Heather Perez
Heather Perez  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 46th President of Caregon | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2023 | |
| Vice President | Arthur M. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Frederick Owen |
| 39th Governor of Manteria | |
| In office January 22, 2007 – January 5, 2023 | |
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Perez |
| 35th Mayor of Santa Clara | |
| In office May 2, 1995 – January 15, 2007 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Heather Willow Davies July 28, 1958 Santa Clara, Manteria, Caregon |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Spouse | Enrique Perez (m. 1979) |
| Children | |
| Relatives | Perez family |
| Occupation |
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Heather Willow Perez (born July 28, 1958) is an Caregonian politician who has been the 46th and current president of Caregon since 2023. As a member of the Federalist party, she is the first female president in Caregonian history.
Marriage, family education, and early career (1976–1995)
Perez married Enrique Perez , a lawyer, on April 21, 1979, after overcoming her parents' disinclination for her to wed a Catholic. Their wedding was held in a Catholic church in Santa Clara, Manteria. They had seven children: Luca, Rodrigo, Tobias, Carlos, Sebastian, Cristian and Santiago.
Perez attended Santa Clara University and gained a bachelors degree in history in 1979, a master’s degree in 1980 and she received her doctorate in history in 1985. Till 1995 she would be a professor of history at Santa Clara University.
Mayoralty of Santa Clara (1995-2007)
Governorship of Manteria (2007-2022)
2022 presidential campaign
Speculation and announcement
Between 2019 and 2022, media outlets often mentioned Perez as a likely candidate for president in 2022. When asked if she would run, she gave varied and ambivalent answers, saying "it’s a tempting thought". She finally launched her campaign on March 10, 2022, saying she was prompted to run because she was worried by the Owen administration and felt a "sense of duty to protect her country".
Campaign
Presidential transition
Perez was elected the 46th president of Caregon in November 2022. She defeated the incumbent, Frederick Owen, becoming the first candidate to defeat a sitting president since Jeffrey Hardin defeated Edgar van Kleave in 1986. She also became the first female president in Caregonian history.
Presidency (2023–present)
Political positions
As a governor, Perez was regarded as a progressive Federalist. When Perez ran for president, her platform had been called the most progressive of any major party platform in history, although not within her party's ideological vanguard. Senator Ryan Morgan had criticized her for not being bold enough during the 2022 Federalist Party presidential debate.
Perez supported same-sex marriage rights while she was mayor of Santa Clara and her legislation as governor made Manteria the second state to legalize same-sex marriage.