Marilyn C. Brewer (born May 26, 1937) is a

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served from 1994 to 2000 as a

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

woman representing southern

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

's 70th District. Born in western

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, Brewer earned her

Associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

from

Fullerton College Fullerton College (FC) is a Public college, public community college in Fullerton, California. The college is part of the California Community Colleges System and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the ...

in 1983. She served as an aide to Orange County supervisor Tom Riley until her election to the State Assembly. In 1994 she ran for an open seat in the

representing Newport Beach. Her two more conservative rivals in the GOP primary, Irvine city councilman Barry Hammond and attorney Tom Reinecke (son former California Lt. Gov.

Ed Reinecke Howard Edwin "Ed" Reinecke (January 7, 1924 – December 24, 2016) was an American politician from California. He served three terms in the United States House of Representatives. He was the 39th state lieutenant governor from 1969 until his ...

) split the conservative vote, allowing the more moderate Brewer to win the primary. In the general election she received 71.7% of the vot

In the State Assembly, Brewer served as Chairman, Vice Chair of the Appropriations and Insurance Committees. She was also a member of the Rules, Human Services, Transportation, Governmental Organization, and Labor/Employment committees. She was reelected twice more in 1996(61.5

& 1998 (95.7% with only opposition from a Natural Law Party (United States), Natural Law Party candidate

before California

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

of three terms in the State Assembly led to her leaving the state house in 2000. In 2005 Brewer ran in a special election for

California's 48th congressional district California's 48th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Orange County in Southern California. It is currently represented by Republican Michelle Steel. The district includes Costa Mesa, E ...

left vacant after incumbent Congressman

Christopher Cox Charles Christopher Cox (born October 16, 1952) is an American attorney and politician who served as chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a 17-year Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, and member of t ...

resigned to become Chairman of the

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

. Brewer lost the nomination to

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

John Campbell by a 28% margin, but did beat eight other Republicans in the

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

. Although she won the endorsement of

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

, the Republican party chose to officially endorse Campbell after Brewer began to court independents and Democrats. The

American Independent Party The American Independent Party (AIP) is a far-right political party in the United States that was established in 1967. The AIP is best known for its nomination of former Democratic Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five states in ...

candidate,

Minuteman Project The Minuteman Project is an organization which was founded in the United States in August 2004 by a group of private individuals who sought to extrajudicially monitor the United States–Mexico border's flow of illegal immigrants. Founded by J ...

founder

Jim Gilchrist James Walter Gilchrist Jr. is an American political activist and the co-founder and president of the Minuteman Project, an activist group whose aim is to prevent illegal immigration across the southern border of the United States. Early life ...

, fell only 2.3% short of overtaking Brewer in the

open primary Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

. In October 2006, California Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

appointed Brewer to serve as a member of th
"Little Hoover Commission"

References

External links

Official Brewer for Congress web siteJoin California Marilyn Brewer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, Marilyn 1937 births Living people Republican Party members of the California State Assembly People from Orange County, California People from Monessen, Pennsylvania Women state legislators in California 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women 21st-century American women 20th-century American women politicians

See also

References

External links