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Pam Bondi

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Pam Bondi
Image of Pam Bondi

Nonpartisan

U.S. Attorney General
Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

0

Predecessor
Prior offices
Attorney General of Florida
Successor: Ashley B. Moody

Education

High school

King High School, 1983

Bachelor's

University of Florida, 1987

Law

Stetson Law School, 1990

Contact

Official website

Official Twitter

Personal Twitter

Personal Instagram

Pam Bondi (Republican Party) is the attorney general of the United States in President Donald Trump's (R) second term. Previously, she was attorney general of Florida.

The Senate confirmed Bondi as U.S. attorney general on February 4, 2025, by a 54-46 vote.[1] On November 21, 2024, Donald Trump (R) announced that he had selected Bondi as his second nominee for U.S. attorney general in his second presidential term after the withdrawal of former nominee Matt Gaetz.[2]

Bondi was born in 1965 in Tampa, Florida, and graduated from King High School in 1983. In 1987, she received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida, and in 1990, she graduated from Stetson University College of Law.[3][4]

While in law school, Bondi interned in the Hillsborough County state attorney’s office. After she was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991, Bondi worked as a prosecutor for 18 years.[3][4] Bondi changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 2000.[5]

Bondi ran for Florida attorney general in 2010 and defeated Dan Gelber (D) and Jim Lewis (I) with 55% of the vote, becoming the state's first female attorney general.[4] In 2014, she was re-elected, again with 55% of the vote, defeating George Sheldon (D) and Bill Wohlsifer (L).

During Bondi's first two years as attorney general, Florida was the lead plaintiff in a 26-state lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act.[6] Her predecessor, Bill McCollum (R), originally filed the lawsuit in 2010.[7] In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the individual mandate and struck down the provision that would withhold federal funding from states that did not comply with Medicaid expansion.[8]

According to CBS Miami, Bondi prioritized "combating human trafficking and prescription drug abuse" during her first term as attorney general, and received criticism from opponents for focusing "too intensely on partisan issues in opposing medical marijuana and same-sex marriage."[9]

Following her second term, Bondi joined the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, where she chaired the corporate regulatory compliance practice and represented clients including Amazon, Uber, and the country of Qatar.[10][5] She was also the chair for the center for litigation at the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization founded by Trump advisors Brooke Rollins and Larry Kudlow.[11][12]

In 2020, Bondi was named to Trump’s legal defense team in his first Senate impeachment trial. She was previously part of the president’s communications team responsible for impeachment messaging.[13][14]

Biography

Bondi was born in Tampa, Florida, in 1965. She graduated from King High School in 1983. In 1987, she received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida. She graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 1990.[3][4]

After law school, Bondi worked as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough County state attorney’s office for 18 years.[3][4]

Bondi was first elected Florida attorney general in 2010, and was re-elected in 2014.[15]

After serving as Florida's attorney general, Bondi worked at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm.[16][5] In 2020, Bondi was named to Trump’s legal defense team in his first Senate impeachment trial.[17][18] Ahead of her nomination for U.S. attorney general, Bondi worked at the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization founded by former advisors to Donald Trump (R).[19]

Nomination for U.S. attorney general

See also: Donald Trump presidential transition, 2024-2025 and Confirmation process for Pam Bondi for U.S. attorney general
Donald Trump's Cabinet
(second term)
Candidate: Pam Bondi
Position: Attorney General
ApprovedaAnnounced:November 21, 2024
ApprovedaHearing:January 15-16, 2025
ApprovedaCommittee:Judiciary
ApprovedaReported:Favorable (12-10)
ApprovedaConfirmed:February 4, 2025
ApprovedaVote:54-46

Donald Trump (R) announced on November 21, 2024, that he had selected Bondi as his nominee for Attorney General in his second presidential term. In a statement, Trump said, "Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country. She did such an incredible job, that I asked her to serve on our Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during my first Term — We saved many lives!"[20]

The Senate Judiciary Committee held confirmation hearings for Bondi on January 15 and 16, 2025.[21] The Senate voted 54-46 to confirm Bondi as attorney general on February 4, 2025.[1] Click here to read more about the confirmation process.

