| Office | Vice Chair of the Executive Board of the Nebraska Legislature |
|---|---|
| Term start | January 9, 2019 |
| Term end | January 4, 2023 |
| Predecessor | John Kuehn |
| Successor | Ray Aguilar |
| State legislature 1 | Nebraska |
| District 1 | 7th |
| Term start 1 | January 4, 2017 |
| Term end 1 | January 8, 2025 |
| Predecessor 1 | Nicole Fox |
| Successor 1 | Dunixi Guereca |
| Birth name | Anthony Vargas |
| Birth date | September 2, 1984 (age 42) |
| Birth place | New York City, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lauren Micek (m. 2016) |
| Education | University of Rochester (BA) Pace University (MS) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Anthony Vargas (born September 2, 1984) is an American politician and former educator who served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature from 2017 to 2025. Vargas represented the 7th district, which covers all of downtown Omaha and much of southeastern Omaha.
Vargas ran for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in both 2022 and 2024, losing closely both times to incumbent Republican Don Bacon.
Early life and education
Vargas was born to Antonio and Lidia Vargas in Queens, New York City, who were originally from Peru.[citation needed] He has two older brothers[1] He was raised in Smithtown, NY and graduated from Smithtown High School in 2002.[2] He is a graduate of the University of Rochester and received a Master of Science in education from Pace University.[3]
Career
Vargas is a former public school teacher. He also served as an AmeriCorps fellow through Teach for America.[4] He was appointed to the Omaha Public Schools Board in 2013, following the resignation of a board member.[5]
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.[6][7][8][9][10] Vargas defeated Synowiecki in the general election with nearly 62% of the vote. He was the first Hispanic Democrat elected to the Nebraska legislature.[11]
Committees
Vargas has served on the Appropriations Committee.[12] In 2021, Vargas was re-elected to the position of vice chair of the executive board.[13][better source needed] He is on the Legislature's Planning Committee.[14]
COVID-19 pandemic
On July 29, 2020, Vargas attempted to suspend the Nebraska legislature's regular rules of order to introduce a bill that would enforce Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in meatpacking plants to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The motion failed to pass.[15]
U.S. House campaigns
2022
In July 2021, Vargas announced his candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the 2022 election.[16] He won the Democratic primary on May 10, 2022, but lost the general election to Republican incumbent Don Bacon in November by 5,856 votes.[17]
2024
In July 2023, Vargas announced his candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the 2024 election.[18] In the general election he was again defeated by Bacon this time by 5,829 votes [1]
Political positions
In February 2024, Vargas introduced Legislative Bill 1355.[19] The bill would provide $4 million a year from the Nebraska Opioid Recovery Fund to fund opioid treatment and overdose response programs.[20]
In March 2024, Vargas and Senator Wendy DeBoer introduced two bills focused on housing affordability.[21]
Vargas wants to codify abortion rights into federal law.[22][23]
Vargas signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge.[24][better source needed]
Personal life
Vargas is Catholic and resides in South Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife, Lauren, who is a special education teacher. They moved to Nebraska in 2012 after she was accepted into Creighton University School of Law.[citation needed] They have two children.[25]
His father, Virgilio Antonio Vargas, died on April 29, 2020, from COVID-19 at the beginning of the global pandemic.[26]
Electoral history
2020
2022
2024
References
- ^ Martin, Brent (September 6, 2017). "Sen. Vargas says fight for DACA program is personal (AUDIO)". Nebraska Radio Network. Archived September 24, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ https://lenspoliticalnotes.com/political-note-453-tony-vargas-nebraska-02/
- ^ "Vote Smart | Facts For All". Vote Smart
- ^ "Senator Vargas of Omaha Receives National Leadership Award from America's Service Commissions". ServeNebraska. September 25, 2020. Archived September 5, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ Duffy, Erin (October 28, 2013). "New OPS board member Anthony Vargas wastes no time in getting down to business". Omaha World-Herald. Archived August 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ Walton, Don (July 6, 2016). "Tony Vargas may be Nebraska's Latino legislative voice". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived September 24, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. 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. Archived July 29, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Nohr, Emily (May 20, 2016). "Race between Synowiecki, Fox not close enough for automatic recount". Omaha World-Herald. Archived June 28, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Walton, John (November 11, 2015). "New senator stakes out independent ground". Lincoln Journal-Star. Archived September 24, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Bernal, Rafael (2021-09-30). "Top Latino group endorses Hispanic for Nebraska House race". The Hill. Archived September 5, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
- ^ "About Committee « Legislature's Planning Committee". news.legislature.ne.gov. Archived September 5, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
- ^ "Nebraska state senators elect leaders for two-year legislative session". Platte Institute. 2021-01-06. Archived September 5, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
- ^ "Legislature's Planning Committee". news.legislature.ne.gov. Archived September 5, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
- ^ "Tony Vargas in Nebraska: The human cost of political inaction on Covid". BBC News. 2020-10-02. Archived August 11, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
- ^ Walton, Don (July 13, 2021). "Sen. Tony Vargas will seek metro Omaha House seat". JournalStar.com. Archived July 13, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ Nitcher, Emily (May 10, 2022). "Democrat Vargas to face Republican Bacon in 2nd District general election". Omaha World-Herald. Archived May 11, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ Sanderford, Aaron (2023-07-05). "State Sen. Tony Vargas announces 2024 run at Rep. Don Bacon in Nebraska's 2nd District". Nebraska Examiner. Archived July 5, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ Perez, Jessica (2024-02-22). "'Getting to the root causes': Opioid treatment and prevention bill advances past committee". KETV. Archived March 6, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ Hammel, Paul (February 22, 2024). "Bill to prevent opioid overdose deaths in Nebraska passes initial hurdle". Nebraska Examiner. Archived February 23, 2024 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Lanier, Kendall (March 14, 2024). "Nebraska senators rally to advocate for affordable housing bills". 1011 Now. Archived March 14, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ Fraser, Quanecia (2024-10-08). "'We're doing everything we can ... to earn everybody's vote': Tony Vargas on his second run for congress". KETV. Archived October 10, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ "Nebraska Reacts to Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade". Nebraska Public Media. Archived August 18, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ Velasco, Donna (2024-01-10). "Tony Vargas Pledges to Support Term Limits on Congress". U.S. Term Limits. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ "Tony Vargas' Biography". Project VoteSmart. Archived September 24, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- ^ Burbach, Christopher (July 15, 2020). "Coronavirus took his father's life. State Sen. Tony Vargas shares his pain to help others". JournalStar.com. Archived September 5, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
External links
- Tony Vargas for Congress campaign website
- Sen. Tony Vargas official legislative website