Paul Joseph Cook (born March 3, 1943) is an American politician serving as a San Bernardino County Supervisor since 2020. A member of the Republican Party, he was previously elected to the Yucca Valley Town Council from 1998 to 2006, California State Assembly for the 65th district until 2012, and the U.S. representative for California's 8th congressional district from 2013 to 2020. In September 2019, Cook announced that he would not run for re-election to Congress in 2020, and instead run for a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. In the March 3, 2020 primary election, Cook defeated three opponents with an outright majority to avoid a November runoff and succeed Robert A. Lovingood, making him the San Bernardino County Supervisor from the 1st district. Cook assumed office on December 7, 2020. Early life and education Cook was born in Meriden, Connecticut in 1943. He was raised in Meriden and did not permanently move to California until the end of his military career. In 1966, he graduated from Southern Connecticut State University, earning a B.S. in teaching. Later that year, he joined the United States Marine Corps. As an infantry officer, Cook served in the Vietnam War. His actions in combat earned him many honors, including the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He served in the Marine Corps for 26 years. After he retired from the Marine Corps in 1992 as a colonel, he earned an MPA from California State University, San Bernardino in 1996 and a master's in political science from University of California Riverside in 2000. Early career From 1993 to 1994, he was Director of Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce. From 1998 to 2002, he was a professor at Copper Mountain College. Cook taught courses on political violence and terrorism at University of California Riverside since 2002. California Assembly Elections In 2006, Cook ran for California's 65th Assembly District. Cook won a five candidate Republican primary field with 29% of the vote. In the general election, Cook defeated Democrat Rita Ramirez-Dean 60%–37%. In 2008, he won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Carl Wood 53%–47%. In 2010, he won re-election to a third term, defeating Wood again 58%–42%. Tenure The 65th district included the cities of Banning, Beaumont, Big Bear Lake, Calimesa, Cherry Valley, Hemet, Moreno Valley, Perris, San Jacinto, Sun City, Twentynine Palms, Yucaipa, Yucca Valley and other smaller communities and