Summary of Senate vote on Pam Bondi's nomination for attorney general (February 5, 2025)
Party Votes for Votes against Not voting
Democratic Party Democrats 1 44 0
Republican Party Republicans 53 0 0
Grey.png Independents 0 2 0
Totals 54 46 0



Political career

Attorney General (2011-2019)

Bondi was elected the 37th Attorney General of Florida on November 2, 2010, and took office the next January. She won a second term in the 2014 elections. She served until 2019.

Florida Constitution Revision Commission

In February 2017, Bondi was appointed to the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) by automatic appointment.[22]

The Florida Constitution Revision Commission is a 37-member commission provided for in the state constitution that reviews and proposes changes to the Florida Constitution.[23] The CRC refers constitutional amendments directly to the ballot for a public vote.[24] The commission convenes every 20 years.[23] Members of the commission travel to different parts of Florida to perform research and receive public testimony before recommending these ballot measures.[25]

The Constitution Revision Commission of 2017-2018 was composed of 37 members. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, appointed 15 members of the CRC. President of the Florida Senate, Joe Negron (R), appointed nine members. Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Richard Corcoran (R) appointed nine members. Jorge Labarga, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, appointed three members.[26]

Elections

2018

See also: Florida attorney general election, 2018

Pam Bondi was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.

2014

See also: Florida attorney general election, 2014

Bondi ran for re-election as Florida Attorney General in 2014.[15] She was uncontested for the Republican nomination in the August 26 primary. Bondi faced Democrat George Sheldon and Libertarian Bill Wohlsifer in the general election. Pam Bondi won the general election on November 4, 2014.

Results

Attorney General of Florida, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngPam Bondi Incumbent 55.1% 3,222,524
     Democratic George Sheldon 42% 2,457,317
     Libertarian Bill Wohlsifer 2.9% 169,394
Total Votes 5,849,235
Election results via Florida Division of Elections

Polls

Governor of Florida Hypothetical Match-Up Poll
Poll Pam Bondi* (R) George Sheldon (D)UndecidedMargin of errorSample size
Gravis Marketing
April 23-25, 2014		 45%38%11%+/-3.0907
Public Policy Poll
January 16-21, 2014		 37%34%29%+/-6.3591
AVERAGES 41% 36% 20% +/-4.65 749
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.


2010

See also: Florida Attorney General election, 2010
  • General Election
  • Bondi won the General Election on November 2, 2010 with 54.8% of the vote.
Attorney General of Florida, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngPam Bondi 54.8% 2,882,868
     Democratic Dan Gelber 41.4% 2,181,377
     Nonpartisan Jim Lewis 3.8% 199,147
Total Votes 5,263,392
Election results via Florida Department of State
  • Primary Election
  • Bondi defeated Joff Kottkamp and Holly Benson to secure the Republican primary nomination on August 24, 2010 with 37.9% of the vote.
Attorney General of Florida, 2010
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngPam Bondi 38% 459,022
Jeff Kottkamp 32.9% 397,781
Holly Benson 29.2% 352,573
Total Votes 1,209,376
Election results via Florida Department of State.

Campaign contributions

BP-Initials-UPDATED.png The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Pam Bondi campaign contribution history
Year Office Result Contributions
2014 Attorney General of Florida Won $3,740,816
2012 Attorney General of Florida Not up for election $0
2010 Attorney General of Florida Won $2,583,702
Grand total raised $6,324,518
Source: [[27] Follow the Money]

Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. See the table below for more information about the campaign donors who supported Pam Bondi.[28] Click [show] for more information.


