Amanda Renteria
Amanda Renteria (Democratic Party) ran for election for Governor of California. She lost in the primary on June 5, 2018.
Renteria was the political director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
Biography
Prior to working in politics, Renteria worked for Goldman Sachs, the city of San Jose, and as a high school math teacher.
Career
Early career
After graduating from Stanford University in 1997, Renteria accepted a position at Goldman Sachs as a senior financial analyst. In 2000, she began teaching math and economics at Woodlake High School.[1][2]
In 2001, Renteria attended Harvard Business School earning her MBA; from there, Renteria served as a budget analyst and consultant for the city of San Jose, California.[1]
U.S. Senate aide
Her political career began in 2004, when Renteria became a legislative aide for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), for whom she worked for three years.[3][1][2] From 2006 to 2013, Renteria first served as legislative aide, then legislative director, and finally chief of staff for Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and was the first Latina in government to serve as a chief of staff.[4][5]
National Journal reported that Renteria was a key player in getting a farm bill to pass through Congress in 2012, noting, "Renteria was instrumental in bridging the gap between not only the two parties, but the regional factions of members that grew up around the bill."[1]
Elections
2018
- See also: California gubernatorial election, 2018
General election
General election for Governor of California
Gavin Newsom defeated John Cox in the general election for Governor of California on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Gavin Newsom (D) | 61.9 | 7,721,410 |
![]() | John Cox (R) | 38.1 | 4,742,825 |
Total votes: 12,464,235 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Governor of California
The following candidates ran in the primary for Governor of California on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Gavin Newsom (D) | 33.7 | 2,343,792 |
✔ | ![]() | John Cox (R) | 25.4 | 1,766,488 |
![]() | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | 13.3 | 926,394 | |
![]() | Travis Allen (R) | 9.5 | 658,798 | |
![]() | John Chiang (D) | 9.4 | 655,920 | |
![]() | Delaine Eastin (D) ![]() | 3.4 | 234,869 | |
![]() | Amanda Renteria (D) | 1.3 | 93,446 | |
![]() | Robert Newman (R) | 0.6 | 44,674 | |
![]() | Michael Shellenberger (D) | 0.5 | 31,692 | |
![]() | Peter Liu (R) | 0.4 | 27,336 | |
![]() | Yvonne Girard (R) | 0.3 | 21,840 | |
![]() | Gloria La Riva (Peace and Freedom Party) | 0.3 | 19,075 | |
Juan Bribiesca (D) | 0.3 | 17,586 | ||
![]() | Josh Jones (G) | 0.2 | 16,131 | |
![]() | Zoltan Gyurko Istvan (L) | 0.2 | 14,462 | |
Albert Caesar Mezzetti (D) | 0.2 | 12,026 | ||
![]() | Nickolas Wildstar (L) | 0.2 | 11,566 | |
Robert Davidson Griffis (D) | 0.2 | 11,103 | ||
![]() | Akinyemi Agbede (D) | 0.1 | 9,380 | |
Thomas Jefferson Cares (D) | 0.1 | 8,937 | ||
![]() | Christopher Carlson (G) ![]() | 0.1 | 7,302 | |
Klement Tinaj (D) | 0.1 | 5,368 | ||
![]() | Hakan Mikado (Independent) | 0.1 | 5,346 | |
Johnny Wattenburg (Independent) | 0.1 | 4,973 | ||
![]() | Desmond Silveira (Independent) | 0.1 | 4,633 | |
![]() | Shubham Goel (Independent) | 0.1 | 4,020 | |
Jeffrey Edward Taylor (Independent) | 0.1 | 3,973 |
Total votes: 6,961,130 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Boris Romanowsky (Independent)
- Robert Kleinberger (R)
- Lindsey Neil Shortland (Independent)
- George Konik (R)
- Scot Sturtevant (Independent)
- Ted Crisell (D)
- James Tran (Independent)
- Jacob Morris (R)
- Michael Bilger (Independent)
- Andy Blanch (Independent)
- Daniel Amare (R)
- David Bush (Independent)
- David Hadley (R)
- Grant Handzlik (Independent)
- David Asem (D)
- Stasyi Barth (R)
- Michael Bracamontes (D)
- Analila Joya (Independent)
- Harmesh Kumar (D)
- Joshua Laine (Independent)
- John Leslie-Brown (R)
- Frederic Prinz von Anhalt (Independent)
- Timothy Richardson (Independent)
- Brian Domingo (R)
- Doug Ose (R)
2014
In late 2013, Renteria, with the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), announced her candidacy for California's 21st Congressional District. The district was considered a tossup, but tilting Republican, according to Rothenberg & Gonzales.[6][7] The DCCC reserved $1 million dollars for ads in September in the district.[8] Renteria lost the race to Republican incumbent David Valadao by 16 percent.[1] The DCCC had planned to convince Renteria to run for the 21st district again for the 2016 election cycle, but Renteria declined.[1]
Results
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | ![]() |
57.8% | 45,907 | |
Democratic | Amanda Renteria | 42.2% | 33,470 | |
Total Votes | 79,377 | |||
Source: California Secretary of State |
