Devin Nunes

It lost most of eastern Tulare County to the neighboring 23rd District, and now has a small plurality of Hispanic voters.

Despite these changes, on paper it was no less Republican than its predecessor.

Devin Gerald Nunes (born October 1, 1973) is an American businessman and politician who is chief executive officer of the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG).

Nunes was born on October 1, 1973, the older of two sons of Antonio L. "Anthony" Nunes Jr. and Toni Diane Nunes (née Enas).

His grandfather founded Nunes & Sons, a prominent dairy operation in Tulare County.

After receiving his Associate of Arts degree from the College of the Sequoias in 1993, Nunes graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a bachelor's degree in agricultural business in 1995, and a master's degree in agriculture in 1996.

After finishing school, Nunes returned to farming.

In 1996, at age 23, Nunes was elected to the College of the Sequoias Board, making him one of California's youngest community college trustees in state history.

In 1998, Nunes entered the "top two" primary race for California's 20th congressional district seat held by Democrat Cal Dooley.

He finished in third place.

In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Nunes to serve as California State Director for the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development section.

He served on the board until 2002.

In 2002, Nunes ran for the Republican nomination in the 21st congressional district, a new district created by reapportionment after the 2000 United States census.

His principal opponents in the crowded seven-way primary were former Fresno mayor Jim Patterson and state Assemblyman Mike Briggs.

Nunes was the only major candidate from Tulare County; Patterson and Briggs were both from Fresno.

This was critical, as 58% of the district's population was in Tulare County.

Patterson and Briggs split the vote in Fresno County, allowing Nunes to win by a four-point margin over Patterson, his nearest competitor.

Nunes won 46.5% of the vote in Tulare County and 28.1% of the vote in Fresno County.

Nunes was also helped by a strong showing in the rural part of the district.

He was endorsed by the California Farm Bureau and The Fresno Bee.

The district was solidly Republican, and Nunes coasted to victory in November 2002.

He was 29 years old.

Before resigning from the House of Representatives and joining TMTG, Nunes was first the U.S. representative for CA's 21st congressional district and then CA's 22nd congressional district from 2003 to 2022.

Nunes's former district, numbered as the 21st from 2003 to 2013 and as the 22nd after redistricting, was in the San Joaquin Valley and included most of western Tulare County and much of eastern Fresno County.

Nunes faced token Democratic opposition in 2004, 2006, and 2008.

His family operated their farm in California until 2006, when they sold the property and purchased a dairy in Sibley, Iowa.

Nunes is of three-quarters Portuguese descent, with ancestors emigrating from the Azores to California.

He has one younger brother, Anthony III.

In 2009, Nunes wrote in The Wall Street Journal that he became an entrepreneur at age 14 when he bought seven head of young cattle, learning quickly how to profit from his investment.

He ran unopposed in the 2010 general election.

After the 2010 census, Nunes's district was renumbered the 22nd.

Nunes was reelected with 62% of the vote in 2012, 72% in 2014, and 68% in 2016.

During the 2014 election cycle Nunes received approximately $1.4million in political action committee (PAC) contributions.

A member of the Republican Party, Nunes was the chair of the House Intelligence Committee from 2015 to 2019.

He was also a member of President Donald Trump's transition team.

During the 2016 election cycle, he received approximately $1.6million in campaign contributions from PACs.

In March 2017, the U.S. House intelligence committee, which Nunes chaired at the time, launched an investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

In February 2018, Nunes publicly released a four-page memorandum alleging an FBI conspiracy against Trump.

Nunes subsequently began an investigation of the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly abusing their powers in an attempt to hurt Trump.

In January 2021, Trump awarded Nunes the Presidential Medal of Freedom.