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Gina Ortiz Jones

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In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Ortiz and the surname or paternal family name is Jones.
Gina Ortiz Jones
27th United States Under Secretary of the Air Force
In office
July 26, 2021 – March 6, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byMatthew Donovan
Succeeded byKristyn E. Jones (acting)
Personal details
Born (1981-02-01) February 1, 1981 (age 43)
Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationBoston University (BA, MA)
United States Army Command and General Staff College (MMAS)
University of Kansas (MA)
WebsiteCampaign website
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force
Years of service2003–2006
Rank Captain
Battles/warsIraq War

Gina Maria Ortiz Jones (born February 1, 1981) is an American intelligence officer and politician. She served in the Biden administration as Under Secretary of the Air Force from July 2021 to March 2023.

The 2018 Democratic nominee for Texas's 23rd congressional district, Jones was the first gay woman of color and military veteran running for office in Texas. She narrowly lost to the incumbent Republican Will Hurd.[1] In May 2019, she launched a second campaign for the office.[2][3] In the November 2020 general election, Republican nominee Tony Gonzales defeated Jones by four percentage points.

Early life and education

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Born on February 1, 1981, in Arlington, Virginia,[4] Jones grew up in San Antonio, Texas, as a first-generation American daughter of a single mother, Victorina Ortiz, an Ilocano from Pangasinan, Philippines.[5] Her mother emigrated to the U.S. and earned a teaching certificate.[6] Jones has a younger sister, Christi Ann.[7]

Jones graduated from John Jay High School in 1999.[6] She earned a four-year Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) scholarship,[8] allowing her to enroll at Boston University. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in East Asian studies and a master's degree in economics in 2003.[9] A lesbian who came out to her mother at 15, Jones served under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, where she was at risk of losing her AFROTC scholarship if her sexual orientation was disclosed.[10]

She later earned a master's degree in military arts and sciences at the School of Advanced Military Studies of the United States Army Command and General Staff College.[6]

Career

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After graduating from college, Jones joined the United States Air Force, becoming an intelligence officer. She was later deployed to Iraq[11] with the 18th Air Support Operations Group, supporting close air support operations.[12] After three years of active duty and reaching the rank of captain, Jones returned to Texas in 2006, working for a consulting company while caring for her mother, who had colon cancer (from which she eventually recovered).[8][13][14]

She then returned to working as an intelligence analyst for United States Africa Command in Germany.[6] In 2008, Jones joined the Defense Intelligence Agency, where she specialized in Latin American topics;[8] ultimately she became a special adviser to the deputy director. In November 2016, she moved to the Executive Office of the President to serve as a director in the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Having previously served under presidents of both parties, Jones continued in her role during the Trump administration until June 2017, when she left her role, telling HuffPost, "The type of people that were brought in to be public servants were interested in neither the public nor the service ... That, to me, was a sign that I'm going to have to serve in a different way."[15] She returned to San Antonio to run for Congress,[8][16] living in the house where she grew up.[15]

2018 congressional campaign

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Further information: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 23

In 2017, Jones was the first Democrat to announce a challenge[16] to Republican representative Will Hurd in Texas's predominantly Hispanic 23rd congressional district, which includes much of the border between Texas and Mexico.[17] Hillary Clinton won the district by three points in the 2016 United States presidential election[18] and neither party had controlled the swing district for more than two consecutive terms since 2007.[19]

Jones finished first in the March 6, 2018, Democratic primary,[20] earning 41 percent of the vote in a field of five.[21] A runoff election was held on May 22, which Jones won.[22] She faced Hurd in the November 6 general election, in what was called the most competitive congressional race in the state.[23][24] As of June 30, Jones had raised $2.2 million while Hurd had raised $2.4 million in addition to the $1.5 million with which he entered the race. With four months remaining, Jones was approaching the district's record for election fundraising by a Democrat ($2.7 million).[25]

Jones was endorsed by EMILY's List,[26] the Asian American Action Fund, the Equality PAC,[27] VoteVets, and the LGBTQ Victory Fund, as well as Wendy Davis and Khizr Khan.[15]

