Jacky Rosen
Jacklyn Sheryl Rosen (née Spektor; born August 2, 1957) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Nevada since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the U.S. representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district from 2017 to 2019.
Jacky Rosen | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from Nevada | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 Serving with Catherine Cortez Masto | |
| Preceded by | Dean Heller |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Heck |
| Succeeded by | Susie Lee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jacklyn Sheryl Spektor August 2, 1957 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Lloyd Dean Neher (divorced) Larry Rosen (m. 1993) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Minnesota (BA) Clark County Community College (AAS) |
| Signature | |
| Website | Senate website |
Rosen was elected to the Senate in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Dean Heller.[1] She was the only House freshman to win a Senate seat in the 2018 midterm elections and the only challenger to defeat a Republican incumbent senator in 2018.
Early life and career edit
Rosen was born on August 2, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois, to Carol, a homemaker,[2][3][4] and Leonard Spektor, a car dealership owner who had served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.[3] Rosen's mother was of Irish, German, and Austrian descent, and her father's family were Jewish emigrants from Russia and Austria.[5]
Rosen attended the University of Minnesota and graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1979.[6] While she was in college, her parents moved to Las Vegas, where Rosen moved after graduating. She took a job with Summa Corporation and worked summers as a waitress at Caesars Palace throughout the 1980s. While working for Summa, she attended Clark County Community College (now the College of Southern Nevada) and received an associate degree in computing and information technology in 1985.[6] She began working for Southwest Gas from 1990 to 1993.[7]
Rosen has touted her efforts to "build a business", but a Reno Gazette-Journal review of public records found no evidence that she held a state or local business license. According to Rosen, she ran a company between 1993 and 2002 of which she was the only employee. Her business served two main clients, Southwest Gas, which was Rosen’s former employer, and Radiology Specialists, a Las Vegas-based physician group that employed Rosen’s husband.[8]
U.S. House of Representatives edit
Elections edit
2016 edit
A former computer programmer with no political experience at the time, Rosen was asked by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, also from Nevada, to run in the 2016 election for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Republican Joe Heck.[9] On January 26, she declared her candidacy for Nevada's 3rd congressional district.[10] Rosen won 60% of the vote in the Democratic primary election[11] and narrowly[9] defeated Republican nominee Danny Tarkanian in the general election.[12] She was sworn into office on January 3, 2017.
Committee assignments edit
Caucus memberships edit
U.S. Senate edit
Elections edit
2018 edit
Rosen was elected to the U.S. Senate on November 6, 2018, defeating one-term Republican senator Dean Heller to become the junior senator from Nevada. Her candidacy, announced on July 5, 2017, was endorsed by former President Barack Obama[18] and former Vice President Joe Biden.[9] During the campaign, Rosen emphasized her support for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and criticized Heller's vote to repeal it in 2017.[19][20] At the time, Rosen voted in the U.S. House against Republicans' attempts to repeal Obamacare.[20]
Rosen defeated Heller, 50.4%–45.4%. Heller carried 15 of Nevada's 17 county-level jurisdictions, but Rosen carried the state's two largest, Clark (home to Las Vegas) and Washoe (home to Reno). She won Clark County by over 92,000 votes, almost double her statewide margin of more than 48,900 votes.[21]
Rosen was one of only two non-incumbent Democrats, alongside Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, to win election to the Senate in 2018. She is also the 37th freshman member of the U.S. House to win a Senate seat and the first woman to do so.[22]
Tenure edit
Rosen was on Capitol Hill for the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. At the time, she was in the Russell Senate Office Building before being evacuated to a secure, undisclosed location. She tweeted during the attack, calling the event "reprehensible" and writing, "It's time for us as a nation to come together and denounce hate and violence."[23]
Committee assignments edit
Political positions edit
Rosen has been described as a liberal Democrat at times and as a moderate at others.[24][25][26] As of April 2020, FiveThirtyEight found that Rosen's votes aligned with President Trump's legislative positions about 36% of the time.[27] The American Conservative Union gave her a 5% lifetime conservative rating in 2020.[28]
Abortion edit
Rosen supports abortion rights and has been endorsed by NARAL Pro-Choice America.[29]
Foreign policy edit
