Cheryl "Sher" Valenzuela is an American small-business owner and politician. She was the
Republican candidate for
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
The lieutenant governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. president and take office the following ...
in 2012 and unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for
State Treasurer of Delaware in 2014.
Background
Valenzuela married her husband Eli and moved to Delaware in the early 1990s to care for her aging mother in neighboring
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. She is a mother of three sons in a
blended family, with Ian from her previous marriage, Simon from her current husband, and Pedro whom they adopted. Her second son, Simon, was diagnosed as
autistic
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...
and Valenzuela describes the fight to overcome the negative prognosis as one of the reasons she would start her small business.
She and her husband are the vice president and president, respectively, of their own small business, First State Manufacturing, an
industrial upholstery company based in
Milford,
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
. For her efforts and contributions to the Delaware economy, Valenzuela was awarded the
Small Business Administration
The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and str ...
's Small Businessperson of the Year Award in 2012. First State Manufacturing employs approximately 60 people and provides a variety of goods ranging from seat covers for restaurants, to engine covers for the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
, to
ballistic vest
A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or bullet-resistant vest, is a type of body armor designed to absorb impact and prevent the penetration of firearm projectiles and Fragmentation (weaponry), explosion fragments to the torso. The ...
s for the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
.
Political career
In April 2012, Valenzuela was nominated by the
Delaware Republican Party
The Republican State Committee of Delaware is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Delaware. It has five regional offices in Kent County, Western New Castle County, Central New Castle County, Northern New Castle County, and Su ...
as its candidate for lieutenant governor. She ran against incumbent
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
Matthew Denn
Matthew P. Denn (born February 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician from New Castle County, Delaware. He served as the 45th attorney general of Delaware from 2015 until 2019. Denn previously served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Del ...
and
Libertarian
Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
challenger
Margie Waite-McKeown.
On August 28, 2012, Valenzuela spoke at the
2012 Republican National Convention
The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the Republican Party (United States), U.S. Republican Party during which Delegate (American politics), delegates officially nominated former Governor of Massachusetts, Massachuset ...
in
Tampa
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. She spoke that night between fellow Republican women candidates
Mia Love
Ludmya "Mia" Love (née Bourdeau; December 6, 1975 – March 23, 2025) was an American political commentator and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Utah's 4th congressional district from ...
, the incumbent mayor of
Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...
,
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, and nominee for the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
in
Utah's 2nd congressional district
Utah's 2nd congressional district currently serves western Salt Lake City and the largely rural western and southern portions of Utah, including Saint George, Utah, Saint George and Tooele, UT, Tooele. The district is currently represented by R ...
; and
Cathy Rodgers, the incumbent
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
for
Washington's 5th congressional district
Washington's 5th congressional district encompasses the Eastern Washington counties of Ferry County, Washington, Ferry, Stevens County, Washington, Stevens, Pend Oreille County, Washington, Pend Oreille, Lincoln County, Washington, Lincoln, Spok ...
.
On November 6, 2012, the
2012 Delaware lieutenant gubernatorial election took place, where Valenzuela lost to incumbent Denn. She received 37.1% of the vote, versus Denn's 61.6%, and only held a lead in
Sussex County, failing to receive a majority of votes in
Kent County,
New Castle County
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...
, or the greater
Wilmington metropolitan area. Valenzuela, however, did lose by a smaller margin to her opponent than did any of the other statewide Republican candidates in the state.
In 2014, Valenzuela ran for State Treasurer of Delaware. She was defeated in the Republican primary by Ken Simpler following a contentious race marked by infighting and with outside spending behind both candidates, who frequently criticized each other.
Electoral history
See also
*
List of people from Delaware
References
External links
Sher Valenzuela for State Treasurer 2014Sher Valenzuela for Lieutenant Governor of Delaware''(2012 campaign mirror archive from the
WayBack Machine
The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...
)''
First State Manufacturing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valenzuela, Sher
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
20th-century births
Candidates in the 2012 United States elections
Candidates in the 2014 United States elections
2014 Delaware elections
Delaware Republicans
Living people
People from Milford, Delaware
Women in Delaware politics
21st-century American women politicians