Julia Brownley

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Julia Andrews Brownley (born August 28, 1952) is an American businesswoman and politician who has been the United States representative for California's 26th congressional district since 2013. A Democrat, she served in the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012. Before her political career, she worked in marketing and sales.

Early life, education, and career

Brownley grew up in Virginia, and attended Fairfax Hall, a girls' boarding school in Waynesboro, for four years. Brownley received a bachelor's degree in political science from Mount Vernon College for Women of George Washington University in 1975 and a master's degree in business administration from American University in 1979.

Brownley served on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education from 1994 to 2006. During her time on the school board, she served three terms as president.

California State Assembly (2007–2013)

File:Julia Brownley 2011.jpg

Brownley during her tenure in the California State Assembly

Elections

In 2006, Brownley ran for the California State Assembly in California's 41st Assembly district. She won a five-way Democratic primary with 35% of the vote and the general election with 62% of the vote. In 2008, she was reelected with 66% of the vote. In 2010, she was reelected to a third term with 59% of the vote. Brownley was term-limited in 2012, having served the maximum of three terms in the Assembly permitted under California law.

She was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters.

Tenure

In 2010, Brownley authored a bill that would have banned all plastic shopping bags. It did not pass.

Committee assignments

Brownley served on the following California State Assembly committees:

• Aging and Long-Term Care Committee
• Education Committee (chair)
• Higher Education Committee
• Judiciary Committee
• Legislative Budget Committee
• Natural Resources Joint Legislative Budget Committee
• Select Committee on Community Colleges

U.S. House of Representatives (2013–present)

Elections

File:Julia Brownley 113th Congress official photo.jpg

Brownley's freshman portrait

2012

In February 2012, Brownley announced her candidacy for California's 26th congressional district. The district had previously been the 24th district, represented by 13-term Republican Elton Gallegly. In the general election, Brownley defeated Republican state Senator Tony Strickland, 53%-47%. She was endorsed by Emily's List and Planned Parenthood.

2014

Brownley was narrowly reelected over Republican state Assemblyman Jeff Gorell in the general election. She is a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program, which is designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents. After Republican candidates garnered over 50% of the vote in the June blanket primary, the Cook Political Report changed the rating of the race from "Leans Democratic" to "Toss-up". The race did become close, making for closer scrutiny of the results. Initial results showed Brownley winning 51% to 49%, with about 4,000 votes separating the candidates.

Political positions

Brownley supports the DREAM Act, the Affordable Care Act, and same-sex marriage. She has advocated increased insurance company regulation, job training funds, toxic cleanup, and increased public education funding. Since her election to Congress, Brownley has voted with the Democratic Party 93% of the time. On November 19, 2015, she voted for HR 4038, legislation that would effectively halt the resettlement of refugees from Syria and Iraq to the United States.

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:

• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Health (Ranking Member)

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Solar Caucus
• New Democrat Coalition
• House Baltic Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Blue Collar Caucus
• Black Maternal Health Caucus
• Congressional Coalition on Adoption
• Rare Disease Caucus

Political positions

Abortion

Brownley strongly opposed the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling the decision "unprecedented, deeply disappointing, and ideologically driven".

Food and agriculture

Brownley supports federal funding for research into alternative proteins, including plant-based and cultivated meat. In 2021, Brownley and Representative Jim McGovern led a letter by 46 members of Congress requesting $200 million for alternative proteins research in an upcoming budget reconciliation package. In 2023, Brownley authored the Producing Real Opportunities for Technology and Entrepreneurs Investing in Nutrition (PROTEIN) Act, which would have established alternative protein job training programs and research centers at universities and the United States Department of Agriculture.

In 2024, Brownley joined a letter to President Biden encouraging the administration to follow through with a proposal in the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to increase plant-based food offerings across federal facilities.

Israel

Brownley voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Electoral history

2024

Template:Election box open primary begin no change |- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Julia Brownley (incumbent) | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 51.4 |-

|- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Michael Koslow | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 33.8 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Bruce Boyer |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 10.7 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Chris Anstead |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 4.1 |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100.0 |- Template:Election box open primary general election no change |- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Julia Brownley (incumbent) | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 56.1 |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Michael Koslow |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 43.9 |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100.0 |-

|-style="background-color:#F6F6F6" |style="color:inherit; background-color:"| !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" colspan="4"| hold |-

|}

2022

United States House of Representatives elections, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Julia Brownley (incumbent)		54.5%
		Matt Jacobs		45.5%
Total votes				100%
	hold

2020

United States House of Representatives elections, 2020

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Julia Brownley (incumbent)		60.6%
		Ronda Baldwin-Kennedy		39.4%
Total votes				100%
	hold

2018

United States House of Representatives elections, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Julia Brownley (incumbent)		61.9%
		Antonio Sabato Jr.		38.1%
Total votes				100%
	hold

2016

United States House of Representatives elections, 2016

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Julia Brownley (incumbent)		60.4%
		Rafael A. Dagnesses		39.6%
Total votes				100%
	hold

2014

Template:Election box open primary begin no change |- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Julia Brownley (incumbent) | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 45.5% |-

|- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Jeff Gorell | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 44.5% |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Rafael Alberto Dagnesses |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 7.7% |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Douglas Kmiec |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 2.3% |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100% |- Template:Election box open primary general election no change |- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Julia Brownley (incumbent) | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 51.3% |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Jeff Gorell |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 48.7% |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100% |-

|-style="background-color:#F6F6F6" |style="color:inherit; background-color:"| !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" colspan="4"| hold |-

|}

2012

Template:Election box open primary begin no change |- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Tony Strickland | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 44.1% |-

|- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Julia Brownley | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 26.9% |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Linda Parks |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 18.3% |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Jess Herrera |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 6.5% |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| David Cruz Thayne |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 2.5% |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Alex Maxwell Goldberg |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 1.7% |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100% |- Template:Election box open primary general election no change |- class=vcard | style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:5px" | | class=org style="width:130px" | !scope=row style="text-align:left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn | Julia Brownley | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | | style="text-align:right;margin-right:0.5em" | 52.7% |-

|- class="vcard" |style="color:inherit;background-color:;width:2px" | |class="org" style="width:130px"| !scope=row style="text-align: left; font-weight:normal; color:inherit; background:inherit;" class=fn| Tony Strickland |style="text-align:right"| |style="text-align:right"| 47.3% |-

|- ! scope=row colspan="3" style="text-align:right;" | Total votes | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | 100% |-

|- style="background-color: #F6F6F6;" | style="color:inherit; background-color:;" | | colspan="4" | gain from |-

|}

Personal life

Brownley is divorced and has two children. She is an Episcopalian.

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

External links

• Congresswoman Julia Brownley official U.S. House website
• Julia Brownley for Congress campaign website
• Template:C-SPAN

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart

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