On April 8, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) won a special election to fill the seat of former Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), who died on February 11. She was sworn in on April 10.
Her election brings the total number of women serving in the 110th Congress to 74, including 20 Republicans and 54 Democrats. Three women serve as delegates; sixteen women serve in the Senate.
Before her election to Congress, Rep. Speier was a congressional aide to the late Rep. Leo Ryan (D-CA) and became the youngest person ever elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. Following her six-year tenure with the Board of Supervisors, she served 18 years in the California State Legislature, 10 years in the Assembly and eight in the Senate. Rep. Speier practices law at a firm in San Francisco and is co-author of a best-selling book.
Rep. Speier holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Davis and a law degree from the University of California Hastings College of the Law.
