Sharon Weston Broome Politician
Sharon Weston Broome (born 1956) is a Democratic member of the Louisiana Senate, representing the 15th District ever since she won a special election in December 2004. She was the first African American woman to represent that district. Her predecessor was Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden. She serves as President Pro Tempore of the state senate. In 2011, she was elected to her third Senate term without opposition.Earlier she was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1991 through 2004, representing District 29. She was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of that House, the first woman to serve in that position. Broome is hence the first woman to serve in the number-two leadership position in both chambers. In 2002, Broome introduced House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 74 which condemned "Darwinism" as justifying racism and Nazism. The bill was amended to remove allusions to Darwin and passed. In 2012, she was the sponsor of a bill requiring doctors to let a woman hear the heartbeat of a fetus (if present) before performing an abortion. The bill was signed into law by the governor on June 8, 2012.Before being elected to state office she served on the Baton Rouge Metro Council. She has two degrees in communications and worked as a reporter for WBRZ-TV for five years.Broome is listed among the state and local officials who have endorsed the reelection in 2014 of Democrat U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu.