Suzanne Bonamici | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2012 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's1st district | |
| Assumed office January 31, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | David Wu |
| Member of theOregon Senate from the17th district | |
| In office May 19, 2008 – November 21, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Brad Avakian |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Steiner |
| Member of theOregon House of Representatives from the34th district | |
| In office January 2, 2007 – May 19, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Brad Avakian |
| Succeeded by | Chris Harker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Suzanne Marie Bonamici (1954-10-14)October 14, 1954 (age 71) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Michael Simon |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Neil Simon (by marriage) |
| Education | Lane Community College (attended) University of Oregon (BA,JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Suzanne Marie Bonamici (/ˌbɒnəˈmiːtʃi/BONN-ə-MEE-chee; born October 14, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative forOregon's 1st congressional district, a seat she was first elected to in a2012 special election. The district includes most ofPortland west of theWillamette River, along with most of Portland's western suburbs such asBeaverton,Hillsboro,Tigard, andLake Oswego.
ADemocrat, Bonamici represented the 17th district in theOregon State Senate from 2008 to 2011.[1] She was first elected to theOregon House of Representatives in 2006.
Bonamici was born inDetroit. She earned anassociate degree fromLane Community College in 1978, and a bachelor's degree in 1980 andJ.D. in 1983, both from theUniversity of Oregon.[2] After college, she became a legal assistant atLane CountyLegal Aid inEugene. After law school, she became aconsumer protection attorney for theFederal Trade Commission inWashington, D.C. She went into private practice inPortland and represented small businesses.[3]
In 2006, incumbent Democratic State RepresentativeBrad Avakian decided to retire to run for theOregon Senate. Bonamici ran for the open seat in Oregon's 34th House district and defeated Republican Joan Draper, 62%-36%.[4]
On April 30, 2008, commissioners fromWashington andMultnomah Counties appointed Bonamici to represent Oregon's 17th Senate district. The seat became vacant when Avakian was appointed Commissioner of theOregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.[5] She was sworn in on May 19, 2008.
Bonamici was unopposedin the November 2008 special election for the balance of Avakian's four-year term, and was elected with 97% of the vote.[6] In 2010, she was reelected with 64% of the vote.[7]
In early 2011, Bonamici was mentioned as a possible successor to RepresentativeDavid Wu afterThe Oregonian andWillamette Week reported that Wu exhibited odd behavior and clashed with his staff amid apparent mental illness during the 2010 election cycle.[8] After Wu resigned from Congress, Bonamici announced her candidacy for thespecial election to replace him,[9] touting endorsements from former GovernorBarbara Roberts, former CongresswomanElizabeth Furse, and incumbent Oregon Attorney GeneralJohn Kroger, among others.[10]
On November 8, 2011, Bonamici won theDemocratic Party of Oregon's nomination, with a majority of the vote in every county in the district and 66% of the vote overall, a 44-point margin over second-place finisherBrad Avakian. She defeatedRepublican nominee Rob Cornilles in the January 31, 2012, special election[11] by a 14-point margin.[12]
Before her election to Congress, Bonamici resigned from the Oregon Senate on November 21,[13] and was replaced byElizabeth Steiner Hayward in December.[14]
In November 2012, Bonamici was reelected to her first full term with over 60% of the vote.[15]
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On July 31, 2014, Bonamici introduced theTsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2014 into the House.[16] The bill would authorize theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to spend $27 million a year for three years on their ongoingtsunami warning and research programs.[17]
Bonamici said, "the coastlines of the United States already play an integral role in the economic prosperity of this country and we must strengthen their preparedness and resiliency so they can continue to play that role going forward."[17] She added that the bill "will improve the country's understanding of the threat posed by tsunami events" because it will "improve forecasting and notification systems, support local community outreach and preparedness and response plans, and develop supportive technologies."[18]
In January 2023, Bonamici was one of 13 cosponsors of an amendment to theConstitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens sixteen years of age or older.[19]
During the117th Congress, Bonamici voted with PresidentJoe Biden's stated position 99.1% of the time according to aFiveThirtyEight analysis.[20] She was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[21]
Bonamici voted to provide Israel with support followingOctober 7 attacks.[22][23]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Suzanne Bonamici | 11,780 | 61.5 | |
| Republican | Joan Draper | 6,902 | 36.0 | |
| Libertarian | Gregory F. Rohde | 439 | 2.3 | |
| Write-in | 27 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 19,148 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Suzanne Bonamici | 44,475 | 96.9 | |
| Write-in | 1,423 | 3.1 | ||
| Total votes | 45,898 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Suzanne Bonamici | 32,281 | 64.0 | |
| Republican | Stevan C Kirkpatrick | 18,041 | 35.8 | |
| Write-in | 87 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 50,409 | 100% | ||
| Year | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 (Special) | Suzanne Bonamici | 113,404 | 53.8% | Rob Cornilles | 83,396 | 39.6% | Steve Reynolds | Progressive | 6,798 | 3.2% | James Foster | Libertarian | 6,618 | 3.1% | Write-ins | 547 | 0.3% | |||||||
| 2012 | 197,845 | 59.6% | Delinda Morgan | 109,699 | 33.0% | 15,009 | 4.5% | * | Bob Ekstrom | Constitution | 8,918 | 2.7% | 509 | 0.2% | ||||||||||
| 2014 | 160,038 | 57.3% | Jason Yates | 96,245 | 34.5% | James Foster | Libertarian | 11,213 | 4.0% | Steve Reynolds | Pacific Green | 11,163 | 4.0% | 597 | 0.2% | |||||||||
| 2016 | 225,391 | 59.6% | Brian Heinrich | 139,756 | 37.0% | Kyle Sheahan | 12,257 | 3.2% | Write-ins | 691 | 0.2% | |||||||||||||
| 2018 | 231,198 | 63.6% | John Verbeek | 116,446 | 32.1% | Drew Layda | 15,121 | 4.2% | 484 | 0.1% | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 297,071 | 64.6% | Christopher Christensen | 161,928 | 35.2% | Write-ins | 900 | 0.2% | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 210,682 | 67.9% | Christopher Mann | 99,042 | 31.9% | Write-ins | 519 | 0.2% | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 241,556 | 68.6% | Bob Todd | 98,908 | 28.1% | Joe Christman | Libertarian | 10,840 | 3.1% | Write-ins | 687 | 0.2% |
* In the 2012 election, Steve Reynolds was co-nominated by the Libertarian and Pacific Green parties.[42]
Bonamici is married toMichael H. Simon, a federal judge.[43] They have two children. Bonamici was raised Episcopalian and Unitarian, and subsequently converted to Judaism.[44][45] She attendsCongregation Beth Israel with her husband (who was born Jewish), and their children.[46][47]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's 1st congressional district 2012–present | Incumbent |
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| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 95th | Succeeded by |
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