Marcia Fudge | |
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United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |
Nominee | |
TBD | |
President | Joe Biden (elect) |
Succeeding | Ben Carson |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 11th district | |
November 18, 2008 | |
Stephanie Tubbs Jones | |
TBD | |
Mayor of Warrensville Heights | |
January 16, 2000 - November 18, 2008 | |
Clinton Hall | |
William Pegues | |
Personal details | |
Born | Marcia Louise Fudge October 29, 1952 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Ohio State University (BS) Cleveland State University (JD) |
Website | House website |
Marcia Louise Fudge (born October 29, 1952) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 11th congressional district since 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, she won the 2008 special election uncontested, succeeding Stephanie Tubbs Jones who died in office.[1] Fudge was chair of the Congressional Black Caucus[2] in the 113th Congress. President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the incoming Biden administration.
Fudge was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 29, 1952.[3] A 1971 graduate of Shaker Heights High School,[4] she earned her Bachelor of Science in business from Ohio State University in 1975.[5] In 1983, she earned a Juris Doctor from Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.[6]
Immediately after college, she worked as a law clerk and studied legal research. She also worked in the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office as Director of Budget and Finance.[7] Fudge has also worked as an auditor for the county's estate tax department and has occasionally served as a visiting judge and as a chief referee for arbitration.[8]
Fudge was the mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, from January 2000 until November 18, 2008.[9][10] Her 1999 campaign was her first run for any elected office. She was the town's first female and first African American to hold the mayorship.[11]
Fudge served as chief of staff to U.S. Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones during Jones's first term in Congress.[12] She has also served on the board of trustees for the Cleveland Public Library.[11]
After the death of Stephanie Tubbs Jones on August 20, 2008, Fudge was selected as her replacement on the November ballot by a committee of local Democratic leaders. This virtually assured her of election in this heavily Democratic, black-majority district.[13][14] Fudge won the November 4 general election, defeating Republican Thomas Pekarek with 85 percent of the vote.[15] She was unopposed in a November 18 special election for the balance of Jones' fifth term, and won with less than 9,000 votes cast.[] She was sworn in on November 19, 2008, giving her almost two months' more seniority than the rest of the 2008 House freshman class.[16][17]
Following the 2018 midterms, Fudge considered running for Speaker of the House during the 2019 election. She later abandoned the bid and supported Nancy Pelosi.[18]
Following the 2020 United States presidential election, Fudge and allies including Representative Jim Clyburn argued that she should be appointed as Secretary of Agriculture in the Biden administration.[19][20] President-elect Joe Biden eventually selected Tom Vilsack as his agriculture secretary; he chose Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.[20][21]
During a presentation at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 44th Annual Legislative Conference in September 2014, Fudge said that the CBC would mobilize African American voters in the 2014 midterm elections by underscoring Republican attacks on President Obama, such as claims that he was not born in the United States.[22]
On December 10, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced his plan to nominate Fudge to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.[26]
Year | Election | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Special | Marcia Fudge | Democratic | 8,597 | 100% | ||||||||
2008 | General | Marcia Fudge | Democratic | 212,485 | 85.2% | Thomas Pekarek | Republican | 36,705 | 14.7% | Craig Willis | Independent | 144 | 0.1% |
2010 | General | Marcia Fudge | Democratic | 139,693 | 82.9% | Thomas Pekarek | Republican | 28,754 | 17.1% | ||||
2012 | General | Marcia Fudge | Democratic | 258,378 | 100% | ||||||||
2014 | General | Marcia Fudge | Democratic | 132,396 | 79.2% | Mark Zetzer | Republican | 34,769 | 20.8% | ||||
2016 | General | Marcia Fudge | Democratic | 233,285 | 80.1% | Beverly Goldstein | Republican | 58,066 | 19.9% | ||||
2018 | General | Marcia Fudge | Democratic | 206,138 | 81.9% | Beverly Goldstein | Republican | 48,866 | 14.9% |
Fudge is a past president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, serving from 1996 to 2000,[28][29] and is a co-chair of the sorority's National Social Action Commission.[30][31] In 2003, she was a member of the Shaker Heights Alumni Association's Hall of Fame Class.[4]
Fudge has been a member of the Glenville Church of God,[32] and is now a member of Zion Chapel Baptist Church.[8]
In 2015, Fudge wrote a letter asking for leniency in the sentencing of Lance Mason.[33] Fudge described Mason as "kind," and wrote that "Lance [...] has assured me that something like this will never happen again."[33] Mason subsequently attacked and killed his ex-wife, in 2018, stabbing her 59 times.[34] After the attack, Fudge released a statement saying she condemned the crimes committed by Mason. She said her support for Mason in 2015 was based on the person she knew for almost 30 years, writing that "the person who committed these crimes is not the Lance Mason familiar to me."[35]
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Stephanie Tubbs Jones |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 11th congressional district 2008-present |
Incumbent |
Preceded by Emanuel Cleaver |
Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus 2013-2015 |
Succeeded by G. K. Butterfield |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by Antonio Villaraigosa |
Permanent Chair of the Democratic National Convention 2016 |
Succeeded by Bennie Thompson |
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by Steve Scalise |
United States Representatives by seniority 110th |
Succeeded by Gerry Connolly |