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George Whitesides CA-27

George Whitesides

Summary

George Thomas Whitesides (born March 3, 1974) is an American businessman and public official. He was CSO (Chief Space Officer) and long time CEO of Virgin Galactic, a firm developing commercial space vehicles at the Mojave Air and Space Port. He still serves as a member of the Virgin Galactic Advisory Board.

Whitesides was previously Chief of Staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Administrator Charles Bolden, a position to which he was named after serving on the NASA transition team for the incoming Obama administration.

On February 22, 2023, he announced his candidacy for California’s 27th congressional district in the 2024 election. Wins the House of Representatives seat in 2024.

OnAir Post: George Whitesides CA-27

News

Latest

Six California House races that could help determine control of Congress
Los Angeles Times, Julia Wick – April 26, 2024

California House Districts 13, 22, 27, 41, 45, and 47.

Over 2,000 miles west of the nation’s Capitol, the battle for control of the House of Representatives in 2025 is being waged in farmland along Highway 99, fast-growing commuter communities north and east of Los Angeles and Orange County beach towns and inland suburbs.

While Republicans currently have a razor-thin majority in the House, partisan makeup of next year’s Congress will almost certainly be decided this November — at least in part — by a handful of hypercompetitive California races.

California “is, along with New York, one of the two most important paths to potential Democratic control of the House,” said Dave Wasserman, senior editor and elections analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

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About

Biography

George Whitesides has spent his career solving problems. Over the past 20 years, he has helped lead NASA to new heights, created hundreds of quality jobs in the Antelope Valley, and supported front-line responders and public health through his work on the wildfire crisis.

Former Chief of Staff, NASA

George worked on President Obama’s transition team in 2008, and then served as Chief of Staff for NASA for the Obama administration. George was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the agency’s highest honor. George led reform of NASA to enable current U.S. space leadership.

Former CEO, Virgin Galactic

George was the first CEO of Virgin Galactic, the human spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson. He grew the company over a decade from a small team to the global aerospace firm it is today, creating 700 jobs in the Antelope Valley and flying the first woman to space on a commercial space vehicle.

Combating Our Wildfire Crisis

George co-founded Megafire Action, the first organization dedicated to solving our nation’s megafire crisis. He also initiated Caltech’s Keck Institute workshop on “Detecting and Tracking Fires that Matter” in 2021 and is an advisor to several philanthropic efforts working to make wildfire a manageable challenge through innovation and science policy.

Leader In Our Community

George co-chaired the Antelope Valley Covid-19 Task Force, an ad hoc group that brought together NASA, industry, local government and the Antelope Valley College to support front line nurses and doctors, for which George received NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal.

George serves as a board member of the Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise (AV EDGE), working to grow jobs and businesses in the AV.

George was awarded the Partners in Educational Excellence Award by the Antelope Valley Union High School District for his work supporting underprivileged students. 

Politics

 

Issues

It’s time we have bold, new leadership in CA-27, the congressional district that stretches from the Antelope Valley to Santa Clarita to the northern San Fernando Valley. As a local leader, former NASA Chief of Staff and aerospace entrepreneur, George Whitesides is committed to moving Southern California forward. Now, he’s ready to deliver for CA-27.

George’s campaign is connecting with voters across the district on the path to win this seat in 2024. In Congress, he will be committed to creating great jobs in the district, finding solutions to the wildfire crisis, protecting a woman’s right to choose and protecting Social Security and Medicare for seniors. George is committed to moving CA-27 forward, including working across the aisle. With your support, George will make that happen.

More Information

Wikipedia

For his father, a chemist, see George M. Whitesides.

George Thomas Whitesides (born March 3, 1974)[1] is an American politician and businessman who serves as the U.S. representative for California’s 27th congressional district since 2025. He previously held leadership roles in the space industry and government, including as chief of staff at NASA and CEO of Virgin Galactic. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

For over a decade, Whitesides led Virgin Galactic,[2] overseeing the development of commercial spaceflight vehicles at the Mojave Air and Space Port. He still serves on the company’s advisory board.[3] Earlier in his career, he was chief of staff at NASA under Administrator Charles Bolden,[4] following his role on the agency’s transition team for the Obama administration.[5]

Whitesides’ district covers northern Los Angeles County, including Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, and parts of the northwestern San Fernando Valley.

