Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. (born February 12, 1971)[1] is an American government official, philanthropist, and politician who served as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the Biden administration. As a member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. representative for California's 39th congressional district from 2019 to 2021.
Gil Cisneros | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | |
| Assuming office January 3, 2025 | |
| Succeeding | Grace Napolitano |
| Constituency | 31st district |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Royce |
| Succeeded by | Young Kim |
| Constituency | 39th district |
| 10th Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness | |
| In office August 24, 2021 – September 8, 2023 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Matthew Donovan |
| Succeeded by | Ashish Vazirani (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. February 12, 1971 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (2008–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (before 2008) |
| Spouse | Jacki |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1994–2004 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Awards | |
In 2010, he and his wife won a $266 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot[2] and became philanthropists. He was elected to the House in 2018 to represent California's 39th congressional district.[3] He was defeated in his 2020 bid for reelection by former California State Assembly member Young Kim, whom he had defeated in 2018. In April 2021, he was nominated by President Biden to serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and after confirmation by the Senate, he assumed office on August 24, 2021.[4]
On August 1, 2023, he announced he was stepping down from his position in the Pentagon in early September. On September 18, he announced his candidacy for California's 31st congressional district in the 2024 election.[5][6]
Early life and education
editCisneros was born in Los Angeles, of Californio heritage.[7] His great-grandmother was born in Los Angeles when it was still part of Mexico.[7] His mother worked in a cafeteria, while his father served in the Vietnam War and suffered from exposure to Agent Orange.[2] He is Hispanic.[7]
Cisneros served in the United States Navy as a supply officer for 11 years.[8] He discharged from the Navy in 2004,[9] as a lieutenant commander, and his decorations included the Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal.[2] He earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science from George Washington University and his Master of Business Administration from Regis University.[10]
Career
editCisneros worked as a shipping and manufacturing manager for Frito-Lay until he was laid off in 2010.[11]
Lottery win
editWeeks after he was laid off, Cisneros won a Mega Millions jackpot worth $266 million.[11] He and his wife became philanthropists, establishing endowments for scholarships to be given to Latino students at GWU and the University of Southern California. They also founded Generation First Degree Pico Rivera, with the goal of ensuring every Latino household in Pico Rivera has at least one college graduate, and the Gilbert and Jacki Cisneros Foundation with an initial investment of $20 million to provide mentorship in education.[10][12][13]
Gil Cisneros work in philanthropy led him to an appointment by President Barack Obama to be on the Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2014.
Continuing education
editAfter setting up the foundation, Cisneros earned a Master of Arts from Brown University in Urban Education Policy,[2][8] and an MBA from Regis University.
U.S. House of Representatives
editElections
edit2018
editCisneros was a Republican until 2008, but left the party because he felt it had become "too ideological" and switched to the Democratic Party.[14]
In 2017, he declared his candidacy against Ed Royce in the 2018 election for the United States House of Representatives to represent California's 39th congressional district.[12][15] He specifically cited Royce's vote to repeal the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, as a reason he chose to run.[14] In January 2018, Royce announced he would retire rather than seek reelection to a 14th term.[16] Later, the election attracted national attention as the "weirdest race in the country" after the California Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee brokered a truce on negative campaigning between Cisneros and Andy Thorburn, who had each spent $6 million on their respective campaigns.[17]
Fears of a lockout by either party were not realized when Cisneros advanced to the November runoff election, finishing second in the June primary election to Republican former Assemblywoman Young Kim,[18] with 19.35% of the vote.[19] This election was rated a "Toss-up" by the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball.[20] The Associated Press called the election for Cisneros on November 17.[21]
2020
editCisneros lost to Young Kim by a margin of 1.2% in the 2020 House of Representatives election for California's 39th congressional district, in a rematch of the 2018 election.
2024
editOn September 18, 2023, Cisneros announced his intention to make a return to Congress by announcing his candidacy for the vacant 31st congressional district seat that became available with the retirement of Grace Napolitano.[22] Cisneros finished first in the primary, among ten candidates, and will face Republican Daniel Martinez in the November general election.
