Carolyn Jordan Bourdeaux(born June 3, 1970)[1][2][3]is an American politician and educator who served as theU.S. representativefromGeorgia's 7th congressional districtfrom 2021 to 2023.[4]A member of theDemocratic Party,she was a professor at the Andrew Young School of Public Policy atGeorgia State Universityfrom 2003 to 2021.
Carolyn Bourdeaux | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's7thdistrict | |
| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 | |
| 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) |
| Signature |  |
In2018,Bourdeaux ran for Georgia's 7th congressional district, coming within 433 votes of defeating the incumbentRepublican,Rob Woodall,in the closest congressional race in that cycle.[5][6]On February 7, 2019, Woodall announced he would retire at the end of his current term.[7]That same day, Bourdeaux announced her intention to once again seek the seat.[8]She won the2020 election,defeating RepublicanRich McCormick.
On May 24, 2022, Bordeaux lost a redistricting race to fellow incumbentLucy McBathinGeorgia's 7th congressional district.
Early life and education
editBourdeaux is fromRoanoke, Virginiaand is the daughter of Robert "Bob" Montgomery Bourdeaux, IV, and Jerry Jordan (nee Ellis) Bourdeaux.[9]In Roanoke, she attendedNorthside High School.[10]She graduated fromYale Universitywith abachelor's degreein history and economics.[11]She earned aMaster of Public Administrationfrom theUniversity of Southern Californiaand aDoctor of Public Administrationfrom theMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public AffairsatSyracuse Universityin 2003.[12][13][14]
Early career
editBourdeaux worked as a political aide toRon Wydenfor four years, when he served in theUnited States House of Representativesand then in theUnited States Senate.In 2003, she became an associate professor atGeorgia State University.[15]From 2007 to 2010, she served as director of Georgia's Senate Budget and Evaluation Office. After her time there, she returned to the Andrew Young School and founded the Center for State and Local Finance.[13]
In 2021, Bourdeaux was selected to become a fellow of theNational Academy of Public Administration.[16]
U.S. House of Representatives
editElections
edit2018
editIn 2018, Bourdeaux ran for theUnited States House of RepresentativesinGeorgia's 7th congressional district.The district was based inGwinnett County,a suburban county northeast ofAtlanta.[17]She faced a six-way primary for theDemocraticnomination. She came in first place in the May primary and earned a spot in the July 24 runoff.[18]She won the runoff and the Democratic nomination.[19]She faced RepublicanRob Woodallin the November 6 general election. Bourdeaux was endorsed byBarack Obama.[20]
The race was considered a sleeper, but it received more attention later in the campaign as Bourdeaux continued to outraise Woodall and as Democrats picked up momentum nationwide.[21]In the third quarter of 2018, Bourdeaux outraised Woodall by a margin of more than 3-1, raising over $1 million.[22]On election night, the race was too close to call.[23]Just a few hours after it was filed on November 15, U.S. District JudgeLeigh Martin Maydenied an emergency motion to forceGwinnett Countyto count previously rejected absentee ballots in the race.[24]On November 21, after a recount, Bourdeaux conceded.[25]
2020
editOn February 7, 2019, Bourdeaux announced that she would run for the same seat in 2020.[26][27]She was endorsed by a number of Georgia politicians, including CongressmanJohn Lewis.[28]In the first week of her campaign, she announced raising over $100,000.[29]In the first quarter of 2019, she outraised all other congressional challengers in the country, with a total of over $350,000,[30]but she still attracted challenges from local activists and community leaders in the Democratic primary. Bourdeaux won the primary, narrowly avoiding a runoff with 52.7% of the vote.[31]
Woodall did not seek reelection in 2020. Bourdeaux defeated RepublicanRich McCormickin the general election.[32]Aside fromDeborah RossandKathy Manningin North Carolina, who won seats that were redrawn to become safely Democratic, Bourdeaux was the only Democratic House candidate in 2020 to flip a seat previously held by a Republican.[33]
2022
editThe Republican-controlledGeorgia General Assemblysignificantly redrew the districts in the Atlanta suburbs after the 2020 Census. Bourdeaux's district was pushed to the west, losing its share ofForsyth Countywhile picking up parts ofFulton Countythat had previously been in the neighboring6th district,represented byLucy McBath.At the same time, the 6th absorbed a large swath of Republican-leaning exurban territory previously in the9th district.
