James Wiley Nielsen is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician from California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and a member of the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 party. Nielsen served on the Yolo

Yolo County, California

Yolo County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, bordered by the other counties of Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Lake, Colusa, and Sutter. The city of Woodland is its county seat, though Davis is its largest city....

 County Republican Committee before winning election to the California State Senate

California State Senate

The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

 in 1978. Nielsen is currently the Assemblyman from California's 2nd Assembly District having been elected in November 2008.

State Senate Elections

Nielsen was first elected to the Senate in 1978 by defeating 4th district incumbent John Dunlap

John Dunlap

John Dunlap was the printer of the first copies of the Declaration of Independence and one of the most successful American printers of his era.-Biography:...

, a freshman Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

. Nielsen then went on to win easy reelections in 1982 and 1986.

State Senate Career

Nielsen served as Republican Leader in the Senate from 1983 until 1987.

Nielsen established himself as a traditional tough-on-crime conservative who championed the cause for lower taxes, controlled government spending and gun rights for law-abiding citizens. Nielsen also authored legislation to promote welfare reform and reduce welfare fraud

Welfare fraud

Welfare fraud refers to various intentional misuses of state welfare systems by withholding information or giving false or inaccurate information. This may be done in small, uncoordinated efforts, or in larger, organized criminal rings...

, including the acclaimed GAIN program, and he authored and coauthored bills to promote agricultural exports.

1990 State Senate Defeat

Nielsen was unseated by Democrat Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson

Michael C. Thompson , is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as well as parts of Yolo and Sonoma Counties....

, an aide to then Assemblywoman Jackie Speier

Jackie Speier

Karen Lorraine Jacqueline "Jackie" Speier is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and the southwest quarter of San Francisco.She is also a former member of the California State...

. Thompson benefited from changing demographics in the district and defeated Nielsen by less than 1 percent. .

Post Senatorial Career

After leaving the legislature, Nielsen served on the Agriculture Labor Relations Board. In 1992 he was appointed to the Board of Parole and Prison Terms and served as its chairman from 1993 until 2000.

Residency Questions

A question of residency eligibility arose during his bid for the Assembly in 2008, because Nielsen owns 2 homes, one in the district he represents and one near the capitol, which is the custom of most legislators. Nielsen won the case and even received a judgment for court costs in the amount of $7,400 against Plaintiff Don Bird. Plaintiff appealed to the Secretary of State who then deferred to the State Attorney General. After reviewing the case, the Attorney General issued a letter on December 22, 2008, stating there was no evidence to warrant further investigation and the matter was closed. The Attorney General was Jerry Brown

Jerry Brown

Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...

, a Democrat and former Governor of California.

External links

• JoinCalifornia, Election History for the State of California
• Official Assemblymember website