Summary
Current Position: US Representative of MA US House District 3 since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
District: northeastern and central Massachusetts covering the Merrimack valley including Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill.
Upcoming Election:
She joined the staff of former Congressman Marty Meehan as a scheduler, eventually working her way up to Chief of Staff. Following her public service, Lori began working in the private sector as the only female executive at a tech company before moving on to cofound a woman owned and operated consulting firm, Concire, where she advised various companies on business strategy, how to create the conditions for employees – especially women – to thrive.
A member of the House Education and Labor and House Armed Services Committees, Lori is focused on fighting for working families on issues such as affordable health care, quality public education, workforce development, the environment, and working to end the pain and suffering of the opioid crisis. Lori is the first Portuguese-American woman elected to Congress and is a member of the New Dems and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
OnAir Post: Lori Trahan MA-03
News
About
Congresswoman Lori Trahan proudly represents Massachusetts’ Third Congressional District, made up of 35 cities and towns including her hometown of Lowell. The granddaughter of immigrants, Lori grew up in a working-class family with her dad working long, hard hours as a union ironworker and her mom juggling part-time jobs while caring for her and her three sisters.
Lori is a proud graduate of the Lowell Public School system, and during her time at Lowell High School, she became a standout volleyball player. She earned a volleyball scholarship to Georgetown University where she became the first person in her family to graduate from college. Like many, Lori was introduced to public service as a college student in Washington, D.C. After college, she joined former Congressman Marty Meehan’s staff, working her way up to Chief of Staff. She deeply enjoyed working to serve her hometown and people across Massachusetts, but she also witnessed firsthand the increasing partisanship that served wealthy special interests instead of families like the one she grew up in.
After a decade in public service, Lori took on a new challenge in the private sector as the only female executive at a tech company. Her passion for bringing women into leadership positions led her to co-found a women-owned and -operated consulting firm. In that role, she advised various companies on business strategy and how to create the ideal conditions for employees – especially women – to thrive.
Lori decided to run for Congress in 2018 – the first time she had ever sought public office – because she wanted to expand economic opportunities for working families in Massachusetts. Sworn in alongside a historically diverse class of new members, Lori immediately got to work for the people of the Third District. Now, as a member of the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Lori is an advocate for Third District residents – working to expand access to affordable, quality health care, end the addiction crisis, rebuild our infrastructure, tackle climate change, protect kids online, and more. She also serves in House Democratic Leadership as a Senior Whip and a member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.
During her time in Congress, Lori has responded swiftly to crises from the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, when she secured passage of the Leonel Rondon Pipeline Safety Act, to the COVID-19 pandemic, when she co-founded the Pandemic Preparedness Caucus, to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, when she immediately got to work on behalf of women and health care providers. With every issue, Lori continues to prioritize the district she was born in, raised in, and that she and her husband are now raising their two young daughters in. To that end, Lori has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for local infrastructure projects, small businesses, health centers, community organizations, and more.
Personal
Full Name: Lori Loureiro Trahan
Gender: Female
Family: Husband: David; 2 Children: Grace, Caroline; 3 Stepchildren: Thomas, Dean, Christian
Birth Date: 10/27/1973
Birth Place: Lowell, MA
Home City: Westford, MA
Religion: Catholic
Source: Vote Smart
Education
Attended, Harvard Business School, 2013
BS, Regional and Comparative Studies, Georgetown University, 1991-1995
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts, District 3, 2019-present
Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts, District 3, 2022
Professional Experience
Chief Executive Officer, Concire Leadership Institute, 2012-present
Chief Revenue Officer, ChoiceStream, 2011
Vice President, Marketing and Account Management, ChoiceStream, 2005-2011
Chief of Staff, Congressman Marty Meehan, United States House of Representatives, 1995-2005
Deputy Treasurer, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2002-2004
Offices
Washington, DC Office
2439 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3411
District Office
Lowell Office
126 John Street
Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: (978) 459-0101
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Contact
Email: Government Page
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Election Results
To learn more, go to this wikipedia section in this post.
Committees
Energy and Commerce Committee
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest continuous standing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was originally established in 1795 to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.
Today, the Committee has the broadest jurisdiction of any authorizing committee in Congress. It legislates on a wide variety of issues, including:
- Health care, including mental health and substance abuse
- Health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid
- Biomedical research and development
- Food, drug, device and cosmetic safety
- Environmental protection
- Clean air and climate change
- Safe drinking water
- Toxic chemicals and hazardous waste
- National energy policy
- Renewable energy and conservation
- Nuclear facilities
- Electronic communications and the internet
- Broadcast and cable television
- Privacy, cybersecurity and data security
- Consumer protection and product safety
- Motor vehicle safety
- Travel, tourism and sports
- Interstate and foreign commerce
The Committee also oversees several federal departments and agencies, including:
- Department of Health and Human Services
- National Institutes of Health
- Food and Drug Administration
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Indian Health Service
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Department of Energy
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Federal Communications Commission
- Federal Trade Commission
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Homeland Security
Congresswoman Trahan is a member of the subcommittees on Health, Consumer Protection & Commerce, and Oversight and Investigations.
