Loretta Sanchez is a politician.
Loretta L. Sánchez ( born January 7 , 1960 ) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2017 . She was first elected in 1996 , when she defeated long-serving Republican congressman Bob Dornan by fewer than 1,000 votes . Sánchez represented the 46th district from 1997 to 2003 , then from 2003 to 2013 , and again in the 46th district from 2013 to 2017 . Since 1996 , Sánchez has been a member of the Democratic Party , and of the centrist House Blue Dog Coalition . Sánchez chose not to run for re-election to the House in 2016 , instead opting to run for the U.S. Senate race in California .