Theresa Obermeyer

Last updated
Theresa Obermeyer
Personal details
Born (1945-07-25) July 25, 1945 (age 77)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Education Maryville University (BA)
Saint Louis University (MEd,
PhD)

Theresa Nangle Obermeyer (born July 25, 1945), is an American educator who is a former Anchorage, Alaska school board member, having served 2 two-year terms from 1990 to 1994. Obermeyer made an unsuccessful run against Republican Ted Stevens for the United States Senate in 1996. [1]

Contents

Life and career

Obermeyer was born Theresa Nangle in 1945 in St. Louis, Missouri. [2] After studying at Villa Duchesne High School from 1959 until 1963, [2] she received a BA in political science from the Maryville University in St. Louis in 1967. A subsequent Master of Education in 1970 and a Ph.D. in education, from St. Louis University followed. [3]

On December 23, 1977 she married Thomas Obermeyer, an attorney in Missouri; they have four children. [3]

She worked in different jobs in education at different colleges in Missouri and Maryland before working as Assistant Director for student activities at St. Louis Community College–Florissant Valley from 1973 until 1978. She then moved to Alaska where she became the Director of Student Services at the Anchorage Community College of University of Alaska Anchorage. Between 1981 and 1993, she was an instructor at Chapman University, and between 1984 and 1990 a teacher at the McLaughlin Youth Center. [3]

From 1990 until 1994 she sat on the board of the Anchorage School District, and in 1993 she was the treasurer of the board. [3] [4]

In 1996, she ran for the U.S. Senate. She was the highest-placed Democratic candidate in the open primary, receiving 4,072 votes (3.37) and advancing to the general election with Republican incumbent Ted Stevens and Jed Whittaker of the Green Party. In the general election, Stevens was re-elected with 177,893 votes (76.71%). Obermeyer received 24,133 (10.51%, finishing behind Whittaker, who took 29,037 votes (12.52%).

In a capsule summary of the 1996 Alaska Senate election campaign, The New Republic wrote that Obermeyer "spent the campaign haranguing Stevens for masterminding her husband's failure to pass the bar exam -- over twenty times. She also accused Stevens of arranging to put her in jail -- she spent twenty-nine days in jail this summer after being arrested a second time on charges of disturbing the peace at Alaska's federal court building." [5] The summary also noted that in their debate, Obermeyer asked Stevens, "Could you respond sir, or do you have Alzheimer's?" while he "implored her to 'go find some help.'" [5] As of 2016, her husband had yet to pass the Alaska Bar Association exam. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Stevens</span> American politician (1923–2010)

Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009. He was the longest-serving Republican Senator in history at the time he left office. Stevens was the president pro tempore of the United States Senate in the 108th and 109th Congresses from 2003 to 2007, and was the third U.S. Senator to hold the title of president pro tempore emeritus. He was previously Solicitor of the Interior Department from 1960 to 1961. Stevens has been described as one of the most powerful members of Congress and as the most powerful member of Congress from the Northwestern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Murkowski</span> American lawyer and politician (born 1957)

Lisa Ann Murkowski is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator representing Alaska, having held that seat since 2002. She is the Senate's second-most senior Republican woman, after Susan Collins of Maine. She became dean of Alaska's Congressional delegation upon Representative Don Young's death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Begich</span> American politician (born 1962)

Mark Peter Begich is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as mayor of Anchorage from 2003 to 2009.

The Alaska political corruption probe refers to a 2003 to 2010 widespread investigation by the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service into political corruption of nine then-current or former Alaskan state lawmakers, as well as Republican US Representative Don Young and then-US Senator, Republican Ted Stevens. Sometimes referred to as "The Corrupt Bastards Club" or the "Operation Polar Pen", the investigation focused on the oil industry, fisheries and for-profit prison industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Democratic Party</span> Political party in Alaska

The Alaska Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in Alaska, headquartered in Anchorage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Alaska</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator and former President pro tempore Ted Stevens ran for re-election for an eighth term in the United States Senate. It was one of the ten Senate races that U.S. Senator John Ensign of Nevada, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, predicted as being most competitive. The primaries were held on August 26, 2008. Stevens was challenged by Democratic candidate Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage and son of former U.S. Representative Nick Begich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bettye Davis</span> American politician

Bettye Jean Davis was an American social worker and politician. She was the first African-American to be elected as an Alaska State Senator in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Peltola</span> American politician (born 1973)

Mary Sattler Peltola is an American politician and former tribal judge serving as the U.S. representative from Alaska's at-large congressional district since September 2022. She previously served as a judge on the Orutsararmiut Native Council's tribal court, executive director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Bethel city councillor and member of the Alaska House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Bird (politician)</span>