Health:
The Health Subcommittee has key jurisdiction as the federal government continues working to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Subcommittee also has jurisdiction over legislation addressing public health, mental health, health insurance, hospitals, biomedical research, drug abuse and addiction treatment, and more.
Innovation, Data, and Commerce:
The Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee maintains jurisdiction over key issues relating to interstate and foreign commerce, along with all trade matters overseen by the committee. As a critic of large digital platforms, Trahan will have a seat on the panel with the power to demand accountability for the dangerous spread of disinformation that has proliferated online. Other online areas of jurisdiction include privacy, data security, and consumer protections. The Subcommittee also has oversight over sports-related matters, including professional baseball changes and decisions by the NCAA regarding student-athletes’ ability to profit off their own name, image, or likeness. Additionally, the Subcommittee regulates tourism, travel, and time, along with all Homeland Security related matters. Additional Information about the Subcommittee can be found here.”
House Democratic Leadership Positions
Senior Whip
New England Representative to the Regional Leadership Council
Member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee
Congressional Caucus Membership
Senior Whip
New England Representative to the Regional Leadership Council
Member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee
Diversifying Tech Caucus
Portuguese-American Caucus
Artificial Intelligence Caucus
Air Force Caucus
Army Caucus
Freshman Working Group on Addiction
Autism Research and Education Caucus
Baby Caucus
Blue Collar Caucus
Building Trades
Cambodia Caucus – Co-Chair
Caucus on the Deadliest Cancers
College Affordability Caucus
Community Colleges
Congressional Peace Corps Caucus
Fusion Energy Caucus – Co-Chair
Latino-Jewish Congressional Caucus
Longterm Care Caucus
Lung Cancer Caucus
Multiple Sclerosis Caucus – Co-Chair
National Guard and Reserve Caucus
Pandemic Preparedness Caucus
Romania Caucus
Save Minor League Baseball Task Force
Servicewomen and Women Veterans Caucus
Skin Cancer Caucus
Ukraine Caucus
Women in STEM Caucus
Women Veteran Task Force
New Legislation
Issues
Source: Government page
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
District
Source: Wikipedia
Massachusetts’s 3rd congressional district is located in northeastern and central Massachusetts.
Massachusetts congressional redistricting after the 2010 census has greatly changed the borders of this congressional district, largely dividing it between the new 2nd and 4th districts, with the new 3rd district covering only a few towns from the old district.[3] Effective with the elections of 2012, Worcester is in the new 2nd district and the new 3rd district is similar to the old 5th district, largely covering the Merrimack valley including Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill.
The district is represented by Democrat Lori Trahan.
Wikipedia
Lori Ann Trahan (/trəˈhæn/ trə-HANN; née Loureiro; born October 27, 1973) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts’s 3rd congressional district since 2019.[1] The district covers Boston‘s northwestern suburbs, and includes Lowell, Lawrence, Concord, and Trahan’s hometown, Westford. A Democrat, she formerly served as chief of staff to Representative Marty Meehan in Massachusetts’s 5th congressional district.
Early life and education
Trahan was born on October 27, 1973, and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts.[2] She grew up with three sisters. Trahan attended Lowell High School, into whose Sports Hall of Fame she was later inducted. Trahan has said her family lived “paycheck to paycheck”.[3] Her father, Tony Loureiro, had Portuguese parents. His father was from Porto, and his mother was born in Brazil to Portuguese parents and moved to the Azores to live with relatives as a child after her mother’s death. Trahan’s mother is also of partial Portuguese ancestry (from the Azores).[4]
At Lowell High, Trahan earned an athletic scholarship in volleyball to Georgetown University.[5] She graduated from Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service with a bachelor’s degree in comparative and regional studies in international relations.[6][7]
Earlier career
After college, Trahan worked for Marty Meehan, the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts’s 5th congressional district, eventually becoming his chief of staff. In 2005, she left the public sector to work for ChoiceStream, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based marketing software company. She became the CEO of the Concire Leadership Institute, a small, woman-owned consulting firm.[6]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018
In October 2017, Trahan announced her candidacy for the 2018 election to succeed retiring U.S. Representative Niki Tsongas.[8] Tsongas had succeeded Trahan’s former boss, Meehan, in a 2007 special election (the district was renumbered as the 3rd district after the 2010 census).
