 She ran under her married name Loretta Sanchez Brixey, but later dropped her married name because she believed that she and her seven brothers and sisters were better known in the community as the Sanchez family.In 1996, Sanchez ran for the US House in California's 46th District against six-term Republican incumbent Bob Dornan.The bitterly fought race saw Sanchez charge that Dornan was out of touch with his constituency, especially after a distracting run for the 1996 Republican Presidential nomination.