Marcia Fudge

Marcia Louise Fudge (born October 29, 1952) is the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 11th congressional district, serving since 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of the black-majority areas between Cleveland and Akron. Fudge was Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 113th Congress. Fudge was chosen to replace Debbie Wasserman Schultz as chair of the 2016 Democratic National Convention after a leak of internal documents released by Wikileaks.

Earlier official photo of Fudge

Fudge was born in Cleveland, Ohio. A 1971 graduate of Shaker Heights High School, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Ohio State University in 1975. In 1983, she earned a J.D. degree from Cleveland State University Cleveland–Marshall College of Law.

Immediately after college, she worked as a law clerk and studied legal research. She also worked in the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office. While serving in the prosecutors' office, she worked on business aspects as she held the position of Director of Budget and Finance. Fudge has also worked as an auditor for the estate tax department and has occasionally served as a visiting judge and as a chief referee for arbitration.

Fudge was the mayor of Warrensville Heights, a middle-class and mostly African-American suburb of Cleveland, from January 2000 until November 18, 2008. Her 1999 campaign was her first run for any elected office. She was the town's first female and first African-American mayor.

She was chief of staff to 11th District Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones during Jones' first term in Congress. She has also served on the board of trustees for the Cleveland Public Library.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
  • Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Credit (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Science, Space and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

Caucus Memberships

• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Black Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus

2008

After Jones' unexpected death on August 20, 2008, Fudge was selected as Jones' replacement on the November ballot by a committee of local Democratic leaders. This virtually assured her of election in this heavily Democratic, black-majority district. Fudge won the November 4 general election, defeating Republican Thomas Pekarek with 85 percent of the vote. She was unopposed in a November 18 special election for the balance of Jones' fifth term, and won with less than 9,000 votes cast. She was sworn in on November 19, 2008.

2010

Fudge was challenged by Republican Thomas Pekarek. She was re-elected with 82.5% of the vote.

2012

Fudge defeated a couple of minor candidates in the Democratic primary, and ran unopposed in the general election.

Fudge speaking at a rally for Hillary Clinton, October 2016

During a presentation at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 44th Annual Legislative Conference in September, 2014, Rep. Fudge commented on the indispensability of black voters. Rep. Fudge said, "If we don't vote, believe it or not they are going to file articles of impeachment against our President. If we don't vote, the street in front of your house is not going to get fixed. If we don't vote, we're going to have hungry children across this country".

She also predicted GOP members of Congress would "try to make our president an illegitimate president" with claims that he wasn't born in the United States, wasn't smart enough to attend Harvard, and ignores the laws.

"We will have two more years of that foolishness if they take back the Senate and get a few more seats in the House," said Fudge, a Warrensville Heights Democrat, who predicted voters "will be standing in the line waiting for the doors to open" at the polls when they hear what members of her group have to say.

Rep. Fudge, during the Congressional Black Caucus town hall meeting, chastised voters for complaining, and emphasized that the Congressional Black Caucus was fighting for them. Rep. Fudge commented, "The black caucus fights for you every day. Even when you won’t fight for yourself. We fight for you. Whether it’s immigration or education, whether it’s food stamps or housing, we fight for you every day. So my message to you is to contain your complaining."

Fudge is a past president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, serving from 1996 to 2000, and is a co-chair of the sorority's National Social Action Commission. In 2003, she was a member of the Shaker Heights Alumni Association's Hall of Fame Class.

Fudge has been a member of the Church of God (Anderson), and is now a member of Zion Chapel Baptist Church.