Believing that the new map made her district impossible to hold, McBath challenged Bourdeaux in the Democratic primary for the redrawn 7th district and won.[34]
Tenure
editBourdeaux was sworn in on January 3, 2021. She is the first Democrat to represent this district since its creation in 1993 as the 4th district; it became the 11th in 1997 and has been the 7th since 2003.John Linderheld the seat from its creation until handing it to Woodall, his former chief of staff, in 2011. Bourdeaux is the only Democrat since 1994 to win as much as 40% of the vote in the district. She is also the first white Democrat to represent a district based in the Atlanta suburbs sinceBuddy Dardenleft office in 1995.
On August 12, 2021, Bourdeaux and eight other House Democrats signed a letter to SpeakerNancy Pelosisaying, "We will not consider voting for a budget resolution until the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passes the House and is signed into law." She said her support for the Democrats' $3.5 trillion budget resolution would be withheld if the timeline did not change for passage of the budget.[35]Bourdeaux ultimately voted for the $3.5 trillion budget.[36]
As of August 2021, Bourdeaux had voted in line with PresidentJoe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[37]
Committee assignments
editCaucus memberships
editPersonal life
editBourdeaux is married to Jeffrey Skodnik, a sales manager atLexisNexis.[41]They live inSuwanee, Georgia,and have a son.[13]Her sister Margaret Bourdeaux[42]is a researcher at Harvard University[43]and is married to astronomerDavid Charbonneau.[44]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Hallerman, Tamar; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta."The 7th Congressional District race: What you need to know".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^"Carolyn Bourdeaux".RetrievedJanuary 13,2021.
- ^Kassel, Matthew (December 11, 2020)."Carolyn Bourdeaux's hard-fought congressional battle pays off".
- ^@AP_Politics (November 6, 2020)."BREAKING: Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux wins election to U.S. House in Georgia's 7th Congressional District"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^Pathé, Simone; Pathé, Simone (November 21, 2018)."Rob Woodall Wins by 433 Votes in Georgia's 7th District".Roll Call.RetrievedNovember 22,2018.
- ^"50 Interesting Facts About the 2018 Election".The Cook Political Report.RetrievedApril 10,2019.
- ^Hallerman, Tamar (February 7, 2019)."U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall will not seek re-election".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedMay 17,2019.
- ^Hallerman, Tamar (February 7, 2019)."Carolyn Bourdeaux to seek 7th District seat after razor-thin loss".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedMay 17,2019.
- ^"Robert Bourdeaux".Obituary.2017."Jerry Bourdeaux".Obituary.2017.
- ^"Bourdeaux, Carolyn | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives".
- ^Whitmire, Kelly (November 4, 2020)."Bourdeaux claims victory for District 7 race".forsythnews.
- ^Friend, Lenore (July 13, 2021)."Into the Fray: Carolyn Bourdeaux G'03 Joins Congress Days Before Capitol Riot".SU News.RetrievedJuly 13,2021.
- ^abcCoyne, Amanda C."Bourdeaux says commitment to public service drives run for Congress".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedNovember 6,2020.
- ^Bohlinger, Jewell (November 19, 2021)."Four Maxwell Alumni Named NAPA Fellows".The Maxwell School of Syracuse University.RetrievedNovember 20,2021.
- ^"Carolyn Bourdeaux".AYSPS: People.Archived fromthe originalon February 9, 2005.
- ^Incorporated, Prime."National Academy of Public Administration".National Academy of Public Administration.RetrievedFebruary 7,2023.
- ^Hallerman, Tamar (July 5, 2017)."GSU professor jumps into expanding 7th District race with health care message".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Archived fromthe originalon July 5, 2017.RetrievedOctober 29,2018.
