Grace Flores Napolitano
Candidate for: United States Representative, CA 32nd District
Party: Democratic Party
Office: Representative (D–CA 32nd District) since 2013
Previous office: Representative, CA 38th District (2003–2013), Representative, CA 34th District (1999–2003)
Graciela Flores “Grace” Napolitano (born December 4, 1936) is the U.S. Representative for California’s 32nd congressional district, serving in Congress since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously served in the California State Assembly and the Norwalk City Council.
Napolitano previously represented the 34th district from 1999 to 2003, and the 38th district from 2003 to 2013. Due to redistricting, Napolitano ran for, and won re-election in the 2012 United States elections in California’s 32nd congressional district against Republican candidate David Miller. In the 2014 midterm elections, Napolitano was reelected, defeating Republican challenger Arturo Alas.
Napolitano was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas. After high school, she married and moved with her husband to California where they raised five children.
Napolitano began her political career as a member of the Norwalk City Council, winning her first election in 1986 by a mere 28 votes. Four years later she won re-election by the highest margin of votes recorded in city history. In 1989, Napolitano was elevated by her council colleagues to serve as Mayor. During her council tenure, she focused much of her attention on providing access to constituents and on redevelopment and transportation issues to address the city’s need for jobs and a more diversified economic base.
Napolitano made her way up through the ranks of Ford Motor Company for 21 years. Following her retirement in 1992, she was elected to the California Assembly, and became a leader on international trade, environmental protection, transportation and immigration. In 1996 she requested and received the creation of the first new California State Assembly Standing Committee in nine years, the Committee on International Trade, which she chaired until being termed out in 1998. In her six years in the Assembly, she also served as chair of the Women’s Caucus and vice-chair of the Latino caucus.
