Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 20th district | |
Assumed office January 18, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Alcee Hastings |
Personal details | |
Born | Sheila Cherfilus January 25, 1979 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 ( SHUR-fill-əss; born January 25, 1979) 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.
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. 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.
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.
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. She lost, 73.6%–26.4%.
2020
Cherfilus-McCormick challenged Hastings again in 2020. She noted various ethics concerns facing Hastings and his health as reasons for running. She lost the August 18 primary, 69.3%–30.7%.
2022 special
After Hastings died on April 6, 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick ran again in the 20th district in the 2022 special election. During the campaign, she loaned $3.7 million to her campaign organization. She campaigned on progressive policies such as a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and a $1,000-a-month universal basic income. Her campaign was supported by Brand New Congress, a progressive organization that also backed candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib.
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. She is the only Haitian-American Democrat ever elected to Congress and only the second overall, after Republican Mia Love of Utah.
2022 regular election
Following her narrow margin of victory in the special election, Cherfilus-McCormick was again challenged by Holness for the regular election. Cherfilus-McCormick handily defeated Holness in the August Democratic primary, 66%-27% with another 6% going to Anika Omphroy. 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:
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on Africa
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Caucus memberships
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. Cherfilus-McCormick voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
Personal life
Cherfilus-McCormick married lawyer Corlie McCormick in 2017 and lives in Miramar, Florida.
Cherfilus-McCormick is Protestant.
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 |