Donna Christensen

Donna M. Christensen currently serves as the Congressional Delegate from the Virgin Islands. She was a superdelegate in the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Donna Marie Christian-Christensen, formerly Donna Christian-Green, is the non-voting Delegate from the United States Virgin Islands to the U. S. House of Representatives. She was first elected in 1996. In September of 2008, she defeated challenger Victor Frazer in the Democratic primary election. (map)

House delegate voting rights
On January 24, 2007, after Democrats took control of the House following the 2006 congressional elections, a rule change was again passed providing delegates and the resident commissioner with limited voting rights. The change allowed delegates and the resident commissioner (4 of 5 of whom were Democrats) to vote on the House floor in the "Committee of the Whole," whereby bills are debated and amendments are added. The rule, however, stipulated that if a delegate's vote was decisive, the committee would disband and a new vote would be taken without the non-voting members.

Del. Christensen said that she would have preferred to receive full voting rights, but that the rule change was "important because it's a step forward."

2008 superdelegate
Christensen was born in Teaneck, Bergen County, New Jersey on September 19, 1945. She attended St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana and George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.. She was a physician, then served as medical director for the St. Croix Hospital, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. She was the commissioner of health for the Virgin Islands and a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions for the 1984, 1988 and 1992 elections. She worked as a television journalist, and then was elected as a Democrat to the House, serving from January 3, 1997, to the present.

2006 elections
In 2006, independent Warren Mosler announced his intention to challenge Christensen in her November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006)

Money in politics
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Committees and Affiliations

 * Director, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

Committees

 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response
 * Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology
 * House Committee on Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands
 * Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Chair

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness Science and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Investigations
 * Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack
 * House Committee on Resources
 * Subcommittee on National Parks Recreation and Public Lands - Ranking Minority Member
 * Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight

Contact
DC Office: 1510 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-1790 Fax: 202-225-5517 Web Email Website

District Office- St. Croix: Post Office Box 5980 Space 25, Sunny Isle Shopping Center St. Croix, VI 00823 Phone: 340-778-5900 Fax: 340-778-5111

District Office- St. Thomas: Second Floor, Suite 207 Nisky Business Center St. Thomas, VI 00802 Phone: 340-774-4408 Fax: 340-774-8033

Articles and resources

 * Official website
 * Donna Christensen's Colbert Report interview. (Other Colbert Report interviews with members of Congress.)
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Portal:Superdelegate Transparency Project
 * Superdelegates in the 2008 presidential primaries
 * U.S. presidential election, 2008
 * U.S. presidential election, 2008/Congressional endorsements
 * Portal:2008 U.S. Congressional Elections