Bobbi Fiedler
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from California's21st district
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	James C. Corman
Succeeded by	Elton Gallegly
Personal details
Born	Roberta Frances Horowitz (1937-04-22)April 22, 1937 Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Died	March 3, 2019(2019-03-03) (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Party	Republican
Alma mater	Santa Monica City College

Roberta Frances "Bobbi"Fiedler (néeHorowitz; April 22, 1937 – March 3, 2019) was an American politician who served three terms as aRepublicanU.S. Representative from California from 1981 to 1987.

Born to Jack and Sylvia (Levin) Horowitz inSanta Monica, California on April 22, 1937, Fiedler grew up in a Jewish family, the second of two sisters, and attended area public schools. Her father was a former champion boxer and owner of a construction business. She continued her studies at Santa Monica Technical School (1955–1957) andSanta Monica City College (1955–1959).^[1][2]

Fiedler began her political career atEncino's Lanai Road Elementary School, where she mobilized other mothers to protest court-ordereddesegregation busing. Fiedler formed an organization called Bustop in 1976, and the organization grew to 30,000 members in weeks. Fiedler's role in the grass-roots group helped propel her to public office, as she won a surprising upset in 1977 against Los Angeles school board presidentRobert Docter, who favored desegregation busing.^[3] While serving on theLos Angeles (City) Board of Education, Fiedler and fellow board member Roberta Weintraub were fierce opponents of desegregation busing.

In 1980, Fiedler ran as aRepublican for Congress against DemocratJames C. Corman, who had served 20 years in Congress and was the chairman of theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee.^[4] Fiedler was an underdog, running against Corman in a district that was 62% Democratic, and with the incumbent next in line to be chairman of theUnited States House Committee on Ways and Means. TheNational Republican Congressional Committee targeted Corman, hoping not to defeat him, but to embarrass him. Desegregation busing was the central issue in the election between Fiedler and Corman, with some children being forced to ride a bus up to 50 miles away from home.Time reported on the campaign as follows: "Again the issue is local: busing that was ordered by theSupreme Court of California in 1977 to desegregate public schools inLos Angeles County.

Corman's campaign manager, Clint Reilly, later recalled that his candidate's position on racial integration drew heavy fire from Fiedler, whom he described as "the leader of LA's anti-busing movement." Reilly noted that the Republican Party raised more than a million dollars for Fiedler, and "the campaign was waged in the racially charged atmosphere of theSan Fernando Valley." After a fierce campaign in which Corman was often picketed by anti-busing activists, the candidates entered election day in a dead heat in the polls, and Corman lost to Fiedler by 750 votes out of 200,000 cast (less than 0.4%). Jimmy Carter publicly conceded the election to Ronald Reagan while the polls were still open in California. There were anecdotal reports of disgruntled Democrats leaving election day lines and going home rather than voting, thus potentially costing Corman the election.

Fiedler was one of several Jewish women who have been elected to Congress from California; she was followed in 1982 byBarbara Boxer and in 1992 byJane Harman. (The first woman elected from California wasMae Ella Nolan of San Francisco in 1923.) Fiedler considered herself anindependent Republican, breaking with her party over her support forabortion rights and theEqual Rights Amendment.^[5]

After her narrow victory in 1980, Fiedler was drawn into the same congressional district asBarry Goldwater Jr. When Goldwater decided to run instead for the U.S. Senate, Fiedler had only token opposition in the GOP primary and won an easy re-election later that year in the heavily Republican district.^[6] She defeated Democrat George Henry Margolis 71.8% to 24.1%. She won in another landslide in 1984, defeating Charlie Davis 72.3% to 25.9%.

In 1986, Fiedler did not run for re-election to the House of Representatives, opting instead to make what proved to be an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination to challenge three-term Democratic incumbentAlan Cranston for his United States Senate seat.

She was charged with political corruption in January 1986 after an undercover investigation allegedly showed that Fiedler offered $100,000 to a rival, State Senator Ed Davis (R), if he would withdraw from the Republican senatorial primary. The charges were dismissed by Judge Robert Altman before the matter went to trial.^[7] Despite the dismissal of the charges in February 1986, Fiedler garnered only 7.2% of the vote in the Republican primary.

After her congressional career, Fiedler contributed to the successful campaigns ofGeorge H. W. Bush and California governorPete Wilson. She also drew on her political experience to assist several Republican women in winning seats at the local and state levels. In 1993, Los Angeles mayorRichard Riordan appointed her to the Community Redevelopment Agency, and Governor Wilson named her to theCalifornia Lottery Commission. Fiedler completed one term on each body before stepping down, and she later remained active as a prominent supporter of the movement forSan Fernando Valley secession.^[1][8]

Fiedler was married three times, and had two children. Her first husband was a pharmacist, who she divorced in 1977. Her second husband was Paul Clarke, her former chief of staff, who she married in 1987.^[1][9] Clarke died in 1996, and in 1998 Fiedler married Harry Coleman, a Los Angeles-based political activist.^[10][11]

Fiedler died inNorthridge, Los Angeles on March 3, 2019.^[12]

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