William Jules Filante (October 22, 1929 in

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– December 9, 1992 in Terra Linda, San Rafael, CA) was an American physician and politician from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and member of the Republican Party.

State Assembly

Filante first won election to the Marin- Sonoma based 9th district in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

in 1978 by defeating Democratic incumbent Michael Wornum. Thanks to his moderate voting record, Filante became a pro at winning crossover votes, enough to hold his left-leaning seat with relative ease for 7 terms. In 1992 he vacated his assembly seat when he ran for election to the

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Congressional race

Filante made a run for the Marin county-based 6th Congressional district being vacated by Democrat

Barbara Boxer Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is a retired American politician, lobbyist, and former reporter who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United St ...

, who was running for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. Even though the 6th District was heavily Democratic, Filante had represented a large chunk of it in the state legislature for 14 years and tried to parlay his moderate reputation into a win. However, just before the start of the campaign, Filante underwent brain surgery and spent most of the race recuperating. Fellow GOP assemblywoman Bev Hansen often served as his surrogate. In the end, Democrat Lynn Woolsey won handily. Filante died of a brain tumor later that December.California Journal Vol. XXIII, No.7 (July 1992) "Complete Primary Results". StateNet Publications, July 1992.

Electoral history

References

External links

JoinCalifornia
Election History for the State of California {{DEFAULTSORT:Filante, Bill Republican Party members of the California State Assembly San Francisco Bay Area politicians Deaths from brain cancer in California 1929 births 1992 deaths 20th-century members of the California State Legislature