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Kelly Loeffler

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Kelly Loeffler
United States Senator
from Georgia
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 6, 2020
Serving with David Perdue
Appointed byBrian Kemp
Preceded byJohnny Isakson
Personal details
Born
Kelly Lynn Loeffler

(1970-11-27) November 27, 1970 (age 53)
Bloomington, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 2004)​
EducationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BS)
DePaul University (MBA)
WebsiteSenate website

Kelly Lynn Loeffler (/ˈlɛflər/; born November 27, 1970) is an American businessperson and politician serving as the junior United States Senator for Georgia since 2020. She is a Republican.

Loeffler was chief executive officer (CEO) of Bakkt, a subsidiary of commodity and financial service provider Intercontinental Exchange, which is owned by her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher. She co-owns the Atlanta Dream, of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Brian Kemp, the Republican Governor of Georgia, appointed Loeffler to the United States Senate in late 2019 after Senator Johnny Isakson resigned for health reasons. Loeffler finished second in the 2020 Georgia U.S. Senate election, advancing to a runoff with Democratic candidate Reverend Raphael Warnock, due to take place in January 2021.[1] Loeffler has strongly aligned herself to the policies of President Donald Trump; she touted her "100 percent Trump voting record" during the campaign.[2]

Early life and career

Loeffler was born in Bloomington, Illinois, and raised on her family's corn and soybean farm in Stanford, Illinois.[3][4] In 1988, she graduated from Olympia High School in Stanford, where she was in marching band, ran cross country and track, and played varsity basketball.[5]

In 1992, Loeffler graduated with a Bachelor of Science in marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign's Gies College of Business, where she was a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.[6] After college, she worked for Toyota as a District Account Manager.[7][8] In 1999, Loeffler graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in international finance and marketing from DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.[4][6] She financed her graduate school tuition by mortgaging land inherited from her grandparents.[9] After earning her MBA, Loeffler worked for Citibank, William Blair & Company, and the Crossroads Group.[10]

In 2002, Loeffler joined Intercontinental Exchange, a commodity and financial service provider, in investor relations.[11] After marrying the firm's CEO, Jeffrey Sprecher, in 2004, a courtship Sprecher described as her biggest risk "because if it didn't work out, she'd be on the short end of the stick,"[9][12] she was eventually promoted to senior vice president of investor relations and corporate communications.[13] In 2018, Loeffler became the chief executive officer (CEO) of Bakkt, a subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange.[14]

In 2010, Loeffler bought a minority stake in the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[4] In 2011, she and Mary Brock purchased the team from Kathy Betty.[13][15] Loeffler took an active role in the team, arranging her travel schedule to attend all games and often meeting with head coach Michael Cooper during halftime to analyze the first half of the game.[16]

Political donations

According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Loeffler and her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, have donated $3.2 million to political committees. Most of these donations have gone to the Republican Party, but some have gone to Democrats,[17] including Representative David Scott (GA–13), who received $10,200.[18] Loeffler donated $750,000 to Restore Our Future, a Super PAC supporting former Governor Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.[3] The National Republican Senatorial Committee received $247,500 from Loeffler and her husband.[18] In May 2020, Sprecher gave $1 million to a Trump 2020 reelection super PAC.[19] It was Sprecher's largest ever federal political donation.[20]

U.S. Senate

Loeffler considered seeking the Republican nomination in the 2014 United States Senate election in Georgia but ultimately passed on the race because of Intercontinental Exchange's pending acquisition with the New York Stock Exchange.[21]

Appointment

In December 2019, Governor Brian Kemp appointed Loeffler to succeed Senator Johnny Isakson, who would be resigning for health reasons at the end of the month. The appointment is valid only until the November 2020 special election for Isakson's seat. The move angered some conservatives who had supported Representative Doug Collins instead.[3][22][23][24] Loeffler was sworn into the Senate on January 6, 2020.[25]

Loeffler meeting with Mitch McConnell in December 2019
Loeffler after being sworn in as Senator by Vice President Mike Pence

2020 Senate election

Main article: 2020 United States Senate special election in Georgia

Loeffler is running to serve the remaining two years of Isakson's term. She plans to spend $20 million of her own money on her campaign.[26] She is the first female senator in 97 years to represent Georgia in the Senate and first Republican woman to do so. Under Georgia's election law, all candidates for the seat (regardless of political party) competed in a nonpartisan blanket primary on November 3. Since no candidate received over 50% of the vote, Loeffler, who came in second, will participate in a runoff election in January against the first-place finisher, Democrat Raphael Warnock.[27] U.S. Representative Doug Collins, a Republican who represents Georgia's 9th congressional district and gained attention as Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, placed third and was eliminated. Loeffler's candidacy is backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate Republicans' campaign arm, as well as several senior Senate Republicans.[28]

