Dennis A. Cardoza (born March 31, 1959) is an American politician, and has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing the 18th District of California (map). He defeated his embattled former boss, Congressman Gary Condit, in the March 2002 Democratic Party primary election. Cardoza was born in Merced, California, of Portuguese ancestry. He grew up in Atwater, California and graduated from Atwater High School. He was educated at the University of Maryland, College Park. He previously served as a city council member for the City of Atwater and the City of Merced and was a Member of the California State Assembly before entering the House. He is also a co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition (founded by his former boss and predecessor, Gary Condit), a group of moderate and conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives. Cardoza sits on the Resources Committee, Agriculture Committee, and International Relations Committee.