In September 2018, Trahan won the Democratic primary election, the real contest in this heavily Democratic district, narrowly defeating Daniel Koh, the former chief of staff to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, in a field of 10 candidates.[9] The victory was upheld after a recount.[10] In the November general election, Trahan defeated the Republican nominee, Rick Green, with 62% of the vote.[11]
2020
Trahan was reelected with 97% of the vote in 2020, running unopposed.[12]
2022
In 2022, Trahan was reelected with 63.6% of the vote, defeating Republican challenger Dean Tran.
Tenure
Campaign finance investigation
On March 4, 2019, The Boston Globe published an analysis of contributions to Trahan’s campaign in the weeks before the 3rd congressional district’s 2018 Democratic primary. In the last days before the primary, Trahan put hundreds of thousands of dollars into TV advertising, and the Globe investigated the source of the money. Trahan told the Globe she used $371,000 in personal funds, but federal financial disclosures she filed in the late summer of 2018 appeared to show that she did not have the funds to cover such a loan.[13]
On December 17, 2019, the United States House Committee on Ethics launched a continuing investigation of Trahan after congressional investigators found “substantial reason to believe” that she violated campaign finance laws in her 2018 campaign.[14] The Ethics Committee voted unanimously to dismiss the inquiry on July 15, 2020, saying in its final report that it “did not find that Representative Trahan acted in violation of House Rules, laws, regulations, or other standards of conduct.”[15]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus[16]
- New Democrat Coalition[17]
- Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment[18]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lori Trahan | 18,527 | 21.6 | |
| Democratic | Daniel Koh | 18,405 | 21.5 | |
| Democratic | Barbara L’Italien | 13,029 | 15.2 | |
| Democratic | Juana Matias | 12,982 | 15.1 | |
| Democratic | Rufus Gifford | 12,856 | 15.1 | |
| Democratic | Alexandra Chandler | 4,848 | 5.7 | |
| Democratic | Beej Das | 1,496 | 1.7 | |
| Democratic | Jeffrey Ballinger | 1,388 | 1.6 | |
| Democratic | Bopha Malone | 1,344 | 1.6 | |
| Democratic | Leonard Golder | 585 | 0.7 | |
| Democratic | write-ins | 131 | 0.2 | |
| Democratic | Blanks | 3,227 | ||
| Total votes | 88,818 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lori Trahan | 173,175 | 62.0 | |
| Republican | Rick Green | 93,445 | 33.4 | |
| Independent | Mike Mullen | 12,572 | 4.5 | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 135 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 279,327 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lori Trahan | 286,896 | 97.7 | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 6,643 | 2.7 | |
| Total votes | 293,539 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lori Trahan (incumbent) | 154,496 | 63.5 | |
| Republican | Dean Tran | 88,585 | 36.4 | |
| Write-in | 220 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 243,301 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Political positions
In April 2019, Trahan supported the presidential candidacy of Senator Elizabeth Warren.[19] She voted with President Joe Biden‘s stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[20]
In an April 2019 interview, Trahan said she did not support the impeachment of President Trump, but that Congress should continue investigating Trump.[19] In December 2019, after the revelation that Trump had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about investigating his rival Joe Biden, Trahan told The Salem News that she supported impeaching the president, calling Trump’s abuses in office a “clear and present danger” that required action.[21] On December 19, 2019, Trahan voted for both articles of impeachment against Trump.[22]
On October 1, 2020, Trahan co-signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemning Azerbaijan’s offensive operations against the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and denounced Turkey’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and criticized “false equivalence between Armenia and Azerbaijan, even as the latter threatens war and refuses to agree to monitoring along the line of contact.”[23]
On March 28, 2019, Trahan voted to protect transgender troops from the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender people serving in the military.[24]
On February 7, 2019, Trahan became an original cosponsor of the Green New Deal.[25]
In October 2022, Trahan introduced the Stop Online Suicide Assistance Forums Act, a bill that would make it a crime to use “the mail or interstate communication to intentionally assist another individual in taking that individual’s own life”.[26] The bill was a bipartisan effort that included Representatives Chris Stewart, Mike Carey and Katie Porter.
