Amata Coleman Radewagen

Amata Catherine Coleman Radewagen ( ; born December 29, 1947), commonly called Aumua Amata , is an American Samoan politician who is the current delegate for the United States House of Representatives from American Samoa. Radewagen, a Republican, was elected on November 4, 2014, after defeating Democratic incumbent Eni Faleomavaega; she was the first-ever Republican delegate since the office had been created in 1970 and began her tenure on January 3, 2015.

By winning 75.4% of the vote in her 2016 re-election, Aumua Amata attained the highest number of votes in American Samoa history. She won reelection with 83.3 percent of the votes in a three-way race in 2018.

She has been the scheduling director for the United States House of Representatives majority leadership for eight years. Radewagen has been the most senior member of the Republican National Committee since 2012. She was a member of both the executive committee for the 2016–17 presidential transition and the executive committee for the 2017 Republican National Committee Chairman's Transition Committee. Her father was Samoan and English American; her mother was of Chinese, German, Native Hawaiian, and Scottish descent. She also took classes at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The couple has three children Radewagen holds the orator (talking chief) title of Aumua from the capital of Pago Pago—her hometown and where she is a registered voter. She served on the staff of United States Representative J. C. Watts, Jr. of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2003. Radewagen was the only Pacific Islander on the 15-member commission. She was the first woman to run for the delegate position. Since 1986, she has represented the American Samoa Republican Party in the Republican National Committee. Radewagen is the most senior member.

In 2019, she was reappointed by President Donald Trump to serve on the President's Advisory Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for a second stint.

United States House of Representatives

2014 election

Radewagen ran for American Samoa's at-large congressional district in the 2014 elections. She defeated the Democratic incumbent Delegate Eni Faleomavaega, 42% to 31%; former Democratic governor Togiola Tulafono finished third at 11% in the nine-way contest.

2016 election

Radewagen was re-elected in 2016, receiving the highest number of votes in American Samoa history for any elective office, winning 75.4% of the vote cast.

Tenure Radewagen assumed office on January 3, 2015. Upon taking office, she became the Republican Party's highest-ranking Asian-Pacific federal officeholder in the United States.

Committee assignments Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific (vice chair) Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Committee on Veterans' Affairs (vice chair) Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Health

Caucus memberships Congressional Western Caucus Climate Solutions Caucus Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans

Election results Note: Elections in American Samoa are nonpartisan and candidates are not listed with party affiliation. Partisan identification is for informational purposes

Other activity Radewagen has been involved in helping build democratic institutions internationally. As a trainer since 1992, she has participated in missions to Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, and Morocco for the International Republican Institute and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, among other activities. She began advocating on behalf of breast cancer awareness after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993.

She is a founding member of the American Samoa Society and a life member of the Capitol Hill Club. She has also been a member of organizations such as the Guam Society of America, Hawaii State Society, Women's Foreign Policy Group, and the Independent Women's Forum. She is a current member of the Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Women's Association. In 2003, Radewagen became the first Pacific Islander chosen as “Outstanding Woman of the Year” by the National Association of Professional Asian American Women (NAPAW). In 2008, she received the International Leadership Foundation's Visionary Award. In 2013, she received both the Inspirational Speaker Award at the Samoan Athletes Heart of Champions Ceremony in La Mesa, CA, as well as the Trailblazer Award from the Republican National Convention. She is a current board member at the Field House 100 American Samoa.