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican |
![]() |
63% | 28,773 | |
Democratic | ![]() |
25.6% | 11,682 | |
Democratic | John Hernandez | 11.5% | 5,232 | |
Total Votes | 45,687 | |||
Source: California Secretary of State |
Endorsements
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee included Amanda Renteria in their "Jumpstart" program. The program provided financial support to the candidate.[9] On July 20, 2014, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and representative Nancy Pelosi held a fundraiser to support Renteria's candidacy.[10] President Obama made a fundraising appearance with Renteria, calling her one of “two outstanding candidates and part of what it is that we’re just trying to build here and across the country."[11]
Campaign donors, 2014
Candidates for Congress were required to file reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Renteria's reports.
Amanda Renteria (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
Year-End[12] | January 31, 2014 | $0 | $337,992 | $(81,255) | $256,737 | ||||
April Quarterly[13] | April 15, 2014 | $256,737 | $303,468 | $(136,239) | $423,965 | ||||
Pre-Primary[14] | May 22, 2014 | $423,965 | $112,525 | $(207,687) | $328,803 | ||||
July Quarterly[15] | July 15, 2014 | $328,803 | $289,916 | $(221,821) | $396,898 | ||||
October Quarterly[16] | October 15, 2014 | $396,898 | $397,840 | $(360,903) | $433,835 | ||||
Pre-General[17] | October 23, 2014 | $433,835 | $78,310 | $(248,700) | $263,445 | ||||
Running totals | |||||||||
$1,520,051 | $(1,256,605) |
Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
In early 2015, Renteria was offered the position of political director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.[1][18] A the time, The Wall Street Journal noted that her appointment "could send a powerful signal to Hispanics who want a presence at the top rungs of a campaign."[19] In a July 2015 article, the Los Angeles Times noted that Renteria's unsuccessful 2014 U.S. House race revealed important lessons to her for Clinton's presidential campaign. The paper reported, "The race in the heavily Latino district exposed blind spots in Democratic strategy with Latino voters, who largely stayed home. The message for Clinton in her 2016 presidential run was clear: The gains Democrats had been making among Latinos could stall anytime." As Clinton's political director, Renteria spoke with the paper at the National Council of La Raza conference, saying, "It is really time for Latinos to understand who is with them and who is not. ... One of the real opportunities in a presidential election is to truly have a message that can break through, even in the little towns where I grew up."[20]
More on Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign staff |
---|
Staff overview |
• Clinton staff overview |
Management and strategy |
• Robby Mook, Campaign manager • Joel Benenson, Chief strategist and pollster • Amanda Renteria, Political director • John Podesta, Campaign chairman • Huma Abedin, Vice chair |
Communications |
• Jennifer Palmieri, Communications director • Jim Margolis, Media advisor |
Policy and outreach |
• Jake Sullivan, Senior policy advisor • Marlon Marshall, Director of state campaigns and political engagement • Maya Harris, Senior policy advisor • LaDavia Drane, Congressional liaison |
Puerto Rico trip
In response to a potential outbreak of the Zika virus in Puerto Rico, Clinton sent top aides, including Renteria, to speak with health officials there about the threat of the outbreak. Clinton's campaign said, "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking this threat seriously and it has been working closely with Puerto Rico. But I want to be sure that we are truly doing all we can to fight the Zika virus from spreading. ... Zika is an urgent problem and we need to act now."[21] After the visit, Renteria told NBC Latino of the experience:[22]
“ | The most important thing we can do is make sure there is funding in Congress. It did help that we went there, but even thinking about going down there, I had to get DEET, I had to make sure I had long pants — it makes it real for folks in Congress. Anything we can do to educate women on the island, especially in poorer communities —they are putting these packages together that have nets, they have (information), go buy the green (can) of DEET, not the orange (green has more DEET).[23] | ” |
Comments on Donald Trump
In a July 2016 interview with the New York Daily News, Renteria described what she considered to be "stakes" of the presidential election, commenting specifically on Donald Trump's immigration proposals. She said:[24]