Early life and education

Whitesides was born on March 3, 1974 in Massachusetts.[6] He was raised in Newton with his brother.[7][1] His parents Barbara and George M. Whitesides were university professors.[8] His great grandfather, James Breasted, was an egyptologist who coined the term “fertile crescent“.[9][10] While growing up, Whitesides played ice hockey[7] and attended Newton North High School, where he graduated in 1992.[11]

Whitesides went on to attend Princeton University, where he studied at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1996.[12][13] After graduating, he served for four years on Princeton’s Board of Trustees.[14] He later earned an MPhil in Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing from King’s College, Cambridge,[15] and was a Fulbright Scholar in Tunisia.[12][16]

Space career

Whitesides speaking at the World Economic Forum, 2017

Whitesides began his career in the space sector, where he served as executive director of the National Space Society from 2004 to 2008.[17] He also co-founded Yuri’s Night, an annual celebration of human spaceflight, alongside his wife Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides.[18][12] During this period, he was named senior advisor to Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson‘s space tourism company.[19]

Whitesides worked on the 2008 presidential transition of Barack Obama.[20] After Obama took office, he was appointed chief of staff of NASA,[12] where he served until 2010 under Administrator Charles Bolden.[5][4] Upon his departure, he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the agency’s highest award.[21][22]

After leaving NASA, Whitesides became Virgin Galactic’s first CEO and led the company for a decade.[12] He oversaw the development of commercial spaceflight vehicles and managed operations at the Mojave Air and Space Port.[2] During this time, he also chaired the Reusable Launch Vehicle Working Group for COMSTAC, the advisory committee for the FAA‘s Commercial Space Transportation Division.[12] Additionally, he served as a board member for Astronomers Without Borders and the Space Generation Foundation.[5][4] He announced in 2021 his departure from Virgin Galactic to pursue public service, while remaining in an advisory role with the company.[23]

Whitesides has also worked as a coach for Zero Gravity Corporation‘s parabolic flight service. In July 2021, as co-founder and project lead of the SciAccess Initiative’s Mission: AstroAccess, he opened applications for people with disabilities to participate in a ZERO-G parabolic flight. In December 2022, the program’s first formal research parabolic flight took place, with 14 disability ambassadors from five countries in the mission.[24]

U.S. House of Representatives

2024 election

See also: 2024 California’s 27th congressional district election

On February 22, 2023, Whitesides announced he was running for California’s 27th congressional district in the 2024 election as a Democrat, challenging incumbent Republican congressman Mike Garcia.[25] As a first-time candidate without a legislative voting record, Republican opposition focused on the progressive groups and candidates that contributed to his campaign, including Equality California, which co-sponsored the controversial 2020 California Senate Bill 145 regarding judicial discretion in sex offender registration.[26]

Whitesides defeated Garcia in the general election on November 5, 2024, by around 8,000 votes.[27]

Committee assignments

Whitesides at a Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing, 2025

Whitesides’s committee assignments for the 119th Congress include:[28]

Caucus memberships

Whitesides’s caucus memberships include:[1]

Personal life

Whitesides is married to Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, and they have two children.[1][4] He is Episcopalian.[29]

Electoral history

California’s 27th congressional district, 2024[30][31]
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanMike Garcia (incumbent) 74,245 54.9
DemocraticGeorge Whitesides 44,391 32.8
DemocraticSteve Hill16,52512.2
Total votes135,161 100.0
General election
DemocraticGeorge Whitesides 154,040 51.3
RepublicanMike Garcia (incumbent)146,05048.7
Total votes300,090 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

