Lou Correa Bio
Jose Luis “Lou” Correa, born on January 24, 1958, is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for California’s 46th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Correa represents a district that covers most of the majority-Hispanic areas of Orange County, including most of Anaheim, all of Santa Ana, and parts of Orange. Before entering Congress, he built a career as an investment banker, real estate broker, and college instructor, and served in both chambers of the California State Legislature and on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Over the course of more than two decades in public service, Correa has become a familiar voice for working families in Orange County and a steady presence in California Democratic politics. His district, anchored by Santa Ana and Anaheim, is one of the most diverse in the state, and his career has reflected close ties to those communities.
Early Life and Background
Lou Correa was born in East Los Angeles, California, on January 24, 1958. His paternal grandfather had come to the United States from Mexico in the 1910s to work for the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, later starting a family in California before returning to Mexico with his American-born children during the Great Depression. Correa’s father eventually moved from Mexico back to California, where he married and settled in East Los Angeles.
When Correa was two years old, his mother was killed in a car accident in Mexico. He and his father moved to Zacatecas, Mexico, where they lived for several years before relocating to the Penguin City neighborhood of Anaheim, California. Correa’s father worked at a cardboard factory, and an aunt he called “mom” cleaned hotel rooms for about $1.50 an hour. The family moved frequently because of the cost of rent, and Correa started second grade speaking only Spanish before becoming fluent in English.
He attended Anaheim High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from California State University, Fullerton. He later earned a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles, laying the foundation for a career that combined business, law, and public service.
Path to US Politics
Before running for office, Lou Correa worked for several years as an investment banker, a real estate broker, and a college instructor, building experience in finance, real estate, and education. His involvement in local community issues in Anaheim and Santa Ana eventually drew him into Democratic politics, where he saw an opportunity to address the needs of working families in Orange County.
Correa’s first run for office came in 1996, when he was the Democratic nominee for the California State Assembly in the 69th district. He lost that race to Republican incumbent Jim Morrissey by just 93 votes, a near-miss that set the stage for his successful return two years later. That narrow defeat, combined with his professional background and deep community ties, helped establish him as a serious figure in Orange County Democratic politics.
Lou Correa Career
Early Career (1996–2006)
Lou Correa launched his political career in 1996 with a close loss in the California State Assembly’s 69th district, falling to Republican Jim Morrissey by only 93 votes. Two years later, in a 1998 rematch, Correa defeated Morrissey 54% to 43%, winning a seat in the State Assembly. During his time in the Assembly, he chaired the Committee on Business and Professions, the Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee, the Select Committee on Mobile Homes, and the Select Committee on MCAS El Toro Reuse.
Reelected twice, Correa was eventually forced from the Assembly by California’s term limits law, which restricted members to three two-year terms. In 2004, he won a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, becoming the first Democrat to serve on the board since 1987. He represented the first district, which includes Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Westminster, and unincorporated areas of the county such as Midway City.
State Senate Breakthrough (2006–2014)
In January 2006, Lou Correa entered the race for the Democratic nomination for the California State Senate’s 34th district, a seat vacated by termed-out State Senator Joe Dunn. After defeating Assemblyman Tom Umberg in the June primary, Correa went on to defeat Republican Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher in the November general election by a margin of 1,392 votes. He was sworn into the State Senate on December 4, 2006.
Correa was reelected to the State Senate in 2010, defeating Anaheim City Councilwoman Lucille Kring. In 2015, he ran for the Orange County Board of Supervisors in a special election but was defeated by former Garden Grove City Councilman Andrew Do by a margin of just 43 votes, a difference of 0.1 percent. That narrow loss, however, did not end his political ascent.
U.S. House of Representatives Era (2017–Present)
Lou Correa ran for the United States Congress in 2016 for the 46th district, which was being vacated by ten-term incumbent Loretta Sanchez, who was running for the U.S. Senate. He finished first in the June 7 primary with 43.7% of the vote and went on to win the general election against Democrat Bao Nguyen with 69.9% of the vote, beginning his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017.
In the House, Correa was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition before leaving the caucus after a disagreement over the group’s rebranding. On July 29, 2024, he was named one of six Democratic members of a bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. On June 12, 2025, Correa was one of four Democrats who did not vote on a $9 billion package of spending cuts put forward by the Department of Government Efficiency, a rescission package that passed the House by two votes.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most dramatic moments of Lou Correa’s career came on January 6, 2021, when he was participating in the certification of the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count. He was in the House Chamber when supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol, and he hid in the gallery with other members of Congress, holding a gas mask in case of tear gas. He later said the rioters “have been misled by this crazy, tyrant president who keeps saying it was stolen from him when it wasn’t.” A group of about 20 Trump supporters also harassed Correa at Dulles International Airport as he was leaving Washington, and he went on to support efforts to impeach Trump and called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the Twenty-fifth Amendment.
Lou Correa Career Wins
Lou Correa’s political career includes wins in the California State Assembly, the California State Senate, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, and the United States House of Representatives. After a 93-vote loss in his first Assembly race in 1996, he built a record of competitive victories in Orange County, a region that has long been a challenge for Democratic candidates.
State Assembly and Senate Highlights
Correa first won public office in 1998, when he defeated Republican incumbent Jim Morrissey 54% to 43% in a rematch for the California State Assembly’s 69th district. He went on to win reelection twice before being term-limited. In 2006, he won a seat in the California State Senate’s 34th district by defeating Republican Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher, and he was reelected in 2010 over Anaheim City Councilwoman Lucille Kring.
Congressional and Local Achievements
In 2004, Correa won a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, becoming the first Democrat to serve on the board since 1987. His most decisive victory came in 2016, when he won California’s 46th congressional district with 69.9% of the vote, and he has continued to represent the district in the U.S. House of Representatives ever since.
Lou Correa Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Lou Correa comes from a family with deep roots on both sides of the United States-Mexico border. His paternal grandfather immigrated from Mexico to work for the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in the 1910s, and his father later moved from Mexico back to California, where the family settled in East Los Angeles and then Anaheim. After the early death of his mother in Mexico, Correa was raised in a household that included his father, his sister, and an aunt he called “mom,” all of whom worked long hours in low-wage jobs to keep the family afloat.
Personal Life
In 1990, Lou Correa married his wife, Esther. The couple lived in Anaheim with Correa’s father for many years, and they now reside in Santa Ana, California. They have four children, one of whom, Adan, has autism and is a cast member on the Netflix series Love on the Spectrum.