Madeleine Mary Zeien Bordallo (; born May 31, 1933) is an American-Guamanian politician who served as the delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for from January 3, 2003, to January 3, 2019.
She is the first woman ever to serve as Guam's Delegate, the first female Lieutenant Governor of Guam (from 1995 to 2003), the first female candidate for Governor of Guam (in 1990), and the first female Democrat elected to the Legislature of Guam. Her 1990 campaign also made her the first non-Chamorro gubernatorial candidate in Guam. As the wife of Ricardo Bordallo, she was also the First Lady of Guam from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1987.
Biography
Madeleine Mary Zeien was born on May 31, 1933, in Graceville, Minnesota, to a family of educators who moved to Guam after her father took a job with the Guam Department of Education. She attended St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, and the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she studied music. In the 1950s and 1960s, Bordallo was a television presenter for KUAM-TV, the NBC affiliate that was the first television station on Guam.
Bordallo was married to Ricardo Bordallo, who served as Governor of Guam from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1987. While serving as first lady, she worked to emphasize the arts in the classroom and to increase awareness of the local Chamorro culture. Bordallo's husband, the former governor, committed suicide in 1990, when his appeals were unsuccessful and convictions of witness tampering and conspiracy to obstruct justice would require incarceration in federal prison. Bordallo was the first female Democrat to be elected to the Guam Legislature, and she served five terms as a senator from 1981 to 1983 and again from 1987 to 1995. During the 1988 U.S. presidential election, Bordallo was a member of Guam's uncommitted delegation to the 1988 Democratic National Convention.
Bordallo was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Guam in 1990, following the death of her husband. Ping Duenas ran as Bordallo's running mate for lieutenant governor in the 1990 gubernatorial election.
In 1994, she ran alongside Carl Gutierrez on the Democratic ticket and was elected lieutenant governor, serving from 1995 to 2003. She was the first woman in Guam's history to hold this position. As lieutenant governor, she worked to promote tourism, environmentalism, and island beautification.
In 2002, Bordallo reached her term limit and, as Delegate Robert Underwood vacated his seat and attempted to run for governor, she campaigned for and was elected as a Democrat to the House, serving from January 2003 to January 2019. She was the first woman to represent Guam in Congress. She was one of six non-voting delegates to the House of Representatives. While in Congress, she devoted herself to economic issues and helped to pass legislation that aided small businesses on Guam. She also was involved in military and environmental issues.
In April 2008, Bordallo apologized after an investigative report by the Pacific Daily News revealed that she and Senator Jesse Lujan both claimed to have degrees on their official biographies and resumes when they had not graduated from college.
In August 2018, Bordallo lost her bid for renomination for another term as delegate in the Democratic primary to territorial senator Michael San Nicolas.
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments (2017–2019) Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness (Ranking Member) Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans
Caucus memberships (2017–2019) Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (Vice Chair) Congressional China Caucus (Co-Chair) United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus Long Range Strike Caucus United States-Philippines Friendship Caucus Wounded to Work Caucus U.S.-Japan Caucus House Baltic Caucus Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus