Loretta Sanchez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Loretta Sanchez
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Bob Dornan
Succeeded by	Lou Correa
Constituency	46th district (1997–2003, 2013–2017) 47th district (2003–2013)
Personal details
Born	Loretta Lorna Sanchez (1960-01-07) January 7, 1960 (age 65) Lynwood, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic (1992–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (before 1992)
Spouses	Stephen Brixey ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 2004)​ Jack Einwechter ​ (m. 2011)​
Relatives	Linda Sánchez (sister)
Education	Chapman University (BA) American University (MBA)
Signature

Loretta Lorna Sanchez (born January 7, 1960) is an American politician. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2017. She represented parts of central Orange County, California.

As a member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected in 1996. She won against Republican U.S. Representative Bob Dornan by a very small number of votes. During her time in the House, Sanchez was part of the Blue Dog Coalition. This group includes Democrats who hold moderate or conservative views.

In 2016, Sanchez decided not to run for re-election to the House. Instead, she ran for a U.S. Senate seat in California. She lost the election to fellow Democrat Kamala Harris.

Loretta Sanchez is the sister of Linda Sánchez. Linda Sánchez also serves in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Early Life and Education

Loretta Sanchez was born in Lynwood, California. She graduated from Katella High School in Anaheim in 1978. Her father was a union machinist, and her mother worked as a secretary. Her parents were immigrants from Mexico. They had seven children, including Loretta and her sister, Linda Sánchez. Loretta and Linda were the first (and so far, only) sisters to serve in Congress at the same time.

When she was in high school, Loretta Sanchez worked as an ice cream server. She joined the United Food and Commercial Workers union and received a scholarship from them for college. She earned her undergraduate degree in economics from Chapman College in Orange in 1982. She then got her MBA from American University in Washington, D.C. in 1984. Before entering Congress, she worked as a financial analyst for a defense company called Booz Allen Hamilton.

Sanchez has said she was a "shy, quiet girl" growing up and didn't speak English at first. She believes that government programs helped her succeed in public life.

U.S. House of Representatives

During her time in the House, Loretta Sanchez worked on important issues.

Committee Assignments

She was a member of these committees:

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
  • Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

Caucus Memberships

Sanchez was also part of several groups within Congress, called caucuses:

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• Congressional Human Rights Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus

Congressional Hispanic Caucus

Sanchez speaking at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus press conference outside the Capitol in 1997

In 2006, Sanchez left the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's political action committee. This happened because the chairman, Joe Baca, approved political donations to his family members.

Later, in 2007, Sanchez completely left the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She said that Baca treated the female members of the group with disrespect. Other female lawmakers had similar complaints.

Political Views

Loretta Sanchez at her annual "Women of Distinction" Event

Sanchez described herself as a "moderate" Democrat. This means her views were often in the middle, not extremely liberal or conservative. She represented a district in Orange County, which was known for being more conservative. She was a member of both the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition.

Sanchez was known for caring about education, crime, economic growth, and protecting senior citizens.

Education

Sanchez strongly disagreed with the Republicans' plans to change the Head Start program. This program helps young children from low-income families. She often spoke about her own experience growing up poor and having a speech problem.

She believed that conservative Republicans were not doing enough to improve public education.

Armed Services and Social Issues

Loretta Sanchez meeting with union leaders

Sanchez was a high-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. She was also a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. She was the most senior woman on that committee.

In 2011, Sanchez introduced a bill. It would require the United States Department of Homeland Security to create rules for searching electronic devices. This included laptops and cellphones of American citizens returning to the U.S. from other countries.

Sanchez was seen as liberal on social issues.

Foreign Policy

Loretta Sanchez visiting U.S. troops in Kuwait during Easter

Loretta Sanchez visiting troops in Africa

Sanchez often spoke out about human rights. Her district had a large Vietnamese community. She voted against a trade agreement with Vietnam. She said that Vietnam needed to improve its political and human rights conditions. Because of her strong opinions, Vietnam's government refused to let her visit the country several times.

In 2002, Sanchez was one of the members of the House who voted against starting the invasion of Iraq. However, she voted for every bill that provided money for the war in Iraq. She did not support sending more troops to Iraq in 2007. In March 2007, Sanchez led a group of female lawmakers to visit troops in Iraq. This was her third visit there.

Sanchez strongly supported human rights. She was a member of the bipartisan Congressional Human Rights Caucus. She voted to keep the Cuba travel ban until political prisoners were released in 2001. Later, in 2009, she voted to lift the travel ban. She also voted to recognize the Armenian genocide.

In 2006, Sanchez said she was briefly stopped from boarding a United Airlines flight. Her name appeared on a no-fly list. This list was created after the September 11 attacks.

In 2015, Sanchez made comments about the percentage of Muslims who might support extremist groups. These comments were criticized by some as contributing to anti-Muslim feelings. Sanchez later explained that she was echoing comments made by President Obama. She also pointed out her history of defending the rights of Muslim groups.

Homeland and Cybersecurity

In 2016, the House Committee on Homeland Security approved two changes suggested by Sanchez. These changes aimed to make counterterrorism and cybersecurity programs stronger.

One change was for a program to help major cities prepare for terror attacks. Sanchez's idea was to make sure the Department of Homeland Security shared important threat information. This would help cities respond better.

The second change was about grants for states and cities to improve cybersecurity. Sanchez's idea was to help identify threats and improve sharing of cybersecurity information. She said it was important to improve efforts to prevent cyberattacks.

Water Policy

In 2009, Loretta Sanchez helped get $49.7 million in federal money for water projects in Orange County. These projects included building dams, treating water, and saving water.