In April 2019, Rosen was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to Trump encouraging him "to listen to members of your own Administration and reverse a decision that will damage our national security and aggravate conditions inside Central America." The letter asserted that Trump had "consistently expressed a flawed understanding of U.S. foreign assistance" since becoming president and that he was "personally undermining efforts to promote U.S. national security and economic prosperity" through preventing the use of Fiscal Year 2018 national security funding. The senators argued that foreign assistance to Central American countries created less migration to the U.S. by helping to improve conditions in those countries.[30]
Gun policy edit
Rosen supports an assault weapons ban.[25]
Health care edit
Rosen supports the Affordable Care Act and its provisions that prevent patients from being denied insurance or charged more due to age or a preexisting condition. She supports allowing citizens to buy into Medicaid as an alternative option that would compete with private insurance companies.[31][32]
In January 2019, during the 2018-2019 government shutdown, Rosen was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to Commissioner of Food and Drugs Scott Gottlieb recognizing the FDA's efforts to address the effect of the shutdown on the public health and employees while remaining alarmed "that the continued shutdown will result in increasingly harmful effects on the agency's employees and the safety and security of the nation's food and medical products."[33]
In February 2019, Rosen was one of 11 senators to sign a letter to insulin manufactures Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi over increased insulin prices, saying the increases kept patients from receiving "access to the life-saving medications they need."[34]
In August 2019, Rosen was one of 19 senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin and United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar requesting data from the Trump administration in order to help states and Congress understand the potential consequences if the Texas v. United States Affordable Care Act lawsuit prevailed in courts. They wrote that an overhaul of the present health care system would form "an enormous hole in the pocketbooks of the people we serve as well as wreck state budgets".[35]
Housing edit
In April 2019, Rosen was one of 41 senators to sign a bipartisan letter to the housing subcommittee praising the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 4 Capacity Building program as authorizing "HUD to partner with national nonprofit community development organizations to provide education, training, and financial support to local community development corporations (CDCs) across the country" and expressing disappointment that Trump's budget "has slated this program for elimination after decades of successful economic and community development." The senators wrote of their hope that the subcommittee would support continued funding for Section 4 in Fiscal Year 2020.[36]
Immigration edit
Rosen supports "comprehensive immigration reform" but does not believe the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency should be abolished.[25]
Jobs and economy edit
In 2018, Rosen was one of three U.S. House Democrats to break with their party and vote to make individual tax cuts permanent.[37] She supports a $15 hourly minimum wage.[25]
Personal life edit
Rosen resides in Henderson, Nevada, with her husband, Larry, a radiologist.[38][7] They have a daughter.[39] Before entering politics, she served as the president of the Congregation Ner Tamid synagogue, a Reform Jewish synagogue in Henderson.[7][40] She has cited the philosophy of tikkun olam as a key part of her decision to enter politics.[41]
Electoral history edit
2016 edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jacky Rosen | 14,219 | 62.2% | |
| Democratic | Jesse Sbaih | 2,928 | 12.8% | |
| Democratic | Barry Michaels | 2,218 | 9.7% | |
| Democratic | Steven Schiffman | 1,237 | 5.4% | |
| Democratic | Alex Singer | 1,207 | 5.3% | |
| Democratic | Neil Waite | 1,055 | 4.6% | |
Source:[42]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jacky Rosen | 146,869 | 47.2% | |||
| Republican | Danny Tarkanian | 142,926 | 46.0% | |||
| Independent American | Warren Markowitz | 11,602 | 3.7% | |||
| Independent | David Goossen | 9,566 | 3.1% | |||
| Total votes | 310,963 | 100.0 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
Source:[43]
2018 edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jacky Rosen | 110,530 | 77.1% | |
| None of These Candidates | None of These Candidates | 10,070 | 7.0% | |
| Democratic | David Knight | 6,340 | 4.4% | |
| Democratic | Allen Rheinhart | 4,774 | 3.3% | |
| Democratic | Jesse Sbaih | 4,538 | 3.2% | |
| Democratic | Bobby Mahendra | 3,833 | 2.7% | |
| Democratic | Danny Burleigh | 3,244 | 2.3% | |
Source:[44]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jacky Rosen | 490,071 | 50.4% | |||
| Republican | Dean Heller (Incumbent) | 441,202 | 45.4% | |||
| None of These Candidates | None of These Candidates | 15,303 | 1.6% | |||
| Independent | Barry Michaels | 9,269 | 1.0% | |||
| Libertarian | Tim Hagan | 9,196 | 0.9% | |||
| Independent American | Kamau Bakari | 7,091 | 0.7% | |||
| Total votes | 972,132 | 100.0 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
Source:[45]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Midterm Election Results Leave a Divided Congress". The New York Times. November 7, 2018.
