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Drew Ferguson (politician)

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Drew Ferguson
Official portrait, 2021
House Republican Chief Deputy Whip
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023
LeaderKevin McCarthy
Preceded byPatrick McHenry
Succeeded byGuy Reschenthaler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byLynn Westmoreland
Personal details
Born
Anderson Drew Ferguson IV

(1966-11-15) November 15, 1966 (age 57)
Langdale, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJulie Ferguson
Children6
EducationUniversity of Georgia (BS)
Augusta University (DMD)
WebsiteHouse website
Drew Ferguson's voice
Ferguson honors Mike Yeager, the incoming U.S. Marshal for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Recorded February 25, 2019

Anderson Drew Ferguson IV[1] (born November 15, 1966) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Georgia's 3rd congressional district. The district stretches from the southern suburbs of Atlanta to the northern suburbs of Columbus, including a sliver of Columbus itself.

A member of the Republican Party, Ferguson previously served as the mayor of West Point, Georgia, a city between LaGrange and Columbus.

Early life and education

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Ferguson was born in Langdale, Alabama, in 1966[2] and graduated from the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia.[3]

Career prior to Congress

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Ferguson was a dentist with a family dental practice.[4] He served as an alderman for West Point, Georgia, and then as mayor from 2008 to 2016. He resigned in 2016 to focus on his race for the House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2016

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In 2016, Ferguson ran for the Georgia third district seat, being vacated by Republican incumbent Lynn Westmoreland. He placed in the top two in the May Republican primary and faced State Senator Mike Crane in the runoff. The two had finished within 100 votes of each other;[5] both had about 27% of the vote.[4]

In the runoff, Ferguson had the support of business-oriented Republicans, including Westmoreland.[6] The primary and its runoff were expensive and bitterly contested; Super PACs and other groups outside Georgia spent more than $2 million on the race.[7]

On July 26, Ferguson defeated Crane with 54% of the vote.[8] In the November general election, Ferguson defeated Democratic nominee Angela Pendley with 68% of the vote.[9]

2018

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In the May 2018 Republican primary, Ferguson faced Philip Singleton of Sharpsburg, a former Army helicopter pilot;[10] Ferguson won with 74% of the vote.[11]

In November, Ferguson defeated Democratic nominee Chuck Enderlin with 66% of the vote.[12]

Tenure

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Ferguson was sworn into office on January 3, 2017.

In November 2018, after he won reelection, Ferguson was appointed chief deputy whip for the House Republican Conference by House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.[13] This post is historically a stepping stone to higher posts. For example, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and House Speakers Dennis Hastert and Kevin McCarthy once served as chief deputy whip.

On May 19, 2021, Ferguson and the other seven Republican House leaders in the 117th Congress voted against establishing a national commission to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Thirty-five House Republicans and all 217 Democrats present voted to establish the commission.[14][15]

Committee assignments

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For the 118th Congress:[16]

Caucus memberships

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Political positions

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Running for election in 2016, Ferguson's main issues were securing the borders, destroying the Islamic State, strengthening the military, replacing the income tax with a flat tax, repealing Obamacare, and supporting a constitutional amendment for congressional term limits.[4] He signed on to the lawsuit seeking to overturn the result of the 2020 election, one of four Georgian representatives to do so.[19][20] The Supreme Court dismissed the suit on December 11, 2020.[21]

Texas v. Pennsylvania

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In December 2020, Ferguson was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[22] incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[23][24][25]

Abortion

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Ferguson has sponsored legislation prohibiting abortion, including H.R. 20 No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act,[26] H.R. 962 Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,[27] H.R. 784 Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,[28] H.R. 305 Sanctity of Human Life Act,[29] and H.R. 369 Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2019.[30]

LGBT rights

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In 2021, Ferguson voted against H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.[31]

In response to a 2016 American Family Association survey, Ferguson indicated on a Likert scale question that he agrees with the statement "Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with public funds."[32]

Israel

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Ferguson voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[33][34]

Controversy

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In February 2019, a representative from the American Federation of Government Employees sought an apology from Ferguson for a biography of Robert E. Lee that was on display in Ferguson's office. The AFGE representative reported that the book displayed a page that detailed Lee's pro-slavery beliefs. Ferguson's spokeswoman relayed an apology and said the book had been removed from display.[35][36]

