Tom Gallagher (California)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Tom Gallagher

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Boston College

Personal

Profession

Teacher

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign YouTube

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Tom Gallagher (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 12th Congressional District. He lost in the primary on March 3, 2020.

Gallagher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Gallagher served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1980 to 1986.[1]

## Contents

* 1 Biography
* 2 Elections
* 2.1 2020
* 3 Campaign themes
* 3.1 2020
* 3.2 2019
* 3.2.1 Ballotpedia biographical submission form
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 Footnotes

## Biography[edit]

Tom Gallagher graduated from Boston College in 1970 with a degree in philosophy. His professional experience includes working as a teacher since 1995. Gallagher has served on the Steering Committee and Education Committee of the San Francisco Progressive Democrats of America. He also previously served as president of the Bernal Heights Democratic Club.[1]

## Elections[edit]

### 2020[edit]

See also: California's 12th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

##### General election for U.S. House California District 12

Incumbent Nancy Pelosi defeated Shahid Buttar in the general election for U.S. House California District 12 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Nancy Pelosi (D)  |

77.6

| 281,776

| Shahid Buttar (D) |

22.4

| 81,174

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 362,950

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

##### Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 12

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 12 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Nancy Pelosi (D)  |

74.0

| 190,590
✔ |

| Shahid Buttar (D) |

13.0

| 33,344

| John Dennis (R)  |

7.7

| 19,883

| Tom Gallagher (D) |

2.0

| 5,094

| DeAnna Lorraine (R)  |

1.8

| 4,635

| Agatha Bacelar (D) |

1.5

| 3,890

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 257,436

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

## Campaign themes[edit]

### 2020[edit]

#### Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tom Gallagher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gallagher's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Restructuring of U.S. foreign policy: End what was known as the War on Terror and institute "Marshall Plan" for Central America. Improved Medicare for All. Green New Deal.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The nation squandering its wealth on global war while people live in squalor on the streets of San Francisco. The inequality and environmental degradation produced by corporate domination of our political economy.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Intellectually -- Noam Chomsky. Current favorite House Member - Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (from my home borough); past favorites included Dennis Kucinich and Ron Dellums. Favorite Senator - Bernie Sanders; past -- George McGovern, Paul O'Dwyer.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The trappings of power are largely uninteresting to me; I come to debate the issues.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Articulating an overall future direction for the nation while never losing sight of the issues immediately at hand.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

It is not the first event that I remember, but it was the Vietnam War that set me on my course in life.

What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?

George, my cat who has survived his litter mates, Gracie and Blanche.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It is the highest office in the nation elected under the one person - one vote principle.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Wresting the government and the economy from the corporate control that will wreck the entire planet if left unchecked.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Foreign Affairs

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

### 2019[edit]

#### Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tom Gallagher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gallagher's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Restructuring of U.S. foreign policy: End what was known as the War on Terror and institute "Marshall Plan" for Central America. Improved Medicare for All. Green New Deal.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The nation squandering its wealth on global war while people live in squalor on the streets of San Francisco. The inequality and environmental degradation produced by corporate domination of our political economy.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Intellectually -- Noam Chomsky. Current favorite House Member - Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (from my home borough); past favorites included Dennis Kucinich and Ron Dellums. Favorite Senator - Bernie Sanders; past -- George McGovern, Paul O'Dwyer.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The trappings of power are largely uninteresting to me; I come to debate the issues.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Articulating an overall future direction for the nation while never losing sight of the issues immediately at hand.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

It is not the first event that I remember, but it was the Vietnam War that set me on my course in life.

What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?

George, my cat who has survived his litter mates, Gracie and Blanche.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It is the highest office in the nation elected under the one person - one vote principle.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Wresting the government and the economy from the corporate control that will wreck the entire planet if left unchecked.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Foreign Affairs

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

#### Ballotpedia biographical submission form[edit]

The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:

“  | What is your political philosophy?

Democratic socialist. The challenges facing the nation and the planet require solutions broader than anything currently being seriously discussed in Congress.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I believe I have the distinct honor of being the only person to serve as a Democratic Nominating Convention delegate for both George McGovern (1984) and Bernie Sanders (2016).[2]

| ”

|
|

—Tom Gallagher[1]

## See also[edit]

2020 Elections

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## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic
* Official 2020 campaign website
* Official 2020 campaign Twitter

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on June 28, 2019
2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

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California's current delegation to the United States Congress

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Doris Matsui (D)

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Ami Bera (D)

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Jay Obernolte (R)

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Jerry McNerney (D)

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Josh Harder (D)

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Mark DeSaulnier (D)

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Nancy Pelosi (D)

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Barbara Lee (D)

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Jackie Speier (D)

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Eric Swalwell (D)

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Jim Costa (D)

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Ro Khanna (D)

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Anna Eshoo (D)

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Zoe Lofgren (D)

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Jimmy Panetta (D)

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David Valadao (R)

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Connie Conway (R)

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Kevin McCarthy (R)

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Salud Carbajal (D)

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Mike Garcia (R)

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Julia Brownley (D)

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Judy Chu (D)

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Adam Schiff (D)

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Tony Cárdenas (D)

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Brad Sherman (D)

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Pete Aguilar (D)

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Grace Napolitano (D)

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Ted Lieu (D)

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Jimmy Gomez (D)

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Norma Torres (D)

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Raul Ruiz (D)

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Karen Bass (D)

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Lou Correa (D)

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Alan Lowenthal (D)

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