Cheryl "Sher" Valenzuela is an American small-business owner and politician. She was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of Delaware The lieutenant governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. president and take office the following ...

in 2012 and unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for State Treasurer of Delaware in 2014.

Background

Valenzuela married her husband Eli and moved to Delaware in the early 1990s to care for her aging mother in neighboring

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. She is a mother of three sons in a

blended family A stepfamily is a family where at least one parent has children that are not biologically related to their spouse. Either parent, or both, may have children from previous relationships or marriages. Two known classifications for stepfamilies i ...

, with Ian from her previous marriage, Simon from her current husband, and Pedro whom they adopted. Her second son, Simon, was diagnosed as

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and Valenzuela describes the fight to overcome the negative prognosis as one of the reasons she would start her small business. She and her husband are the vice president and president, respectively, of their own small business, First State Manufacturing, an industrial upholstery company based in Milford,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. For her efforts and contributions to the Delaware economy, Valenzuela was awarded the

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stre ...

's Small Businessperson of the Year Award in 2012. First State Manufacturing employs approximately 60 people and provides a variety of goods ranging from seat covers for restaurants, to engine covers for the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

, to

ballistic vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. Th ...

s for the Israel Defense Forces.

Political career

In April 2012, Valenzuela was nominated by the

Delaware Republican Party The Republican State Committee of Delaware is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party in Delaware. It has regional offices in Dover, Delaware, Dover, Newark, North Wilmington, and Georgetown, Delawa ...

as its candidate for Lieutenant Governor. She ran against incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Matthew Denn Matthew P. Denn (born February 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician from New Castle County, Delaware. He served as the 45th attorney general of Delaware from 2015 until 2019. Denn previously served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Dela ...

and Libertarian challenger Margie Waite-McKeown. On August 28, 2012, Valenzuela spoke at the

2012 Republican National Convention The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the Republican Party (United States), U.S. Republican Party during which Delegate (American politics), delegates officially nominated former List of governors of Massachusetts, Ma ...

in Tampa,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. She spoke that night between fellow Republican women candidates Mia Love, the incumbent mayor of

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, and nominee for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Utah's 2nd congressional district Utah's 2nd congressional district currently serves Salt Lake City and the largely rural western and southern portions of Utah, including Saint George and Tooele. The current U.S. House Representative is Republican Chris Stewart. A map of cur ...

; and Cathy Rodgers, the incumbent

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

Washington's 5th congressional district Washington's 5th congressional district encompasses the Eastern Washington counties of Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin, along with parts of Adams and Franklin. It is c ...

. On November 6, 2012, the 2012 Delaware lieutenant gubernatorial election took place, where Valenzuela lost to incumbent Denn. She received 37.1% of the vote, versus Denn's 61.6%, and only held a lead in Sussex County, failing to receive a majority of votes in Kent County,

New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

, or the greater Wilmington metropolitan area. Valenzuela, however, did lose by a smaller margin to her opponent than did any of the other statewide Republican candidates in the state. In 2014, Valenzuela ran for State Treasurer of Delaware. She was defeated in the Republican primary by Ken Simpler following a contentious race marked by infighting and with outside spending behind both candidates, who frequently criticized each other.

Electoral history

References

External links

Sher Valenzuela for State Treasurer 2014

Sher Valenzuela for Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
''(2012 campaign mirror archive from the

WayBack Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

)''
First State Manufacturing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valenzuela, Sher Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century births Candidates in the 2012 United States elections Candidates in the 2014 United States elections 21st-century American politicians 2014 Delaware elections Delaware Republicans Living people People from Milford, Delaware Women in Delaware politics 21st-century American women politicians

Background

Political career

Electoral history

See also

References

External links