Summary
Current: US Representative of TX District 7 since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
District: a small area of southwestern Houston and Harris County, along with a northern portion of suburban Fort Bend County.
Next Election:
History: Fletcher left Texas to attend Kenyon College in Ohio, where she earned Phi Beta Kappa honors, and attended William & Mary Law School in Virginia. She returned to Houston, where she worked for the law firm Vinson & Elkins and later at Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing and became the firm’s first female law partner.
Featured Video: Who Is Lizzie Fletcher? Democrat Gives Two-Minute ‘Elevator Pitch’ For Congress (TX 7th District)
OnAir Post: Lizzie Fletcher TX-07
News
About
Source: Government page
Lizzie Fletcher represents Texas’ Seventh Congressional District, in the greater Houston area. Located entirely within Harris County, the district includes residents of Houston, Bellaire, Bunker Hill Village, Hedwig Village, Hilshire Village, Hunters Creek Village, Jersey Village, Piney Point Village, Southside Place, Spring Valley Village, West University Place, and unincorporated Harris County west to Katy.
A resident of Houston and Congressional District 7 nearly all of her life, Congresswoman Fletcher was elected to represent the district in 2018. Prior to her election, she represented Houstonians in the courtroom as a lawyer on a wide range of matters, first at an international law firm headquartered in Houston and later at a boutique litigation firm, where she became its first woman partner.
Congresswoman Fletcher graduated from Kenyon College in Ohio in 1997, where she earned highest honors in History and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After college, she worked in the business and non-profit sectors for six years before attending William & Mary Law School in Virginia. At William & Mary, she was the editor-in-chief of the William & Mary Law Review and received the Gambrell Professionalism Award when she graduated in 2006.
Personal
Full Name: Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Pannill Fletcher
Gender: Female
Family: Husband: Scott; 2 Stepchildren
Birth Date: 02/13/1975
Birth Place: Houston, TX
Home City: Houston, TX
Religion: Methodist
Source: Vote Smart
Education
JD, William & Mary Law School, 2003-2006
AB, History, Kenyon College, 1993-1997
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, Texas, District 7, 2019-present
Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Texas, District 7, 2024
Professional Experience
Partner, Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing Professional Corporation (AZA), 2015-present
Associate, Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing Professional Corporation (AZA), 2009-2015
Associate, Vinson & Elkins, 2006-2009
Special Projects Director, Alley Theatre, 1999-2003
Conference Manager, Bear Stearns, 1997-1999
Offices
Washington, DC Office
119 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2571
Houston, TX Office
5599 San Felipe Road Suite 950
Houston, TX 77056
(713) 353-8680
Contact
Email: Government
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Finances
Source: Open Secrets
Committees
Committee Assignments:
- House Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
Caucuses:
Partial List
- New Democrat Coalition
- Trade Task Force, Chair
- Pro-Choice Caucus, Whip
- LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, Vice Chair
- Access to Legal Aid Caucus
- Animal Protection Caucus
- Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Black Maternal Health Caucus
- Energy Export Caucus
- Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
- Oceans Caucus
- Oil and Gas Caucus
- PFAS Task Force
- PORTS Caucus
- Small Business Caucus
- Task Force for Combating Antisemitism
- Venezuela Democracy Caucus
- New Democrat Coalition
New Legislation
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
District
Source: Wikipedia
Texas’s 7th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives comprises a small area of southwestern Houston and Harris County, along with a northern portion of suburban Fort Bend County. As of the 2000 census, the 7th district comprises 651,620 people. Since 2019, it has been represented by Democrat Lizzie Fletcher.
Before 2022, the district was largely viewed as a wealthy, traditionally Republican district covering much of western Houston and surrounding suburbs. The district’s best known congressman was George H. W. Bush, who later became the 41st president of the United States and retired to the district after his presidency
Wikipedia
Elizabeth Ann Fletcher[1] (née Pannill; born February 13, 1975) is an American attorney and politician from Texas. A Democrat, she has represented Texas’s 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2018. The district includes much of western Houston.
Early life and education
Fletcher was born at Hermann Hospital in Houston on February 13, 1975.[2][3] She grew up in the River Oaks neighborhood of Houston and graduated from St. John’s School.[4]
Fletcher left Texas to attend Kenyon College in Ohio, where she earned Phi Beta Kappa honors, and attended William & Mary Law School in Virginia.[2]
She returned to Houston, where she worked for the law firm Vinson & Elkins, where she met her husband, Scott.[5][6] Later, she worked at Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing and became the firm’s first female law partner.[2][7]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018
Fletcher defeated Laura Moser in the Democratic Party primary election after a primary and runoff election that sharply divided Democrats between Fletcher (backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) and Moser (backed by Our Revolution).[8][9]
In the November 6 general election, Fletcher campaigned as a moderate against nine-term Republican incumbent John Culberson, defeating him by five percentage points (52.5% to 47.5%).[10][11] Culberson carried his longstanding base of west Houston, parts of which he had represented for three decades at the state and federal levels, and the Memorial area, but could not overcome Fletcher’s strong performance in the district’s share of southwest Houston and the Bear Creek area.
