Lou Correa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's46th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Loretta Sánchez |
| Member of theCalifornia State Senate from the34th district | |
| In office December 4, 2006 – December 1, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Dunn |
| Succeeded by | Janet Nguyen |
| Member of theOrange County Board of Supervisors from the 1st district | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – December 4, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Charles V. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Janet Nguyen |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the69th district | |
| In office December 7, 1998 – December 6, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Morrissey |
| Succeeded by | Tom Umberg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jose Luis Correa (1958-01-24)January 24, 1958 (age 67) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | California State University, Fullerton (BA) University of California, Los Angeles (JD,MBA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Jose Luis Correa[1] (/kəˈreɪə/kə-RAY-ə; born January 24, 1958) is an American businessman and politician serving as theU.S. representative forCalifornia's 46th congressional district since 2017. His district serves most of the majority-Hispanic areas ofOrange County and includes most ofAnaheim, all ofSanta Ana, and parts ofOrange. A member of theDemocratic Party, Correa represented the34th district in theCalifornia State Senate from 2006 to 2014.
Before his career in politics, Correa was an investment banker, a real estate broker, and a college instructor.
Correa's paternal grandfather came to the United States fromMexico to work for theSouthern Pacific Transportation Company in the 1910s. His grandfather settled down in the U.S. and started a family. During theGreat Depression, he returned to Mexico with his American-born children. Years later, Correa's father got married and moved from Mexico to California.[2]
Correa was born inEast Los Angeles. His mother was killed in a car accident in Mexico when he was two. This resulted in Correa and his father moving toZacatecas, Mexico. Five years later, he and his father moved to the Penguin City neighborhood inAnaheim, California. Correa's family unit comprised his father, Correa's sister, and an aunt he called "mom." Correa's father worked at a cardboard factory. His aunt cleaned hotel rooms making $1.50 an hour. The family moved regularly due to the cost of rent.[2]
Correa started second grade speaking only Spanish. He struggled to learn English initially, but became fluent over time. He graduated fromAnaheim High School[2] and earned aBachelor of Arts degree ineconomics fromCalifornia State University, Fullerton and aJuris Doctor andMaster of Business Administration from theUniversity of California, Los Angeles.[3]
Correa's political career began in 1996 when he ran for theCalifornia State Assembly as the Democratic nominee in the 69th Assembly district. He lost toRepublican incumbentJim Morrissey by just 93 votes.[4] In a 1998 rematch, Correa was elected to the Assembly, defeating Morrissey 54% to 43%.[5]
While a member of the Assembly, Correa served on several committees and chaired the Committee on Business and Professions, the Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee; the Select Committee on Mobile Homes; and the Select Committee onMCAS El Toro Reuse.
Correa was reelected to the Assembly twice but was forced from office by California'sterm limits law, which restricted members from serving more than three two-year terms.
In 2004, Correa was elected to theOrange County Board of Supervisors, becoming the first Democrat to serve on the board since 1987.[6] He represented the first district, which includes the cities ofGarden Grove,Santa Ana, andWestminster as well as unincorporated areas of the county includingMidway City.
In January 2006, Correa entered the race for the Democratic Party nomination for theCalifornia State Senate 34th district, a seat vacated by termed-out State SenatorJoe Dunn.[7]
After defeatingAssemblymanTom Umberg in the June primary, Correa defeated RepublicanAssemblywomanLynn Daucher in the November general election by a margin of 1,392 votes.[8] He was sworn into the State Senate on December 4, 2006.
In 2010, Correa was reelected overAnaheim City CouncilwomanLucille Kring.
In a January 27, 2015, special election, Correa ran for theOrange County Board of Supervisors, but was defeated by formerGarden GroveCity CouncilmanAndrew Do by a margin of 43 votes (0.1%).
Correa ran for the United States Congress for the 46th district, which was being vacated by 10-term incumbentLoretta Sanchez, who was running for United States Senate.[9] He came in first in the June 7 primary with 43.7% of the vote, and won the general election against Democrat Bao Nguyen, who earned 14.6% of the vote in the top-two primary, with 69.9% of the vote.[10]
Correa was a member of theBlue Dog Coalition.[11] He left the caucus after a disagreement over the group's rebranding.[12]
On July 29, 2024, Correa was announced as one of six Democratic members of a bipartisan task force investigating theattempted assassination of Donald Trump.[13]
On June 12, 2025, Correa was one of the four Democrats who did not vote on the $9 billion spending cuts put forward by theDepartment of Government Efficiency; house Republicans passed the rescission package by 2 votes.[14]
Correa was participating in the certification of the2021 United States Electoral College vote count when supporters of outgoing PresidentDonald Trump stormed the United States Capitol. He was in the House Chamber when rioters tried to break through the chamber doors. He hid in the gallery with other Congress members, holding a gas mask in case of tear gas. He said the rioters "have been misled by this crazy, tyrant president who keeps saying it was stolen from him when it wasn’t."[15]
A group of approximately 20 Trump supporters harassed Correa atDulles International Airport as he was leaving Washington to return to Orange County after certifying the electoral votes. People called him names and one man told him, "Your lie has been exposed. This not a democracy. It is a republic." After one woman told him to "go to work in China", Correa responded, "Maybe Russia is better. Comrade! Comrade!" Minutes later, airport police dispersed the crowd. Correa expressed concern that the airport police did not question or detain the harassers.[16] He supported efforts to impeach Trump and called on Vice PresidentMike Pence to invoke theTwenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.[17]
For the118th Congress:[18]
Correa has a 100% rating fromNARAL Pro-Choice America and an F grade from theSusan B. Anthony List for his abortion-relating voting history.[28][29] He opposed theoverturning ofRoe v. Wade, saying: "By preventing women from having access to health care, we are putting their lives in jeopardy. The decision should be left to woman, her doctor, and her god."[30]
In 2022, Correa was one of 16 Democrats to vote against theMerger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, anantitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[31][32]
In 1990, Correa married his wife, Esther. They lived in Anaheim with Correa's father until Correa was in his 40s.[2] Correa lives inSanta Ana, California. He and his wife have four children,[3] one of whom, Adan, hasautism and is a cast member on the Netflix seriesLove on the Spectrum.[33]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lou Correa | 115,248 | 70.0 | |
| Democratic | Bao Nguyen | 49,345 | 30.0 | |
| Total votes | 164,593 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lou Correa (Incumbent) | 102,278 | 69.1 | |
| Republican | Russell Rene Lambert | 45,638 | 30.9 | |
| Total votes | 147,916 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lou Correa (incumbent) | 157,803 | 68.8 | |
| Republican | James S. Waters | 71,716 | 31.2 | |
| Total votes | 229,519 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lou Correa (incumbent) | 78,041 | 61.8 | |
| Republican | Christopher Gonzales | 48,257 | 38.2 | |
| Total votes | 126,298 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lou Correa (incumbent) | 134,103 | 63.4 | |
| Republican | David Pan | 77,279 | 36.6 | |
| Total votes | 211,292 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 46th congressional district 2017–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theBlue Dog Coalition for Communications 2019–2021 Served alongside:Stephanie Murphy (Administration),Tom O'Halleran (Policy) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theBlue Dog Coalition for Policy 2025–present Served alongside:Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Administration),Vicente Gonzalez (Communications) | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Seniority in the U.S. House of Representatives 164th | Succeeded by |
| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
