Carolyn Bourdeaux facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carolyn Bourdeaux
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 7th district |
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| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Rob Woodall |
| Succeeded by | Lucy McBath (Redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 3, 1970 Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jeffrey Skodnick |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Yale University (BA) University of Southern California (MPA) Syracuse University (DPA) |
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Carolyn Jordan Bourdeaux was born on June 3, 1970. She is an American politician and a teacher. She served as a U.S. Representative for Georgia's 7th congressional district. She held this position from 2021 to 2023.
Carolyn Bourdeaux is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming a representative, she was a professor. She taught at the Andrew Young School of Public Policy at Georgia State University. She worked there from 2003 to 2021.
In 2018, Bourdeaux ran for the same congressional seat. She came very close to winning, losing by only 433 votes. The person she ran against was Rob Woodall, a Republican. In 2019, Woodall announced he would not run again. Carolyn Bourdeaux then decided to run for the seat again. She won the election in 2020, defeating Rich McCormick.
On May 24, 2022, she lost her re-election bid. She ran against another representative, Lucy McBath, in a new district.
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Early Life and Education
Carolyn Bourdeaux grew up in Roanoke, Virginia. Her parents are Robert "Bob" Montgomery Bourdeaux, IV, and Jerry Jordan Bourdeaux. She went to Northside High School in Roanoke.
She later attended Yale University. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in history and economics. She continued her studies at the University of Southern California. She received a Master of Public Administration degree. In 2003, she earned a Doctor of Public Administration from Syracuse University.
Her Career Before Congress
Before teaching, Bourdeaux worked in politics. She was an aide for Ron Wyden for four years. He served in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
In 2003, she became a professor at Georgia State University. From 2007 to 2010, she led Georgia's Senate Budget and Evaluation Office. After this, she returned to Georgia State University. She started the Center for State and Local Finance there.
In 2021, she was chosen to be a fellow. This honor came from the National Academy of Public Administration.
Serving in Congress
Running for Office
2018 Election
In 2018, Carolyn Bourdeaux ran for the United States House of Representatives. She aimed to represent Georgia's 7th congressional district. This district is mostly in Gwinnett County, near Atlanta.
She first had to win a primary election against five other Democrats. She won the primary and then a runoff election in July. This made her the Democratic candidate. In the main election, she faced Republican Rob Woodall. Former President Barack Obama supported her campaign.
The election was very close. Carolyn Bourdeaux raised a lot of money for her campaign. On election night, it was unclear who had won. After a recount, Bourdeaux accepted that she had lost.
2020 Election
On February 7, 2019, Bourdeaux announced she would run again for the same seat. Many Georgia politicians supported her, including Congressman John Lewis. She quickly raised over $100,000 in her first week. She raised more money than any other congressional challenger in the country that year.
She won the Democratic primary election. She got 52.7% of the votes, just enough to avoid another runoff. Rob Woodall did not run for re-election in 2020. Carolyn Bourdeaux then defeated Republican Rich McCormick in the general election. She was the only Democrat in 2020 to win a House seat that was previously held by a Republican.
2022 Election
After the 2020 Census, the districts in Atlanta were redrawn. This changed the boundaries of Bourdeaux's district. Her district moved west and included parts of Fulton County. These parts were previously in the 6th district, represented by Lucy McBath.
Lucy McBath's district also changed and became more Republican. Because of this, McBath decided to run against Bourdeaux in the Democratic primary for the redrawn 7th district. McBath won this primary election.
What She Did in Congress
Carolyn Bourdeaux officially started her term on January 3, 2021. She was the first Democrat to represent this district since it was created in 1993. The district's number changed over the years, becoming the 7th in 2003.
She was also the first white Democrat to represent an Atlanta suburban district since 1995. On August 12, 2021, Bourdeaux and eight other Democrats signed a letter. They said they would not vote for a budget plan unless a bill about infrastructure passed first. She later voted for the $3.5 trillion budget.
By August 2021, Bourdeaux had voted in line with President Joe Biden's views 100% of the time.
Committees She Served On
While in Congress, Carolyn Bourdeaux was part of several important committees:
- Committee on Small Business
- Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Groups She Joined
She was also a member of these groups in Congress:
- Blue Dog Coalition
- New Democrat Coalition
- Problem Solvers Caucus
Personal Life
Carolyn Bourdeaux is married to Jeffrey Skodnik. He works as a sales manager at LexisNexis. They live in Suwanee, Georgia, and have one son. Her sister, Margaret Bourdeaux, is a researcher at Harvard University. Margaret is married to an astronomer named David Charbonneau.
See also
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
