Aumua Amata Radewagen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Delegate to theU.S. House of Representatives fromAmerican Samoa'sat-large district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Eni Faleomavaega |
| Republican National Committeewoman fromAmerican Samoa | |
| Assumed office 1986 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Amata Catherine Coleman (1947-12-29)December 29, 1947 (age 77) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (before 2012, 2014–present Constitution (2012–2014) |
| Spouse | Fred Radewagen |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Peter Coleman (father) Nora Stewart (mother) |
| Education | University of Guam (BS) George Mason University (attended) Loyola Marymount University (attended) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Radewagen applauding Pacific nations for condemning theRussian invasion of Ukraine. Recorded March 7, 2023 | |
Amata Catherine Coleman Radewagen (/əˈmɑːtə,ˈrædəˌwæɡən/ə-MAH-təRAD-ə-WAG-ən; born December 29, 1947),[1] commonly calledAumua Amata (/aʊˈmuːə/ow-MOO-ə), is anAmerican Samoan politician who is the currentdelegate for theUnited States House of Representatives fromAmerican Samoa. Radewagen, a Republican, was elected on November 4, 2014, after defeating Democratic incumbentEni Faleomavaega; she was the first-ever Republican delegate since the office had been created in 1970 and began her tenure on January 3, 2015.[2] She also serves as the national committeewoman for theRepublican Party of American Samoa. Amata is the first woman to represent American Samoa in the U.S. Congress.[3][4]
By winning 75.4% of the vote in her2016 re-election, Aumua Amata attained the highest number of votes in American Samoa history.[5] She won reelection with 83.3 percent of the votes in a three-way race in2018.[6]
She has been the scheduling director for the United States House of Representatives majority leadership for eight years. Radewagen has been the most senior member of theRepublican National Committee since 2012. She was a member of both the executive committee for the 2016–17 presidential transition and the executive committee for the 2017 Republican National Committee Chairman's Transition Committee.[5]
Amata Catherine Coleman Radewagen is the daughter ofPeter Tali Coleman, the first popularly-electedGovernor of American Samoa, andNora Stewart Coleman, the formerFirst Lady of American Samoa.[7][4][2][8][9] Her father wasSamoan; her mother was ofChinese,German,Native Hawaiian, andScottish descent.[9] Radewagen has twelve siblings.[8][4] She attendedSacred Hearts Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii, for secondary education and graduated with a degree in psychology from theUniversity of Guam in 1975.[10] She also took classes atLoyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, andGeorge Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.[4]
She married Fred Radewagen in December 1971.[7] The couple has three children[4] and two grandchildren.[8][11] Radewagen holds the orator (talking chief) title ofAumua from the capital ofPago Pago—her hometown and where she is a registered voter.[8][4] From 1984 to 1997, Amata was the chief diplomatic correspondent for theWashington Pacific Report.[4]
Aumua Amata has been an executive assistant to the firstDelegate-at-Large from American Samoa.[11]
From 1997 to 1999, Radewagen served on the staff of United States RepresentativePhil Crane ofIllinois.[12] She served on the staff of United States RepresentativeJ. C. Watts, Jr. ofOklahoma from 1999 to 2003.[12] After that, she served on the staff of theHouse Republican Conference from 2003 to 2005.[12][4] Radewagen first ran for Congress in the 1994 elections against DemocratEni F. H. Faleomavaega. She failed to gain the nomination of theRepublican Party of American Samoa in 1996 and 2000, and she ran as anindependent in the 1998 elections.[4]
Radewagen was appointed in 2001, byPresidentGeorge W. Bush, as a Commissioner on thePresident's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI); she chaired the Community Security Committee.[8][13] Radewagen was the only Pacific Islander on the 15-member commission.[8]
Since 1994, Radewagen has participated in every federal election.[14] She was the first woman to run for the delegate position.[15] Since 1986, she has represented theAmerican Samoa Republican Party in theRepublican National Committee.[2][16] Radewagen is the most senior member.[8][17]
In 2019, she was reappointed by PresidentDonald Trump to serve on the President's Advisory Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for a second stint.[18]
Radewagen ran forAmerican Samoa's at-large congressional district in the 2014 elections. She defeated the Democratic incumbent DelegateEni Faleomavaega, 42% to 31%; former Democratic governorTogiola Tulafono finished third at 11% in the nine-way contest.[19][20]
Radewagen was re-elected in 2016, receiving the highest number of votes in American Samoa history for any elective office, winning 75.4% of the vote cast.[21][22][23]
Radewagen assumed office on January 3, 2015. Upon taking office, she became theRepublican Party's highest-rankingAsian-Pacific federal officeholder in the United States.[8]
Radewagen has a bipartisan track record. She was ranked the 28th and 14th most bipartisan Representative in the114th and115th United States Congresses, respectively, byThe Lugar Center andMcCourt School of Public Policy's Bipartisan Index.[24][25][26]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen (inc.) | 7,394 | 74.8% | |
