Dennis Cardoza

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Dennis Cardoza
Dennis Cardoza
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 18th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 3, 2003
Preceded by Gary Condit
Born March 31, 1959 (1959-03-31) (age 49)
Merced, California
Political party Democratic
Spouse Dr. Kathie McLoughlin
Residence Atwater, California
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.

Contents

[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 for the City of Atwater and the City of Merced 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 disgraced Congressman Gary Condit, Cardoza's early mentor.

Ties between Cardoza and Condit are strong. 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 of 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. Cardoza went on to win the general election. Condit had asked Cardoza, who could not run for state Assemblyman again because of term limits, to run for the State Senate instead.[5]

During the 109th Congress, Cardoza was a co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition (founded by Condit), a group of moderate to conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives and sat on 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

  • Agriculture Committee
    • Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture (Chairman)
    • Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
  • Committee on Rules
    • Legislative & Budget Process Subcommittee

[edit] References

  1. ^ California Congressional District Maps
  2. ^ Distinguished Americans & Canadians of Portuguese Descent. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
  3. ^ " Condit Loses House Race To Former Aide" by Evelyn Nieves, March 6, 2002. New York Times. Accessed 22 March 2008.
  4. ^ "Chad Condit launches bid for Senate" by Brian Melley, November 9, 2001 Associated Press report in Berkeley Daily Planet. Accessed December 19, 2006.
  5. ^ 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

Political offices
Preceded by
Sal Cannella		 California State Assemblyman, 26th District
1996–2002		 Succeeded by
Greg Aghazarian
Preceded by
Gary Condit		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 18th congressional district
2003–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
v • d • e
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