Electoral history

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U.S. House, Georgia District 3 Republican Primary, 2016[37]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Crane 15,584 26.9
Republican Drew Ferguson 15,491 26.8
Republican Jim Pace 13,312 23.0
Republican Chip Flanegan 5,728 9.9
Republican Richard Mix 5,285 9.1
Republican Samuel Anders 1,657 2.9
Republican Arnall Thomas 812 1.4
Total votes 57,869 100.0
U.S. House, Georgia District 3 Republican Runoff Primary, 2016[38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Drew Ferguson 22,813 53.9
Republican Mike Crane 19,490 46.1
Total votes 42,303 100.0
U.S. House, Georgia District 3 General Election, 2016[39]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Drew Ferguson 207,218 68.3
Democratic Angela Pendley 95,969 31.7
Total votes 303,187 100.0
U.S. House, Georgia District 3 Republican Primary, 2018[40]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Drew Ferguson 43,381 74.4
Republican Philip Singleton 14,948 25.6
Total votes 58,329 100.0
U.S. House, Georgia District 3 General Election, 2018[41]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Drew Ferguson 191,996 65.5
Democratic Chuck Enderlin 101,010 34.5
Total votes 293,006 100.0
U.S. House, Georgia District 3 General Election, 2020[42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Drew Ferguson 241,526 65.0
Democratic Val Almonord 129,792 35.0
Total votes 371,318 100.0
U.S. House, Georgia District 3 General Election, 2022[43]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Drew Ferguson 213,524 68.75
Democratic Val Almonord 97,057 31.25
Total votes 310,581 100.0

Personal life

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Ferguson is married to his wife, Julie Ferguson.[44] They have six children.

References

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  1. ^ "How KIA Came To Georgia - Georgia Trend". www.georgiatrend.com. August 2009.
  2. ^ "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). Roll Call. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  3. ^ "The Citizen Q&A — West Point Mayor Ferguson seeks 3rd District seat". The Citizen (Fayette Publishing). March 16, 2016. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Leopold, Vicki (July 14, 2016). "Conservative Showdown for Congress in 3rd". Atlanta Jewish Times. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  5. ^ Hallerman, Tamar (July 26, 2016). "Chamber of Commerce-backed Drew Ferguson wins 3rd District GOP runoff". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  6. ^ Hallerman, Tamar (January 3, 2017). "Drew Ferguson sworn in as Georgia's newest member of Congress". ajc. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  7. ^ Hallerman, Tamar (July 25, 2016). "Swamping west Georgia: Groups spend $2.1 million on U.S. House race". ajc. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  8. ^ "GA - Election Results". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "Georgia U.S. House 3rd District Results: Drew Ferguson Wins". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  10. ^ Sones, Aaron (March 14, 2018). "Army Vet To Take On Ferguson". Gradick Communications LLC (WLLB Local News). Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  11. ^ "Georgia Primary Election Results: Third House District". The New York Times. May 29, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  12. ^ Wright, Ben (November 6, 2018). "U.S. Reps. Bishop and Ferguson win big in re-election to Congress". Columbus Ledger-Inquirer.
  13. ^ Byrnes, Jesse (November 27, 2018). "Scalise taps Rep. Drew Ferguson to serve as House GOP deputy whip". The Hill. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  14. ^ Roll Call 154 Bill Number: H. R. 3233 117th Congress, 1st Session, United States House of Representatives, May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  15. ^ How Republicans voted on a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Washington Post, May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  16. ^ "A. Drew Ferguson IV". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  17. ^ "Members". U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  18. ^ "Member List". House of Representatives. Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  19. ^ "Most GOP U.S. House members back Texas suit casting election doubt".
  20. ^ "After Trump Loss, Georgia Republicans Attack Voting Systems They Enacted". December 11, 2020.
  21. ^ "Supreme Court rejects Texas-led lawsuit to overturn election results". December 11, 2020.
  22. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  23. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  24. ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  25. ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  26. ^ Smith, Christopher H. (February 25, 2019). "Cosponsors - H.R.20 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2019". www.congress.gov. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  27. ^ Wagner, Ann (March 22, 2019). "Cosponsors - H.R.962 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  28. ^ Smith, Christopher H. (March 5, 2019). "Cosponsors - H.R.784 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  29. ^ Hice, Jody B. (January 8, 2019). "Cosponsors - H.R.305 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Sanctity of Human Life Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  30. ^ Hartzler, Vicky (January 31, 2019). "Cosponsors - H.R.369 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2019". www.congress.gov. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  31. ^ "Roll Call 39, Bill Number: H. R. 5, 117th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. February 25, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  32. ^ "Public Notes on 16AFA_Q3B". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ 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)
  35. ^ Thebault, Reis. "A Confederate book was open to a racist passage in a GOP congressman's office. He blamed his staff". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  36. ^ Kauffman, Tim. "Federal Employee Union Demands Apology from Rep. Ferguson Over Racially Offensive Office Display". www.afge.org. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  37. ^ "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election May 24, 2016". Georgia Election Results. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  38. ^ "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Runoff July 26, 2016". Georgia Election Results. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  39. ^ "General Election November 8, 2016". Georgia Election Results. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  40. ^ "May 22, 2018 General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election". Georgia Secretary of State Brian P. Kemp. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  41. ^ "November 6, 2018 General Election". Georgia Secretary of State Robyn A. Crittenden. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  42. ^ "November 3, 2020 General Election". Georgia Secretary of State BRAD RAFFENSPERGER. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  43. ^ "November 8, 2022 General Election". Georgia Secretary of State BRAD RAFFENSPERGER. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  44. ^ "Biography". Drew Ferguson.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 3rd congressional district
2017–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by House Republican Chief Deputy Whip
2019–2023 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
196th 		Succeeded by
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