Kat Cammack

Kathryn Christine Cammack (/ˈkæmæk/ KAM-mack; born February 16, 1988)[2] is an American politician and political advisor serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 3rd congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, Cammack previously served as deputy chief of staff to her predecessor, Representative Ted Yoho, who retired in 2020.[3] She is the second-youngest woman newly elected to Congress in the 2020 election cycle, behind Democrat Sara Jacobs.[4]

Kat Cammack
Official portrait, 2021
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 3rd district
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Preceded byTed Yoho
Personal details
Born
Kathryn Christine Cammack[1]

(1988-02-16) February 16, 1988
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Matthew Harrison
​
(m. 2017)​
EducationMetropolitan State University of Denver (BA)
Naval War College (MA)
WebsiteHouse website

Early life and education

Cammack was born in Denver, Colorado, and raised on a 55-acre cattle ranch.[5] When Cammack was a teenager, her mother spent time in jail for driving under the influence.[6] In 2006, Cammack graduated from Douglas County High School in Castle Rock, Colorado.[7] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and a Master of Science in national defense and strategic studies from the Naval War College.[8][9] She has said she lived with her mother in an extended-stay motel for four months.[5][10][11]

Cammack once claimed that her family was evicted from their cattle ranch "due to an Obama-era housing program"; in fact, the ranch was put up for sale because the family could not afford the mortgage payments.[6][12]

Career

Cammack has said that her family's experience with the federal Home Affordable Modification Program in 2011 inspired her interest in politics.[13] In 2009, she interned with U.S. Representative Mike Coffman.[14] She later joined Ted Yoho's congressional campaign.[15][16][17] After Yoho was elected, Cammack served as his deputy chief of staff from 2013 to 2019.[18][19] In 2019, she left Yoho's office in Washington, D.C., and returned to Florida. Yoho did not seek reelection in 2020, fulfilling his pledge to serve only four terms.[20] Cammack announced her candidacy for Yoho's seat in December 2019.[21]

Cammack also operates an independent political consulting firm.[22] After winning the primary, she was heavily favored to win the general election.[23][24][25][26] In September 2020, Donald Trump endorsed her.[27] After her primary win, Cammack established a leadership PAC.[28][29]

Cammack ran for chair of the Republican Study Committee but later withdrew her bid for the position and endorsed Kevin Hern.[30][31] She nominated Kevin McCarthy in the 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election.[32]

U.S. House of Representatives

2020
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 3
Cammack speaking at a Turning Point USA event in 2020

Cammack defeated Democratic nominee Adam Christensen. She assumed office on January 3, 2021.[33]

2022
Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 3

Cammack ran for reelection. In the primary, she received 84.8% of the vote to her opponent Justin Waters's 15.2%. A third candidate, Manuel Asensio, dropped out before Election Day. Cammack won the general election with 62.5% of the vote to Democratic nominee Danielle Hawk's 36.3% and NPA Linda Brooks's 1.2%.

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:[34]

Caucus memberships

During a speech on the House floor after the sixth failed attempt to elect Kevin McCarthy as House speaker on January 4, 2023, Cammack claimed without evidence that Democrats were drinking alcohol and eating popcorn during the vote. She said, "diversity of thought is a good thing. But they want us divided. They want us to fight each other. That much has been made clear by the popcorn and blankets and alcohol that is comin' over there".[38][39] She reiterated the claim the next day on Fox News.[40]

Political positions

2020 presidential election and storming of the U.S. Capitol

Cammack was one of 139 representatives who voted on January 7, 2021, to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.[41] On the House floor, she said the January 6 attacks "furthermore resolved" her objection to the certification process and that, as representatives of the people, members of Congress must stand for a free and fair election.[42] Numerous inquiries have found no evidence that the election was unfree or unfair to an extent that changed its outcome.[43][44]

Abortion

Cammack is co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.[45][46] She believes states should determine their abortion laws,[47] and abortion should be allowed only in extreme cases in the first trimester.[46] In 2022, she cosponsored a bill to ban abortions nationwide past 15 weeks.[48] During her campaign, she released an advertisement in which she said that, when her mother was pregnant with her, she was advised by doctors to have an abortion, but chose not to.[49]

Congressional term limits

In March 2020, Cammack signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge. She said that a "limit on the time an individual can serve brings new ideas to Capitol Hill."[50]

Economy

Cammack cosponsored a bill to expand federal home loans for first responders and educators.[51] The bill, introduced in May 2021, has not passed out of committee.[52]

Education

Cammack has called U.S. college campuses "indoctrination camps" and claimed that conservative students are under attack.[53]