Noteworthy events

Impeachment of President Donald Trump

See also: Impeachment of Donald Trump

On February 5, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) was acquitted of abuse of power by a vote of 52-48 and obstruction of Congress by a vote of 53-47.[29]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) first announced the House would pursue an inquiry into Trump on September 24, 2019, following allegations that Trump requested the Ukrainian government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and his son, Hunter Biden, in exchange for aid.[30]

Trump denied the allegations and called the inquiry "the worst witch hunt in political history."[31][32]

Following weeks of public hearings, the House voted to impeach Trump on December 18, 2019, charging him with abuse of power by a vote of 230-197 and obstruction of Congress by a vote of 229-198.[33] For a breakdown of the U.S. House votes by representative and party, click here.

On January 17, Bondi was named to Trump’s legal defense team in the Senate impeachment trial. Bondi had previously been a member of the president’s communications team responsible for impeachment messaging.[34]

Opposition to medical marijuana amendment

In January 2014, the Florida State Supreme Court allowed a proposed constitutional amendment that would approve the medicinal use of marijuana to be placed on the ballot for Florida voters to approve or reject. If approved, the amendment would have allowed doctors to prescribe marijuana for patients with certain medical conditions and/or debilitating diseases. The measure was challenged by Bondi as too lenient; she argued that the initiative could "authorize marijuana for anything, any time, to anyone, of any age." A state financial impact study concluded that nearly 450,000 Florida residents could qualify for medical marijuana.[35] The amendment received 57.6 percent of the vote, which fell short of the 60 percent required to pass it.

Lawsuit challenging ACA

See also: State Attorneys General Against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010

Florida was the lead plaintiff in the 26-state lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act. Bondi chose attorney Paul Clement to argue the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which began hearing oral arguments on March 23, 2012. Throughout the Supreme Court hearings, Bondi contested the law's constitutionality, saying that Florida would be required to pay an extra $1 billion in Medicaid costs beginning in 2018 if the law was not struck down and that the state could not afford it.[36][36]

On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold the Affordable Care Act, with Chief Justice Roberts providing the deciding vote.[37] However, the court ruled to limit the federal government's authority to require states to participate in the coming Medicaid expansion. The court also ruled that the individual mandate failed to stand up to constitutional vetting vis a vis the Commerce Clause and therefore would survive in the form of a tax. Bondi said in her official statement on the ruling, “All of us who are disappointed with the ultimate outcome today cannot lose sight of what we accomplished. We fought for the principle that the Constitution limits Congress’s power to direct the lives of our people, and on that point, we won."[38]

About two years earlier, the morning after the United States House of Representatives passed the Senate reconciliation bill, Bill McCollum, the Republican Attorney General of Florida at the time, announced that he would be joining with South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster and 10 other state attorneys general in challenging the healthcare legislation.[39] Continuing to pursue legal action against the federal mandate was a main theme of Bondi's 2010 State Attorney General campaign.[40]

Prescription drug abuse legislation

In 2011, the state legislature passed a bill with the goal of addressing prescription drug abuse in Florida. Bondi was a supporter of the legislation. In relation to her support of the bill, she was given the Leadership Award by the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators and recognition awards by the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Board of Medicine Chairman.[41]

Donald Trump presidential transition team, 2016-2017

See also: Donald Trump presidential transition team

Bondi was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team in his first presidential term. The transition team was a group of around 100 aides, policy experts, government affairs officials, and former government officials who were tasked with vetting, interviewing, and recommending individuals for top cabinet and staff roles in Trump's administration. According to Fox News, she was part of the team's executive committee.[42]


