Juanita Millender-McDonald

Juanita Millender-McDonald
Chair of the House Administration Committee
In office January 3, 2007 – April 21, 2007
Preceded by	Vern Ehlers
Succeeded by	Bob Brady
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 37th district
In office March 26, 1996 – April 22, 2007
Preceded by	Walter Tucker
Succeeded by	Laura Richardson
Member of the California State Assembly from the 55th district
In office December 7, 1992 - April 15, 1996
Preceded by	Richard Polanco
Succeeded by	Richard Floyd
Personal details
Born	Juanita Millender (1938-09-07)September 7, 1938 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Died	April 22, 2007(2007-04-22) (aged 68) Carson, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	James McDonald
Children	5
Education	Los Angeles Harbor College University of Redlands (BA) California State University, Los Angeles (MA) University of Southern California (PhD)

Juanita Millender-McDonald (September 7, 1938 – April 22, 2007) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 until her death in 2007, representing California's 37th congressional district, which includes most of South Central Los Angeles and the city of Long Beach, California. She was a member of the Democratic Party.

On December 19, 2006, Millender-McDonald was named Chairwoman of the House Committee on House Administration for the 110th Congress. She was the first African-American woman to chair the committee. She was also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and of the New Democrat Coalition and was considered a front-runner for the job of Secretary of Transportation if John Kerry had been elected President in 2004.

Biography

Millender-McDonald was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She was educated at Los Angeles Harbor College; at the University of Redlands, from which she received a business degree; and at California State University, Los Angeles, from which she earned a masters in educational administration; and the University of Southern California, from which she completed her doctorate in public administration.

She worked as a teacher, a textbook editor, and later as director of a nonprofit organization working for gender issues. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Millender-McDonald served as a member of the City Council of Carson, California and was a member of the California State Assembly (after beating two sitting incumbent Democrats that had been reapportioned into the same Carson based assembly district in 1992) before entering the House.

She was first elected to the House in a March 1996 special election to replace Congressman Walter Tucker, who resigned due to corruption charges and was later sentenced to 27 months in prison. While she won a difficult nine-candidate primary in her first election run (fellow assembly member Willard Murray came in a close second) she did not face any serious opposition in any of her reelection campaigns.

In Congress, she was known for her commitment to protecting international human rights. Millender-McDonald worked to aid victims of genocide and human trafficking. In 1996, she also led an inquiry into allegations that the CIA was working with cocaine traffickers to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

Within a week of her requesting a leave of absence to deal with her illness, on April 22, 2007, Millender-McDonald died in hospice care, succumbing to colon cancer at the age of 68 at her home in Carson. She left a husband, James McDonald, Jr., and five adult children.

Successor

Ranking member Millender-McDonald is greeted by Chairman Vern Ehlers at a hearing of the House Administration Committee.

Congresswoman Millender-McDonald's seat was vacant until Laura Richardson won the August 21, 2007, special election. Under California law, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a special election date of June 26, and because no candidate received more than 50% of the total vote, the candidates with the most votes in their respective parties participated in an August 21 runoff. In the June Primary, State Senator Jenny Oropeza lost to State Assemblywoman Laura Richardson, with Richardson continuing to the August special election, when she defeated Republican John M. Kanaley, Libertarian Herb Peters, and Green Daniel Brezenoff.

Electoral history

California's 37th congressional district: Results 1996–2006

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
1996		Juanita Millender-McDonald	87,247	85%		Michael E. Voetee	15,399	15%
1998		Juanita Millender-McDonald	70,026	85%		Saul E. Lankster	12,301	15%
2000		Juanita Millender-McDonald	93,269	82%		Vernon Van	12,762	11%		Margaret Glazer	Natural Law	4,094	4%	*
2002		Juanita Millender-McDonald	63,445	73%		Oscar A. Velasco	20,154	23%		Herb Peters	Libertarian	3,413	4%
2004		Juanita Millender-McDonald	118,823	75%		Vernon Van	31,960	20%		Herb Peters	Libertarian	7,535	5%
2006		Juanita Millender-McDonald	80,716	82%		(no candidate)				Herb Peters	Libertarian	17,246	18%

*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2000, Herb Peters received 3,150 votes.

See also

• List of African-American United States representatives
• List of United States Congress members who died in office (2000–)#2000s
• Women in the United States House of Representatives

External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission – Juanita Millender-McDonald campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues – Juanita Millender-McDonald issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org – Juanita Millender-McDonald campaign contributions
• Juanita Millender-McDonald Political History profile
• Project Vote Smart – Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald (CA) profile
• Video of meeting with J M McDonald (chair), CIA Director John Deutch, and Mike Ruppert on YouTube allegation of CIA drug dealing
• Join California Juanita Millender-McDonald
• Appearances on C-SPAN