Energy and environment

Cammack cosponsored the PROTECT Florida Act to prohibit oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida until 2032.[54] The bill, introduced in October 2021, has not passed out of committee.[55] On March 14, 2022, Cammack said the U.S. needs to produce more oil.[56]

Firearms

Cammack is a board member of the Alachua County Friends of the National Rifle Association.[57] In 2020, the NRA endorsed her.[58]

Cammack opposes background checks for gun purchases. On the House floor, she called background check legislation "gun-grabber bills".[59]

Foreign affairs

In June 2021, Cammack was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.[60][61] She voted for the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022.[62]

In 2023, Cammack was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21 which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[63][64]

Immigration and border security

Cammack has supported the construction of a border wall along the Mexico–United States border.[65]

On July 22, 2021, Cammack claimed on the House floor that NGOs transport undocumented migrants around the country at U.S. government expense.[66]

And you ask, how are they getting to our hometowns? On our dime.

The NGOs have government contracts. They buy plane tickets and bus tickets, and then they submit reimbursement from FEMA on our dime in our hometowns unchecked, unvetted, and coming to a town near you. Every town in America is a border town. And as they are on these planes, do they have to show ID? No. No, they do not, because TSA has special guidance that these people are not

subject to the same requirements that every other American is when they board an airplane.

— "Congressional Record." Congress.gov, Library of Congress, 5 January 2023, https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-167/issue-129/house-section/article/H3826-2.

During the 2022 United States infant formula shortage, Cammack criticized the Biden administration for sending baby formula to detention facilities on the U.S.–Mexico border.[67] White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that under the Flores Settlement Agreement, the U.S. is required to provide adequate and age-appropriate food, "hence formula for kids under the age of 1."[68] During an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Cammack showed pictures of baby formula she said she had received from a CBP agent. Tommy Christopher wrote that some of the images used in Cammack's interview with Hannity were not of baby formula but of powdered milk for children older than one. Hannity later acknowledged on Twitter that two of the pictures he aired during Cammack's appearance were milk products for children over one.[69][70]

Law enforcement

Cammack has said it is reassuring that the Capitol Police are expanding into Florida and will work with local law enforcement.[71]

LGBT rights

Cammack has called the Equality Act—a bill that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (including titles II, III, IV, VI, VII, and IX) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federally funded programs, credit, and jury service—a "farce" that will strip people of faith and private organizations of the right to decide for themselves how to live, work, and conduct business.[72] She voted against the act and numerous other protections for LGBTQ Americans during her time in Congress.[73] On July 19, 2022, Cammack and 46 other Republican representatives voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.[74] Cammack wrote that she supported the bill because, under the Fourteenth Amendment, the law cannot treat one group of citizens differently from another.[75]

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Cammack was among the 71 House Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which suspends the debt limit until January 2025.[76]

Personal life

Cammack's husband, Matt Harrison, is a firefighter.[18] Cammack is a Protestant.[77]

