Raul Ruiz (politician)

Raul Ruiz (/rɑːˈuːl/ rah-OOL; born August 25, 1972) is an American physician and politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 25th congressional district. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Born in Zacatecas City, Mexico, Ruiz was adopted by his father's sister in Coachella, California after his mother's death. He was the first Latino to receive three graduate degrees from Harvard University, attending Harvard Medical School, the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard School of Public Health. He worked as an emergency physician at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. He assisted humanitarian efforts in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

In what was considered a major upset, Ruiz defeated redistricted incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Mary Bono in the 2012 election with 52.9% of the vote. He was reelected in 2014 with 54.2% of the vote, after what was considered one of the most competitive congressional races in the country; in 2016 and 2018, he received about 60% of the vote.