In a July 2020 letter to the WNBA, Loeffler, who co-owns the Atlanta Dream, suggested that players wear American flags on their jerseys rather than planned warm-up shirts with "Black Lives Matter" printed on them. She stated her opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement,[29] saying, "The statement 'Black lives matter' is very different than the organization Black Lives Matter. There's a political organization called Black Lives Matter that I think is very important to make the distinction between their aim and where we are as a country at this moment."[30] She opposed the WNBA's plans to honor the movement and said that honoring Black Lives Matter "undermines the potential of the sport and sends a message of exclusion" and that the organization has advocated "defunding and abolishing the police, abolishing our military, emptying our prisons, destroying the nuclear family. It promotes violence and antisemitism."[31] Her comments led some WNBA players to call for her removal from ownership.[32] In August 2020, players from the Dream and several other teams in the league wore "Vote Warnock" t-shirts in support of one of Loeffler's Democratic challengers in the special election.[33][34]

In October 2020, shortly after Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were diagnosed with COVID-19 after attending events where they closely interacted with other individuals while maskless, Loeffler blamed their contraction of the disease on China. She tweeted, "China gave this virus to our President @realDonaldTrump and First Lady @FLOTUS. WE MUST HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE."[35]

During the 2020 campaign, Loeffler touted that she had been endorsed by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a controversial candidate who had a history of racist commentary and promotion of the QAnon conspiracy theory.[36][37][38]

Tenure

Committee assignments

Loeffler serves on the following committees:[39]

Caucuses

Insider trading

On March 19, 2020, the public release of federal financial disclosure documents showed that Loeffler and her husband, chairman and CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange, a corporation that owns the New York Stock Exchange, Jeffrey Sprecher, had sold stock in companies vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic with an aggregate value of several million dollars. Loeffler denied any wrongdoing, saying the trades were made by a third-party advisor and that she learned about them only after they occurred.[40] The disclosures included that between January 24 and February 14, the couple sold between $1.275 and $3.1 million worth of stock in 27 companies, while buying stocks worth between $450,000 and $1 million, including in Citrix, a collaboration software company.[41][42]

On March 20, 2020, the government watchdog group Common Cause filed complaints with the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Senate Ethics Committee for possible violations of the STOCK Act and insider trading laws in the matter of stock sales by Loeffler and two other Republican senators, Richard Burr and Jim Inhofe, along with Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein.[43] On April 1, it was reported that Loeffler and Sprecher had sold at least $18.7 million in Intercontinental Exchange stock before the 2020 stock market crash.[44] On April 8, The Wall Street Journal reported that Loeffler and Sprecher would be selling individual stocks in an effort "to move beyond the distraction" caused by trades they made before and during the market decline caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak.[45] On May 26, the Department of Justice announced that it had closed its inquiry into Loeffler.[46]

Political positions

Loeffler describes herself as a conservative Republican.[47] She supported the reelection of President Donald Trump.[48] As of July 2020, Loeffler voted in line with Trump's stated position on legislative issues 100% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.[49] During her 2020 campaign, she touted her "100 percent Trump voting record."[2]

Loeffler opposes abortion and has said she will vote for anti-abortion legislation.[50][51][52] Although the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List initially opposed Loeffler's appointment, it endorsed her in the 2020 election.[53][54][51] Loeffler has said she supports gun owners' Second Amendment rights, constructing a border wall along the Mexico–United States border,[55] and the appointment of conservative judges to federal courts.[56] In September 2020, Loeffler introduced legislation to the Senate floor that would bar transgender girls and women from participating in girls' and women's sports.[57]

Personal life

Loeffler is a Catholic.[51]