See also

References
  1. Kat, Team (July 13, 2020). "Mayor of Belleview Endorses Kat Cammack". Kat for Congress.
  2. Rep.-elect Kat Cammack (R-Fla.-03), The Hill, November 30, 2020.
  3. Conradis, Brandon (August 18, 2020). "Kat Cammack wins Florida GOP primary in bid for Ted Yoho's seat". The Hill. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  4. Stabile, Angelica (November 9, 2020). "13 GOP women join the House, dominating congressional elections, making history". FOX News. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  5. "Ted Yoho, the Least Experienced House Freshman, Has a Secret Weapon: His 24-Year-Old Chief of Staff". news.yahoo.com. January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  6. "Ted Yoho, the Least Experienced House Freshman, Has a Secret Weapon: His 24-Year-Old Chief of Staff". news.yahoo.com. January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  7. "Cammack, Kat". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 7, 2022. Cammack, Kat, a Representative from Florida; born in Denver, Denver County, Colo., February 16, 1988; graduated from Douglas County High School, Castle Rock, Colo., 2006; attended the Semester at Sea program, University of Virginia in 2009; B.A., Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, Colo., 2011; M.A., Naval War College, Newport, R.I., 2018; small business owner; staff, United States Representative Ted Yoho of Florida, 2012–2020; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress (January 3, 2021–present).
  8. "Kat Cammack". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  9. "Florida's 3rd Congressional District - Republicans". WJXT. July 22, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  10. Kirkl, Jordan (October 2, 2020). "Kat Cammack releases first TV ad of the general election". The Capitolist. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  11. Cammack, Kat. "Championing timeless values in the millennial era". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  12. "Republican Magazine Interviews Kat Cammack for Congress". republicanmag.org. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  13. Olson, Laura (November 22, 2020). "Newly elected Kat Cammack of FL will become youngest GOP woman in U.S. House of Representatives in 2021". Florida Phoenix. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  14. Cammack, Kat. "Kat Cammack LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  15. Nocera, Kate (August 26, 2012). "Upset winner isn't horsing around". Politico. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  16. Wilson, Drew (July 19, 2020). "CD 3 Republican Kat Cammack tells her story in new digital ad". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  17. Derby, Kevin (August 19, 2020). "Kat Cammack Wins GOP Primary to Replace Ted Yoho | Florida Daily". Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  18. Elwood, Karina (December 13, 2019). "Ted Yoho's Former Deputy Chief Of Staff Kat Cammack To Run For Congress". WUFT News. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  19. "114th Congress Office Listings" (PDF).
  20. "Rep. Ted Yoho's son says Kat Cammack was fired as Chief of Staff". The Floridian. June 20, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  21. Elwood, Karina (December 13, 2019). "Ted Yoho's Former Deputy Chief Of Staff Kat Cammack To Run For Congress". WUFT News. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  22. Matat, Stephany (August 19, 2020). "Yoho's Former Aide Wins Republican Primary In Florida's 3rd Congressional District". WUFT News. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  23. "Florida primary roundup: Gimenez to face Mucarsel-Powell, Posey survives". Roll Call. August 18, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  24. Peterson, Kristina (August 19, 2020). "Ross Spano Becomes Eighth House Lawmaker Defeated in Primaries". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  25. "The Latest: Wyoming tribe member wins Democratic nomination". AP News. August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  26. Wilson, Drew (August 19, 2020). "Kat Cammack wins Republican nomination in CD 3". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  27. Derby, Kevin (September 11, 2020). "Donald Trump Backs Kat Cammack, Byron Donalds for Open Congressional Seats in Florida | Florida Daily". Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  28. "Primary Winners Form Leadership PACs Before Coming to Congress". Bloomberg Government. September 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  29. "Campaigning couldn't be more different amid a pandemic". Arc Publishing. September 17, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  30. "The battle to become the next Republican Study Committee chair is on -- and it's Kevin Hern versus Kat Cammack right now". www.politico.com. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  31. Brooks, Emily (September 29, 2022). "Field clears in race for Republican Study Committee chair". The Hill. Retrieved October 7, 2022. "This entire process, it's been really humbling the support that I've received. But it's not my time," the first-term lawmaker told The Hill, adding that Hern will do "a wonderful job" as chair of the caucus.
  32. Ryan, Turbeville (January 4, 2023). "Rep. Kat Cammack nominates Rep. McCarthy for U.S. House speaker". Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  33. "Florida Election Results: Third Congressional District". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  34. "Kat Cammack". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  35. "Membership". Republican Study Committee. December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  36. "Two House Republicans create Campus Free Speech Caucus to 'stand up for the First Amendment'". June 14, 2021.
  37. "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Kat Cammack. January 3, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  38. Representative Kat Cammack accuses Democrats of bringing alcohol to House floor, January 4, 2023, retrieved January 6, 2023
