Tony Vargas

Tony Anthony Vargas (born September 2, 1984) is an American educator and politician 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
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
Preceded byJohn Kuehn
Member of the Nebraska Legislature
from the 7th district
Assumed office
January 4, 2017
Preceded byNicole Fox
Personal details
Born
Tony Anthony Vargas

(1984-09-02) September 2, 1984
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Lauren Micek
​
(m. 2016)​
Children2
EducationUniversity of Rochester (BA)
Pace University (MS)
OccupationTeacher
WebsiteCampaign website

Early life and education

Vargas was born to Antonio and Lidia Vargas in 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. Vargas was appointed to the Omaha Public Schools Board in 2013, following the resignation of a board member.

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.[2][3][4][5][6] Vargas defeated Synowiecki in the general election with nearly 62% of the vote. He is the first outright elected Hispanic legislator in Nebraska.

Committees

Vargas has served on the Appropriations Committee since 2017. 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. He currently serves as the chair of the Legislature's Planning Committee, the long-term strategic planning committee for the Nebraska Legislature.

2022 congressional election

In July 2021, Vargas announced his candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the 2022 election.[7]

Personal life

Vargas is married to his wife Lauren. He is a Catholic and resides in South Omaha, Nebraska. He has two children.[8]

Electoral history

2016
Nebraska Legislature District 7 Primary Election, 2016[9]
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
Nebraska Legislature District 7 General Election, 2016[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tony Vargas 5,244 61.75
Nonpartisan John Synowiecki 3,248 38.25
Total votes 8,492 100.00

2020
Main article: 2020 Nebraska State Legislature election § District 7
Nebraska's 7th Legislative District Election, 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

References
  1. Martin, Brent (September 6, 2017). "Sen. Vargas says fight for DACA program is personal (AUDIO)". Nebraska Radio Network. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  2. Walton, Don (July 6, 2016). "Tony Vargas may be Nebraska's Latino legislative voice". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  3. Knapp, Fred (May 4, 2016). "South Omaha Race Shows Jockeying For Legislature". Nebraska Educational Telecommunications. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  4. "Synowiecki will try to regain South Omaha seat in Nebraska Legislature". Omaha World-Herald. May 18, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  5. Nohr, Emily (May 20, 2016). "Race between Synowiecki, Fox not close enough for automatic recount". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  6. Walton, John (November 11, 2015). "New senator stakes out independent ground". Lincoln Journal-Star. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  7. Walton, Don. "Sen. Tony Vargas will seek metro Omaha House seat". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  8. "Tony Vargas' Biography". Project VoteSmart. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  9. "NE Legislature 07 - Primary 2016". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  10. "NE Legislature 07 2016". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
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