Jimmy Gomez
Jimmy Gomez (born November 25, 1974) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for California's 34th congressional district since 2017. The district is anchored in eastern Los Angeles, including downtown. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the California State Assembly from 2012 to 2017. On June 6, 2017, he won a special election to replace Xavier Becerra in Congress, after Becerra resigned to become Attorney General of California.[1] On July 11, 2017, Gomez was officially sworn in.[2] He was reelected in 2018 and in 2020.[3]
Jimmy Gomez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 34th district | |
| Assumed office July 11, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Xavier Becerra |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 51st district | |
| In office December 3, 2012 – July 11, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Steven Bradford |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Carrillo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 25, 1974 Fullerton, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Hodge (m. 2011) |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) Harvard University (MPP) |
| Website | House website |
Early life and education
Born and raised in Southern California, Gomez is the child of immigrant parents who moved to California from Mexico in the early 1970s.[4]
Gomez earned his B.A. in political science from University of California Los Angeles and his master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.[5]
California State Assembly
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Gomez was a member of the California State Assembly, representing the 51st district. He was first elected in November 2012 and reelected in 2014 with over 83% of the vote. California's 51st Assembly district includes Northeast Los Angeles and unincorporated East Los Angeles. He served as State Assembly Majority Whip from 2013 to 2014.
Gomez was a member of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. Before being elected to the Assembly in 2012, he was the political director for the United Nurses Association of California, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
U.S. House of Representatives
2017
On December 5, 2016, Gomez announced his candidacy for the special election to succeed Xavier Becerra in the United States House of Representatives for California's 34th congressional district.[6] Gomez received endorsements from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) and Senate leader Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), among others.[7]
On April 4, 2017, Gomez came in first during the special election. Since he did not receive a majority of the votes, he faced fellow Democrat Robert Lee Ahn, the runner-up, in a special runoff election on June 6, 2017. Gomez won with 60% of the vote. He is only the third person to represent this district since its creation in 1963 (it was numbered as the 30th from 1963 to 1975, the 25th from 1975 to 1993, the 30th from 1993 to 2003, the 31st from 2003 to 2013, and has been the 34th since 2017). Ed Roybal won this district in 1963 and handed it to Becerra in 1993.
2020
Gomez was challenged in the 2020 election by Macarthur Park Neighborhood council board member, and fellow Democrat David Kim. On November 3, Gomez defeated Kim in a closer than expected race, winning 53 percent of the vote to Kim’s 47 percent.[8]
Tenure
Gomez's term began on June 6, 2017. He was sworn into office on July 11, 2017.[9][2]
On October 1, 2020, Gomez co-signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that condemned Azerbaijan’s offensive operations against the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, denounced Turkey’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and called for an immediate ceasefire.[10]
In November 2020, he was named a candidate for United States Trade Representative in the Biden Administration.[11]
In January 2021, he introduced legislation to expel Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), from the U.S. House of Representatives.[12]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Ways and Means
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Electoral history
2014
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Gomez (incumbent) | 20,621 | 99.7 | |
| Republican | Stephen C. Smith (write-in) | 54 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 20,675 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jimmy Gomez (incumbent) | 42,261 | 83.6 | |
| Republican | Stephen C. Smith | 8,277 | 16.4 | |
| Total votes | 50,538 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2016
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Gomez (incumbent) | 62,366 | 100.0 | |
| Libertarian | Mike Everling (write-in) | 7 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 62,373 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jimmy Gomez (incumbent) | 110,036 | 86.1 | |
| Libertarian | Mike Everling | 17,724 | 13.9 | |
| Total votes | 127,760 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2017
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jimmy Gomez | 25,569 | 59.2% | ||
| Democratic | Robert Lee Ahn | 17,610 | 40.8% | ||
| Total votes | 43,179 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2018
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Gomez (incumbent) | 54,661 | 78.7 | |
| Green | Kenneth Mejia | 8,987 | 12.9 | |
| Libertarian | Angela Elise McArdle | 5,804 | 8.4 | |
| Total votes | 69,452 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jimmy Gomez (incumbent) | 110,195 | 72.5 | |
| Green | Kenneth Mejia | 41,711 | 27.5 | |
| Total votes | 151,906 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2020
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Gomez (incumbent) | 57,066 | 52.0 | |
| Democratic | David Kim | 23,055 | 21.0 | |
| Democratic | Frances Yasmeen Motiwalla | 14,961 | 13.6 | |
| Republican | Joanne L. Wright | 8,482 | 7.7 | |
| Democratic | Keanakay Scott | 6,089 | 5.6 | |
| Total votes | 109,653 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jimmy Gomez (incumbent) | 108,792 | 53.0 | |
| Democratic | David Kim | 96,554 | 47.0 | |
| Total votes | 205,346 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Personal life
Gomez is married to Mary Hodge, an aide for Eric Garcetti.[18] They live in Eagle Rock, California.[19]
References
- Debbie L. Sklar (June 7, 2017). "Traditionally Latino congressional seat stays with Latino: Korean-American defeated". My News LA. City News Service.
- Sarah D. Wire (July 11, 2017). "Jimmy Gomez sworn into Congress". Los Angeles Times.(subscription required)
- "Elections 2018: Congressman Jimmy Gomez wins first full term in California's 34th District against Kenneth Mejia". Daily News. November 6, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- "Biography". Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez California District 51. December 13, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- "Jimmy Gomez's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- Melanie Mason (December 5, 2016). "Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez joins race to succeed Rep. Xavier Becerra in Congress". Los Angeles Times.(subscription required)
- Christine Mai-Duc (January 17, 2016). "Who's in and who's out in the race to replace Rep. Xavier Becerra in Congress". Los Angeles Times.(subscription required)
- "California Election Results: 34th Congressional District". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- Kyle Cheney (June 28, 2017). "Gomez to be sworn in to House on July 11". Politico.
- "Senate and House Leaders to Secretary of State Pompeo: Cut Military Aid to Azerbaijan; Sanction Turkey for Ongoing Attacks Against Armenia and Artsakh". The Armenian Weekly. October 2, 2020.
- Staff, Politico. "Meet the contenders for Biden's Cabinet". POLITICO. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- Choi, Matthew (January 27, 2021). "Rep. Jimmy Gomez drafts resolution to oust Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress". Politico. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- "Members". Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- "Members". Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- "STATEMENT OF VOTE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION MARCH 3, 2020" (PDF). California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- "November 3, 2020, General Election - United States Representative" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- Mai-Duc, Christine (June 8, 2017). "Jimmy Gomez on winning the 34th District: 'Was that a dream?'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- Lundquist, Paulette (October 25, 2017). "Gomez". TheHill. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jimmy Gomez. |
- Congressman Gomez official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Jimmy Gomez 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
| California Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steven Bradford |
Member of the California Assembly from the 51st district 2012–2017 |
Succeeded by Wendy Carrillo |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Xavier Becerra |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 34th congressional district 2017–present |
Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by Ron Estes |
United States Representatives by seniority 289th |
Succeeded by Ralph Norman |
Authority control  |
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