Sharon Runner
Republican
| Date | Party | Office | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-05-2002 | Republican | AD-36 | 46438 | Win |
| 11-02-2004 | Republican | AD-36 | 89365 | Win |
| 11-07-2006 | Republican | AD-36 | 55712 | Win |
| 02-15-2011 | Republican | SD-17 | 44238 | Win |
| 03-17-2015 | Republican | SD-21 | 26360 | Win |
Candidate Biography:
Sharon Yvonne Runner
Born: May 17, 1954 in Los Angeles, CA
Married: George Runner (m. 1973)
Children: Micah and Rebekah
Died (in office): July 14, 2016 in Sacramento, CA
Previous: Member, Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (5 years)
1996: Delegate, Republican National Convention
1998-2002: Member, Antelope Valley Fair Board of Directors
2000: Delegate, Republican National Convention
2002: Opponent, Proposition 52 [Election-day Voter Registration] (Failed: 40.6%)
2004: Delegate, Republican National Convention
2009: Member, Agricultural Labor Relations Board (Appointed; appointment withdrawn)
2009-2010: Member, Unemployment Insurance Board
2012: Early Primary Candidate for SD-21 (Declined to run)
2013-2015: Staff, Senate Republican Caucus
2016: Early Primary Candidate for SD-21 (Declined to run)
- Had a spouse who served in the legislature concurrently (although in the other house).
- LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: Runner was the 99th woman elected to the California Legislature and only the 5th Republican woman to serve in both houses. She was only the third legislator in the past 50 years to serve non-consecutive terms in the State Senate. Runner was the first person in California history to be elected to the State Senate twice in Special Elections.
- LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: In February 2008, Runner announced that she had put her name on list for a lung transplant due to breathing troubles from her limited Scleroderma. Four years later, on February 25, 2012, Runner became the first double-lung transplant survivor to serve in a state legislature.
- In 2012, Runner announced that she would not seek reelection to the Senate due to health reasons.
- In 2016, Runner announced that she would not seek reelection to the Senate due to health reasons.
- QUOTABLE: "I have been honored to be served by my wonderful staff. They truly are more like family, they have given their hard work ethic, values and loyalty to the Runner Team for many, many years. It will be difficult for me to not see them regularly. They have done an outstanding job for the constituents throughout the district." (Runner Report for November 2012)
- QUOTE: "Sharon lived well and loved well. She left this world unafraid, without regret and confident of her future. Proverbs 31 describes the noble woman. A better description of Sharon could not be found. Our family and her friends will miss her deeply. I know her influence will be felt and known for generations." - George Runner (7/14/2016)
Source: California Legislature Handbook (2003-04)
Source: "Fighting illness, Sen. Sharon Runner will not seek reelection" by Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times "PolitiCal" Blog (2/22/2012)