Ken William Cooley (born March 18, 1953) is an American politician, who served in the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat and represented California's 8th Assembly District, which encompasses most of eastern Sacramento County, including the cities of Carmichael and Citrus Heights. Following the 2020 Census, Cooley ran for a sixth term in the 7th Assembly District during the 2022 November Elections but lost to Republican Josh Hoover.
Ken Cooley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 8th district | |
| In office December 3, 2012 – December 3, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Mariko Yamada |
| Succeeded by | Josh Hoover |
| Member of the Rancho Cordova City Council | |
| In office November 5, 2002 – December 3, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | position established (city incorporation) |
| Succeeded by | Donald Terry |
| Mayor of Rancho Cordova, California | |
| In office 2005–2006 | |
| Preceded by | Linda Budge |
| Succeeded by | Robert J. McGarvey |
| In office 2010–2011 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Skoglund |
| Succeeded by | Robert J. McGarvey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 18, 1953[1] Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Rancho Cordova, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (BA) McGeorge School of Law (JD) |
| Profession | lawyer |
Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2012, he was a mayor and City Councilmember in Rancho Cordova.
Biography
editBorn in Berkeley and raised in San Lorenzo, Hayward, and San Jose, Cooley graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1977 and the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in 1984.[2]
From 1977 to 1985, Cooley was chief of staff to state Assemblyman Lou Papan. From 1985 to 1988, Cooley was legislative counsel at the California Land Title Association. In 1988, Cooley returned to the California State Assembly to be chief counsel to the Finance and Insurance Committee. Cooley was legal counsel to State Farm Insurance from 1991 to 2008.[3]
In 2002, Cooley was elected to the Rancho Cordova City Council. In 2005, he became Mayor.
2014 California State Assembly
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Ken Cooley (incumbent) | 35,294 | 51.8 | |
| Republican | Douglas Haaland | 28,049 | 41.1 | |
| Libertarian | Janice Marlae Bonser | 4,830 | 7.1 | |
| Total votes | 68,173 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Ken Cooley (incumbent) | 62,892 | 56.7 | |
| Republican | Douglas Haaland | 48,057 | 43.3 | |
| Total votes | 110,949 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2016 California State Assembly
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Ken Cooley (incumbent) | 61,704 | 58.3 | |
| Republican | Nick Bloise | 36,630 | 34.6 | |
| Libertarian | Janice Marlae Bonser | 7,588 | 7.2 | |
| Total votes | 105,922 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Ken Cooley (incumbent) | 104,552 | 57.0 | |
| Republican | Nick Bloise | 78,848 | 43.0 | |
| Total votes | 183,400 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2018 California State Assembly
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Ken Cooley (incumbent) | 53,490 | 53.9 | |
| Republican | Melinda Avey | 40,792 | 41.1 | |
| Libertarian | Janice Marlae Bonser | 3,017 | 3.0 | |
| No party preference | Lawrence Ray Murray | 2,025 | 2.0 | |
| Total votes | 99,324 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Ken Cooley (incumbent) | 95,450 | 55.8 | |
| Republican | Melinda Avey | 75,742 | 44.2 | |
| Total votes | 171,192 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2020 California State Assembly
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Ken Cooley (incumbent) | 39,321 | 54.1% | |
| Republican | Cathy Cook | 33,405 | 45.9% | |
| Total votes | ||||
References
edit- ^ California Birth Index
- ^ "Full Biography for Ken Cooley". SmartVoter.org. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
- ^ "Rancho Cordova Mayor Ken Cooley Biography". SmartVoter. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
External links
edit- Official website
- Campaign website
- Former and Current Mayors and City Council Members Archived January 11, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
- Join California Ken Cooley
- {{Ballotpedia}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.