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Gary Adrian Condit (born April 21, 1948) is an American politician, a fiscally and socially conservative "Blue Dog" Democrat who served in the House of Representatives from 1989 to 2003. Condit represented the California's 18th congressional district, the northern San Joaquin Valley (when he was first elected, this district was the 15th District; it became the 18th district after redistricting following the 1990 census). He has been married to Carolyn Condit, a Roman Catholic, since 1967; they have 2 children.
Early life and career
Condit was born in Oklahoma. His father was a Free Will Baptist minister. As an adult, Condit came with his wife and son to the San Joaquin Valley in the late 1960s. He graduated California State University, Stanislaus in Turlock, California. After a brief task in a public relations business, Condit was elected to the Ceres City Council.
In 1974, Condit was elected mayor of Ceres, and from 1976 to 1982 was a member of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors.
In 1982, he was elected to the California State Assembly. While a member of the assembly, Condit was a member of the "Gang of Five." At the time, the Democrats (led by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown) held a 44-36 majority in the Assembly. It was rumored that the Gang of Five sought to ally with the Republicans, thereby setting up a 41-39 majority, and elect one of themselves as speaker, but this rumored effort failed.
Condit was elected to Congress in a 1989 special election, after House Democratic Whip Tony Coelho resigned in disgrace.
Chandra Levy Incident
In May 2001, Condit became the subject of national news coverage, after the disappearance of Chandra Levy, a Washington, D.C. intern originally from Condit's district. Levy is believed to have been Condit's mistress.
While Condit was never an official suspect in the disappearance, Levy's family (and subsequently the national media) suspected that Condit was withholding important information about the intern's disappearance. Suspicion was deepened when Condit tried to avoid answering direct questions during a televised interview with news anchor Connie Chung on August 23, 2001.
He faded from the news following 9/11, only to reappear during his announcement to run for an 8th term on December 7.
Condit lost the primary elections in March 2002 to his former aide, then-Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza, and left Congress at the end of his term in 2003.
After an extensive search, Levy's remains were discovered a year after her disappearance by a jogger in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., and in May 2002, a medical examiner officially declared that Levy's death was the result of homicide.
Currently
According to VH1, after winning several libel suits, Condit currently lives in Colorado with his wife and children, and is rumored to own a Baskin Robbins store and day spa.
Trivia
- Condit appeared in the 1988 film Return of the Killer Tomatoes, as an unbilled, unspeaking pizzeria patron during a fight sequence. Condit was friends with co-writer/producer Stephen Peace, and both were members of the California State Assembly at the time. Wearing a trucker cap, he smashes a bottle on the head of a cowboy*.
- On December 12, 2001, Condit was the subject of a satirical episode of the animated series South Park, called "Butters' Very Own Episode". In the episode, he is severely ridiculed for his lack of forthrightness concerning Levy's disappearance and is categorized together with suspected murderers O.J. Simpson and John and Patsy Ramsey.
- On January 10, 2006, the California Fair Political Practices Commission filed suit against Condit's son and daughter, alleging violations of the Political Reform Act. *
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1948 births | American politicians | Baptists | Living people | Leaders of cities in California | Members of the California State Assembly | Members of the United States House of Representatives from California | People from California | People from Oklahoma
"Gary Condit"