| Independent | Luisa Kuaea | 1,840 | 18.6% | |
| Democratic | Fualaau Rosie Lancaster | 469 | 4.7% | |
| Democratic | Meleagi Suitonu-Chapman | 185 | 1.9% | |
| Total votes | 9,888 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen (inc.) | 6,637 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 6,637 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen (inc.) | 9,880 | 83.5% | |
| Democratic | Oreta Crichton | 1,704 | 14.4% | |
| Democratic | Meleagi Suitonu-Chapman | 249 | 2.1% | |
| Total votes | 11,833 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen (inc.) | 7,194 | 83.3% | |
| Independent | Tuika Tuika | 785 | 9.1% | |
| Democratic | Meleagi Suitonu–Chapman | 659 | 7.6% | |
| Total votes | 8,638 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen (inc.) | 8,924 | 75.4% | |
| Democratic | Salu Hunkin-Finau | 1,581 | 13.4% | |
| Democratic | Mapu Jamias | 978 | 8.3% | |
| Democratic | Meleagi Suitonu-Chapman | 181 | 1.5% | |
| Independent | Timothy Jones | 171 | 1.4% | |
| Total votes | 11,835 | 100.0% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen | 4,306 | 42.0% | |
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 3,157 | 30.8% | |
| Democratic | Togiola Tulafono | 1,130 | 11.0% | |
| Democratic | Mapu S. Jamias | 652 | 6.4% | |
| Independent | Rosie Fuala‘au Tago Lancaster | 286 | 2.6% | |
| Independent | Meleagi Suitonu-Chapman | 229 | 2.2% | |
| Independent | Tuika Tuika | 201 | 2.0% | |
| Democratic | Tu‘au Kereti Mata‘Utia Jr | 160 | 1.6% | |
| Independent | Mark Ude | 143 | 1.4% | |
| Total votes | 10,246 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 7,221 | 55.2% | |
| Constitution | Amata Coleman Radewagen | 4,420 | 33.8% | |
| Independent | Rosie Fuala‘au Tago Lancaster | 697 | 5.3% | |
| Democratic | Kereti Mata‘utia Jr | 438 | 3.3% | |
| Independent | Fatumalala Leulua‘iali‘i A. Al-Sheri | 300 | 2.3% | |
| Total votes | 13,076 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 6,182 | 56.4% | |
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen | 4,422 | 40.3% | |
| Independent | Tuika Tuika | 356 | 3.3% | |
| Total votes | 10,960 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 7,499 | 60.4% | |
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen | 4,350 | 35.0% | |
| Independent | Rosie Fuala‘au Tago Lancaster | 570 | 4.6% | |
| Total votes | 12,419 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 5,195 | 47.1% | |
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen | 4,493 | 40.7% | |
| Independent | Ae Ae Muavaefaatasi Jr. | 1,345 | 12.2% | |
| Total votes | 11,033 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 6,656 | 54.9% | |
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen | 5,472 | 45.1% | |
| Total votes | 12,128 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 4,294 | 41.3% | |
| Independent | Fagafaga D. Langkilde | 3,332 | 32.1% | |
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen | 2,767 | 26.6% | |
| Total votes | 10,393 | 100.0% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 4,959 | 54.8% | |
| Independent | Fagafaga D. Langkilde | 4,083 | 45.2% | |
| Total votes | 9,042 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 8,138 | 80.8% | |
| Independent | Seigafolava Robert Pene | 1,273 | 12.7% | |
| Independent | Amata Coleman Radewagen | 651 | 6.5% | |
| Total votes | 10,062 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (inc.) | 6,517 | 63.5% | |
| Republican | Amata Coleman Radewagen | 2,116 | 20.6% | |
| Independent | Fal‘ivae Apelu Galea‘i | 1,299 | 12.7% | |
| Independent | Tuika Tuika | 324 | 3.2% | |
| Total votes | 10,256 | 100.0% | ||
Radewagen has been involved in helping build democratic institutions internationally.[8] As a trainer since 1992, she has participated in missions toKazakhstan,Cambodia,Kyrgyzstan, andMorocco for theInternational Republican Institute and theInternational Foundation for Electoral Systems, among other activities.[8][4] She began advocating on behalf ofbreast cancer awareness after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993.[4]
She is a founding member of the American Samoa Society and a life member of theCapitol Hill Club. She has also been a member of organizations such as the Guam Society of America, Hawaii State Society, Women's Foreign Policy Group, and theIndependent Women's Forum. She is a current member of the Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Women's Association. In 2003, Radewagen became the first Pacific Islander chosen as “Outstanding Woman of the Year” by the National Association of Professional Asian American Women (NAPAW). In 2008, she received the International Leadership Foundation's Visionary Award. In 2013, she received both the Inspirational Speaker Award at the Samoan Athletes Heart of Champions Ceremony inLa Mesa, CA, as well as the Trailblazer Award from theRepublican National Convention. She is a current board member at the Field House 100 American Samoa.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Delegate to theU.S. House of Representatives fromAmerican Samoa's at-large congressional district 2015–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States delegates by seniority 3rd | Succeeded by |
Political officials ofAmerican Samoa | ||
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| International | |
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