Claudia Forte-Cruz

**Claudia Sabrina Forte-Cruz** (née **Forte**; born 13 September 1977) is a Californian Liberal Conservative politician, serving in the Chamber of Deputies since 2012. She is the daughter of President Susanna Forte and First Gentleman Giorgio Forte.

Born in San Diego and raised in the nearby suburb of Carlsbad, Forte-Cruz graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1996. After her graduation, she received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Los Angeles in 1999, and received her master's degree in political science from the same institution in 2001. After completing her schooling, Forte-Cruz worked at a political consulting firm in Los Angeles and later as a political staffer in the Chamber of Deputies until beginning her own political career in 2014. Forte-Cruz began her political career after being elected to the Chamber of Deputies, representing San Diego, in the 2014 general election.

Regarding her political career, Forte-Cruz has been frequently compared to her mother due to her stances on issues and public perceptions of her. She has been frequently theorized as a possible future Prime Minister or President, although Forte-Cruz has ruled out campaigning for these offices "for the foreseeable future".

## Early life and family

Forte-Cruz was born on 13 September 1977 in San Diego to parents Giorgio and Susanna Forte (née *Juárez*). Her father is an Italian national who later received Californian citizenship in 1981, while her mother is a Mexican-Californian whose parents emigrated from Guadalajara, Jalisco in the late-1940s. At the time of Forte-Cruz's birth, Giorgio was a senior at the University of San Diego, while Susanna was a homemaker. Giorgio later began working at various San Diego non-governmental organizations following his graduation. Forte-Cruz was raised in a Roman Catholic household, and speaks fluent Spanish and Italian in addition to English. She identifies herself as mixed race, having both Mestizo and white ancestry, in addition to being a Spanish-speaking Californian.

When Forte-Cruz was four years old, the family moved to the nearby city of Carlsbad, where she was raised. She is the eldest of five children; her younger siblings include Daniella, born  (1978-10-30) 30 October 1978 (age 45), Robert, born  (1980-05-22) 22 May 1980 (age 43), Christina, born  (1981-12-17) 17 December 1981 (age 42), and Pietro, born  (1983-03-24) 24 March 1983 (age 40).

## Education and early career

Forte-Cruz began her education in 1983, attending public schooling in Carlsbad. She exhibited extreme intelligence at a young age, and won a state-wide spelling bee at the age of eight. Forte-Cruz began high school at Carlsbad High School in 1992, where she was a cheerleader and honors student. She graduated from high school as her class salutatorian in 1996. Additionally, Forte-Cruz served as vice president of her class and acted in drama club musicals. After her graduation, Forte-Cruz enrolled in the University of Los Angeles, where she studied political science. While in college, Forte-Cruz joined the Delta Gamma (ΔΓ) sorority, and served as chapter president during her senior year. She graduated from college two semesters early in 1999.

After completing her bachelor's degree, Forte-Cruz re-enrolled in the University of Los Angeles to begin a graduate program. She studied political science, and received her master's degree in 2001. After graduating with her master's degree, Forte-Cruz began working at a Los Angeles political consulting firm. She left this position in 2005, when she accepted a position as a political staffer in the Chamber of Deputies. Forte-Cruz resigned in 2014 in order to begin her own political career.

## Political career

### Chamber of Deputies

In 2013, Forte-Cruz was invited by the by the Liberal Conservative Party to be included on their ticket for the 2014 Californian general election in San Diego. The party ultimately won enough seats for Forte-Cruz to be seated, and she became a member of the Chamber of Deputies.

## Personal life

Forte-Cruz is a dual citizen of both Italy and California, and was raised bilingually in Italian and Spanish. She learned English while beginning her schooling, and can also understand Portuguese. Forte-Cruz began a romantic relationship with Californian law student Benjamin Cruz in 1999, while they were both students at the University of Los Angeles. They became engaged in August 2003, and later married the following September. Cruz works as a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles.

Forte-Cruz and Cruz have three children together: Trey, born  (2006-04-22) 22 April 2006 (age 17), and fraternal twins Natalie and George, born  (2007-12-25) 25 December 2007 (age 16). They have residences in both Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and Carlsbad, San Diego, the latter of which qualifies Forte-Cruz to represent the state of San Diego in the Chamber of Deputies.