Donna Shalala
Donna Shalala (Democratic Party) was a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida's 27th Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2019. She left office on January 3, 2021.
Shalala (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 27th Congressional District. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Prior to her election to the United States House of Representatives, Shalala worked in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development during former president Jimmy Carter's administration, and she served as secretary of health and human services under former President William Clinton from 1993 to 2001.
In 2020, Shalala participated in a Candidate Conversation hosted by Ballotpedia and EnCiv. Click here to view the recording.
Biography
Shalala served as secretary of health and human services under Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001, president of the University of Miami from 2001 to 2015, and head of the Clinton Foundation from 2015 to 2017. She also worked in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during Jimmy Carter's administration and in administrative positions at Hunter College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received her bachelor's degree from the Western College for Women and her Ph.D. from Syracuse University.[1]
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2019-2020
Shalala was assigned to the following committees:[Source]
Key votes
- See also: Key votes
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Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020
Elections
2020
See also: Florida's 27th Congressional District election, 2020
Florida's 27th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Democratic primary)
Florida's 27th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Florida District 27
Maria Elvira Salazar defeated incumbent Donna Shalala and Frank Polo Sr. in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 27 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Maria Elvira Salazar (R) | 51.4 | 176,141 | |
Donna Shalala (D) | 48.6 | 166,758 | ||
Frank Polo Sr. (R) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 76 |
Total votes: 342,975 | ||||
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Donna Shalala advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 27.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jonathan Marc (D)
- Michael Hepburn (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 27
Maria Elvira Salazar defeated Raymond Molina and Juan Fiol in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 27 on August 18, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Maria Elvira Salazar | 79.1 | 39,687 | |
Raymond Molina | 10.9 | 5,497 | ||
Juan Fiol | 10.0 | 5,018 |
Total votes: 50,202 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Christian Montiel (R)
- Gabriel Ferrer (R)
- Enrique Tarrio (R)
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Florida District 27
Donna Shalala defeated Maria Elvira Salazar and Mayra Joli in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 27 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Donna Shalala (D) | 51.8 | 130,743 | |
Maria Elvira Salazar (R) | 45.8 | 115,588 | ||
Mayra Joli (No Party Affiliation) | 2.5 | 6,255 |
Total votes: 252,586 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Cassandra Anna Hefton (No Party Affiliation)
- Ian Hamilton Trottier (No Party Affiliation)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 27
Donna Shalala defeated David Richardson, Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Matt Haggman, and Michael Hepburn in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 27 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Donna Shalala | 31.9 | 14,158 | |
David Richardson | 27.5 | 12,192 | ||
Kristen Rosen Gonzalez | 17.5 | 7,783 | ||
Matt Haggman | 16.9 | 7,511 | ||
Michael Hepburn | 6.1 | 2,723 |
Total votes: 44,367 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mary Barzee Flores (D)
- Jose Javier Rodriguez (D)
- Ken Russell (D)
- Marvin Dunn (D)
- Mark Anthony Person (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 27
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 27 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Maria Elvira Salazar | 40.5 | 15,817 | |
Bruno Barreiro | 25.7 | 10,029 | ||
Maria Peiro | 8.0 | 3,121 | ||
Stephen Marks | 7.0 | 2,733 | ||
Angie Chirino | 6.9 | 2,678 | ||
Bettina Rodriguez-Aguilera | 4.3 | 1,684 | ||
Michael Ohevzion | 3.8 | 1,467 | ||
Elizabeth Adadi | 2.0 | 775 | ||
Gina Sosa-Suarez | 1.9 | 760 |
Total votes: 39,064 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Gabe Ferrer (R)
Campaign themes
2020
Candidate Conversations
Moderated by journalist and political commentator Greta Van Susteren, Candidate Conversations is a virtual debate format that allows voters to easily get to know their candidates through a short video Q&A.
Click below to watch the conversation for this race.
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Donna Shalala did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Campaign website
Shalala's campaign website stated the following:
“ |
CLIMATE CHANGE Secretary Shalala believes climate change is the biggest planetary challenge we face in the 21st Century, and for South Florida it is a dire existential threat. The United States must once again assume a position of leadership in an international, coordinated response to the threat posed by global warming, and the first step in that direction is to fully rejoin the Paris Climate Accord. Domestically we need to invest in clean energy infrastructure, facilitate and encourage the installation of solar panels in as many American homes as possible and progressively tighten efficiency standards as they pertain to transportation, housing and the workplace. She also believes that, with institutions such as the National Hurricane Center and the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science headquartered in this community, Miami has the potential to become a worldwide hub for research on this crucial issue, and she intends to pursue federal dollars to make that a reality. JOBS AND THE ECONOMY Today, for too many working families, the American dream is slipping away. Low wage jobs, wage stagnation and high health care cost have forced many people to work harder than ever, not to get ahead but just to survive. Secretary Shalala will fight to build an economy that invests in people, not in tax cuts for the wealthy. Smart, strategic investments that include an education system that prepares our children for the jobs and industries of the future; building a strong local infrastructure of roads, bridges, mass transit options, airports and seaports that allows the movement of people and goods throughout our region and investments in a social safety net that allows everyone in our society to enjoy a decent minimum standard of living. She will support efforts to diversify the local economy to attract entrepreneurship and grow new businesses in high-tech, international commerce and other industries that can capitalize on Miami’s unique strengths and geographic location. We need to work on making existing jobs stronger for day care workers, nursing home employees, hotel housekeeping staff, maintenance crews and home health aides, just to name a few. As a nation we can do better. It is not enough to just create more jobs, we need better jobs with higher wages, jobs that can deliver affordable health care, retirement plans you can count on and a genuine sense of prosperity and security for American workers and their families. IMMIGRATION Donna Shalala will work to mend our immigration system so that America can remain a beacon of hope to the world. The granddaughter of immigrants from Lebanon, Donna is proud of our heritage as a nation of immigrants and believes that we must continue to welcome those seeking better opportunities for themselves and their families with fairness, dignity, and compassion. To fix America’s immigration system and help restore the American Dream, Donna Shalala will:
HEALTHCARE As the longest-serving Secretary of Health and Human Services in American history, Donna Shalala is one of America’s foremost experts on health care. To continue working towards universal, high-quality, affordable health care for Floridians and all Americans, Donna Shalala will:
Donna Shalala is uniquely qualified to hit the ground running, with decades of experience in improving America’s health:
GUN CONTROL Donna Shalala is calling for immediate action to reduce gun violence in our country. She was part of the team that pushed the 1994 assault weapons ban, and knows that we can do it again. In addition to banning assault weapons, she believes in expanding background checks by closing the gun show, internet sales, and “Charleston” loopholes, and increasing access to mental health services. Beyond legislative solutions, Americans can also help move our country towards common sense gun reform by pressuring Wall Street and large institutional investors to divest themselves from gun manufacturer stocks. It would encourage these companies, along with the National Rifle Association, to come to the table and agree to work in good faith towards reasonable steps that would reduce gun violence in our country. Socially responsible investing often involves funds that take into account human rights abuses and environmental concerns. Funds that exclude gun manufacturer stocks should be available too. Donna Shalala supports the Second Amendment and comes from a family of hunters. Law-abiding Americans should have access to firearms for sporting and self-defense. This is about common sense measures to prevent more tragedies from happening. The only way these and other common sense gun control measures will come to fruition is with your help. Now is the time to join Team Donna. Work with us to mobilize, to create real change, and to make sure our views are represented in Washington. Donna Shalala is inspired by the nationwide movement that has sprung forth from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy. She has long understood the power of the collective voice. It is time for bold, fearless action to defend our youth from gun violence. With your support and Donna Shalala’s leadership, we can make Miami-Dade a safer place to live, work, and learn. TRAFFIC Inadequate and outdated transportation infrastructure is crippling to the long-term viability of