Francisco Cojuanco
From Usgs
Francisco Valerio Cojuanco (born June 4, 1974) is a United States Congressman from California and former District Attorney.
| ||||
| United States Congressman, California's 42nd Congressional District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Office: 3 January 2007-Present | ||||
| Preceded by | Brian Vanderbilt | |||
| Succeeded by | incumbent | |||
| Born | 4 June 1974 Chino, California | |||
| Political Party | Republican | |||
| Spouse | Anna Meier-Cojuanco | |||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |||
Contents |
Early life
Francisco Cojuanco was born in Chino, CA (now Chino Hills, CA) on June 4, 1974, to Alberto Cojuanco and Maria Cardona Valerio, Filipino immigrants fleeing the Marcos regime during the 70's. The family settled in their new hometown, Alberto Cojuanco buying a small 'farm' (in reality a house with a glorified backyard)and becoming a tax lawyer. Young Francisco spent much of his early years involved with various church youth groups, even joining the choir of St. Margaret's Catholic Church. Those who knew him described him as "excitable, brilliant, but also with a temper that, once unleashed, could scare the living daylights out of you."
Enrolling in Ruben S. Ayala High School in 1989 (one of the original students), Cojuanco proved to be an accomplished writer and speaker, though he always found math and science to be difficult. In 1992, he graduated from Ayala, with no particular distinction, though his grades were decent enough.
College
Francisco Cojuanco was accepted into Notre Dame University, then being admitted into Notre Dame Law School, where he graduated fourth in his class with a Juris Doctor. His years in college were relatively uneventful, other than the fact that he would meet his future wife, Anna Meier-Mercado, there. He also was a member of the College Republicans, but mostly kept out of campus politics. His dissertation was "The Noose or the Prison Cell? A Study of Alternatives to Capital Punishment".
Post-college career
Upon graduation and bar exam, Cojuanco, like most other new lawyers, took a job as a public defender, a job at which he performed competently, saving many a defendant from lethal injection. As one of his former defendants (now an inmate at the California Institute for Men) said, "He was as good as a high-rise attorney, without the high-rise pay".
Political career
Cojuanco's first experience with politics came when in 1998 he sucessfully ran for District Attorney for San Bernardino County, winning with 70% of the vote, in a conservative county. He served for nine years in this capacity, winning two more elections, until the case of his life: People v. Vanderbilt.
People v. Vanderbilt
Brian Vanderbilt was Congressman Gary Miller's replacement after the latter retired in 2007. Shortly after Vanderbilt took office, the Principal of Blessed Damien Catholic High School was shot, just two days after he expelled Congressman Vanderbilt's son for extortion. After finding links to Vanderbilt's office, Vanderbilt was arrested for murder. Cojuanco would try the People's Case against Vanderbilt, and wanted to see him imprisoned for murder. However, political pressure from the local Republican Party officials (many of whom were in Vanderbilt's pocket), Cojuanco struck a deal with Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt pleading guilty on related racketeering charges in exchange for the murder case being dropped.
Congressman
The people of California's 42nd District were subjected to yet another special election in one year, to replace Vanderbilt's focibly vacated seat. Cojuanco, through grassroots support, was able to defeat the pro-Vanderbilt candidates at the local primary, and became the Republican Party's candidate. Ordinarily, dure to the demographics of the 42nd District, the political struggle would have ended there. But Vanderbilt had dragged the Republican Party's reputation down with him, and the Democrats smelled blood. They nominated Councilman Bernardo Famy as their candidate.
The race turned out to be close, Cojuanco only winning 50.01% of the vote, and then only after convincing his constituents that he was not corrupt.
Cojuanco served out the remainder of Vanderbilt's (and by extension, Gary Miller's) term, and did so competently.
He then was picked as the Republican candidate for the Senatorial race to replace Diane Feinstein's old Senate seat, and ran as a moderate-conservative Republican against Democrat Samuel Russell. The race that ensued was the closest California election in decades, Russel only winning by 4 percentage points.
In the meantime, Cojuanco returned to Congress, briefly serving as Deputy House Minority Whip and Science Health and Environment Committee Chairman.
Running again in 2010, Cojuanco suffered his worst political defeat yet in the special Senate election against Elizabeth Rosenbaum, mostly in part due to clerical irregularities in the files submitted to the FEC. He scraped by with less than 5 percent as a write-in candidate.
Being readmitted to his seat yet again, Cojuanco has managed to rehabilitate himself politically, and has prepared to run again for Senate in 2012.
Political views
Cojuanco describes himself as a 'sane conservative', and, while keeping with most of the Republican Party's center-right position, has often different stances than most of the mainstream party, especially on the death penalty (against it) and homosexuals in the military (supports non-discrimination). He is also a noted pro-life politician, and has supported parental consent laws. He is considered a pro-business candidate, and has supported right-to-work laws.
Notable influences on his political philosophy include Edmund Burke, John Locke, Thomas Jefferson and Ronald Reagan.
Family
Francisco Cojuanco married Anna Meier-Mercado in 2005, and have one son, Francisco Jr.
| Preceded by Brian Vanderbilt | Congressman for California's 42nd Congressional district 2007-Present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States presidential election, 2016 | |
|---|---|
| General polls · Fundraising · Debates · Endorsements | |
| Democratic Party | Primary polls · Primaries · Convention · Debates |
| Candidates | Whitney Mason (Presidential nominee)/Andrew Brockmeier (Vice Presidential nominee) · Justin Casanova-Davis |
| Withdrawn | Bryant Carter · Emmett Honeycutt · Tom Potier · Lilliam Vanleer |
| Republican Party | Primary polls · Primaries · Convention · Debates |
| Candidates | David Gamble (Presidential nominee)/John Dunn (Vice Presidential nominee) · John Dunn · Vincent Halfhyde · Andrew Merrilin · Valeria Smith |
| Withdrawn | AA Alvera · Francisco Cojuanco · Joseph Salazar-Portela |
| Other 2016 elections: House · Senate · Gubernatorial · Presidential | |