Some of the projects included:

• Money for the Santa Ana River Mainstem Project, including the Prado Dam. This project helped control floods.
• Funding for the Upper Newport Bay Ecosystem Restoration. This helped manage mud in the bay and improve natural areas.
• Money for the Westminster-East Garden Grove Watershed Study. This helped plan for flood control and improve water quality.
• Funding for the Orange County Regional Water Reclamation Project. This project aimed to reuse treated wastewater.
• Money for the Surfside-Sunset and Newport Beaches. This helped fix damage along the coastline.
• Funding for a study on the Aliso Creek Mainstem Project. This helped plan to create stable flood areas and restore natural habitats.

Political Campaigns

1994

Loretta Sanchez with President Bill Clinton

Sanchez changed from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in 1992. This was before she ran for Anaheim City Council in 1994. She used her married name, Loretta Sanchez Brixey, but later went back to Sanchez. She felt her family was better known as the Sanchez family.

1996

In 1996, Sanchez ran for the U.S. House in California's 46th congressional district. She ran against Bob Dornan, who had been in office for six terms. It was a very tough race. Sanchez said Dornan was out of touch with the people he represented. Sanchez won by only 984 votes.

Dornan challenged the election results. He claimed that many people who were not American citizens had voted. Congress investigated for 16 months. They found some evidence that 624 votes were cast illegally. However, it was clear that even if these votes were removed, the election result would not change. In 1998, the House Committee on Oversight decided to close the investigation.

Sanchez became the first member of Congress of Mexican heritage to represent Orange County. She was re-elected.

1998–2008

In 1998, Sanchez easily defeated Dornan again. After the 2000 census, her district was changed to have more Latino voters. This made it even easier for her to win future elections.

In 2006, she won against Tan D. Nguyen with 62% of the votes.

2003 California Recall Election

During California's 2003 election to recall Governor Gray Davis, Sanchez was one of the first Democrats to say that another Democrat should run. She thought Senator Dianne Feinstein should run. Sanchez said she would run herself if no other strong Democrat stepped forward. Many California Democrats eventually agreed with Sanchez's idea.

2008

Sanchez won her election against Republican Rosemarie Avila and American Independent Robert Lauten.

2010

Sanchez thought about running for governor or for the U.S. Senate in 2010. However, she decided not to. She chose to run for re-election to the House instead.

In September 2010, Loretta Sanchez appeared on a Spanish TV network, Univisión. She said that "the Vietnamese and the Republicans are – with an intensity – trying to take away 'our' seat." She was talking about her opponent, Van Tran, who was Vietnamese-born. Sanchez also called Tran "anti-immigrant."

2011 and 2012

In September 2011, Sanchez's campaign treasurer, Kinde Durkee, was arrested for fraud. Sanchez and other clients found their campaign money was gone. Sanchez's chief of staff said it was a "betrayal" by someone they had trusted for many years.

2016 Senate Election

Loretta and her sister Linda Sánchez are the first pair of sisters to serve simultaneously in the United States Congress.

In May 2015, Sanchez was talking to a group of Indian Americans. She made a gesture that is a stereotype of Native Americans. She later apologized for it, saying it was offensive.

Because Senator Barbara Boxer was retiring, the 2016 Senate election in California was an open race. On May 14, 2015, Loretta Sanchez announced she would run for this Senate seat. She ran against Attorney General of California Kamala Harris and many other candidates.

On June 7, 2016, Sanchez finished second in the primary election. This meant she would face fellow Democrat Kamala Harris in the general election.

In the primary election, Loretta Sanchez won in six counties. Most of these counties had a large Hispanic population.

On November 8, 2016, Sanchez lost the U.S. Senate race to Harris. She won in four counties. She lost her home county, Orange County, by seven points. In her speech after the election, she said, "Although we don't know what our future will be, I can tell you that this is not the last that people will see of me."

In January 2017, Sanchez gave her congressional papers to her old university, Chapman University. These papers include files and committee work. They will be available for the public to see later. Sanchez has been a trustee and guest speaker at the university.

2019

In December 2018, Sanchez announced she was running for Orange County supervisor. This was a special election to fill a vacant seat. The election was held on March 12, 2019. Sanchez lost to Donald P. Wagner. However, she said she was interested in running for the same seat again in 2020.

Post-Congressional Career

In September 2017, it was announced that Sanchez would be an executive producer for a new political TV show called Accidental Candidate. The show appeared on NBC. Since leaving Congress, she has run for two local offices in California, but she did not win.

Electoral History

2016 California United States Senate election overall results by county

Map legend

     Harris—70–80%
     Harris—60–70%
     Harris—50–60%
     Sanchez—50–60%
     Sanchez—60–70%

2016 California United States Senate election results in Garden Grove by city council district

Map legend

     Sanchez—60–70%
     Sanchez—50–60%
     Harris—50–60%

Personal Life

Sanchez was married to stockbroker Stephen Brixey for 14 years. They divorced in 2004.

In 2010, Loretta announced her engagement to Jack Einwechter, a retired Army Colonel. They were married on July 16, 2011, in Santa Ana, California.

Loretta's father, Ignacio, had Alzheimer's disease starting in 2001. He passed away in 2018. She appeared briefly in an HBO documentary film about caregivers called The Alzheimer's Project: Caregivers.

Holiday Cards

While in Congress, Sanchez was known for her "wacky" and "elaborately staged" annual holiday cards. These cards often featured herself, her family, and her pets. These cards became very popular in the world of politics. She started this tradition in 1998 and continued it until at least 2015. In 2014, over 500,000 cards were sent out.

See Also

• List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
• Women in the United States House of Representatives