Media coverage named Jones as part of several "waves" of candidates from various backgrounds running as Democrats in 2018, including women,[18][20] LGBT people,[28][29] and military veterans.[30][31] A March 2018 Teen Vogue article noted that if elected, Jones would be "the first openly gay woman of color from Texas elected to Congress, as well as the first Iraq War veteran to represent Texas in Congress. She'd also be the first woman to represent Texas's 23rd Congressional district."[27]

Jones said she believed health care reform would play a big role in the election.[32] She and Hurd both broke fundraising records.[33][34]

Jones lost to Hurd by 1,150 votes and conceded on November 19.[35][36]

2020 congressional campaign

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Further information: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 23

In May 2019, Jones launched a second campaign for Texas's 23rd congressional district.[2] She has raised over $1 million for her campaign, including $100,000 in the 24 hours following Hurd's August 2019 announcement that he would not seek reelection. In October 2019 The Texas Tribune reported that she was the primary front-runner. In May 2020, former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's Win the Era PAC endorsed Jones.[2]

In the November general election, Republican nominee Tony Gonzales defeated Jones by four percentage points.[37]

Under Secretary of the Air Force

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She was confirmed as President Biden's Under Secretary of the Air Force by the Senate on July 22, 2021.[38] She was the sixth woman to hold that title,[39] the first woman of color and the first open lesbian.[40] In that post her responsibilities included personnel management. She managed the implementation of a revised policy governing when pregnant service member can fly in place of the service's total prohibition on flying while pregnant.[40] Pregnant service members were no longer required to wait a year from the end of a pregnancy to apply to Air Force Officer Training School, but could apply while pregnant.[39] She enhanced services for victims of domestic abuse and produced a study to provide senior leadership with better data on the performance of female officers, countering anecdotal disparagement of their record.[40]

She resigned as under secretary in February 2023, effective March 6.[39]

Find Out PAC

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Ortiz-Jones leads Find Out PAC, a political action committee seeking to defeat Texas Supreme Court justices Jimmy Blacklock, Jane Bland and John Devine, who are running for re-election in 2024, because of their decision in Cox v. Texas.[41]

