Donna Christensen

Last updated
Chris Christensen
​
(m. 1998)​
Donna Christensen
Donna christensen.JPG
Chair of the Virgin Islands Democratic Party
In office
August 6, 2016 –August 4, 2018
Education St. Mary's College, Indiana (BS)
George Washington University (MD)

Donna Marie Christian-Christensen, formerly Donna Christian-Green (born September 19, 1945), is an American physician and politician. She served as the 4th elected non-voting Delegate from the United States Virgin Islands's at-large district to the United States House of Representatives from 1997 until 2015.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Born Donna Christian in Teaneck, New Jersey, she is the daughter of a Virgin Islands Federal District Court judge, Almeric Christian. She received her Bachelor of Science from St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana in 1966. Christensen then attended the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she received an M.D. in 1970. [1] She interned at San Francisco's Pacific Medical Center from 1970 to 1971 and performed her residency in family medicine at Howard University Medical Center from 1973 to 1974.

Career

Donna Christian-Christensen worked as a physician, first in the emergency room and later in the maternity ward. She then served as medical director for the St. Croix Hospital in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. She was the Acting Commissioner of Health for the Virgin Islands in 1993 and 1994 and also ran a private medical practice until 1996. [2]

Christian was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions from 1994 through 2012 elections. She has also previously served on the Status Commission and the Board of Education for the USVI. [3]

She was also active in community organizations in the Virgin Islands, working to protect St. Croix from overdevelopment, and leading an effort to improve the quality of local judicial appointments. [4]

U.S. House of Representatives

Donna Christian-Christensen ran unsuccessfully for the position of USVI delegate in 1994, losing in the primary to former judge Eileen Petersen. She won a three-way race beating Victor Frazer, an Independent. That race also included future Governor Kenneth Mapp, who would defeat Christensen in 2014 during the Governor race. However, she was elected as a Democrat to the House in a 1996 runoff with Frazer and served from January 3, 1997, to January 3, 2015.

Christian-Christensen has supported Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Shortly before the Supreme Court affirmed the legislation, she said "For 99 years, presidents have been trying to do this. Finally, our president has made it possible for each and every American." [5]

Donna Christian-Christensen is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She was featured on The Colbert Report's Better Know a Protectorate segment. She is also the first female physician to win a congressional election. [2]

Elections

2008

During the 2008 electoral campaign, [6] she appeared in a TV advertisement endorsing the reelection of neighboring Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, who went to trial after the November 2008 elections for a twenty-four-count federal Grand Jury indictment for corruption. [7] The jury found him not guilty, though he did lose his bid for re-election.

2010

Christian-Christensen won her 2010 reelection campaign with 71.22% of the vote. [8]

2012

Christian-Christensen received substantial donations, at least $37,000, for her re-election from sources that are connected to Jeffrey Thompson, the chartered health services chairman. However, since he had recently come under fire for a scandal, this money may have been considered to be "pecunia non grata" (unwanted money). Soon after, Thompson's firm was awarded a $6.3 million government contract in the Virgin Islands, Christensen's home district. [9] [10] [11] Nonetheless, Christian-Christensen won her 2012 re-election bid with 60.05% of the vote.

2014

Christian-Christensen did not seek re-election to her congressional seat. Instead, she ran for Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, [12] ultimately losing to Kenneth Mapp in a runoff. [13]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Honors and recognitions

On March 23, 2009, Delegate Christensen became the Ship Sponsor of the USCGC Reef Shark during the vessel's commissioning ceremony in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Reef Shark is a new 87' cutter, built at an approximate cost of $7.5 million by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Virgin Islands</span> Territory of the United States

The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. The islands have a tropical climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of the United States Virgin Islands</span>

Politics of the United States Virgin Islands takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic dependency, whereby the governor is the head of the territory's government, and of a multi-party system. United States Virgin Islands are an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of the Interior. Executive power is exercised by the local government of the Virgin Islands. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeleine Bordallo</span> Guamanian politician (born 1933)

Madeleine Mary Zeien Bordallo is an American-Guamanian politician who served as the delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for Guam's at-large congressional district from January 3, 2003, to January 3, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 United States Virgin Islands Constitutional Convention election</span>

The 2007 United States Virgin Islands Constitutional Convention election was an election to the Fifth Constitutional Convention of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the United States Virgin Islands on 12 June 2007. The convention was the fifth attempt to give the United States territory its own constitution; previous constitutional conventions had been elected in 1964, 1971, 1977 and 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Virgin Islands general election</span>

General elections were held in United States Virgin Islands on 4 November 2008, to elect 15 members of the Legislature and the Delegate to United States House of Representatives..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States Virgin Islands gubernatorial election</span>

The 2010 U.S. Virgin Islands gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010, and won by incumbent Democratic Governor John de Jongh. De Jongh was elected to his first term in 2006 with 56% of the vote over Kenneth Mapp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Mapp</span> American politician

Kenneth Ezra Mapp is an American politician who served as the eighth elected Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, from 2015 to 2019. He was registered Republican, but ran as an independent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States Virgin Islands general election</span>

The United States Virgin Islands general election was held on November 2, 2010. Voters chose the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, the non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives and all fifteen seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands. The election coincided with the 2010 United States general election.

Julio A. Brady was an American Virgin Islander judge, politician and attorney. Brady served as the Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands from 1983 to 1987 during the second term of former Governor Juan Francisco Luis. Prior to his death, Brady served as a U.S. Virgin Islands Superior Court judge since 2006.

Derek M. Hodge was an American Virgin Islander politician and lawyer who served as the Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands for two terms from 1987 to 1995 under Governor Alexander Farrelly. The Virgin Islands Daily News called him a "towering figure in local politics," referring to his political career, which spanned several decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States Virgin Islands general election</span>

The United States Virgin Islands general election was held on 6 November 2012. Voters chose the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, the Board of Education, the Board of Elections, and all fifteen seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Virgin Islands gubernatorial election</span>

The 2014 U.S. Virgin Islands gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of the United States Virgin Islands. Incumbent Democratic governor John de Jongh was term-limited and was unable run for re-election to a third term in office. Since no candidate received a majority in the general election, as required by the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, a runoff was held between Donna Christian-Christensen and Kenneth Mapp, the two top vote receivers. Mapp went on to win the run off in a landslide victory, with almost 63% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stacey Plaskett</span> American politician (born 1966)

Stacey Elizabeth Plaskett is an American politician and attorney serving since 2015 as the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands' at-large congressional district. Plaskett has practiced law in New York City, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Virgin Islands general election</span>

The United States Virgin Islands general election was held on 4 November 2014. Voters chose the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, all fifteen seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, and the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States Virgin Islands gubernatorial election</span>

The 2018 U.S. Virgin Islands gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to select the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. The election was held concurrently with the 2018 United States midterm elections. On Election Day, November 6, Bryan earned 38.08% of the vote, with Mapp coming in second with 33.45%. Since no candidate received a majority of the general election vote, as required by the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, a runoff was held 14 days later between Albert Bryan Jr. and Incumbent Governor Kenneth Mapp, the top two vote-getters. On November 20, 2018, Democrat Albert Bryan Jr. won the runoff with 54.5% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Virgin Islands general election</span>

The United States Virgin Islands general election was held on November 8, 2016. Voters chose the delegate to the United States House of Representatives and all fifteen seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands.

Cora LeEthel Christian was the first native woman of the U.S. Virgin Islands to earn a medical degree, and is a medical administrator in the U.S Virgin Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Virgin Islands general election</span>

The 2022 United States Virgin Islands general election took place on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, to elect the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, all fifteen seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, and the governor of the United States Virgin Islands.

The United States Virgin Islands general election was held on 6 November 2018. Voters chose the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, all fifteen seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, and the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United States Virgin Islands general election</span>

The 2024 United States Virgin Islands general election took place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, to elect the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, all 15 seats in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, members of the Virgin Islands Board of Elections, Board of Education, and the 15 delegates to the Sixth Constitutional Convention.

References

  1. ↑ Donna Christian-Christensen, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . Retrieved December 5, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Changing the Face of Medicine | Dr. Donna M. Christian-Christensen". www.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  3. ↑ "Women in Congress" (PDF).[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Women in Congress" (PDF).[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Awaiting Health Care Ruling, Leaders Tell What Black People Have To Lose". The Seattle Medium. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ Archived October 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "» Primera Hora - Libre sin fianza Aníbal Acevedo Vilá". www.primerahora.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008.
  8. ↑ ALDETH LEWIN Daily News Staff (2010-11-04). "Christensen re-elected in landslide - News". Virgin Islands Daily News. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  9. ↑ Mike DeBonis (18 July 2012). "Thompson's money now poisonous to politicos". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "Virgin Islands delegate got money from DC donor under investigation". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  11. ↑ "Jeffrey Thompson has $6.3 million Virgin Island contract". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  12. ↑ "Christensen Kicks off Campaign for Governor with Running Mate Ottley". 9 March 2014.
  13. ↑ "Detail". Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
from the United States Virgin Islands's at-large congressional district
1997–2015		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of the United States Virgin Islands
2014 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Virgin Islands Democratic Party
2016–2018		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.