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Capri Cafaro

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Capri Cafaro
Official portrait, 2007
Ohio Senate Minority Leader
In office
January 5, 2009 – January 7, 2013
Preceded byRay Miller
Succeeded byEric Kearney
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 32nd district
In office
January 2, 2007 – December 31, 2016
Preceded byMarc Dann
Succeeded bySean O'Brien
Personal details
Born (1977-11-21) November 21, 1977 (age 48)
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Stanford University (BA)
Georgetown University (MALS)
ProfessionLegislator

Capri Silvestri Cafaro (born November 21, 1977) is an American television personality and former politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented Ohio's 32nd senatorial district in the Ohio Senate from 2007 to 2016 and was the minority leader from 2009 to 2012. Her district included all of Trumbull and Ashtabula counties, and portions of Geauga County. Since leaving office, Cafaro has appeared as a contributor on Fox News Channel, primarily as a semi-regular co-host of the afternoon talk show Outnumbered.

Early life and education

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Cafaro was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and raised in the nearby suburb of Liberty Township.[1] Her father is shopping mall developer John J. Cafaro.[2] She is of Italian descent.

Cafaro attended Youngstown private schools and graduated from Ursuline High School.[1] She received a bachelor's degree in American studies from Stanford University in 1997[1][3][4][1] and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree in international studies from Georgetown University in 2001.[5]

Early career

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Cafaro served on the Trumbull County Senior Services Advisory Council and was a state policy liaison for Ohio with the National Patient Advocate Foundation.[5] She was also a state advocate representative for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and served as a councilor for the Medicare Rights Center.[5] Cafaro has also acted as an economic policy associate for Global Action on Aging, an NGO with consultative status at the United Nations.[5]

As a political novice, Cafaro won a surprise victory in the 2004 Democratic primary for Ohio's 14th congressional district, topping a five-candidate field,[1] which included 2002 nominee Dale V. Blanchard, columnist Herb Hammer, U.S. Marine Charles L. Wolfe, and Ohio state representative Ed Jerse (who received the endorsement of the Akron Beacon Journal). Cafaro polled 54% of the vote, while Jerse, the second-place finisher, managed 19%. In the general election, however, she lost to Republican Steve LaTourette.[6]

Cafaro again ran for the Democratic nomination for the open Ohio's 13th congressional district in 2006, placing second in a nine-candidate primary, behind Betty Sutton. That seat was vacated by U.S. representative Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who would successfully run for U.S. senate in the same cycle.[7]

Ohio Senate (2007–2016)

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In 2007, Cafaro was appointed to the 32nd District of the Ohio Senate to replace Marc Dann after Dann won the Ohio attorney general's race on November 7, 2006.[8] One year after becoming a member of the Ohio General Assembly, Cafaro secured a leadership position as the assistant minority whip for the Senate Democrats.[9]

In 2008, Cafaro was elected to her first full term after running unopposed in the general election. Soon after, she was elected by her colleagues as minority leader of the 128th General Assembly.[10] She again served as minority leader in the 129th General Assembly.[11] Cafaro served as leader for three years until she stepped down and was replaced in 2012 as Ohio Senate minority leader by Senator Eric Kearney. She won a second full term to her Senate seat in the 2012 general election, defeating Republican Nancy McArthur 67% to 33%.[12]

Cafaro played a prominent role in the Medicaid expansion efforts in Ohio,[13] and has sought to codify the expansion permanently in Ohio law.[14] She has offered legislation numerous times to do so.[15]

Cafaro did not seek reelection to the Ohio State Senate in 2016 due to term limits.[16] As of 2017, Cafaro was the executive-in-residence at American University's School of Public Affairs and gave commentary on political events as a contributor on Fox News.[17]

Election history

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Ohio Senate 32nd District: Results 2008 to 2012
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2008 Capri Cafaro 106,178 100.00%
2012 Capri Cafaro 96,426 66.95% Nancy McArthur 47,611 33.05%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Hutchison, John Arthur. "Race for the 14th: Capri Cafaro". The News-Herald. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  2. ^ Krouse, Peter (February 23, 2010). "State Sen. Capri Cafaro's dad admits making illegal contribution to her unsuccessful bid for Congress". Cleveland.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Stratton, Ted S. "Capri Cafaro brings enthusiastic challenge". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  4. ^ "#CareerSpotlight: Capri Cafaro, former Democratic member of the Ohio Senate and current Executive in Residence at American University". Women on the Map. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d "Capri Cafaro, 2012 candidate State Senate 32nd District". The News-Herald. September 22, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "A Million Bucks Didn't Buy Much for Free-Spending Candidates". The New York Times. November 6, 2004. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "U.S. Senate / Ohio". American Votes 2006. CNN. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  8. ^ "Time to weigh in on the Cafaro issue". Buckeye State Blog. November 21, 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ^ Kovac, Marc (January 11, 2008). "Columbus Cafaro tapped as assistant minority whip". The Record Hub. Record Publishing Company. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  10. ^ "State Sen. Capri Cafaro Named Senate Minority Leader". Ohio Daily Blog. November 13, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  11. ^ "Senator Cafaro Re-Elected Senate Democratic Leader". ProgressOhio. November 21, 2010. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  12. ^ Husted, Jon 2012 general election results (November 6, 2012)
  13. ^ "Senate Democrats want minimum wage increase, affordable college". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cleveland. January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  14. ^ Siegel, Jim (January 21, 2015). "Democrats in Ohio Senate lay out agenda". Columbus Dispatch. Columbus. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  15. ^ "Senate Democrats outline legislative priorities". Youngstown Vindicator. Youngstown, Ohio. January 21, 2015. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  16. ^ Skolnick, David. "Three attorneys are running for the 32nd Ohio Senate District seat next year". vindy.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  17. ^ "Who's Next: Capri Cafaro". WashingtonLife.com. August 9, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
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