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Loretta Sanchez
Loretta Lorna Sanchez (born January 7, 1960) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2017, representing parts of central Orange County, California. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected in 1996, when she defeated long-serving Republican U.S. Representative Bob Dornan by fewer than 1,000 votes. During her time in the House of Representatives, Sanchez was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition of moderate-to-conservative Democrats.
Sanchez chose not to run for re-election to the House in 2016, instead opting to run in the state's U.S. Senate race. She was defeated in the general election by fellow Democrat, California Attorney General and future U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, 61.6% to 38.4%.
She is the sister of Linda Sánchez, who currently represents California's 38th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Sanchez was born in Lynwood, California, and graduated from Katella High School in Anaheim in 1978. Her father was a unionized machinist, and her mother worked as a secretary.[citation needed] Her Mexican-immigrant parents had seven children, one of whom—Linda Sánchez—also served in Congress, making them the first (and, as of December 2023[update], the only) sisters to serve simultaneously in Congress.
Loretta Sanchez joined the United Food and Commercial Workers when she worked as an ice cream server in high school and received a union scholarship to college. She received her undergraduate degree in economics from Chapman College in Orange in 1982, obtained her MBA from American University in Washington, D.C. in 1984, and was a financial analyst for defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton until entering the House. Sanchez describes herself as growing up a "shy, quiet girl" who did not speak English. She credits government with much of her success in public life.
In February 2006, Sanchez withdrew from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's political action committee, along with five other members, because the caucus chairman, Joe Baca, authorized political contributions to members of his family who were running for state and local offices in California.
Sanchez and other CHC members also claim that Baca was improperly elected chairman of the caucus in November 2006 because the vote failed to use secret ballots, as required in the group's bylaws. On January 31, 2007, Sanchez quit the CHC because she claimed that Baca repeatedly treated the group's female members with disrespect. Other female lawmakers have made the same complaint about Baca. In the election for caucus chairman, only one female member of the 23-member caucus voted to support Baca's candidacy.
According to Sanchez, as well as Linda Sánchez (her sister), and Hilda Solis, Baca called Loretta Sanchez "a whore" while speaking to other lawmakers. Baca denied the charge. Politico reported that Sanchez claimed California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez heard the comment from Baca and repeated it to Sanchez, yet Núñez claimed not to recall any such comment. Sanchez, however, claimed after the article was published that she had never mentioned Núñez to Politico.
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Loretta Sanchez
Loretta Lorna Sanchez (born January 7, 1960) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2017, representing parts of central Orange County, California. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected in 1996, when she defeated long-serving Republican U.S. Representative Bob Dornan by fewer than 1,000 votes. During her time in the House of Representatives, Sanchez was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition of moderate-to-conservative Democrats.
Sanchez chose not to run for re-election to the House in 2016, instead opting to run in the state's U.S. Senate race. She was defeated in the general election by fellow Democrat, California Attorney General and future U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, 61.6% to 38.4%.
She is the sister of Linda Sánchez, who currently represents California's 38th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Sanchez was born in Lynwood, California, and graduated from Katella High School in Anaheim in 1978. Her father was a unionized machinist, and her mother worked as a secretary.[citation needed] Her Mexican-immigrant parents had seven children, one of whom—Linda Sánchez—also served in Congress, making them the first (and, as of December 2023[update], the only) sisters to serve simultaneously in Congress.
Loretta Sanchez joined the United Food and Commercial Workers when she worked as an ice cream server in high school and received a union scholarship to college. She received her undergraduate degree in economics from Chapman College in Orange in 1982, obtained her MBA from American University in Washington, D.C. in 1984, and was a financial analyst for defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton until entering the House. Sanchez describes herself as growing up a "shy, quiet girl" who did not speak English. She credits government with much of her success in public life.
In February 2006, Sanchez withdrew from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's political action committee, along with five other members, because the caucus chairman, Joe Baca, authorized political contributions to members of his family who were running for state and local offices in California.
Sanchez and other CHC members also claim that Baca was improperly elected chairman of the caucus in November 2006 because the vote failed to use secret ballots, as required in the group's bylaws. On January 31, 2007, Sanchez quit the CHC because she claimed that Baca repeatedly treated the group's female members with disrespect. Other female lawmakers have made the same complaint about Baca. In the election for caucus chairman, only one female member of the 23-member caucus voted to support Baca's candidacy.
According to Sanchez, as well as Linda Sánchez (her sister), and Hilda Solis, Baca called Loretta Sanchez "a whore" while speaking to other lawmakers. Baca denied the charge. Politico reported that Sanchez claimed California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez heard the comment from Baca and repeated it to Sanchez, yet Núñez claimed not to recall any such comment. Sanchez, however, claimed after the article was published that she had never mentioned Núñez to Politico.
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