Gwen Moore
Official portrait, 2019
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Jerry Kleczka
Member of theWisconsin Senate from the4th district
In office January 4, 1993 – January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Barbara Ulichny
Succeeded by	Lena Taylor
Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from the7th district
In office January 3, 1989 – January 4, 1993
Preceded by	Dismas Becker
Succeeded by	Peter Bock
Personal details
Born	Gwendolynne Sophia Moore (1951-04-18)April 18, 1951 (age 74) Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Children	3, includingSupreme
Education	Marquette University (BA)
Website	House website Campaign website
Moore's voice Moore onmaternal mortality inPakistan. Recorded June 11, 2009

Gwendolynne Sophia Moore (born April 18, 1951) is an American politician serving as theU.S. representative forWisconsin's 4th congressional district since 2005. In 2016, Moore was elected to serve ascaucus whip of theCongressional Black Caucus^[1] for the115th United States Congress.^[2][3] She is a member of theDemocratic Party. Her district is based inMilwaukee and as a result of the 2011redistricting also includes someMilwaukee County suburbs:Bayside,Brown Deer,Cudahy,Fox Point,Glendale,St. Francis,South Milwaukee,West Milwaukee,Shorewood, andWhitefish Bay. Moore is the first woman to represent the district and the second woman afterTammy Baldwin and the firstAfrican American elected to Congress from Wisconsin.

Moore is currently Wisconsin's longest serving Representative, after RepresentativeRon Kind retired, in 2023.

Moore was born inRacine, but has spent most of her life in Milwaukee. She is the eighth of nine children; her father was a factory worker and her mother a public school teacher. Moore attendedNorth Division High School and served as student council president.^{[citation needed]} She later attendedMarquette University and became a single mother andwelfare recipient. She earned aBachelor of Arts degree inpolitical science in 1973.

As an organizer withAmeriCorps VISTA, Moore worked to establish the Cream City Community Development Credit Union to offer grants and loans to low-income residents to start businesses.^[4] For her work, she was awarded the national "VISTA Volunteer of the Decade" award from 1976 to 1986.^[5] From 1985 to 1989, she worked for theCity of Milwaukee as a neighborhood development strategist and for the state Department of Employment Relations and Health and Social Services. Moore also worked for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) as a housing officer.^{[citation needed]}

Moore was elected to theWisconsin State Assembly in 1988 and served two terms representing the7th district. She was a prominent voice calling for an investigation into the case of serial killerJeffrey Dahmer, who lived two blocks from Moore.^{[citation needed]}

In 1992, Moore was elected to theWisconsin State Senate, in which she represented the4th district from 1993 to 2005. She was the firstAfrican-American woman to be elected to the state senate^[6] and became a prominent voice against mandatory ID security measures to enter the Capitol. She said, "I am too often reminded [9/11 hijacker]Mohamed Atta had a photo ID. This will not tell people whether I am a terrorist. This disenfranchises people who come to their Capitol."^{[citation needed]}

Moore was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives in 2004 with 69.6% of the vote, defeatingRepublicanattorney Gerald Boyle. She was one of a handful of African Americans to be elected to Congress as freshmen in 2004, and the firstAfrican American and second woman (afterTammy Baldwin) to represent Wisconsin in Congress.^[7]

Moore is a prominent advocate for women's rights, releasing frequent statements on topics ranging fromdomestic abuse awareness to abortion rights. In January 2011, she was elected Democratic co-chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus to become a leader on health insurance reform and the protection of reproductive rights.^[8] She is a member of theCongressional Progressive Caucus.^[9]

During the congressional debate in February 2011 on the Pence Amendment to defundPlanned Parenthood, in response to comments fromPaul Broun suggesting that Planned Parenthood promoted racist eugenics because more black women than white women have abortions, Moore spoke about her experience raising children on little money, and why "planned parenthood is healthy for women, it's healthy for children and it's healthy for our society".^[10] She publicly opposed the investigation intoPlanned Parenthood's financial accounting, saying the investigation was "an unfortunate waste of taxpayer dollars".^[11] Moore voted "nay" on Amends Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to Prohibit Abortion Coverage on October 13, 2011.^[12] In March 2012, during the House debate over reauthorizing theViolence Against Women Act, she spoke about her experience of being sexually assaulted and raped as a child and an adult, criticizing the all-male Senate Judiciary Committee that voted "no" on the bill.^[13]

