This week we close with our final coverage of New Members of Congress by profiling new Members from Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
You can find all of our editions at the links below:
- Edition I (AL, AZ, CA, CO)
- Edition II (FL, GA, HI, IL)
- Edition III (IA, IN, KS, LA, MA, MI)
- Edition IV (MN, MO, MT, NM, NY)
- Edition V (NC, OK, OR, SC, TN)
Texas
Texas will have seven new Member of Congress come January, all members of the House. In Texas’ Fourth Congressional District, Republican Pat Fallon will replace Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), who resigned to become the Director of National Intelligence under President Trump. Fallon, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, has served in both chambers of the Texas state legislature and is a small business owner. Fallon does not list an education policy platform on his campaign website.
In Texas’ Eleventh Congressional District, Republican August Pfluger will replace Rep. Mike Conaway, who did not seek re-election. Pfluger, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, also served on the U.S. National Security Council under President Trump. Pfluger does not list an education policy platform on his campaign website.
Republican Ronny Jackson will replace Rep. Mac Thornberry, who did not seek re-election, in Texas’ 13th Congressional District. Jackson spent nearly 25 years in the U.S. Navy, reaching the rank of Rear Admiral. He also served as the Physician to the President during the Obama Administration and Chief Medical Officer to the President under President Trump. Under his education platform on his campaign website, Jackson lists that “education at junior colleges and trade schools should be encouraged, cost-effective and available for those who don’t seek the traditional university pathway.”
Former Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) will return to Congress, this time representing Texas’ 17th Congressional District. He will be replacing Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX), who decided to not seek re-election. Sessions has previously represented two other congressional districts in Texas, from 1997-2019. Sessions makes no mention of education policy on his campaign website.
In Texas’ 22nd Congressional District, Republican Troy Nehls will replace Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX), who did not seek re-election. Nehls, who is currently a county sheriff, has spent his entire career in law enforcement and in the U.S. Army, where he served a tour of duty in 2004. According to his campaign website, he will “always be a voice for public education and our educators.”
In Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, Republican Tony Gonzales will replace Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), who will retire at the end of the current Congress. Gonzales is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served multiple tours of duty. He also spent time as a defense fellow in the office of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and worked as an assistant professor of political science at the University of Maryland. His education policy platform includes “improving access for adult learners to earn a livable wage through reduction of unnecessary regulations and streamlining the trade skill certification process.” Further, he supports “all forms of educational opportunities to include, but not limited to, charter schools, public schools, private schools, religious schools, and home schooling.”
Lastly, Republican Beth Van Duyne will replace Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX) and become the new representative of Texas’ 24th Congressional District in January. Van Duyne is a former city councilor, mayor and U.S. HUD official under the Trump Administration. Van Duyne does not mention education policy on her campaign website.
Utah
Utah will have two new Members of Congress come January, both serving in the House of Representatives. In Utah’s First Congressional District, Republican Blake Moore will replace Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), who did not seek re-election. Moore currently works as a management consultant and has previously served as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State. Under the K-12 and Higher Education priorities section on his campaign website, Moore lists the need to ensure “Utah’s higher education institutions continue to align with workforce needs by providing relevant and affordable education.”
In Utah’s Fourth Congressional District, Republican Burgess Owens defeated incumbent Ben McAdams (D-UT) in November’s general election. Prior to Congress, Owens spent ten years in the NFL, founded multiple companies, became a non-profit executive and authored multiple books. According to his campaign website, Owens’ education platform is predicated on the belief that education is a state and local issue and that the federal government should have limited involvement.
Virginia
Republican Bob Good, who defeated Rep. Denver Riggleman in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, will be the only new member from Virginia come January. Good has previously served as a county supervisor, worked in financial services for nearly two decades and was the athletic director of Liberty University. Good makes no mention of education policy on his campaign website, but does support the expansion of rural broadband.
Washington
Washington will only have one new Member of Congress come January, serving in Washington’s 10th Congressional District. Democrat Marilyn Strickland will replace Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA), who did not seek re-election. Prior to Congress, she spent time in the private sector before being elected to Tacoma’s city council, then mayor. After her time as mayor, she was the president of the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce. Her education platform includes supporting the expansion of “vocational-technical training and apprenticeship programs.”
Wisconsin
Republican Scott Fitzgerald will replace Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), who decided to not seek re-election, as the next representative for Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District. Fitzgerald has served in the state legislature since 1995, spending the last seven years as majority leader. He has also served in the U.S. Army Reserve for 27 years. There is no mention of education policy on his campaign website.
Wyoming
Republican Cynthia Lummis will replace retiring Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) to be Wyoming’s only new member in the 117th Congress. Lummis has previously served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, as state treasurer, and in both chambers of the state legislature. During her time in the U.S. House, she served on the Appropriations Committee, which oversees funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant program. She makes no mention of education policy on her campaign website.
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