary and won. Condit had asked Cardoza, who was due to be termed out of the State Assembly, to run for the State Senate instead.[5]
Cardoza then faced Republican Dick Monteith in the November election. This race was considered to be the only potentially competitive House contest in California; redistricting after the 2000 census gave most of the state's 53 congresspersons safe districts. However, the Democratic-controlled state legislature had been concerned about a growing Republican trend in the 18th even before Condit's career imploded. The district and its predecessors had been in Democratic hands since 1955. The legislature shifted a Republican-leaning portion of eastern Stanislaus County to the heavily Republican 19th District. They replaced it with a mostly Democratic spur in and around Stockton, which gave the district a plurality of Latino voters. Largely due to this remap, Cardoza defeated Monteith, 51 percent to 43 percent. He has been reelected three times against only nominal opposition.
Cardoza is considered a conservative Democrat by California standards (though his voting record is slightly more liberal than that of Condit). This is typical for Democrats from the Central Valley. During the 109th Congress, Cardoza was a co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate to conservative House Democrats of which Condit was a founding member. He was a member of the Resources Committee, Agriculture Committee, and International Relations Committee.
For the 110th Congress, Cardoza sits on the House Committee on Rules as well as the Agriculture Committee where he chairs the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture. He remains a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, but his co-chairmanship has been assumed by Congressman Mike Ross.
[edit] Committee assignments
[edit] References
- ^ California Congressional District Maps
- ^ "Distinguished Americans & Canadians of Portuguese Descent". http://www.portuguesefoundation.org/famous.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
- ^ " Condit Loses House Race To Former Aide" by Evelyn Nieves, March 6, 2002. New York Times. Accessed 22 March 2008.
- ^ "Chad Condit launches bid for Senate" by Brian Melley, November 9, 2001 Associated Press report in Berkeley Daily Planet. Accessed December 19, 2006.
- ^ a b c "Protege seeking Condit’s seat in Congress" by Brian Melley, October 23, 2001. Associated Press report in Berkeley Daily Planet. Accessed December 18, 2006.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Representative Dennis Cardoza official House site
- Dennis Cardoza at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission — Dennis Cardoza campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Dennis Cardoza issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Dennis Cardoza campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Dennis A. Cardoza (CA) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Dennis Cardoza profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Dennis Cardoza voting record
- Dennis Cardoza Our Congressman official campaign site
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Sal Cannella |
California State Assemblyman, 26th District 1996–2002 |
Succeeded by Greg Aghazarian |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Gary Condit |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 18th congressional district 2003–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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