- ^"Georgia Primary Election Results: Seventh House District".The New York Times.May 29, 2018.RetrievedMay 17,2019.
- ^"Bourdeaux wins Georgia Dem runoff, in latest win by female candidates".The Hill.July 24, 2018.RetrievedOctober 29,2018.
- ^"Obama makes endorsements in Atlanta-area congressional races".Associated Press.October 1, 2018.
- ^Peterson, Kristina (October 16, 2018)."House Races Tighten as Midterm Elections Near".The Wall Street Journal.
- ^Hallerman, Tamar (October 16, 2018)."Dem challengers show off massive fundraising tallies in Ga's top House races".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^"Outcome still unclear in Gwinnett congressional race".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.November 7, 2018.RetrievedNovember 8,2018.
- ^Tamar Hallerman; Tyler Estep (November 15, 2018)."Georgia 7th: Judge denies Bourdeaux push for additional absentees".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedNovember 15,2018.
- ^Thomsen, Jacqualine (November 21, 2018)."Dem challenger concedes to incumbent Woodall in Georgia's 7th District".The Hill.RetrievedNovember 22,2018.
- ^Hallerman, Tamar."Carolyn Bourdeaux to seek 7th District seat after razor-thin loss".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedFebruary 7,2019.
- ^Whitmire, Kelly (February 8, 2019)."Back again: Carolyn Bourdeaux to seek 7th District seat".Forsyth News.RetrievedFebruary 9,2019.
- ^"The Jolt: Gwinnett's MARTA vote and the search for a GOP champion".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.February 14, 2019.RetrievedMay 17,2019.
- ^Greenwood, Max (February 15, 2019)."Dem raises more than $100k since declaring bid for Georgia House seat".The Hill.RetrievedMay 17,2019.
- ^"Georgia candidates set early fundraising bar with millions from donors".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.April 16, 2019.RetrievedMay 17,2019.
- ^Akin, Stephanie (June 16, 2020)."Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux wins primary for open seat in Georgia suburbs".Roll Call.
- ^"Democrat Bourdeaux flips Georgia House seat".The Hill.November 6, 2020.RetrievedNovember 6,2020.
- ^"Georgia Rep.-elect Carolyn Bourdeaux, only Democrat to flip seat, says party should talk to Trump supporters".Fox News.November 28, 2020.RetrievedDecember 1,2020.
- ^Mitchell, Tia (May 24, 2022)."Lucy McBath defeats Carolyn Bourdeaux in Georgia's 7th District primary".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedMay 26,2022.
- ^Mitchell, Tia (August 13, 2021)."Bourdeaux joins group threatening to derail Pelosi's two-track budget strategy".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedAugust 13,2021.
- ^Caygle, Heather (August 24, 2021)."House advances $3.5T budget, ending stalemate between Pelosi and centrists".Politico.
- ^Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021)."Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?".FiveThirtyEight.RetrievedAugust 30,2021.
- ^"Blue Dog Coalition Welcomes Rep. Bourdeaux to its Ranks".Blue Dog Caucus.April 22, 2021. Archived fromthe originalon April 23, 2021.RetrievedApril 23,2021.
- ^"Members".New Democrat Coalition. Archived fromthe originalon February 8, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 5,2018.
- ^"Featured Members".Problem Solvers Caucus.RetrievedMarch 28,2021.
- ^Kassel, Matthew (May 21, 2020)."Carolyn Bourdeaux tries again in Georgia congressional race".Jewish Insider.RetrievedJune 17,2020.
- ^"Carolyn Bourdeaux".@Carolyn4GA7.June 9, 2020 – viaTwitter.
- ^"Margaret Bourdeaux".John F. Kennedy School of Government.Harvard University.
- ^"Interview With Margaret Bourdeaux – TEDxBeaconStreet".TEDxBeaconStreet.Archived fromthe originalon October 17, 2021.RetrievedNovember 29,2018.
External links
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