Personal life

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Jones has a younger sister who is an intelligence officer in the United States Navy.[42] She identifies as an Ilocano, a Filipino ethnolinguistic group.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Esteban Estrada, Jade (May 9, 2018). "Keeping Up with Gina Ortiz Jones, Who Wants to Unseat Congressman Will Hurd". San Antonio Current. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018. Within the Texas Democratic Party, Jones, 37, says she is attempting to change the conversation of 'who can enter into politics and who cannot.'
  2. ^ a b c Svitek, Patrick (May 14, 2019). "Gina Ortiz Jones running again to unseat Texas U.S. Rep. Will Hurd". Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  3. ^ Taylor, Jessica (August 2019). "Texas Rep. Will Hurd, House's Only Black Republican, Won't Seek Reelection In 2020". NPR. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "Candidate Conversation - Gina Ortiz Jones (D)". Inside Elections. December 1, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Pastor, Rene (June 16, 2018). "Will Gina Ortiz-Jones become the first Filipina American in Congress?". The Inquirer. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Scherer, Jasper (May 10, 2018). "West Side native Gina Ortiz Jones wants to create opportunity in CD 23". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  7. ^ Maslow, Nick (May 23, 2022). "After Serving in 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Era, Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones Comes Full Circle". People. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Malloy, Daniel (February 14, 2018). "This Lesbian Air Force Veteran is Setting Her Eyes on Congress". Ozy. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  9. ^ Brown, Joel (June 18, 2018). "A Different Kind of Texas Candidate". BU Today. Boston University. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  10. ^ Teeman, Tim (May 24, 2018). "Woman, Lesbian, Filipina-American, Iraq Veteran: How Gina Ortiz Jones Could Make Texas Political History". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  11. ^ Ruiz-Grossman, Sarah (June 28, 2018). "These Candidates Could Make History In November". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  12. ^ "Senate confirms Gina Ortiz Jones to be Air Force Under Secretary". July 23, 2021.
  13. ^ Rossi, Matt (December 8, 2017). "Female Veterans Lead 2018 Charge". Harvard Political Review. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  14. ^ No One Had to Ask on YouTube
  15. ^ a b c Bendery, Jennifer (January 6, 2018). "She Quit Working For Trump. Now She's Running For Congress To Fight Him". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Svitek, Patrick (August 2, 2017). "U.S. Rep. Will Hurd gets first major Democratic challenger for 2018". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  17. ^ Wagner, Meg (May 25, 2018). "Women candidates dominated at the polls". CNN. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Alter, Charlotte (January 29, 2018). "A Year Ago, They Marched. Now a Record Number of Women Are Running for Office". Time. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  19. ^ Bendery, Jennifer (May 23, 2018). "Gina Ortiz Jones Wins Democratic Runoff In Texas Congressional Race". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  20. ^ a b Voorhees, Josh (March 7, 2018). "Democratic Women Dominated in Texas on Tuesday". Slate. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  21. ^ "Gina Ortiz Jones". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  22. ^ Sullivan, Sean (May 22, 2018). "Former Air Force intelligence officer wins runoff for Texas seat". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  23. ^ Johnson, Chris (June 20, 2018). "Gina Ortiz Jones could be LGBT face of 2018 Dem victories". Washington Blade. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  24. ^ Schrerer, Jasper (June 14, 2018). "Jones challenges Hurd to six debates in 23rd Congressional District race". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  25. ^ Connolly, Griffin (July 9, 2018). "Hurd, Democratic Challenger on Pace to Shatter Fundraising Record". Roll Call. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  26. ^ Livingston, Abby (July 9, 2018). "Emily's List gets involved in fifth Texas race for Congress". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  27. ^ a b Young, Lauren (March 5, 2018). "Gina Ortiz Jones is Running for Texas's 23rd District in March 6 Texas Primary". Teen Vogue. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  28. ^ Kuhr, Elizabeth (June 4, 2018). "Texas sees historic number of LGBTQ candidates running for office". NBC News. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  29. ^ Tumulty, Karen (May 30, 2018). "Opinion | There's an election wave you probably haven't heard of yet — and it's important". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  30. ^ John, Arit (June 27, 2018). "Can a New Generation of Vets Deliver The House to the Democrats?". Bloomberg. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  31. ^ Singer, Emily (July 11, 2018). "Female veterans are raking in major cash for their congressional bids". Mic. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  32. ^ "Texas Democrat Takes on Powerful Incumbent Hurd (Audio)". Bloomberg. July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  33. ^ Connolly, Greg (July 9, 2018). "Hurd, Democratic Challenger on Pace to Shatter Fundraising Record". Roll Call. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  34. ^ "Jones reports three-month haul of $1.2 million in bid to unseat Hurd". San Antonio Express-News. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  35. ^ "Gina Ortiz Jones concedes Texas congressional race to incumbent Will Hurd". WOAI. November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  36. ^ Greenwood, Max (November 4, 2018). "Ortiz Jones ends House bid against Hurd in Texas". The Hill. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  37. ^ Conradis, Brandon (November 4, 2020). "Tony Gonzales keeps Texas border district in GOP hands". The Hill. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  38. ^ Gould, Joe (July 26, 2021). "Pentagon adding new China and tech chiefs". Defense News. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  39. ^ a b c Svan, Jennifer H. (February 14, 2023). "Air Force's No. 2 civilian stepping down from post, service says". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  40. ^ a b c Bender, Jennifer (March 18, 2023). "The Air Force That Gina Ortiz Jones Is Leaving Behind". HuffPost. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  41. ^ Cayla Harris; Taylor Goldenstein (February 5, 2024). "The 'Find Out' PAC targets Texas Supreme Court justices over denial of emergency abortion". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  42. ^ Gustin, Marene (May 3, 2018). "Cover Story: Breaking Down Borders". OutSmart. Houston. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
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Political offices
Preceded by United States Under Secretary of the Air Force
2021–2023 		Succeeded by
Order of precedence
Preceded by
–
as – 		Order of precedence of the United States
as Under Secretary of the Air Force 		Succeeded byas acting Under Secretary of the Navy
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