Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
American politician (born 1979)
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 20th district | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 18, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Alcee Hastings |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sheila Cherfilus (1979-01-25) January 25, 1979 (age 45) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Corlie McCormick (m. 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Howard University (BA) St. Thomas University (JD) |
| Website | House website |
| Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick's voice Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick speaks on issues affecting senior citizens Recorded March 27, 2022 | |
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (/ˈʃɜːrfɪləs/ SHUR-fill-əss; born January 25, 1979)[1] is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S representative for Florida's 20th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, she won a special election in 2022 to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Alcee Hastings.[2]
Early life and career
Cherfilus-McCormick was born in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, to parents from Haiti and raised in the borough of Queens. She moved to Florida at 13 to attend high school.[3] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government from Howard University and a Juris Doctor from the St. Thomas University School of Law.[4]
After graduating from college, Cherfilus-McCormick served as a project manager for the New York City Transit Authority. From 1999 to 2007, she worked as the vice president for operations of Trinity Health Care Services, a Florida-based family home health care company co-founded by her stepfather, Gabriel Smith. She later served as CEO.[5]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018
Cherfilus-McCormick ran for Florida's 20th congressional district in the August 28 Democratic primary against incumbent Alcee Hastings in 2018.[6] She lost, 73.6%–26.4%.[7]
2020
Cherfilus-McCormick challenged Hastings again in 2020. She noted various ethics concerns facing Hastings and his health as reasons for running.[4] She lost the August 18 primary, 69.3%–30.7%.[8]
2022 special
After Hastings died on April 6, 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick ran again in the 20th district in the 2022 special election.[9][10][11] During the campaign, she loaned $3.7 million to her campaign organization.[12][13] She campaigned on progressive policies such as a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and a $1,000-a-month universal basic income.[3] Her campaign was supported by Brand New Congress, a progressive organization that also backed candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib.[14]
After a recount, Cherfilus-McCormick was declared the winner of the Democratic primary by five votes over Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness in an upset. She easily defeated Republican Jason Mariner in the January 11, 2022, general election.[15][16] She is the only Haitian-American Democrat ever elected to Congress and only the second overall, after Republican Mia Love of Utah.[17]
2022 regular election
Following her narrow margin of victory in the special election, Cherfilus-McCormick was again challenged by Holness for the regular election.[18] Cherfilus-McCormick handily defeated Holness in the August Democratic primary, 66%-27% with another 6% going to Anika Omphroy.[19] Cherfilus-McCormick defeated Republican nominee Drew Montez-Clark with 72% of the vote during the November election, and she started her first full term in Congress on January 3, 2023.
Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress:[20]
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Black Caucus[21]
- Congressional Progressive Caucus[22]
- Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus[23][24]
Political positions
Cherfilus-McCormick voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[25] Cherfilus-McCormick voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[26][27]
Personal life
Cherfilus-McCormick married lawyer Corlie McCormick in 2017 and lives in Miramar, Florida.[4]
Cherfilus-McCormick is Protestant.[28][29]
Electoral history
- 2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alcee Hastings (incumbent) | 52,628 | 73.8 | |
| Democratic | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | 18,697 | 26.2 | |
| Total votes | 71,325 | 100 | ||
- 2020
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alcee Hastings (incumbent) | 62,759 | 69.3 | |
| Democratic | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | 27,831 | 30.7 | |
| Total votes | 90,590 | 100 | ||
- 2022 (special)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | 11,662 | 23.8 | |
| Democratic | Dale Holness | 11,657 | 23.8 | |
| Democratic | Barbara Sharief | 8,680 | 17.7 | |
| Democratic | Perry E. Thurston Jr. | 7,282 | 14.8 | |
| Democratic | Bobby DuBose | 3,458 | 7.1 | |
| Democratic | Omari Hardy | 2,902 | 5.9 | |
| Democratic | Priscilla Taylor | 1,677 | 3.4 | |
| Democratic | Elvin Dowling | 646 | 1.3 | |
| Democratic | Emmanuel Morel | 454 | 0.9 | |
| Democratic | Phil Jackson | 342 | 0.7 | |
| Democratic | Imran Siddiqui | 316 | 0.6 | |
| Total votes | 49,074 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | 44,707 | 79.0 | |
| Republican | Jason Mariner | 10,966 | 19.4 | |
| Libertarian | Mike ter Maat | 395 | 0.7 | |
| Independent | Jim Flynn | 265 | 0.5 | |
| Independent | Lenny Serratore | 262 | 0.5 | |
| Total votes | 56,595 | 100 | ||
2022
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (incumbent) | 47,601 | 65.6 | |
| Democratic | Dale Holness | 20,783 | 28.6 | |
| Democratic | Anika Omphroy | 4,197 | 5.8 | |
| Total votes | 72,581 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (incumbent) | 136,215 | 72.3 | |
| Republican | Drew Montez Clark | 52,151 | 27.6 | |
| Total votes | 188,366 | 100 | ||
See also
- List of African-American United States representatives
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
References
- ^ "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Weigel, David (January 11, 2022). "Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick wins House seat in Florida special election". The Washington Post.
Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won Tuesday's election to fill Florida's vacant 20th Congressional District, returning her party to the 222-seat majority it held after the 2020 elections.
- ^ a b Kassel, Matthew (October 20, 2021). "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick hopes the third time's a charm in FL20". Jewish Insider. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ a b c Washington, Wayne (August 6, 2020). "Lawyer makes second run at long-time incumbent Hastings". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ Knowles, Tiffani (November 30, 2021). "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick preps to lead in D.C." Miami Times Online. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ^ "Haitian-American Woman Looks to Unseat Hastings in Florida Primary". The Haitian Times. August 23, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Almukhtar, Sarah; et al. (August 30, 2018). "Florida Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "Florida Primary Election Results 2020". NPR. May 1, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Putney, Michael (October 29, 2021). "She's running for Congress, but are her ads misleading?". WPLG. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ "Wealthy candidate pumps staggering $2.3 million of her own money into Florida special election". www.yahoo.com. August 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ Fineout, Gary (November 2021). "'Powerball politics': Democrats worry DeSantis is unbeatable". Politico. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ Morse, Hannah. ""They Deserve to Be Safe": Candidates Call on Florida to Investigate the Health Effects of Sugar Cane Burning". ProPublica. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Health CEO leads after recount in Florida congressional race". AP News. November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ LeBlancJune 11, Rhonda Veerasawmy; Pm, 2021 at 3:03 (June 11, 2021). "Brand New Congress endorses Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in CD 20 Special Election". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Kihara, David (November 12, 2021). "Cherfilus-McCormick apparent winner in Florida Democratic primary for Hastings' seat". Politico PRO. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Steve Contorno (November 13, 2021). "Businesswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is apparent winner of Florida primary for late Alcee Hastings' seat". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Rivero, Daniel; Brutus, Wilkine; Switalski Muñnoz, Caitie (November 3, 2021). "South Florida could soon have its first Haitian or Jamaican-American Congress member. But first, a recount". WLRN-FM. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "Holness launches campaign to oust Cherfilus-McCormick in congressional rematch". Sun Sentinel. March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick wins Democratic nomination for Congress". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. August 23, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ Lowry, Bryan (January 19, 2022). "Cherfilus-McCormick, first Haitian American from Florida, officially joins Congress". WLRN. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ "CAUCUS MEMBERS". April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
- ^ "CONGRESSIONAL LGBTQ+ EQUALITY CAUCUS MEMBERS". July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ Ogles, Jacob (July 11, 2022). "Florida LGBTQ caucus lineup includes Charlie Crist, Val Demings, Nikki Fried". Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Demirjian, Karoun (October 25, 2023). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (October 25, 2023). "Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2023.
- ^ "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "August 28, 2018 Primary Election Official Results". Florida Secretary of State. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- ^ "August 18, 2020 Primary Election Official Results". Florida Secretary of State. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- ^ "2021 Florida Special Primary Election Results: 20th Congressional District". NBC News. November 3, 2021.
- ^ Greenwood, Max (November 16, 2021). "Florida officials certify 5-vote victory in primary for Alcee Hastings' seat". The Hill. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
- Representative Cherfilus-McCormick official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 20th congressional district 2022–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by Mike Carey | United States representatives by seniority 350th | Succeeded by Mike Flood |
Authority control databases  | |
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| People |
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