Sharon Weston Broome
Sharon Weston Broome | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Louisiana Senate from the 15th district | |
| In office December 2004 – January 11, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Melvin Lee "Kip" Holden |
| Succeeded by | Regina Barrow |
| Louisiana State Senate President Pro Tempore | |
| In office 2008 – January 11, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Diana Bajoie |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Long |
| Louisiana State Representative for District 29 (East and West Baton Rouge parishes) | |
| In office 1992–2004 | |
| Preceded by | Clyde Kimball |
| Succeeded by | Regina Barrow |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1956 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marvin Broome |
| Residence(s) | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, Regent University |
| Occupation | Communications specialist |
Sharon Weston Broome (born October 1956)[1] is a Democratic former member of the Louisiana State Senate for District 15, the first African-American woman in that position, which she held from 2004 to 2016.
Her state senatorial predecessor, African-American Democrat Kip Holden, is the departing Baton Rouge Mayor-President who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 24, 2015.[2] From 2008 to 2016, Broome was the President Pro Tempore of the state Senate. In 2011, she was elected to her second full Senate term without opposition.
From 1992 to 2004, Broome was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 29. She was succeeded by her legislative assistant, Regina Barrow. She was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the House, the first woman to have held that position. Broome is hence the first woman to serve in the number-two leadership position in both legislative chambers.
In 2002, Representative Broome introduced House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 74 which condemned "Darwinism" as justifying racism and Nazism. The bill was amended to remove allusions to Darwin and passed.[3] In 2012, sponsored a bill requiring doctors to let a woman hear the heartbeat of a fetus (if present) before performing an abortion.[4] The bill was signed into law by Governor Bobby Jindal on June 8, 2012.[5]
Before being elected to state office, Broome, a native of Chicago, Illinois, served on the Baton Rouge Metro Council. She holds two degrees in communications and worked as a reporter for WBRZ-TV for five years.[2]
Broome was among the state and local officials who endorsed the unsuccessful reelection in 2014 of Democrat U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu.[6] Term-limited in the Senate, Broome is the first candidate to declare her intentions to run in 2016 to succeed Holden as Mayor-President for East Baton Rouge Parish.[7] Several Republican candidates are also running for Mayor-President.
Broome was succeeded in the state Senate by Regina Barrow, who had also followed her the House of Representatives. Barrow was succeeded in the House by Metro Council member Ronnie Edwards, who died of pancreatic cancer after only forty-four days of service. Both Barrow and Edwards were born in Wilkinson County, Mississippi.[8]
References
- ^ "Sharon Broome, October 1956". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
- ^ a b "Biography at Louisiana State Senate". Retrieved June 14, 2012.
- ^ "Update on Challenges to Teaching Evolution". American Geosciences Institute. January 7, 2003. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
- Original resolution text: "A bizarre and outrageous attack on evolution by a Louisiana legislator". Retrieved November 20, 2013.
- ^ "Abortion bills advance through La. Legislature". NECN.com. May 16, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
- ^ "Jindal signs abortion bills". WWL.com. June 8, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
- ^ "Landrieu's GOP Endorsements Pale In Comparison To 2008 Election". thehayride.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
- ^ Rebekah Allen (May 18, 2015). "Sharon Weston Broome off to early start in 2016 Baton Rouge mayoral race as others have yet to declare". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Rep. Rodnette Bethley "Ronnie" Edwards". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
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External links
- Louisiana State Senate – Sharon Weston Broome official government website
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- 1956 births
- Living people
- African-American journalists
- African-American women in politics
- African-American politicians
- African-American Christians
- Baptists from the United States
- Louisiana State Senators
- Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives
- Politicians from Chicago, Illinois
- People from La Crosse, Wisconsin
- Politicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Regent University alumni
- University of Wisconsin–La Crosse alumni
- Women state legislators in Louisiana
- Louisiana Democrats
- Louisiana politician stubs