In the first session of the109th Congress, Moore earned 90% and higher legislative agenda approval scores fromPlanned Parenthood of Wisconsin, theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People, theSierra Club of Wisconsin, and theService Employees International Union. She has focused legislatively on traditional Democratic andprogressive issues, believing that thefederal government should play a significant role in the amelioration of poverty and the resolution of difficult local problems. Moore has received support from interest groups including theAmerican Civil Liberties Union (93%), TheHuman Rights Campaign (100%), The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) (100%), The National Farmers Union (100%) and Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund (100%). She lacks support from those supporting hunting and sportsmen rights (0% support from Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance), opponents of abortion rights (0% support fromNational Right to Life), and conservative tax reform stances (0% support from Americans for Tax Reform).^[14]

During her first term, Moore introduced legislation to provide economic incentives andtax cuts to small businesses to promote job creation, and also cosponsored legislation supporting communityblock grants, continuing and expandingMedicaid funding, amending theTruth in Lending Act to prevent so-called "predatory lending", and removing troops fromIraq. She also cosponsored two prospectiveamendments to theUS Constitution, providing for uniform national election standards and prohibiting gender discrimination.^{[citation needed]}

On May 6, 2006, Moore and eight fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus were arrested and ticketed forunlawful assembly anddisorderly conduct after they stepped onto the grounds of theEmbassy ofSudan to call attention to the ongoingDarfur conflict. Moore said the group expected to be arrested but that they were pleased to participate in a "peaceful act ofcivil disobedience".^[15]

In July 2019, Moore voted against a House resolution introduced by RepresentativeBrad Schneider opposing efforts to boycott the State ofIsrael and the GlobalBoycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel.^[16] The resolution passed 398-17.^[17] Moore chose not to attend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the U.S. Congress in July 2024 to protest theGaza-Israel conflict.^[18]

On December 18, 2019, Moore voted for both articles of impeachment against PresidentDonald Trump.^[19]

In 2023, Moore was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed PresidentJoe Biden to remove U.S. troops fromSyria within 180 days.^[20]

Moore was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.^[21]

• Committee on Ways and Means
  • Subcommittee on Oversight
  • Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
  • Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support

• Black Maternal Health Caucus^[22]
• Congressional Equality Caucus^[23]
• Congressional Progressive Caucus^[24]

Moore's son,Supreme Moore Omokunde (then known as Sowande Ajumoke Omokunde), was arrested in connection with the November 2, 2004, tire-slashing ofRepublican Party vehicles inMilwaukee. He was charged on January 24, 2005, with afelony in connection with the event, but agreed on January 20, 2006, to pleadno contest in exchange for a sentencing recommendation ofrestitution andprobation.^[25] On April 26, 2006,Milwaukee County Circuit JudgeMichael B. Brennan disregarded the sentencing recommendation and sentenced Omokunde to four months in prison and $2,305 in fines and restitution. In response, Moore said, "I love my son very much. I'm very proud of him. He's accepted responsibility."^[26]

Omokunde went on to become a member of theMilwaukee CountyBoard of Supervisors in 2015,^[27] and was elected to theWisconsin State Assembly in 2020.^[28]

Moore has become a U.S. delegate to theParliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.^[29]

Moore attended the2016 Democratic National Convention as asuperdelegate, pledging her support to nomineeHillary Clinton.

Moore spoke at the2020 Democratic National Convention, which was centered in Milwaukee.^[30]

On December 28, 2020, Moore announced that she had tested positive forCOVID-19 and was self-isolating from others. She traveled to Washington to vote forNancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House after announcing that her quarantine period had ended.^[31][32]

Moore is aBaptist.^[33]

• List of African-American United States representatives
• Women in the United States House of Representatives

Wikimedia Commons has media related toGwen Moore.

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Gwendolynne Sophia Moore

• Gwen Moore official U.S. House website
• Gwen Moore for Congress official campaign website
• Appearances onC-SPAN

• Biography at theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at theFederal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at theLibrary of Congress
• Profile atVote Smart

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