Upon her swearing-in on January 3, 2019, Fletcher became the first Democrat and woman to represent the district since its creation in 1967.[11]
2020
Fletcher was reelected with 50.8% of the vote to Republican nominee Wesley Hunt‘s 47.5%.[12] Despite winning by a smaller margin than 2018, she held down-ballot drop-off voting to less than 4% from top-ballot candidate Joe Biden, who carried the district with 54% of the vote.[citation needed]
2022
Fletcher was reelected with 63.7% of the vote to Republican nominee Johnny Teague’s 36.21%.[13] She benefited from the 2020 congressional redistricting that shifted her district from a margin of 8.5 percentage points for Democrats to a 30-point margin.[14]
Tenure
As of August 2023, Fletcher had voted in line with Joe Biden‘s stated position 99% of the time.[15]
In 2022, Fletcher was one of 16 Democrats to vote against the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[16][17]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- New Democrat Coalition[20]
- Task Force on Trade (co-chair)
- Health Care Task Force
- Natural Gas Caucus (co-chair)
- Anti-Semitism Caucus
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Black Maternal Health Caucus
- Diabetes Caucus
- Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
- Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
- National Corrosion Caucus
- Oil and Gas Caucus
- Pro-Choice Caucus
- Small Brewers Caucus
- Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
- U.S.-Japan Caucus
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lizzie Fletcher | 9,731 | 29.3 | |
| Democratic | Laura Moser | 8,077 | 24.4 | |
| Democratic | Jason Westin | 6,364 | 19.2 | |
| Democratic | Alex Triantaphyllis | 5,219 | 15.7 | |
| Democratic | Ivan Sanchez | 1,890 | 5.7 | |
| Democratic | Joshua Butler | 1,245 | 3.7 | |
| Democratic | James Cargas | 650 | 2.0 | |
| Total votes | 33,176 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lizzie Fletcher | 11,423 | 67.1 | |
| Democratic | Laura Moser | 5,605 | 32.9 | |
| Total votes | 17,028 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lizzie Fletcher | 127,959 | 52.5 | |
| Republican | John Culberson (incumbent) | 115,642 | 47.5 | |
| Total votes | 243,601 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lizzie Fletcher (incumbent) | 159,529 | 50.8 | |
| Republican | Wesley Hunt | 149,054 | 47.4 | |
| Libertarian | Shawn Kelly | 5,542 | 1.8 | |
| Total votes | 314,125 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lizzie Fletcher (incumbent) | 115,994 | 63.7 | |
| Republican | Johnny Teague | 65,835 | 36.2 | |
| Total votes | 181,929 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Personal life
Fletcher is the sister of Katherine Center.[24] She met her husband, Scott, at the law firm where they both worked.[6]
See also
References
- ^ “William and Mary Law Review Staff, 2004-2005” (PDF). Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c “Texas New Members 2019”. The Hill. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
A Houston native, Fletcher grew up in the district before heading to Ohio to attend Kenyon College, where she was in the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa. She later attended William & Mary Law School.
- ^ “Meet Lizzie Fletcher | Lizzie Pannill Fletcher | U.S. Congress | Texas 7th Congressional District”. Lizziefletcher.com. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ Abby Livingston (May 24, 2018). “Lizzie Pannill Fletcher’s bid against U.S. Rep. John Culberson emerging as major fall fight”. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ “In this Texas district, the Democrats seem serious about winning”. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ a b Elaina Plott (September 2, 2018). “Democrats Hope to Flip Houston’s Seventh House District”. The Atlantic. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ Andrew Edmonson (October 5, 2018). “War for the West – OutSmart Magazine”. Outsmartmagazine.com. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ Sullivan, Sean; Weigel, Dave (May 23, 2018). “Lizzie Fletcher defeats Laura Moser in bitter Democratic primary in Texas”. Washington Post. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
Moser still made it into a runoff against Fletcher but was unable to build momentum during the next two months.
- ^ Livingston, Abby (May 24, 2018). “With primary behind her, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher’s bid against U.S. Rep. John Culberson emerging as major midterm fight for fall”. Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
Moser placed second behind Fletcher out of seven candidates in the March primary but lost badly to Fletcher in a runoff Tuesday night…But while Moser ran a spirited campaign against Fletcher, she conceded the race quickly and graciously and pledged to back Fletcher’s bid.
- ^ Edgar Walters & Kathryn Lundstrom (November 6, 2018). “Democrat Lizzie Fletcher defeats Texas GOP Congressman John Culberson”. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ a b Scherer, Jasper (November 7, 2018). “Lizzie Fletcher looks to legislate the way she won: in moderation”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
When Fletcher unseated Culberson Tuesday night by a relatively comfortable five points, however, she did so behind a Houston-centric campaign that emphasized her local roots and pulled in right-leaning independents and disillusioned Republicans. Now, having flipped a seat controlled for the last 52 years by Republicans, Fletcher heads to Washington with a target on her back, but also a desire to legislate with the same moderate approach she used to build her campaign.
- ^ “Rep. Lizzie Fletcher wins 2nd term in Texas’ District 7 race”. November 3, 2020.
- ^ “Lizzie Fletcher re-elected U.S. House Representative for Texas’s 7th District”. November 8, 2022.
- ^ Corasaniti, Nick; Koeze, Ella; Lu, Denise (October 3, 2021). “How Texas Plans to Make Its House Districts Even Redder”. The New York Times.
- ^ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (August 31, 2023). “Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?”. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
- ^ “House passes antitrust bill that hikes M&A fees as larger efforts targeting tech have stalled”. CNBC. September 29, 2022.
- ^ “H.R. 3843: Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022 — House Vote #460 — Sep 29, 2022”.
- ^ “Committees and Caucuses”. U.S. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ “Rep. Lizzie Fletcher”. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ “Leadership | New Democrat Coalition”. newdemocratcoalition.house.gov. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ “Committees and Caucuses”. Lizzie. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
- ^ “2018 Primary Election Official Results”. Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ “Texas Election Results”. Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- ^ @katherinecenter (May 12, 2017). “NYT bestselling author Katherine Center on Twitter: “Totally in awe of my little sister, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, who just announced she is running for Congress in Texas”“ (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ “Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress” (PDF). PEW Research Center. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
External links
- Congresswoman Lizzie Pannill Fletcher official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- 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
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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