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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Newsweek, "Donald Trump Ally Pam Bondi Confirmed as US Attorney General," February 4, 2025
  2. ↑ CNN, "Trump taps Pam Bondi as his pick for attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws," November 21, 2024
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Tampa Bay Times, "Pam Bondi charmed her way from Tampa’s courthouse to the White House," November 26, 2024
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Stetson University, "Florida’s first female attorney general, Pam Bondi, presented Stetson Law commencement on May 18," April 8, 2013
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 New York Times, "Pam Bondi Is Trump’s New Choice for Attorney General. Here’s What to Know About Her," November 21, 2024
  6. ↑ New York Times, "Justices to Hear Health Care Case as Race Heats Up," November 14, 2011
  7. ↑ Justia, "State of Florida et al v. United States Department of Health and Human Services et al," accessed December 16, 2024
  8. ↑ SCOTUSblog, "National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius," accessed December 16, 2024
  9. ↑ CBS Miami, "Bondi Re-elected As Florida's Attorney General," November 4, 2014
  10. ↑ Florida Phoenix, "Former FL Attorney General Pam Bondi now a Washington lobbyist," January 22, 2019
  11. ↑ America First Policy Institute, "The Honorable Pam Bondi," accessed November 21, 2024
  12. ↑ Politico, "Senior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group," December 22, 2020
  13. ↑ WUSF, "Pam Bondi Joins Donald Trump's Impeachment Legal Defense," January 17, 2020
  14. ↑ Fox35 Orlando, "Bondi tapped for Trump impeachment defense team," January 17, 2020
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Tampa Bay Times, AG Pam Bondi files for re-election, July 1, 2013
  16. ↑ Florida Phoenix, "Former FL Attorney General Pam Bondi now a Washington lobbyist," January 22, 2019
  17. ↑ WUSF, "Pam Bondi Joins Donald Trump's Impeachment Legal Defense," January 17, 2020
  18. ↑ Fox35 Orlando, "Bondi tapped for Trump impeachment defense team," January 17, 2020
  19. ↑ America First Policy Institute, "The Honorable Pam Bondi," accessed November 21, 2024
  20. ↑ CNN, "Trump taps Pam Bondi as his pick for attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws," November 21, 2024
  21. ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "The Nomination of the Honorable Pamela Jo Bondi to be Attorney General of the United States," January 15, 2025
  22. ↑ Partnership for Revising Florida's Constitution, "CRC Appointments," accessed June 5, 2017
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Florida Legislature, "The Florida Constitution," accessed May 2, 2017
  24. ↑ D'Alemberte, T. (2016). The Florida State Constitution. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  25. ↑ Holland & Knight, "Anna Marie Hernandez Gamez Appointed to Florida's Constitution Revision Commission," accessed May 23, 2017
  26. ↑ Florida Constitution Revision Commission, 2017-2018, "Commissioners," accessed May 2, 2017
  27. ↑ Follow the Money, "Career fundraising for Pam Bondi," accessed June 3, 2015
  28. ↑ Follow the Money.org, "Home," accessed May 7, 2021
  29. ↑ CNN, "Trump acquitted at impeachment trial," February 5, 2020
  30. ↑ CBS News, "Pelosi launches formal Trump impeachment inquiry," September 25, 2019
  31. ↑ White House, "Remarks by President Trump and President Salih of Iraq Before Bilateral Meeting," September 24, 2019
  32. ↑ Associated Press, "The Latest: Democrats say Trump allegations are impeachable," September 24, 2019
  33. ↑ NBC News, "Trump impeached by the House for abuse of power, obstruction of Congress," December 18, 2019
  34. ↑ Fox35 Orlando, “Bondi tapped for Trump impeachment defense team,” January 17, 2020
  35. ↑ WatchDog.org, "To weed or not to weed: Florida voters to decide medical marijuana," accessed February 6, 2014
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Tallahassee.com, "Bondi has front row seat as historic case is heard," March 27, 2012
  37. ↑ The Miami New Times, "Obamacare Ruled Constitutional by Supreme Court; Sorry, Pam Bondi," June 28, 2012
  38. ↑ My Florida Legal-Office of the Attorney General, "Attorney General Pam Bondi's Statement on the Supreme Court's Decision in the Healthcare Lawsuit," June 28, 2012
  39. ↑ ABC Action News, "McCollum to file lawsuit against health care bill" 22 March, 2010
  40. ↑ The Ledger, "Attorney General Candidate Pam Bondi Pans Healthcare Law at Hospital Meeting" 16 Sept. 2010
  41. ↑ My Florida Legal, "About the AG," accessed March 27, 2012
  42. ↑ Fox News, "Who's who in the new Trump transition team line-up," November 11, 2016
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