Lisa Blunt Rochester
Lisa LaTrelle Blunt Rochester (née Blunt;[1] February 10, 1962) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district since 2017. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Lisa Blunt Rochester | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Delaware's at-large district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2017 | |
Preceded by | John Carney |
Personal details | |
Born | Lisa LaTrelle Blunt February 10, 1962 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Charles Rochester
(m. 2006; died 2014) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Ted Blunt (father) |
Education | Fairleigh Dickinson University (BA) University of Delaware (MA) |
Website | House website |
Early life and education
Blunt Rochester was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 10, 1962.[2] Her family moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1969.[3] Her father, Ted Blunt, served on the Wilmington City Council, including as council president.[4] Her mother, Alice LaTrelle, worked in retail.[5]
Blunt Rochester attended Padua Academy, began college at Villanova University, and later transferred to the University of Delaware in her sophomore year.[5] She left college to live in Europe, and later received her bachelor's degree in international relations from Fairleigh Dickinson University and her master's degree in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware.[3][5]
Early political career
Blunt Rochester worked for Tom Carper as an intern in 1989, when he served as Delaware's U.S. Representative. After the internship, she continued to work for Carper as a constituent relations caseworker, and worked on his transition team when he was elected governor of Delaware.[5][6][7] Carper appointed her deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services in 1993 and Secretary of the Department of Labor in 1998. Governor Ruth Ann Minner named Blunt Rochester the state personnel director in 2001.[5]
In 2004, Blunt Rochester left government service and became the CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.[5][3]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
Blunt Rochester ran for the United States House of Representatives in Delaware's at-large congressional district in the 2016 election.[8] She won the Democratic Party nomination on September 13[9] and the general election against Republican Hans Reigle on November 8.[10] When she was sworn into office on January 3, 2017, she became the first woman and the first African-American to represent Delaware in Congress.[10] During her swearing-in, she carried a scarf imprinted with her great-great-great-grandfather's Reconstruction Era voter registration card. He had been a slave.[7]
Tenure
On December 18, 2019, Blunt Rochester voted for both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.[11]
During the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Blunt Rochester was ushered into a secure room with fellow members of Congress. Despite House Rules on mask mandates, multiple Republican members, including Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, abstained from wearing a mask. A clip went viral of Blunt Rochester offering masks to her Republican colleagues, in which they seemingly mocked and refused her offer.[12] In the following days, multiple members tested positive for COVID-19.[12]
Blunt Rochester voted to impeach Trump a second time on January 15, 2021.[13]
2020 presidential election
Blunt Rochester played an active role in the 2020 presidential election. After Joe Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee in March 2020, his campaign named her one of its co-chairs.[14] At the end of April, Blunt Rochester was named a member of the vetting committee for Biden's vice presidential candidate selection.[15]
Rochester was a 2020 Democratic National Convention speaker.[16]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
- Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Black Caucus[17]
- Congressional Progressive Caucus[18]
- Future of Work Caucus (Founder / Co-Chair)[19]
- New Democrat Coalition[20]
Personal life
Blunt Rochester was married to her first husband, basketball player Alex Bradley, from 1982 to 2003. They met at Villanova and lived in Europe while he played basketball professionally. They have two children together.[5] She met her second husband, Charles, later in 2003. They married in 2006.[5] Charles died in 2014.[1][7][4][21] He ruptured his Achilles tendon which caused blood clots to go to his heart and lungs.
While living abroad in China with her late husband, Blunt Rochester co-authored the book Thrive: 34 Women, 18 Countries, One Goal.[22][23]
Electoral history
Election results | ||||||||||||
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Year | Office | Election | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | ||
2016 | U.S House of | General | Lisa Blunt Rochester | Democratic | 223,554 | 55.5% | Hans Reigle | Republican | 172,290 | 41.0% | ||
2018 | U.S House of | General | Lisa Blunt Rochester | Democratic | 227,333 | 64.5% | Scott Walker | Republican | 125,381 | 35.6% | ||
2020 | U.S House of | General | Lisa Blunt Rochester | Democratic | 280,612 | 57.6% | Lee Murphy | Republican | 195,708 | 40.2% |
Book
- Blunt Rochester, Lisa; Guzman, Ale; Kuguru, Ruth (June 1, 2010). Thrive: Thirty-four Women, Eighteen Countries, One Goal. Grace Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 978-9881922014.
See also
References
- "Weddings". The News Journal. June 20, 1982. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). Roll Call. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- "Running for Congress, Rochester draws on experience". The News Journal. May 21, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- Duvernay, Adam (November 10, 2016). "Rochester wins Delaware congressional race". The News Journal. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- Nagengast, Larry (June 2017). "Lisa Blunt Rochester is Ready to Shake Things Up: Get to know Delaware's first black, first female congresswoman". Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- Gaudiano, Nicole (January 3, 2017). "Lisa Blunt Rochester sworn in, makes history". The News Journal. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- Page, Susan (March 16, 2017). "Groundbreaking congresswoman on race, gender and the Joe Biden Hybrid". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017.
For my swearing-in, I carried this with me. Part of this was to remember how far we've come, that a former slave's great-great-granddaughter is now a congresswoman.
- Offredo, Jon; Jonathan, Starkey (October 26, 2015). "Former state labor secretary enters congressional race". The News Journal. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- "Former Delaware Labor Secretary Lisa Blunt Rochester wins Democratic primary for U.S. House seat". The Washington Post. September 13, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- "Lisa Blunt Rochester Is Delaware's First Female and the First African American Representative – Rochester Elected to Congress". Cosmopolitan.com. October 17, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-impeachment-vote-results-house-2019-12
- Keri Enriquez. "Republican members of Congress refuse to wear masks during Capitol insurrection". CNN. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/13/trump-impeachment-heres-what-delaware-delegation-had-say-blunt-rochester-coons-carper/4151548001/
- "Delaware Rep. Blunt Rochester joins Biden's campaign team: Delaware Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester will serve as co-chair for former Vice President Joe Biden's presidential campaign". ABC News. Associated Press. March 6, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- O'Keefe, Ed (April 30, 2020). "Biden announces running mate vetting committee". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- "Democrats Announce Additional Speakers and Schedule Updates for 2020 Democratic National Convention: "Uniting America"". 2020 Democratic National Convention. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- "Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- "Lawmakers Launch Caucus to Address Emerging Tech's Impact on Work". Nextgov.com. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- "Charles Rochester Obituary - Wilmington, DE | The News Journal". Legacy.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- "About Lisa". Lisa Blunt Democrat for Congress. January 10, 2016.
- Blunt Rochester, Lisa; Guzman, Ale; Kuguru, Ruth (June 1, 2010). Thrive: Thirty-four Women, Eighteen Countries, One Goal. Grace Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 978-9881922014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lisa Blunt Rochester. |
- Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Lisa Blunt Rochester at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Appearances on C-SPAN
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by John Carney |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Delaware's at-large congressional district 2017–present |
Incumbent |
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by Andy Biggs |
United States Representatives by seniority 254th |
Succeeded by Anthony G. Brown |