Tenure
editCommittee assignments
editCaucus memberships
editBiden-Harris administration
editThis section needs to be updated. (August 2024) |
On April 12, 2021, the White House announced that Cisneros would be nominated to serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in the Biden administration;[23] his nomination was received on April 27.[24] On July 27, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) voted to advance Cisneros's nomination to the full chamber for a future vote.[24][25] Cisneros was confirmed unanimously by the Senate on August 11, 2021, by voice vote,[26] and he was sworn in on August 24, 2021.[4]
Electoral history
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Young Kim | 30,019 | 21.2 | |
| Democratic | Gil Cisneros | 27,469 | 19.4 | |
| Republican | Phil Liberatore | 20,257 | 14.3 | |
| Democratic | Andy Thorburn | 12,990 | 9.2 | |
| Republican | Shawn Nelson | 9,750 | 6.9 | |
| Republican | Bob Huff | 8,699 | 6.2 | |
| Democratic | Sam Jammal | 7,613 | 5.4 | |
| Democratic | Mai-Khanh Tran | 7,430 | 5.3 | |
| Democratic | Herbert H. Lee | 5,988 | 4.2 | |
| Republican | Steven C. Vargas | 4,144 | 2.9 | |
| Democratic | Suzi Park Leggett | 2,058 | 1.5 | |
| Republican | John J. Cullum | 1,747 | 1.2 | |
| No party preference | Karen Lee Schatzle | 903 | 0.6 | |
| No party preference | Steve Cox | 856 | 0.6 | |
| Republican | Andrew Sarega | 823 | 0.6 | |
| American Independent | Sophia J. Alexander | 523 | 0.4 | |
| American Independent | Ted Alemayhu | 176 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 141,445 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Gil Cisneros | 126,002 | 51.6 | |
| Republican | Young Kim | 118,391 | 48.4 | |
| Total votes | 229,860 | 100.0 | ||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Young Kim | 83,941 | 48.3 | |
| Democratic | Gil Cisneros (incumbent) | 81,402 | 46.9 | |
| No party preference | Steve Cox | 8,286 | 4.8 | |
| Total votes | 173,629 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Young Kim | 173,946 | 50.6 | |
| Democratic | Gil Cisneros (incumbent) | 169,837 | 49.4 | |
| Total votes | 343,783 | 100.0 | ||
Personal life
editCisneros and his wife Jacki have twin sons.[8] They own a home in Pico Rivera,[27] and lived in Newport Beach until they moved to Yorba Linda in late 2017, the year he began running for election.[12] Before Cisneros won the lottery, Jacki worked for KNBC in Los Angeles.[11] Gil currently resides in Covina, California.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "CISNEROS, Gil - Biographical Information". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress.
- ^ a b c d "Former Navy Vet, Lottery Winner Joins Race To Unseat GOP Congressman". Losangeles.cbslocal.com. July 17, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ "Democrat Cisneros wins OC's 39th district". November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ a b "Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness - The Honorable Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr". United States Department of Defense. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ "Cisneros to leave Pentagon in early September after controversial tenure". July 31, 2023.
- ^ Altimari, Daniela (September 18, 2023). "Cisneros eyes open California seat for return to Congress". Roll Call. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c "¿Hispanos en Congreso de EE.UU. podrían producir cambios? | Voice of America - Spanish". www.vozdeamerica.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Republicans-turned-Democrats challenging O.C. GOP Congress members". Orange County Register. July 19, 2017. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ "The Honorable Gilbert R. Cisneros Jr". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ a b L.S. Hall (June 24, 2015). "Lucky and Focused: A Lottery Winner Uses His Millions to Boost Hispanic Students — Inside Philanthropy". Insidephilanthropy.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c "TV news employee in LA has $266M winning ticket". The San Diego Union-Tribune. May 6, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c Christine Mai-Duc (August 5, 2017). "Navy veteran/lottery winner to challenge Orange County Rep. Ed Royce for Congress". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ David Callahan. "The Big Money Behind a New College Fund for Immigrant "DREAMers" — Inside Philanthropy". Insidephilanthropy.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ a b "Lottery Winner to Challenge Royce in California". Rollcall.com. July 17, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ Wildermuth, John (April 21, 2018). "Lottery millionaire wins again: National Democrats help him in Orange County race". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ "Rep. Ed Royce of California to retire, the 8th GOP chairman to bow out ahead of midterms". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ "This is the weirdest race in the country". POLITICO. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ Robertson, Derek (June 6, 2018). "This is basically a home run for Democrats". Politico. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ "Gil Cisneros". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "California's 39th Congressional District election, 2018 - Ballotpedia". Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ "Dem Gil Cisneros scores win in open-seat race in California". TheHill. November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ "Reference Guide". Roll Call. September 24, 2003. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "President Biden Announces His Intent to Nominate 11 Key Administration Leaders on National Security and Law Enforcement". The White House. April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "PN426 — Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr — Department of Defense". congress.gov. United States Congress. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "SASC Advances Nominations of Del Toro, Cisneros, Miller, Karlin, Connor, 1,986 Military Promotions" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: Senate Armed Services Committee. July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ "PN426 - Nomination of Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr for Department of Defense, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". congress.gov. Library of Congress. August 11, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ "She won $266 million; chatted on 'Oprah'". Orange County Register. May 24, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
External links
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