In 2004, she married Intercontinental Exchange founder and CEO Jeffrey Sprecher.[11] They live in Tuxedo Park, Atlanta,[58] in a $10.5 million, 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) estate named Descante, bought in the most expensive residential real estate transaction ever recorded in Atlanta.[8] In August 2020, The Washington Post reported Loeffler's and Sprecher's combined net worth at $520 million, making her the wealthiest U.S. senator.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Fandos, Nicholas (November 3, 2020). "Democrat Warnock Leads Loeffler as Georgia Senate Race Heads to Runoff". The New York Times. New York City: New York Times Company.
  2. ^ a b Plott, Elaina (October 27, 2020). "Win or Lose, It's Donald Trump's Republican Party". The New York Times. New York City: New York Times Company. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Bluestein, Greg (November 18, 2019). "Georgia Senate: A high-profile executive raises her hand for Isakson's job". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Hiskey, Michelle (June 4, 2011). "Risk, hoops memories entice new Dream owner Loeffler". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  5. ^ Vlahos, Nick (July 7, 2020). "Nick in the AM: Olympia High School grad Kelly Loeffler becomes U.S. Senator". Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois: GateHouse Media. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Denery, Jim (December 2, 2019). "Who is Kelly Loeffler?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  7. ^ "LinkedIn: Kelly Loeffler". Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Lichtenstein, Jesse (March 29, 2013). "Market Movers". Atlanta. Atlanta, Georgia: Hour Media Group, LLC. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Hiskey, Michelle (June 4, 2011). "Risk, hoops memories entice new Dream owner Loeffler". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  10. ^ Giroux, Greg (December 2, 2019). "GOP Businesswoman Kelly Loeffler Appointed to Senate in Georgia". Bloomberg News. New York City: Bloomberg, L.P. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Meyer, Gregory (March 27, 2018). "ICE communications head Kelly Loeffler to step down at year's end". Financial Times. London, England: Nikkei Inc. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  12. ^ Trubey, J. Scott; Oliviero, Helena; Joyner, Chris (December 6, 2019). "Georgia's senator Kelly Loeffler: a political novice with deep pockets". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Seward, Christopher (September 4, 2011). "Atlanta Dream changes ownership". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  14. ^ Tully, Shawn (August 3, 2018). "The NYSE's Owner Wants to Bring Bitcoin to Your 401(k). Are Crypto Credit Cards Next?". Fortune. New York City: Fortune Media Group Holdings. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  15. ^ "Mary Brock And Kelly Loeffler: Running The WNBA's Atlanta Dream". Forbes. New York City: Forbes Media. September 26, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Buckner, Candace (August 29, 2020). "How politics transformed Kelly Loeffler from hoops junkie to WNBA villain". The Washington Post. Washington D.C.: Nash Holdings. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  17. ^ Lea, Brittany De (December 4, 2019). "Georgia's Kelly Loeffler and her husband have donated to Republican and Democrat candidates". FOX Business. New York City: News Corporation. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Evers-Hillstrom, Karl (December 4, 2019). "GOP Senate appointee Kelly Loeffler has extensive history of giving to Republicans – and a few Democrats". Open Secrets. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  19. ^ Montellaro, Zach (May 20, 2020). "Sen. Loeffler's husband cuts $1 million check to pro-Trump super PAC". Politico. Arlington, Virginia: Capitol News Company. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  20. ^ Markay, Lachlan (May 21, 2020). "Kelly Loeffler's Husband Pours $1 Million Into Pro-Trump Super PAC". The Daily Beast. New York City: IBT Media. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  21. ^ Schultheis, Emily (November 4, 2013). "WNBA owner passes on Senate run". Politico. Arlington, Virginia: Capitol News Company. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  22. ^ Bluestein, Greg (November 26, 2019). "In secretive trip, Georgia governor tried to sell Trump on Senate pick". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  23. ^ Bluestein, Greg (November 29, 2019). "Georgia gov expected to tap finance exec to US Senate next week". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  24. ^ Bluestein, Greg (December 4, 2019). "Kemp taps Kelly Loeffler, financial exec, to US Senate seat". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  25. ^ Mitchell, Tia (January 3, 2020). "Vice President Pence will swear Kelly Loeffler into the Senate on Monday". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  26. ^ Isenstadt, Alex (December 4, 2019). "Loeffler will cut huge check for Georgia special election". Politico. Arlington, Virginia: Capitol News Company. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  27. ^ Williams, Dave (January 27, 2020). "Georgia House bill would eliminate 'jungle primary' for Sen. Loeffler". The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta, Georgia: Morris Communication. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  28. ^ Arkin, James (January 29, 2020). "Collins launches Georgia Senate bid, setting up GOP clash". Politico. Arlington, Virginia: Capitol News Company. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  29. ^ "Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler critical of WNBA's Black Lives Matter initiative". ESPN. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020. I adamantly oppose the Black Lives Matter political movement
  30. ^ Lutz, Tom (July 22, 2020). "Senator and WNBA owner Kelly Loeffler fears for league's 'American values'". The Guardian. London, England: Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  31. ^ Bluestein, Greg; Felicien, Bria (July 7, 2020). "Loeffler opposes WNBA's plan to spread 'Black Lives Matter' message". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  32. ^ West, Jenna (July 7, 2020). "Players Call for WNBA to Remove Atlanta Dream Co-Owner Kelly Loeffler". Sports Illustrated. New York City: Authentic Brands Group.