In January 2023, Trahan was one of 13 cosponsors of an amendment to the Constitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens sixteen years of age or older.[27]
Syria
In 2023, Trahan was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[28][29]
Ukraine
In 2023, Trahan was among 49 Democrats to break with President Joe Biden, by voting for a ban on cluster munitions to Ukraine.[30][31]
Personal life
Trahan lives in Westford, Massachusetts, with her two daughters,[32] three stepsons,[32] and husband Dave.[8] She is 6 ft (182.9 cm) tall,[33] the same height as her former fellow House Democrat Cindy Axne.[34] Trahan is Roman Catholic.[35]
See also
- List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
References
- ^ Hanson, Melissa (November 6, 2018). “Lori Trahan to succeed Niki Tsongas in Washington, D.C., after emerging winner in Third Congressional District race”. MassLive.com. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ “Lori Trahan for Congress”. The Boston Globe. October 25, 2018.
- ^ “Editorial endorsement: Lori Trahan earns nod for 3rd”. Boston Herald. August 23, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ Medeiros, Feligénio; Martins, Paulo (August 17, 2018). “Lori Loureiro Trahan, a Massachusetts Candidate for Congress with Portuguese Roots”. FeelPortugal.com. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ “Lori Loureiro Trahan, Class of 1991 – Lowell High School Athletic Hall of Fame”. Lhsathletichalloffame.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ a b Lisinski, Chris (September 18, 2017). “Trahan appears eager to follow in the footsteps of her former boss – Lowell Sun Online”. Lowellsun.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ Lucas, Peter (November 17, 2017). “Peter Lucas: Lori Trahan’s run for Congress is built on experience – Lowell Sun Online”. Lowellsun.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ a b Lisinski, Chris (October 12, 2017). “Westford’s Lori Trahan launches campaign for 3rd District seat – Lowell Sun Online”. Lowellsun.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ “Battling 10 opponents, Lori Trahan emerges as Democratic winner in Massachusetts 3rd Congressional District”. masslive.com. September 5, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ Schoenberg, Shira (September 17, 2018). “After recount, Lori Trahan wins 3rd District congressional nomination; Dan Koh concedes”. MassLive.com.
- ^ “Massachusetts Election Results”. The New York Times. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ “NARAL Pro Choice America Endorses Lori Trahan for U.S. Congress”. NARAL Pro-Choice America. October 10, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ Estes, Andrea (March 4, 2019). “Questions raised about source of late funds that helped carry Rep. Lori Trahan to victory”. The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ^ Estes, Andrea (December 17, 2019). “Rep. Lori Trahan’s campaign finances will be investigated further by House Ethics Committee”. The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- ^ “Rep. Lori Trahan cleared by House Ethics Committee”. Roll Call. July 16, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ “Caucus Members”. Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ “Members”. New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- ^ “Membership”. Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Keller, Jon (April 28, 2019). “Keller @ Large: Rep. Lori Trahan Says Merrimack Valley Explosions ‘Could Have Been Avoided”. WBZ-TV. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). “Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?”. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Christian M., Wade (December 13, 2019). “House Democrats to vote for impeachment”. The Salem News. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Staff Writer (December 19, 2019). “Trump is impeached: How did House members vote?”. Al Jazeera. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ “Senate and House Leaders to Secretary of State Pompeo: Cut Military Aid to Azerbaijan; Sanction Turkey for Ongoing Attacks Against Armenia and Artsakh”. The Armenian Weekly. October 2, 2020.
- ^ “U.S. Representative Lori Trahan”. trahan.house.gov. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ “Page | U.S. Representative Lori Trahan”. trahan.house.gov. November 13, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ “Opinion: The last thing we need in a mental health crisis is online suicide assistance forums”. Deseret News. December 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ “H.J.Res.16 – Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens sixteen years of age or older”. Congress.gov. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ “H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … — House Vote #136 — Mar 8, 2023”.
- ^ “House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria”. Associated Press. March 8, 2023.
- ^ Sfortinsky, Sarah (July 14, 2023). “Almost 50 Democrats Snub Biden with Vote against Cluster Bombs for Ukraine”. The Hill. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ “H.Amdt. 243 (Greene) to H.R. 2670: To Prohibit Cluster Munitions … — House Vote #317 — Jul 13, 2023.” GovTrack.Us, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/118-2023/h317. Accessed 16 July 2023.
- ^ a b “Meet Lori”. loritrahan.com. 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Lori Trahan helped set a mark for women elected to Congress. Here’s what makes her tick”. The Boston Globe. January 6, 2019.
The 6-foot Trahan easily stood out.
- ^ “Cindy Axne tells how she fought off would-be rapist in speech to Des Moines business leaders”. The Des Moines Register. October 2, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023.
A former West Des Moines Valley basketball player who stands six feet tall…
- ^ Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress Pew Research. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
External links
- Congresswoman Lori Trahan official U.S. House website
- Lori Trahan for Congress
- 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
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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