References

  1. ^ a b c d “Rep. George Whitesides – D California, 27th, In Office – Biography | LegiStorm”. www.legistorm.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  2. ^ a b “Virgin Galactic Snags NASA Chief of Staff as CEO”. socalTECH.com. May 17, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  3. ^ “Whitesides steps down from Virgin Galactic”. Spacenews. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Dugdale, Addy (May 29, 2010). “Crib Sheet: George T. Whitesides, Top Dog (in Space) at Virgin Galactic”. Fast Company. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c “George T. Whitesides, NASA’s Chief of Staff”. NASA. May 1, 2010. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  6. ^ “Whitesides, George”. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Arnaud, Celia Henry (March 26, 2007). “Always On The Move”. Chemical & Engineering News. 85 (13): 18–25. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  8. ^ “About the author: Barbara B. Whitesides”. Amazon books.
  9. ^ Whitesides, Barbara B. (2009). Sugar Comes from Arabic: A Beginner’s Guide to Arabic Letters and Words. Interlink Books. ISBN 978-1-56656-757-2.
  10. ^ Abt, Jeffrey (2011). American Egyptologist: the life of James Henry Breasted and the creation of his Oriental Institute. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 193–194, 436. ISBN 978-0-226-00110-4.
  11. ^ Abrams, Meredith (March 25, 2011). “Virgin Galactic CEO presents information on space tourism”. The Newtonite. pp. 6–7. Retrieved April 7, 2023 – via Issuu.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Walz, Kent (May 18, 2019). “Face to Face with George T. Whitesides: Reaching for the stars”. Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  13. ^ Daugherty, Elisabeth H. (July 20, 2021). “July 20: George Whitesides ’96 Brings People With Disabilities Into Space”. Princeton Alumni Weekly. Princeton University Press. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  14. ^ “George T. Whitesides, NASA’s Chief of Staff”. NASA. May 1, 2010. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Dugdale, Addy (May 29, 2010). “Crib Sheet: George T. Whitesides, Top Dog (in Space) at Virgin Galactic”. Fast Company. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  16. ^ Kane, Frank (December 27, 2018). “INTERVIEW: ‘I have always dreamed of going into space’ — George Whitesides, CEO Virgin Galactic”. Arab News. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  17. ^ “George Whitesides”. National Space Society. May 16, 2006. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  18. ^ Hidalgo-Whitesides, Loretta; Whitesides, G. “About : what is yuri’s night?”. Yuri’s Night. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  19. ^ Galactic, Virgin (June 21, 2007). “Virgin Galactic Appoints George Whitesides as Senior Advisor”. NASASpaceflight. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  20. ^ “George Whitesides”. Space For Humanity. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  21. ^ Kane, Frank (December 27, 2018). “INTERVIEW: ‘I have always dreamed of going into space’ — George Whitesides, CEO Virgin Galactic”. Arab News. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  22. ^ “Historical Awards Recipient List” (PDF). NASA. c. 2015. p. 233. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Foust, Jeff (March 5, 2021). “Whitesides steps down from Virgin Galactic”. Space News. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  24. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (December 20, 2022). “Zero-G flight for disability ambassadors shows space is accessible for all”. Space.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  25. ^ “Former Virgin Galactic CEO enters US House race north of LA”. Associated Press News. February 22, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (October 23, 2024). “A theme in GOP attack ads in California House races: Linking Democrats to pedophiles over support for LGBTQ group”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  27. ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (November 11, 2024). “Whitesides captures L.A. County congressional seat in a major victory for Democrats”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  28. ^ “Whitesides announces committee assignments”. he Santa Clarita Valley Signal. February 6, 2025.
  29. ^ “Religious affiliation of members of the 119th Congress” (PDF). Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  30. ^ “Statement of Vote” (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2024. p. 85. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  31. ^ “Statement of Vote” (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Sacramento: Secretary of State of California. 2024. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 30, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by

 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California’s 27th congressional district
2025–present		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by

 United States representatives by seniority
431st		Succeeded by

as US Delegate


source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_T._Whitesides

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