our community, hampering the economy and undermining the quality of life of Miami-Dade residents. Donna Shalala is committed to promoting innovative solutions to help alleviate traffic concerns and will fight for the resources to improve local infrastructure – including roads, bridges, mass transit options, airports and seaports – allowing efficient movement of people and goods throughout our region. Donna Shalala will work to bring federal dollars back to Miami-Dade County. She will lead efforts to prioritize and focus on transportation infrastructure in the federal budget that for too long as been ignored. The residents of Miami-Dade County deserve a world-class transportation system. Efforts include: Expanding local trolley routes Implementing Bus Rapid Transit along US1 Increasing reliability and expand the Metrorail Investing in high tech road technology like synchronizing traffic lights to improve efficiency Delivering those federal transit dollars to Miami-Dade requires engaged leadership to bring all the local stakeholders together – the county, the cities, transportation experts, budgetary experts – to improve coordination and efficiency. She has a proven track record of doing just that. Donna Shalala is a trained urbanist with expertise on state/urban government and finance, and early in her career served as treasurer of New York City’s Municipal Assistance Corporation, the organization that helped rescue the city from the brink of bankruptcy. She later worked extensively on urban issues while serving as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As President of the University of Miami, Donna Shalala worked to mitigate traffic congestion in Coral Gables by overseeing policies prohibiting on-campus freshmen from bringing cars and the disbursement of millions of dollars in subsidies for transit fares to encourage students, faculty, and staff to use public transportation. Transportation is a regional issue and we need a long-term vision of a system that connects all of the people of South Florida without regard to city and county boundaries. WOMEN’S RIGHTS Donna Shalala has been a leader in the ongoing fight for women’s rights and equality throughout her career. While we have made significant progress, too many barriers and inequalities remain. In Congress, Donna Shalala will continue to be an outspoken voice for women by:
Donna Shalala has been a groundbreaking, national leader in fighting for equality for women:
Miami-Dade deserves the bold and fearless action in the fight for women’s rights that Donna Shalala has led throughout her career. With your support and Donna Shalala’s leadership, we can make Miami-Dade and our country a safer, fairer place.[2] |
” |
—Shalala for Congress[3] |
Campaign advertisements
The following is an example of an ad from Shalala's 2018 election campaign.
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Noteworthy events
Failure to report stock sales after election to U.S. House
On April 22, 2020, Shalala apologized publicly for failing to meet the reporting deadline for several stock trades she made in 2019 after her election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Shalala said that she made the sales in an effort to avoid any possible conflicts of interest but that she missed the deadline to report the sales in compliance with the 2012 STOCK Act.[4] The law forbids members of Congress and their employees from using knowledge obtained through their official positions to trade stocks or engage in other actions for their personal benefit.[5]
In her apology, Shalala said, "I'm a strong supporter of the STOCK Act...I was getting rid of any conflict of interest in the process, but I absolutely missed those deadlines, and I apologize for them. It was my mistake, and I take full responsibility.”[6] Shalala's spokesperson Carlos Condarco described the failure to report as an unintentional error, saying, "The moment the Congresswoman was aware that she missed her disclosure deadlines, she contacted the House Ethics Committee and has been working with them to resolve this issue.” The Ethics Committee in the U.S. House did not comment on the incident.[7]
On May 15, 2020, Shalala announced that she had fully divested from all of her individual stock shares. She said in a statement, "When I was elected to Congress, I chose to divest all my individual stock holdings. Today, that process is effectively complete. I started this process more than a year ago to eliminate any potential conflict of interest and reassure my constituents that my only focus in Congress would be serving our community and our country."[8]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Donna Shalala for Congress, "About," accessed June 20, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Shalala for Congress, "Women's Rights," accessed September 18, 2018
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Donna Shalala failed to disclose stock sales in 2019 in violation of federal law," April 21, 2020
- ↑ Congress.gov, "Public Law 112-105, 112th Congress," accessed April 27, 2020
- ↑ Politico, "Donna Shalala apologizes for not reporting stock trades," April 22, 2020
- ↑ Roll Call, "What will come of Donna Shalala stock scandal," April 24, 2020
- ↑ Congresswoman Donna Shalala, "Donna Shalala Completes Divestment of Individual Stock Holdings," May 15, 2020
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) |
U.S. House of Representatives - Florida, District 27 2019-2021 |
Succeeded by Maria Elvira Salazar (R) |