Ami Bera

Bera's father, Babulal Bera, immigrated to the United States from India in 1958.

Two years later, Babulal Bera was joined by his wife, Kanta.

Ami Bera was born in Los Angeles and raised in the Orange County city of La Palma.

He attended John F. Kennedy High School while living there.

Bera's parents are from Rajkot, Gujarat, and he can understand Gujarati.

Amerish Babulal "Ami" Bera (born March 2, 1965) is an American physician and politician who has been serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California since 2013.

He is a member of the Democratic Party and represents CA's 6th congressional district, which is in Sacramento County.

During his time in Congress, Bera has been a strong advocate for healthcare reform and has worked to improve access to healthcare and lower costs for consumers.

He has also been a vocal advocate for environmental protection and has supported efforts to combat climate change and promote renewable energy.

Bera has authored and co-sponsored several pieces of legislation, including the Indian Health Service Advance Appropriations Act, which provides funding for healthcare services for Native American communities, and the Global Food Security Act, which aims to promote food security and combat global hunger.

Prior to his time in Congress, Bera worked as a physician and served as the Chief Medical Officer for Sacramento County.

He has also been involved in various community organizations, including the American Red Cross and the California State Board of Education.

Bera is also a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and has been a strong advocate for diplomacy and global engagement.

He has been recognized for his leadership on issues related to healthcare, foreign policy, and environmental protection.

Bera has a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine, also earning his Doctor of Medicine degree there in 1991.

From 1997 to 1999 he was the medical director of Care Management at the Mercy Healthcare for Sacramento.

He served as the chief medical officer for the County of Sacramento and later as the associate dean for admissions at the UC Davis School of Medicine.

From 2005 to 2012, he served as a clinical professor at the University of California Davis School of Medicine.

Bera challenged three-term Republican incumbent Dan Lungren in the general election for California's 3rd congressional district.

He ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

He raised more money than Lungren for the five quarters through mid-2010, making him the only Democratic challenger with more cash than a sitting Republican member of the House.

Bera was one of 17 candidates the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee targeted to take over Republican-held or open seats in 2010.

Lungren was the only incumbent Republican whose race was rated a "tossup" by CQ Politics, but it was rerated "Lean GOP" in the campaign's final days, and the race was considered competitive by both parties.

Polling by Daily Kos in September showed Lungren leading Bera, 46%–38%.

Bera cited health care, education and economic recovery among his top legislative priorities.

In November, Lungren won reelection, defeating Bera 51%–43%.

In 2010, after Bera accepted a $250 donation from Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the California Republican Party called on him to return the money.

Bera returned the money after these concerns were raised.

Bera announced a rematch against Lungren in 2012.

The district had been renumbered the 7th district, and made somewhat more compact.

It lost all of its territory outside of Sacramento County, making it slightly friendlier to Democrats.

On November 13, 2012, Bera attended freshman orientation as congressman-elect while votes were still being counted.

Candidates in these tight races sometimes attend the orientation by the Committee on House Administration, whose chairman was Bera's opponent, Lungren.

On November 15, 2012, the Associated Press called the race for Bera, who won 51%–49%.

Bera ran for reelection in 2014, facing former Republican congressman Doug Ose, who had represented what was then the 3rd from 1999 to 2005.

The Rothenberg Political Report rated the 7th district "Lean Democratic," but The Sacramento Bee reported that Bera was "viewed by both parties as one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country."

Bera was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline program, designed to support vulnerable candidates.

In June 2014, Politico reported that the DCCC planned to support Bera with $1.7 million in ads throughout fall 2014, and the House Majority PAC, a political action committee designed to support Democratic candidates, reserved $200,000 for late-election television ads.

The Hill reported that Bera's campaign received donations from parents of another Democratic candidate, Kevin Strouse, only to have Bera's parents then donate a similar amount to Strouse's campaign.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, "The donations appear legal, campaign finance experts say, though two said any agreement among the parents to trade donations could be viewed as an attempted end run around contribution limits."