  33. ^ Horrow, Ellen J. (August 4, 2020). "WNBA players wear shirts backing political opponent of Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler". USA Today. McLean, Virginia: Gannett. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  34. ^ Boren, Cindy (August 5, 2020). "A WNBA owner dismissed player protests. Now they're campaigning for her Senate opponent". Washington Post. Washington D.C.: Nash Holdings. Retrieved August 30, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ Bluestein, Greg (October 2, 2020). "Loeffler blames China for Trump's coronavirus diagnosis". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  36. ^ Arkin, James (October 15, 2020). "Loeffler touts endorsement from House candidate who praised QAnon conspiracy theory". Politico. Arlington, Virginia: Capitol News Company. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  37. ^ Kilgore, Ed (October 15, 2020). "Kelly Loeffler Races to Far Right With Endorsement From Marjorie Taylor Greene". Intelligencer. New York City: New York Media. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  38. ^ Bowden, John (October 15, 2020). "QAnon-promoter Marjorie Taylor Greene endorses Kelly Loeffler in Georgia Senate bid". The Hill. Washington, D.C.: Capitol Hill Publishing. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  39. ^ Mitchell, Tia (December 19, 2019). "New Senate committees for Loeffler, Perdue announced". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia: Cox Enterprises. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  40. ^ Herb, Jeremy (March 20, 2020). "Senators' stock sales under fire after coronavirus tanked markets". CNN. Atlanta, Georgia: Turner Broadcasting Systems. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  41. ^ Shortell, David; Perez, Evan; Herb, Jeremy; Scannell, Kara (March 29, 2020). "Exclusive: Justice Department reviews stock trades by lawmakers after coronavirus briefings". CNN. Atlanta, Georgia: Turner Broadcasting Systems. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  42. ^ Markey, Lachlan; Bredderman, William; Brodey, Sam (March 20, 2020). "Sen. Kelly Loeffler Dumped Millions in Stock After Coronavirus Briefing". The Daily Beast. New York City: IBT Media. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  43. ^ Mangan, Dan; Franck, Thomas (March 20, 2020). "Sen. Loeffler, NYSE owner CEO husband defend stock sales after her coronavirus briefing". CNBC. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: NBCUniversal News Group. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  44. ^ Burns, Katelyn (April 1, 2020). "Sen. Kelly Loeffler sold at least $18 million more in stocks before the coronavirus crash than previously reported". Vox. New York City: Vox Media. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  45. ^ Wise, Lindsay (April 8, 2020). "Sen. Loeffler to Divest From Stocks After Criticism for Trades Ahead of Coronavirus Market Slump". The Wall Street Journal. New York City: Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  46. ^ Lucas, Ryan (April 17, 2018). "Justice Department Closes Investigations Of 3 Senators; Burr Inquiry Continues". NPR. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  47. ^ Quinn, Melissa (December 4, 2019). "Georgia Senate pick Kelly Loeffler introduces herself as anti-impeachment and pro-Trump". CBS News. New York City: CBS Corporation. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  48. ^ Costa, Robert (December 5, 2019). "Georgia Gov. Kemp taps business executive Kelly Loeffler for Senate seat, with an emphasis on boosting Trump". The Washington Post. Washington D.C.: Nash Holdings.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  49. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron (January 30, 2017). "Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  50. ^ Levine, Marianne (January 6, 2020). "Kelly Loeffler sworn in as new Georgia senator". Politico. Arlington, Virginia: Capitol News Company. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  51. ^ a b c McCormack, John (December 3, 2019). "Why the Intra-GOP Fight over a Georgia Senate Seat Matters". National Review. New York City: National Review, Inc. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  52. ^ Lovelace, Ryan (January 9, 2020). "Kelly Loeffler works to wins over Trump, skeptical conservatives". The Washington Times. Washington D.C.: The Washington Times, LLC. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  53. ^ Lovelace, Ryan (January 2, 2020). "Pro-life Susan B. Anthony List endorses eight Republican women for Congress". The Washington Times. Washington D.C.: The Washington Times, LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  54. ^ Hellmann, Jessie (February 10, 2020). "Anti-abortion group backs Loeffler's election campaign after opposing her Senate appointment". The Hill. Washington D.C.: Capitol Hill Publishing. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  55. ^ "Kemp picks Kelly Loeffler to fill Isakson's Senate seat". The Albany Herald. Albany, New York: Southern Community Newspapers, Inc. December 4, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  56. ^ Edmondson, Catie (January 28, 2020). "For Senator Kelly Loeffler, Impeachment Is an Early Proving Ground". The New York Times. New York City: New York Times Company. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  57. ^ Raymond, Jonathan (September 25, 2020). "Sen. Loeffler introduces bill seeking to bar transgender girls from girls' sports". 11Alive.com. Atlanta, Georgia: Tegna, Inc. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  58. ^ Hirsh, Ben (October 24, 2014). "Buckhead Man Buys NYSE". buckhead.com. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kelly Loeffler.
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Georgia
2020–present
Served alongside: David Perdue 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Georgia
(Class 3)
2020 		Most recent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Senators by seniority
100th 		Last
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