“ | My 3-year-old, who probably speaks better Spanish than English, recently told me 'Donald Trump can't win. He is going to say bad things about me.’ Those are those really personal moments that keep me up at night. When I started this job I said it was a real honor to have it. Now I say it's a real responsibility. ... The gravity of what could happen in the negative keeps me up at night, 'if he wins,' and what his rhetoric might do. But what wakes me up is I believe we (will) win and we've solidified and validated the values of this country, and that includes Latino voices, small-town voices.[23] | ” |
Voter turnout efforts
Renteria was also part of the Clinton campaign's efforts to register Latino voters in swing states like Florida, Nevada, and North Carolina early in the presidential election cycle. According to Fox News Latino, the campaign's efforts focused on showing first-time and minority voters where to go to register and vote. Renteria said, "There are states with Voter ID laws that make the process difficult so that’s why we got into those states early. We’ve given the local offices the tools and now we let the states craft their own plan."[25]
General election strategy
In August 2016, Renteria discussed one of the campaign's general election strategies, detailing the Clinton campaign's intention to invest in what she called "expansion states." She said, "We call them expansion states for a reason: Because we believe we can expand the map, and we believe we can expand Democratic voices down the ballot as well." The targeted states included Arizona, Georgia, Utah, and one congressional district in Nebraska, which awards electoral votes by district.[26]
See also
California | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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|
|
|
- Governor of California
- California gubernatorial election, 2018
- Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
- California's 21st Congressional District elections, 2014
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Governor of California
- Official campaign website
- Facebook campaign website
- Twitter page
- LinkedIn page
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 National Journal, "Hillary Clinton's Hill whisperer," May 7, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 LinkedIn, "Amanda Renteria," accessed June 23, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Democrats Ready to Land Recruit in Elusive California District," September 18, 2013
- ↑ Roll Call, "Renteria Doesn’t Blend In," October 16, 2008
- ↑ NBC, "Clinton Natl Political Director Amanda Renteria is a Latina "First"," April 15, 2015
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales, "House ratings, 2013," accessed June 23, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Democrats Ready to Land Recruit in Elusive California District," September 18, 2013
- ↑ Fresno Bee, "Obama recognizes 21st CD hopeful Renteria at Bay Area fundraiser," July 23, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "House Democrats Promote 3 Recruits," accessed October 24, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "O’Malley plans fundraiser this month with Pelosi to help five congressional candidates," July 3, 2014
- ↑ The Hill, "OVERNIGHT CAMPAIGN: One step forward, two steps back for GOP," July 24, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Amanda Renteria Year-End," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Amanda Renteria April Quarterly," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Amanda Renteria Pre-Primary," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Amanda Renteria July Quarterly," accessed July 28, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Amanda Renteria October Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Amanda Renteria Pre-General," accessed November 24, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "Ex-House Candidate Will Take Top Role in Likely Clinton Campaign," February 26, 2015
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Hillary Clinton Taps Hispanics for Likely White House Campaign," March 15, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Hillary Clinton's political director brings key lessons from her own (losing) campaign," July 19, 2015
- ↑ Fortune, "Hillary Clinton Is Sending Aides to Puerto Rico to Take Zika Meetings," April 19, 2016
- ↑ NBC News, "Clinton Adviser Amanda Rentería Looks at Zika Prevention in Puerto Rico," April 28, 2016
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Clinton’s Latina political director Amanda Renteria is key to getting the Hispanic community on board with her," July 2, 2016
- ↑ Fox News Latino, "DNC: Clinton surrogates urge Latinos to register to vote; hope high turnout will hurt Trump," July 28, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Top Clinton campaign official promises to expand electoral map," August 11, 2016
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