Juanita Millender-McDonald
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| Juanita Millender-McDonald | |
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| In office March 26, 1996 – April 22, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Walter Tucker |
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| Succeeded by | Laura Richardson |
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| Born | September 7, 1938 Birmingham, Alabama |
| Died | April 21, 2007 (aged 68) Carson, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | James McDonald, Jr. |
| Children | Five |
| Religion | Baptist |
Juanita Millender-McDonald (September 7, 1938 – April 22, 2007) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 until her death in 2007, representing California's 37th congressional district, which includes most of South Central Los Angeles and the city of Long Beach, California. She was a member of the Democratic Party.
On December 19, 2006, Millender-McDonald was named Chairwoman of the House Committee on House Administration for the 110th Congress. She was the first African-American woman to chair the committee. She was also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and of the New Democrat Coalition and was considered a front-runner for the job of Secretary of Transportation if John Kerry had been elected President in 2004.[1]
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[edit] Biography
Millender-McDonald was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She was educated at the University of Redlands, California State University, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, and was a teacher. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.[2] She served as a member of the City Council of Carson, California and was a member of the California State Assembly before entering the House. She was first elected to the House in a March 1996 special election to replace Congressman Walter Tucker, who resigned due to corruption charges and was later sentenced to 27 months in prison. She did not face any serious opposition in any of her reelection campaigns.
Within a week of her requesting a leave of absence to deal with her illness, on April 22, 2007, Millender-McDonald died in hospice care,[3][4] succumbing to colon cancer at the age of 68 at her home in Carson. She left a husband, James McDonald, Jr., and five adult children.[3]
[edit] Successor
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald's seat was vacant until Laura Richardson won the August 21, 2007, special election. Under California law, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a special election date of June 26, and because no candidate received more than 50% of the total vote, the candidates with the most votes in their respective parties participated in an August 21 runoff. In the June Primary, State Senator Jenny Oropeza lost to State Assemblywoman Laura Richardson, with Richardson continuing to the August special election, when she defeated Republican John M. Kanaley, Libertarian Herb Peters, and Green Daniel Brezenoff.
[edit] Electoral history
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Juanita Millender-McDonald | 87,247 | 85% | Michael E. Voetee | 15,399 | 15% | ||||||||
| 1998 | Juanita Millender-McDonald | 70,026 | 85% | Saul E. Lankster | 12,301 | 15% | ||||||||
| 2000 | Juanita Millender-McDonald | 93,269 | 82% | Vernon Van | 12,762 | 11% | Margaret Glazer | Natural Law | 4,094 | 4% | * | |||
| 2002 | Juanita Millender-McDonald | 63,445 | 73% | Oscar A. Velasco | 20,154 | 23% | Herb Peters | Libertarian | 3,413 | 4% | ||||
| 2004 | Juanita Millender-McDonald | 118,823 | 75% | Vernon Van | 31,960 | 20% | Herb Peters | Libertarian | 7,535 | 5% | ||||
| 2006 | Juanita Millender-McDonald | 80,716 | 82% | (no candidate) | Herb Peters | Libertarian | 17,246 | 18% |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Scardino, Albert & John. "Plum positions", The Guardian, 2004-03-09.
- ^ Sorority Mourns Loss of California Rep. Millender-McDonald — Accessed on April 24, 2007
- ^ a b Werner, Erica. "California Rep. Millender-McDonald dies", Yahoo! News, 2007-04-22. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
- ^ Soraghan, Mike. "Rep. Millender-McDonald dies, aide says", The Hill, 2007-04-22. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
- ^ Election Statistics. Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
[edit] External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Federal Election Commission — Juanita Millender-McDonald campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Juanita Millender-McDonald issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Juanita Millender-McDonald campaign contributions
- Juanita Millender-McDonald Political History profile
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald (CA) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Juanita Millender McDonald profile
| Preceded by Walter R. Tucker III |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 37th congressional district March 26, 1996–April 22, 2007 |
Succeeded by Laura Richardson |
| Preceded by Vernon J. Ehlers Michigan |
Chairman of House Administration Committee January 2007–April 2007 |
Succeeded by Robert A. Brady Pennsylvania |
| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Millender-McDonald, Juanita |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Congressman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 7, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Birmingham, Alabama |
| DATE OF DEATH | 2007-4-22 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Carson, California |
