18 Facts About Lois Capps

Lois Ragnhild Capps is an American politician who served as the US representative for from 1998 to 2017.

Lois Capps was a member of the New Democrat Coalition.

Lois Capps was educated at Pacific Lutheran University with a bachelor's degree in nursing.

Lois Capps earned a master's degree in religion at Yale Divinity School in 1964 and a Master of Arts degree in education at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1990.

Walter Lois Capps was elected to Congress in 1996 in a rematch of his 1994 race against Republican Andrea Seastrand.

Lois Capps's widow won the then-22nd District seat by defeating Republican Tom Bordonaro in a special election on March 10,1998.

Lois Capps defended her seat against Bordonaro in a general election later that year and commenced her first full term in office.

Lois Capps was the first Democrat to hold the district for more than one term in over 50 years.

Lois Capps' district was renumbered as the 23rd after the 2000 census and made somewhat safer, and she was reelected without serious opposition in 2002,2004,2006,2008, and 2010.

Lois Capps's district was renumbered as the 24th District after the 2010 census.

David Wasserman, House editor of The Cook Political Report, predicted that this would be a more difficult race, and local Republicans confirmed that Lois Capps was one of their top targets in California.

In 2014, Lois Capps ran against Republican Chris Mitchum, an actor, screenwriter, and businessman.

Lois Capps announced in April 2015 that she would not seek reelection in 2016.

In 2011, Lois Capps voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 as part of a controversial provision that allows the government and the military to detain American citizens and others without trial indefinitely.

Lois Capps supported the Obama administration's economic stimulus and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Lois Capps had earlier sponsored the Lois Capps Amendment, which was defeated and replaced by the Stupak Amendment.

Lois Capps introduced the National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013 which would, if enacted, authorize the NIH to support, fund, and coordinate data from research on rare pediatric diseases.

Lois Capps worked for 20 years as a nurse and health advocate for the Santa Barbara public schools and taught early childhood education part-time at Santa Barbara City College.