On January 31, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) won a special election to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. David Wu (D-OR), who resigned in August 2011. Rep. Bonamici was sworn in on February 7.
Rep. Bonamici’s election brings the number of women serving in the 112th Congress to 93, including 76 women in the House of Representatives (including three Delegates) and 17 women in the Senate.
Prior to her election to Congress, Rep. Bonamici was elected to the Oregon State House of Representatives in 2006. In 2008, she was appointed, and then elected, to the Oregon State Senate; she was reelected in 2010. She previously practiced law, specializing in the representation of small businesses. Rep. Bonamici also served as a consumer protection attorney in the financial services division of the Federal Trade Commission. While in Congress, she is expected to focus on consumer protection and education, among other issues.
Rep. Bonamici holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a law degree from the University of Oregon.
