Tom J. Bordonaro Jr.

Tom J. Bordonaro Jr.
Tom J. Bordonaro Jr.
San Luis Obispo County Assessor
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 2002
Preceded by	Dick Frank
Member of the California State Assembly; from the 33rd district
	In office; December 5, 1994 – November 30, 1998
Preceded by	Andrea Seastrand
Succeeded by	Abel Maldonado
Personal details
Born	March 22, 1959 (age 65); Fullerton, California
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Martha (m. 1990)
Children	4
Education	California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (BS); University of California, Davis (MS)

Tom J. Bordonaro Jr. (born March 22, 1959) is an American politician serving as the Assessor of San Luis Obispo County, California, since 2002. A Republican, he served two terms in the California State Assembly from 1994 to 1998, making him the first wheelchair-user to be elected to the legislative body.

Early life and education

Born in Fullerton, California, his father's family is from Italy and his mother's family came to California from East Texas during the Dust Bowl.^[1] Bordonaro graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a bachelor's degree in agricultural management and a master's degree in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis.^[2]

In his first year of college, Bordonaro was left a quadriplegic after breaking his neck in a car crash.^[1]

Career

Bordonaro was elected to the California State Assembly in 1994 representing the 33rd district, representing parts of the lower Central Coast. He was the first wheelchair-user elected to the legislative body.^[2]

Bordonaro ran in the 1998 special election replacing Walter Capps, who died of a heart attack after taking office. Considered the more conservative candidate, he won the Republican nomination over Newt Gingrich-endorsed Assemblyman Brooks Firestone^[1]. Gerald Ford had previously described Bordonaro as an "extremist" for his stance on abortion and Democratic nominee Lois Capps used the quote in media attacks against him.^[3]^[4] Capps, Walter's widow, ultimately won with 53.46% to Bordonaro's 44.78% of the total vote. He ran in the regularly scheduled general election and lost again.

He was elected San Luis Obispo County Assessor in 2002, defeating 25-year incumbent Dick Frank, and has been unnoposed in every election besides 2018.^[2]

Electoral history

1998 (special)

List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives in California^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lois Capps	93,392	53.46%
	Republican	Tom Bordonaro	78,224	44.78%
	Libertarian	Robert Bakhaus	3,079	1.76%
Total votes			174,695	100.00%
Turnout
	Democratic hold

1998

1998 United States House of Representatives elections^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lois Capps (incumbent)	111,388	55.09%
	Republican	Tom J. Bordonaro Jr.	86,921	42.99%
	Libertarian	Robert Bakhaus	2,618	1.29%
	Reform	Richard D. "Dick" Porter	1,263	0.62%
Total votes			202,190	100.0%
Turnout
	Democratic hold

Personal life

Bordonaro and his wife, Martha, live on a farm in Paso Robles. The couple have four children and two grandchildren.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Skelton, George (December 4, 1997). "Renegade GOP Candidate Has Beaten Bigger Odds". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Holden, Lindsey (May 18, 2018). "SLO County Assessor Tom Bordonaro seeks 5th term. Here's where he stands on the issues". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo). Retrieved February 10, 2024.
^ Gizzi, John (March 20, 1998). "Bordonaro and Pauken lose in California and Texas". Human Events. Vol. 54, no. 11. p. 265 – via ProQuest Central.
^ Segura, Gary; Woods, Nathan (2002). "Targets of Opportunity: California's Blanket Primary and the Political Representation of Latinos". In Cain, Bruce; Gerber, Elisabeth (eds.). Voting at the Political Fault Line : California's Experiment with the Blanket Primary. University of California Press. p. 259. doi:10.1525/9780520935778-015. ISBN 978-0-520-93577-8.
^ "California Special Elections History 1998 to Present" (PDF). California Secretary of State.
^ "1998 election results" (PDF).

Political offices
Preceded by Andrea Seastrand	California State Assemblyman, 33rd District December 5, 1994 - November 30, 1998	Succeeded by Abel Maldonado

This article about a member of the California State Assembly is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[Skelton_12/4/1997-1] Skelton, George (December 4, 1997). "Renegade GOP Candidate Has Beaten Bigger Odds". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2024.

[Holden_5/18/2018-2] Holden, Lindsey (May 18, 2018). "SLO County Assessor Tom Bordonaro seeks 5th term. Here's where he stands on the issues". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo). Retrieved February 10, 2024.

[3] Gizzi, John (March 20, 1998). "Bordonaro and Pauken lose in California and Texas". Human Events. Vol. 54, no. 11. p. 265 – via ProQuest Central.

[4] Segura, Gary; Woods, Nathan (2002). "Targets of Opportunity: California's Blanket Primary and the Political Representation of Latinos". In Cain, Bruce; Gerber, Elisabeth (eds.). Voting at the Political Fault Line : California's Experiment with the Blanket Primary. University of California Press. p. 259. doi:10.1525/9780520935778-015. ISBN 978-0-520-93577-8.

[5] "California Special Elections History 1998 to Present" (PDF). California Secretary of State.

[6] "1998 election results" (PDF).

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