Tony Vargas
Tony Vargas | |
|---|---|
| Vice Chair of the Executive Board of the Nebraska Legislature | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | John Kuehn |
| Member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 7th district | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Nicole Fox |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tony Anthony Vargas September 2, 1984 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Rochester (BA) Pace University (MS) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Tony Anthony Vargas (born September 2, 1984) is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the Nebraska Legislature. Vargas represents the 7th district, which covers all of downtown Omaha and much of southeastern Omaha.
Early life and education[]
Vargas was born to Antonio and Lidia Vargas in New York City, who were originally from Peru. He was the youngest of three brothers.[1] He graduated from the University of Rochester and received a Master of Science in education from Pace University.
Career[]
Vargas is a former public school teacher. He also served as an Americorps fellow through Teach for America. Vargas was appointed to the Omaha Public Schools Board in 2013, following the resignation of a board member.
Nebraska Legislature[]
In 2016 he ran for the Legislature against incumbent senator Nicole Fox. Fox, a Republican, finished third in the nonpartisan primary, which saw Vargas and former senator John Synowiecki advance to the general election.[2][3][4][5][6] Vargas defeated Synowiecki in the general election with nearly 62% of the vote. He is the first outright elected Hispanic legislator in Nebraska.[citation needed]
Committees[]
 | This section does not cite any sources. (August 2021) |
Vargas has served on the Appropriations Committee since 2017. In 2019, Vargas was elected by his peers, in a contested race, to the position of Vice Chair of the Executive Board, the nine member executive arm of the Legislature. in 2021, Vargas was re-elected by his peers to the position of Vice Chair of the Executive Board. He currently serves as the chair of the Legislature's Planning Committee, the long-term strategic planning committee for the Nebraska Legislature.
2022 congressional election[]
In July 2021, Vargas announced his candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the 2022 election.[7]
Personal life[]
Vargas is married to his wife Lauren. He is a Catholic and resides in South Omaha, Nebraska. He has two children.[8]
Electoral history[]
2016[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tony Vargas | 1,220 | 45.35 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Synowiecki | 745 | 27.70 | |
| Republican | Nicole Fox (incumbent) | 725 | 26.95 | |
| Total votes | 2,690 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tony Vargas | 5,244 | 61.75 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Synowiecki | 3,248 | 38.25 | |
| Total votes | 8,492 | 100.00 | ||
2020[]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Tony Vargas (incumbent) | 3,281 | 81.8 | |
| Republican | Jorge Sotolongo | 731 | 18.1 | |
| Total votes | 100.0 | |||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Tony Vargas (incumbent) | 7,386 | 77.9 | |
| Republican | Jorge Sotolongo | 2,098 | 22.1 | |
| Total votes | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References[]
- ^ Martin, Brent (September 6, 2017). "Sen. Vargas says fight for DACA program is personal (AUDIO)". Nebraska Radio Network. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Walton, Don (July 6, 2016). "Tony Vargas may be Nebraska's Latino legislative voice". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Knapp, Fred (May 4, 2016). "South Omaha Race Shows Jockeying For Legislature". Nebraska Educational Telecommunications. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ "Synowiecki will try to regain South Omaha seat in Nebraska Legislature". Omaha World-Herald. May 18, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Nohr, Emily (May 20, 2016). "Race between Synowiecki, Fox not close enough for automatic recount". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Walton, John (November 11, 2015). "New senator stakes out independent ground". Lincoln Journal-Star. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Walton, Don. "Sen. Tony Vargas will seek metro Omaha House seat". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ "Tony Vargas' Biography". Project VoteSmart. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ "NE Legislature 07 - Primary 2016". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ "NE Legislature 07 2016". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tony Vargas. |
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
Statewide political officials of Nebraska | ||
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| U.S. senators |
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| State government |
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| Legislature |
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| Supreme Court |
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- Pages using Party stripe with other party
- 1984 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- American politicians of Peruvian descent
- Catholics from New York (state)
- Educators from New York City
- Hispanic and Latino American politicians
- Living people
- Nebraska Democrats
- Nebraska state senators
- Pace University alumni
- Politicians from New York City
- Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska
- School board members in Nebraska
- University of Rochester alumni