Dennis Hollingsworth | |
|---|---|
 Hollingsworth in 2010 | |
| Member of theCalifornia Senate from the36th district | |
| In office December 2, 2002 – November 30, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Ray Haynes |
| Succeeded by | Joel Anderson |
| Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the66th district | |
| In office December 4, 2000 – November 30, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Bruce Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Ray Haynes |
| Minority Leader of theCalifornia Senate | |
| In office February 18, 2008 – October 11, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Dave Cogdill |
| Succeeded by | Bob Dutton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1967-01-12)January 12, 1967 (age 58) Hemet, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Natalie |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | California Polytechnic State University Cornell University |
Dennis Clark Hollingsworth (born January 12, 1967) is an American politician who representedCalifornia's 36th State Senate district, which includes portions ofSan Diego andRiverside County, from 2002 to 2010. In 2000, Hollingsworth was elected to the Legislature as a member of the Assembly, and in 2002, Hollingsworth was elected to the Senate. Hollingsworth served as theCalifornia State SenateMinority Leader from 2008 until he termed out of the Senate in 2010.
Hollingsworth was affiliated with the conservative groupProtectMarriage.com and was instrumental in their unsuccessfullegal battle to uphold theban onsame-sex marriage in California.[1] As such, he is the namedappellant inHollingsworth v. Perry.
Hollingsworth attended theCalifornia Polytechnic State University andCornell University where he studied Dairy Science, Agricultural Management and International Relations. He was a business owner and Legislative Director for the Riverside County Farm Bureau prior to his election to theState Legislature. Hollingsworth is an avid hunter and past state chairman of Quail Unlimited.
Hollingsworth lives inMurrieta with his wife, Natalie, and two sons and one daughter.
Hollingsworth was elected to theCalifornia State Assembly in 2000 and the State Senate in 2002.
In 2006, he authored a resolution to replace the statue ofThomas Starr King, aUnitarian minister who worked to keep California in the Union during theAmerican Civil War, with one ofRonald Reagan inStatuary Hall. One of his reasons was that he had never heard of King, and felt that someone more widely known should represent California. Hollingsworth also believed that the King statue would serve a better educational purpose being placed in the state capital. The bill passed the Senate and Assembly on August 31, 2006.[2]
Shortly after midnight on the morning of February 18, 2009, after several days of late-night, contentious debates over closing a $42 billion gap in the state budget, Senate Republicans met in caucus where they voted to replaceState SenateRepublicanLeaderDave Cogdill with Hollingsworth as minority leader. Hollingsworth immediately repudiated a budget deal negotiated by Cogsdill because it included increases in the sales, income and gasoline taxes, saying "We should reopen negotiations and we should pass a no-tax budget."[3] The Cogdill-negotiated budget eventually passed regardless.
In 2010, Hollingsworth retired from the Senate due to term limits.[4]
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| National | |