- ^ "Rosen, Jacklyn Sheryl, (1957 – )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ^ a b "Leonard Spektor Obituary". Las Vegas Review-Journal. July 2, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ^ "Carol Spektor Obituary". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 2, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ^ "Jacky Rosen: From politically invisible to the center of a critical Senate race". The Nevada Independent. October 15, 2018.
- ^ a b Lochhead, Colton (July 18, 2018). "Heller ad claim against Rosen prompts new disclosure of degree". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ a b c Lochhead, Colton (July 4, 2016). "Congressional candidate Jacky Rosen a newcomer, unknown to most Southern Nevadans". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ "Records reveal little about consulting business Jacky Rosen trumpets on campaign trail". Reno Gazette-Journal.
- ^ a b c "Former Vice President Joe Biden endorses U.S. Senate hopeful Jacky Rosen". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ "Democrat Jacky Rosen launches bid for Rep. Heck's House seat". Reno Gazette-Journal. January 26, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ Botkin, Ben (June 14, 2016). "GOP taps Tarkanian over Roberson in 3rd Congressional District primary". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ "Democrat Jacky Rosen Wins in Nevada's 3rd District". Roll Call. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ "Committees and Caucuses". Congresswoman Jacky Rosen. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ "Members". Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- ^ "115th Congress". Women's Congressional Policy Institute. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ "Featured Members". Problem Solvers Caucus. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute".
- ^ "Barack and Michelle Obama just endorsed nearly 100 midterm candidates". NBC News. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ Hagen, Lisa (July 13, 2018). "Jacky Rosen hits Dean Heller over health care in first negative ad". TheHill. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ a b Schoen, Jacob Pramuk, John W. (September 20, 2018). "Trump jumps into the Nevada Senate race – ground zero in the midterm debate over Obamacare". CNBC. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Nevada – Full Senate results". cnn.com.
- ^ "Jacky Rosen's Historic 2018 US Senate Bid". Smart Politics. July 27, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ Martin, Gary (January 6, 2021). "Nevada delegation evacuated during protest". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Nilsen, Ella (October 11, 2018). "Nevada Democratic Senate candidate Jacky Rosen is making a bet that she can run on immigration – and win". Vox. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ a b c d DeHaven, James. "Meet Jacky Rosen, the congressional newcomer hoping to help Democrats retake U.S. Senate". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ Everett, Burgess; Caygle, Heather (May 23, 2018). "The ex-synagogue president who could decide Senate control". POLITICO. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron (January 30, 2017). "Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ "ACU Lawmakers".
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ Frazin, Rachel (April 4, 2019). "More than 30 Senate Dems ask Trump to reconsider Central American aid cuts". The Hill.
- ^ Giwargis, Ramona (August 25, 2018). "Health care a key element of Jacky Rosen's run for Senate". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ Tillett, Emily (September 17, 2018). "Nevada's Jacky Rosen's new ad shows latest Democratic push for health care in 2018". CBS News. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ "Democratic Senators "Alarmed" by Shutdown's Potential Impact on Food Safety". foodsafetymagazine.com. January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Sen. Kaine calls on pharmaceutical companies to explain skyrocketing insulin prices". 13newsnow.com. February 5, 2019.
- ^ "U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Requests Data from Trump Administration on Consequences of Texas V. United States Prevailing". Urban Milwaukee. August 1, 2019.
- ^ . ktvz.com. April 16, 2019. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "House votes to make individual tax cuts permanent". POLITICO. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
- ^ "Jacky Rosen, U.S. Congress". geni_family_tree. August 2, 1957.
- ^ "Jacky Rosen for Senate". Jacky Rosen for Senate. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ Messerly, Megan (April 20, 2016). "Congressional candidate Jacky Rosen talks issues from health care to national security". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ "Jewish congresswoman Jacky Rosen announces run for Nevada Senate seat". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. July 6, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ "Nevada Primary Results 2016". The New York Times. September 29, 2016. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ a b "Nevada U.S. House 3rd District Results: Jacky Rosen Wins". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ Almukhtar, Sarah; Bloch, Matthew; Lee, Jasmine C. (June 12, 2018). "Nevada Primary Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ a b "Nevada Election Results". The New York Times. November 6, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
External links edit
- Official U.S. Senate website
- Jacky Rosen for U.S. Senate official campaign website
- Jacky Rosen at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN