Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is the highest-ranking Democrat in the United States House of Representatives. She is the first woman to lead a major political party in either house of Congress. She has represented California's Eighth Congressional District (map) since 1987 (previously the 5th District from 1987 to 1993). The district covers almost all of San Francisco, except a corner in the southwest that is part of the San Mateo County-based 12th District (represented by fellow Democrat Tom Lantos).

Related Topics:
March 26 - 1940 - Highest-ranking Democrat - United States House of Representatives - Congress - California - 1987 - 1993 - San Francisco - San Mateo County - Tom Lantos

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Born Nancy D'Alesandro in Baltimore, Maryland, Pelosi became involved in politics at an early age, as her father, Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro, Jr., was a U.S. Congressman and a Mayor of Baltimore.

Related Topics:
Baltimore, Maryland - Politics - Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro, Jr. - Mayor of Baltimore

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Pelosi attended Trinity College (now Trinity University) in Washington, DC, where she met her future husband, Paul Pelosi. When the couple married, they moved to his hometown of San Francisco, where his brother was a member of the city's Board of Supervisors (city council).

Related Topics:
Trinity University - Washington, DC - Paul Pelosi - Board of Supervisors

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Once the youngest of their five children became a senior in high school, Nancy Pelosi became involved in Democratic politics, working her way up to becoming party chairwoman for Northern California, and joining forces with one of the leaders of California Democratic Party politics, Congressman Phillip Burton, who represented San Francisco.

Related Topics:
Northern California - Phillip Burton

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When Burton died in 1983, his wife Sala won a special election to complete his term. When she became ill with cancer, she suggested that Pelosi run for her seat in 1988. Sala Burton died on February 1, 1987, just a month after being sworn in for a second full term. Pelosi won in a special election to succeed her and took office on June 2, 1987. She was elected to a full term in 1988 and has won every election since then against token Republican opposition. Republicans have long since lost interest in a seat that has been in Democratic hands since 1949--in fact, Republicans only make up 13 percent of registered voters in the district.

Related Topics:
1983 - Sala - Cancer - 1988 - February 1 - 1987 - June 2 - Republican - 1949

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After the Tiananmen protests of 1989, Pelosi became a supporter of the Chinese democracy movement and vocal critic of the government of the People's Republic of China and sponsored the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992.

Related Topics:
Tiananmen protests of 1989 - Chinese democracy movement - People's Republic of China - Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992

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In the House, she served on the Appropriations and Intelligence Committees, and spent long hours raising funds for other members. In 2001, she was elected to the position of House Minority Whip, serving as second-in-command to Minority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri. Since then, she has campaigned for candidates in 30 states and in 90 Congressional districts, garnering support for her further climb to the top.

Related Topics:
2001 - House Minority Whip - Dick Gephardt - Missouri

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In 2002, after Gephardt resigned as minority leader to seek the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election, Pelosi was elected minority leader.

Related Topics:
2002 - 2004 presidential election

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Pelosi is generally considered a member of the party's liberal/progressive wing, due in no small part to the fact that she represents San Francisco, long a bastion of liberal politics. She was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus until she became the party leader, when she adopted a policy of not belonging to any caucuses. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/05/MNGEQDJ4AA1.DTL Republicans in some areas of the country, especially the South, have used the prospect of a "San Francisco liberal" or "Bay Area liberal" becoming Speaker as a political tactic. In San Francisco, however, Pelosi is sometimes seen as more moderate than liberal.

Related Topics:
Liberal - Progressive - Congressional Progressive Caucus - Bay Area - Speaker

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Pelosi's daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, has covered the presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004, and wrote a book about her experiences.

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