Connie Conway is a Republican politician from California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. She is currently in the California State Assembly

California State Assembly

The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

 and is the Assemblymember from the 34th district

California's 34th State Assembly district

California's 34th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Republican Connie Conway of Tulare.-District profile:All of InyoKern - 5.71%*Boron*California City...

 which takes in many parts of California's Central Valley and High Desert areas. Prior to serving in the Assembly, Conway served as a Tulare County

Tulare County, California

Tulare County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Fresno. Sequoia National Park is located in the county, as are part of Kings Canyon National Park, in its northeast corner , and part of Mount Whitney, on its eastern border...

 Supervisor from 2000 until 2008. Conway currently serves on the State Board of Directors for California Women Lead, a women's nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

2008 election

Conway entered the race to succeed termed out Bill Maze

Bill Maze

Bill Maze is an American politician from California and a member of the Republican Party. Maze is the president of Citizens for Saving California Farming Industries, a non-profit dedicated to dividing California into two states....

. In the primary

Primary election

A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

, she faced two candidates, Rebecca Maze (wife of the incumbent) and Bob Smith, a retired sheriff's deputy.

Assembly Republican Leader

Following her successful re-election to the State Assembly on November 2, 2010, Conway was elected by her Republican colleagues as the Assembly Republican Leader after a closed-door meeting of Assembly Republicans on November 4, 2010. Conway stated that outgoing Minority Leader Martin Garrick

Martin Garrick

Martin W. Garrick represents the 74th district in the California State Assembly. He was elected to the Assembly in November 2006. Garrick served in the Reagan Administration and is a small business owner.-Background:...

 had voluntarily stepped down and she had been elected unanimously. Conway is the first woman to serve as GOP assembly leader since 1981.

Pre Assembly Political Career

Prior to serving in the Assembly, Assemblywoman Conway served on the Tulare County Board of Supervisors for 8 years. She chaired the Board in both 2005 and 2008. Assemblywoman Conway also chaired the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, an appointment she received from the governor. The partnership works to improve the economy and quality of life in the San Joaquin Valley by making policy recommendations to the governor. In 2006, Assemblywoman Conway served as president of the California State Association of Counties, which represents California's 58 counties at the state and federal levels. She later became a director of the National Association of Counties, chaired its membership committee, and worked on its economic development committee.

Background

Assemblywoman Conway attended but did not graduate from Fresno State University. Her father, John Conway also served on the Tulare County Board of Supervisors from 1981 until his death in 1991.

External links

• Official website