  39. "Reps.-elect McCarthy, Jeffries, and Donalds Nominated for Speaker on Sixth Ballot | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  40. "Kat Cammack on her comments about Democrats drinking during speaker vote | Fox News Video". Fox News. January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  41. Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lu, Denise (January 7, 2021). "The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  42. Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lannigan, Lucille (January 13, 2021). "Kat Cammack stands by President Trump, public paints Coup Kat Resign on art wall". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  43. Singman, Brooke (December 1, 2020). "Barr: DOJ yet to find widespread voter fraud that could have changed 2020 election". Fox News. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  44. Lea, Brittany De (June 23, 2021). "Republican-led Michigan panel affirms Biden victory in the state". Fox News. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  45. "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Kat Cammack. January 3, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  46. Schultz, Marisa (December 3, 2020). "Florida Rep.-elect Kat Cammack shares personal story about abortion: 'My mom chose life'". Fox News. Retrieved September 7, 2021. Cammack says abortion should only be allowed in extreme cases in the first trimester--such as rape or incest reported to law enforcement, and for the life of the mother.
  47. Chase, Kristin (May 4, 2022). "North Central Florida Congresswoman, Kat Cammack, reacted to the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade". WCJB. Cammack says states should have an absolute role in deciding their path forward with abortion laws.
  48. "House GOP leaders hedge on 15-week abortion ban". The Hill. September 14, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022. A version of Graham's 15-week abortion ban bill was also introduced in the House on Tuesday with more than 80 co-sponsors, led by House pro-life caucus leaders Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.), Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Kat Cammack (R-Fla.)
  49. Wilson, Drew (July 27, 2020). "Kat Cammack 'will always choose life' if elected in CD 3". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  50. Kirkl, Jordan (March 12, 2020). "Kat Cammack signs term limits pledge". The Capitolist. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  51. Royer, Samuel (February 2, 2022). "Bipartisan effort to help first responders, teachers gets big boost from Rep. Cammack". Gainesville Sun.
  52. "HELPER Act of 2021 (H.R. 3172)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  53. Ogles, Jacob (June 14, 2021). "Kat Cammack labels U.S. universities 'indoctrination camps'". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  54. Derby, Kevin (October 29, 2021). "John Rutherford Introduces Bill Stopping Drilling Off Florida Until 2032". Florida Daily.
  55. "PROTECT Florida Act (H.R. 5707)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  56. "Rep. Kat Cammack talks the war on Ukraine and gas prices". MSN. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  57. Kat, Team (April 30, 2020). "Kat Cammack Announces Second Amendment Coalition". Kat for Congress. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  58. Kat, Team (September 14, 2020). "Kat Cammack Endorsed by NRA". Kat for Congress. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  59. "ENHANCED BACKGROUND CHECKS ACT OF 2021; Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 45".
  60. "House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq War authorization". NBC News. June 17, 2021.
  61. "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 172". June 17, 2021.
  62. "Roll Call 141 | Bill Number: S. 3522". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. April 28, 2022.
  63. "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023".
  64. "House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria". Associated Press. March 8, 2023.
  65. Kirkl, Jordan (July 29, 2020). "Kat Cammack promises to support border wall in new video". The Capitolist. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  66. "Congressional Record", Congress A to Z, 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks California 91320: CQ Press, 2022, doi:10.4135/9781071846735.n51, ISBN 9781071846810, retrieved January 6, 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  67. "Kat Cammack torches Biden admin. on baby formula shortage: Exactly what 'America last' looks like". Fox News. May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., slammed the White House on "Fox & Friends" Friday for American families facing a shortage of baby formula while images show the same formula on stocked shelves at U.S. border facilities.
  68. Loe, Megan (May 13, 2022). "Yes, the U.S. government provides formula to migrant babies at the border, as required by law". CBS8. Retrieved May 24, 2022. When asked during a press conference about the photo of baby formula at the U.S.-Mexico border, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also pointed to the Flores Settlement Agreement. "It requires adequate food and elsewhere specifies age appropriateness, hence formula for kids under the age of 1," Psaki said.
  69. Christopher, Tommy (May 14, 2022). "CNN Calls Out Fox News For Falsely Identifying Photos at Border As 'Pallets Of Baby Formula For Illegal Immigrants' (UPDATE)". mediaite.com.
  70. Oganesyan, Natalie; Rossi, Rosemary (May 14, 2022). "Sean Hannity Falsely Identifies 'Pallets and Pallets' of Baby Formula at the Border Amid Shortage". The Wrap.
  71. Schultz, Marisa (July 6, 2021). "Capitol Police opening up new offices in Florida, California to handle threats to Congress". Fox News. Fox News. Over the last six months, I've had the honor of getting to know the dedicated men and women of the United States Capitol Police," Cammack, who represents the Gainesville area, told Fox News. "The hardworking law enforcement officers of the Capitol Hill community work tirelessly to protect Members and staff and I know their work in this capacity will only continue, especially as they expand into field offices in California and Florida. "As we continue serving our districts, it's reassuring to know they'll continue working with local police departments and sheriffs to keep lawmakers and our communities as safe as possible.
  72. Twitter https://twitter.com/repkatcammack/status/1365099404449964036?lang=en. Retrieved December 12, 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  73. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  74. Schnell, Mychael (July 19, 2022). "These are the 47 House Republicans who voted for a bill protecting marriage equality". The Hill. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  75. Hochman, Nate (July 21, 2022). "GOP Rep Claims Colleagues Opposed to Same-Sex Marriage Bill Are 'Horribly Racist'". National Review. Retrieved October 7, 2022. But as the debate continued, the congresswoman doubled down: "I wish this were a truly states right[s] issue," she wrote. "The states cannot under the 14th amendment apply the law differently to one group of citizens. It is a liberal, anti-federalist position to say that it's okay to discriminate and promote one group of people over another."
  76. Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  77. "Religious affiliation of members 117th Congress" (PDF). January 4, 2021.
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