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David Edward Bonior (born June 6, 1945) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, Bonior served as Democratic whip in the House from 1991 to 2002, during which time Democrats were in both the majority (1991–1995) and minority (1995–2002), making Bonior the third and second highest-ranking Democrat in the House, respectively.
During his tenure in office, Bonior was the public face of Democratic opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),Akers, Mary Ann. Where Are They Now? David Bonior, Bill Clinton washingtonpost.com The Sleuth. 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2008-08-08. and was known for his tenacity in opposing Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, against whom Bonior filed more than seventy-five ethics charges. CNN-Time All Politics. Players: David A. (sic.) Bonior, 1997-03-03. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
He served in the United States Air Force during the peak of the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1972, though not in Vietnam War. He was a founder of the Vietnam Era Veterans Caucus on Capitol Hill and was a strong supporter of the Vietnam veterans' movement.
From 1991 to 2002, Bonior was the House Democratic Whip. He served as Majority Whip in the 102nd and 103rd Congresses. He was Minority Whip for the 104th through 107th Congresses. While the Democrats were in the majority, Bonior was the third-ranking Democrat in the House, behind Speaker Tom Foley and House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt. While they were in the minority, Bonior was second-in-command behind Gephardt.
In Congress, Bonior generally had a progressive voting record, but opposed abortion in most cases. In 1991 he strongly supported recognition of Ukraine as an independent nation and was critical of the Bush administration on that matter.
For most of his tenure in Congress, Bonior represented a fairly compact district in Macomb and St. Clair counties northeast of Detroit. However, after the 2000 United States census, Michigan lost one of its 16 seats in the House of Representatives. The redistricting task process was controlled by the Republican majority in the state legislature, and Bonior's home in Mount Clemens was shifted from the 10th District to the 12th District. That district had long been represented by Democrat Sandy Levin, a longtime friend of Bonior's. At the same time, the state legislature radically altered the 10th, extending it all the way to the Thumb. The new district was considerably more rural and Republican than its predecessor; George W. Bush narrowly won the old version of the 10th federal congressional district, but would have won the new modern version of the federal 10th congressional district by a large margin. By all accounts, the 10th had been redrawn for the popular Republican Michigan Secretary of State and Macomb County resident Candice Miller.
Due to this, Bonior did not run for reelection to the House, and chose to run for Governor of Michigan, stepping down as House Democratic Whip in January 2002; Nancy Pelosi of California succeeded him as Whip. He lost in a heavily contested Democratic Party primary between former Governor James Blanchard, and then-Michigan Attorney General and eventual party nominee Jennifer Granholm, who went on to win the general election. As expected, Miller easily won Bonior's House seat and held it until eventually retiring in 2016. Proving how Republican-dominated the new district is, no Democratic nominee has won more than 40% of the vote since Bonior retired.
He has also become a restaurateur, owning and operating the restaurants Agua 301 and Zest.
Bonior is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.
Bonior and his wife were described as "longtime" members of the Democratic Socialists of America in 2015.
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Post-congressional career
Following his retirement from the House, Bonior became a professor of trade union at Wayne State University,Wayne State University Public Relations. Former U.S. Congressman David Bonior donates personal papers to Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library. 2003-02-19. Retrieved 2008-08-08. and founded American Rights at Work, a trade union advocacy organization, of which he currently serves as chairman.American Rights at Work. David Bonior . Retrieved 2008-08-08. In 2006, former Senator John Edwards chose Bonior to run his campaign for the presidency in 2008.Christensen, Rob. Edwards aide seen as pit bull . Raleigh News & Observer 2006-12-11. Retrieved 2008-08-08 Bonior served as campaign manager for the duration of Edwards' candidacy. Upon the election of Barack Obama in November 2008, Bonior was a member of the President-Elect's economic advisory board.
See also
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Categories: 1945 Births, 20th-century Members Of The Michigan Legislature, American Politicians Of Polish Descent, American Politicians Of Ukrainian Descent, Candidates In The 2002 United States Elections, Chapman University Alumni, Left-wing Populism In The United States, Living People, Members Of Congress Who Became Lobbyists, Members Of The Democratic Socialists Of America From Michigan, People From Mount Clemens, Michigan, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Members, United States Air Force Airmen, University Of Iowa Alumni, Wayne State University Faculty
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