Tony Vargas
Anthony Vargas (born September 2, 1984) is an American politician and former educator serving as a member of the Nebraska Legislature. Vargas represents the 7th district, which covers all of downtown Omaha and much of southeastern Omaha.
Tony Vargas | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Vice Chair of the Executive Board of the Nebraska Legislature | |
In office January 9, 2019 – January 4, 2023 | |
Preceded by | John Kuehn |
Succeeded by | Ray Aguilar |
Member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 7th district | |
Assumed office January 4, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Nicole Fox |
Personal details | |
Born | Anthony Vargas September 2, 1984 New York City, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Lauren Micek (m. 2016) |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Rochester (BA) Pace University (MS) |
Website | Campaign website |
Early life and education
Vargas was born to Antonio and Lidia Vargas in Queens, New York City, who were originally from Peru. He was the youngest of three brothers.[1] He graduated from the University of Rochester and received a Master of Science in education from Pace University.
Career
Vargas is a former public school teacher. He also served as an AmeriCorps fellow through Teach for America.[2] Vargas was appointed to the Omaha Public Schools Board in 2013, following the resignation of a board member.[3]
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.[4][5][6][7][8] Vargas defeated Synowiecki in the general election with nearly 62% of the vote. He is the first outright elected Hispanic legislator in Nebraska.[9]
Committees
Vargas has served on the Appropriations Committee since 2017.[10] In 2019, Vargas was elected by his peers, in a contested race, to the position of Vice Chair of the Executive Board, the nine member executive arm of the Legislature. In 2021, Vargas was re-elected by his peers to the position of Vice Chair of the Executive Board.[11] He currently serves as the chair of the Legislature's Planning Committee, the long-term strategic planning committee for the Nebraska Legislature.[12]
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.[13]
U.S. House campaigns
2022
In July 2021, Vargas announced his candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the 2022 election.[14] He won the Democratic primary on May 10, 2022, but lost the general election to Republican incumbent Don Bacon in November by 2.6% (5,856 votes). [15]
2024
In July 2023, Vargas announced his candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the 2024 election.[16]
Personal life
Vargas is married to his wife Lauren. He is a Catholic and resides in South Omaha, Nebraska. He has two children.[17]
His father, Virgilio Antonio Vargas, died on April 29, 2020, from COVID-19 at the beginning of the global pandemic.[18]
Electoral history
2016
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Tony Vargas | 1,220 | 45.35 | |
Nonpartisan | John Synowiecki | 745 | 27.70 | |
Republican | Nicole Fox (incumbent) | 725 | 26.95 | |
Total votes | 2,690 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Tony Vargas | 5,244 | 61.75 | |
Nonpartisan | John Synowiecki | 3,248 | 38.25 | |
Total votes | 8,492 | 100.00 |
2020
Primary election | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Tony Vargas (incumbent) | 3,281 | 81.8 | |
Republican | Jorge Sotolongo | 731 | 18.1 | |
Total votes | 100.0 | |||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Tony Vargas (incumbent) | 7,386 | 77.9 | |
Republican | Jorge Sotolongo | 2,098 | 22.1 | |
Total votes | 100.0 | |||
Democratic hold | ||||
2022
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Don Bacon (incumbent) | 112,663 | 51.3 | |
Democratic | Tony Vargas | 106,807 | 48.6 | |
Total votes | 219,470 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
References
- Martin, Brent (September 6, 2017). "Sen. Vargas says fight for DACA program is personal (AUDIO)". Nebraska Radio Network. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- "Senator Vargas of Omaha Receives National Leadership Award from America's Service Commissions". ServeNebraska. September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- Duffy, Erin. "New OPS board member Anthony Vargas wastes no time in getting down to business". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- Walton, Don (July 6, 2016). "Tony Vargas may be Nebraska's Latino legislative voice". Lincoln Journal Star. 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. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- Nohr, Emily (May 20, 2016). "Race between Synowiecki, Fox not close enough for automatic recount". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- Walton, John (November 11, 2015). "New senator stakes out independent ground". Lincoln Journal-Star. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- Bernal, Rafael (September 30, 2021). "Top Latino group endorses Hispanic for Nebraska House race". The Hill. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- "About Committee « Legislature's Planning Committee". news.legislature.ne.gov. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- "Nebraska state senators elect leaders for two-year legislative session". Platte Institute. January 6, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- "Legislature's Planning Committee". news.legislature.ne.gov. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- "Tony Vargas in Nebraska: The human cost of political inaction on Covid". BBC News. October 2, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- Walton, Don. "Sen. Tony Vargas will seek metro Omaha House seat". JournalStar.com. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- Nitcher, Emily (May 10, 2022). "Democrat Vargas to face Republican Bacon in 2nd District general election". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- Sanderford, Aaron (July 5, 2023). "State Sen. Tony Vargas announces 2024 run at Rep. Don Bacon in Nebraska's 2nd District". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- "Tony Vargas' Biography". Project VoteSmart. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- Burbach, Christopher. "Coronavirus took his father's life. State Sen. Tony Vargas shares his pain to help others". JournalStar.com. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- "NE Legislature 07 - Primary 2016". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- "NE Legislature 07 2016". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
External links

- Tony Vargas for Congress campaign website
- Sen. Tony Vargas official legislative website
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart