Loretta Sánchez (born January 7 1960), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing the 47th District of California. She was born in Lynwood, California, was educated at American University in Washington, D.C, and was a financial analyist before entering the House.
As a Hispanic woman Democrat, Sanchez ran a bitterly contested campaign in the old 46th District in 1996 against the longtime Republican incumbent, Bob Dornan. She won the election by 984 votes, a result which Dornan contested. The result stood, and Sanchez was re-elected in 1998 and 2000.
In November 2002, Sanchez was elected for the new 47th District. At the same election, her sister Linda Sanchez was elected for the 39th District. They are the first pair of sisters to serve simultaneously in the United States Congress.