Bob Bird is an American anti-abortion activist, retired high school teacher, home-school tutor and the chairman of the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP). He was the AIP's candidate for the United States Senate seat formerly occupied by Ted Stevens in the 2008 senate election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 United States Senate election in Alaska</span>

The 2002 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican United States Senator Ted Stevens ran for and won a seventh term in the United States Senate. He faced perennial candidate Frank Vondersaar, the Democratic nominee, journalist Jim Sykes, the Green Party nominee, and several other independent candidates in his bid for re-election. Ultimately, Stevens crushed his opponents to win what would be his last term in the Senate, allowing him to win the highest percentage of the vote in any of his elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 United States Senate election in Alaska</span>

The 2004 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 2, 2004, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives, various state and local elections, and the presidential election of that year. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Anchorage, sought election to her first full term after being appointed by her father Frank Murkowski to serve out the rest of the latter's unexpired term when he resigned in December 2002 to become Governor of Alaska. Her main challenger was Democratic former governor Tony Knowles, her father's predecessor as governor. Murkowski won by a slight margin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States Senate election in Alaska</span> 2010 Senate election

The 2010 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 2, 2010, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, alongside 33 U.S. Senate elections in other states, elections in all states for the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 United States Senate election in Alaska</span>

The 1996 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Republican United States Senator Ted Stevens ran for re-election to a sixth term in the United States Senate. Stevens faced off against Democratic nominee Theresa Obermeyer, a former member of the Anchorage School Board, and Green Party nominee Jed Whittaker, a commercial fisherman. Stevens won in a landslide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate election in Alaska</span>

The 2014 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, concurrently with the election of the governor of Alaska, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathy Giessel</span> American politician

Catherine Andrea Giessel is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Alaska, who has served as a member of the Alaska Senate since 2023 and from 2011 to 2021. From 2013 to 2021, Giessel represented District N in the Alaska Senate, including Northeast Anchorage, Anchorage Hillside and the Turnagain Arm communities of Bird, Girdwood, Indian, and Anchorage, all within the Municipality of Anchorage. First elected in 2010 while identifying with Tea Party values, she has also served as the vice-chair of the state Republican Party and had a career in nursing. Following redistricting, she was elected to a different senate seat in 2012. Giessel serves as chair of the Resources Committee and is a member of the Senate Majority Caucus. After Senate President Pete Kelly was unseated in 2018, Giessel was elected president of the Alaska Senate, a post she held until 2021. Giessel returned to the Alaska Senate in 2023, representing the newly configured District E after defeating incumbent Republican Roger Holland. She will serve as Senate majority leader in the 33rd Legislature, overseeing a coalition caucus of eight Republicans and nine Democrats.

Jill Schupp is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Missouri Senate, representing the 24th district consisting of the western suburbs of St. Louis from 2015 to 2023. Previously, Schupp represented the 88th district in the Missouri House of Representatives. On December 3, 2019, she announced she would run for Missouri's 2nd congressional district in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States Senate election in Alaska</span>

The 1968 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 5, 1968. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ernest Gruening ran for a second full term in office but finished behind Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives Mike Gravel in the Democratic primary. Gruening launched a write-in bid for the seat in the general election, but finished third to Gravel and Republican former Anchorage mayor Elmer Rasmuson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Senate election in Alaska</span>

The 2016 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

The Green Party of Alaska (GPAK) was a political party in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was the Alaska affiliate of the Green Party of the United States from its founding until 2021. The Green Party of Alaska was the first state to gain Green Party ballot access, in 1990, when Jim Sykes ran for governor. Sykes had previously filed a ballot access lawsuit, citing an earlier case, Vogler v. Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Alaska Senate election</span> U.S. state election

The 2022 Alaska Senate elections took place on November 8, 2022, with the primary elections being held on August 16, 2022. State senators serve four-year terms in the Alaska Senate, with half of the seats normally up for election every two years. However, because most districts were greatly changed in redistricting, elections were held for 19 of the 20 seats; the only exception is District T, represented by Democrat Donny Olson, which was mostly unchanged in redistricting and thus did not have an election. Some senators were elected to serve four-year terms, while others would serve shortened two-year terms.

References

  1. Associated Press. "Election Highlights from coast to coast". The Union Democrat. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Theresa Nangle Obermeyer, Democrat". Alaska Division of Elections.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Theresa Nangle Obermeyer". The Obermeyer Website. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  4. Schoenfeld, Ed (21 August 2002). "Democrats allege Stevens conspiracy". Juneau Empire. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Election Notebook: Out There in the Outback". The New Republic. 25 November 1996. p. 10.
  6. Alaska Ear, Anchorage Daily News , Sheila Toomey, September 29, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Alaska
(Class 2)

1996
Succeeded by
Frank Vondersaar