Cathy McMorris

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Cathy McMorris

United States Representative from Washington's 5th district
In office 2005 - present
Preceded by	George Nethercutt
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	May 22, 1969 Salem, Oregon
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Brian Rodgers ^[1]
Religion	Christian ^[2]

Fifth Congressional District of Washington

Cathy Anne McMorris is a Republican politician. She was born in Salem, Oregon on May 22, 1969.

She has represented the 5th Congressional District of Washington in the United States House of Representatives since January 2005. McMorris defeated Democrat Don Barbieri in the 2004 Congressional elections and in 2006 defeated Democratic rancher Dr. Peter Goldmark.

1 Biography
2 Politics
- 2.1 State Representative
3 Controversy and criticism
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Biography

McMorris was born and raised on a farm and worked in the family-owned business, Peachcrest Fruit Basket, for 13 years^[3]. In 1990 she earned a BA in Pre-Law from Pensacola Christian College^[4] (an unaccredited school^[5] ). In 2002 she received an Executive MBA from the University of Washington ^[6].

On August 5, 2006, Cathy McMorris married Brian Rodgers, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and a Spokane, Washington native.^[7]

McMorris was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on January 4, 2005, representing Washington's 5th Congressional District. Her stated priorities include economic growth and job creation; access to quality, affordable health care; and keeping our nation and communities safe. She currently serves on the Armed Services Committee, Resources Committee, the Education and Workforce Committee, and the Speaker’s High-Tech Working Group. McMorris is also serving as the Freshman Class representative on the Steering Committee and on the Republican Whip Team.

In the U.S. Congress, McMorris has already been given leadership opportunities. She was selected to serve as the Chairwoman of the National Task Force on Improving the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). She has overseen the NEPA hearings across the country, reviewing the current implementation of the Act. It has been her goal to improve the process to protect our environment through sound decision-making. NEPA has broad economic impacts through permitting and study requirements for transportation, public works projects, important oil and gas development, healthy forests, mining, grazing and other federal projects.

In 2004 McMorris received 59.7% of the vote in an open seat. During her campaign, she gained endorsements from the Washington State Law Enforcement Association, the Washington State Farm Bureau, the Association of Washington Businesses, the Western Fish & Wildlife Federation, the Washington Property Rights Alliance, and Associated Builders and Contractors, among others.

Prior to being elected to Congress, McMorris served as the 7th district State Representative, eventually being elected by her peers to serve as the House Republican leader, the top leadership post for the House Republicans. She was the first woman to lead a caucus in the House, and the youngest since World War II.

McMorris was born and raised on a farm. Her family owned and operated their orchard and fruit stand for 13 years until selling in 1997. She has one brother, Jeff McMorris, who served as her campaign manager in 2004. She currently lives in Stevens County, Washington. She enjoys playing the piano, swimming, and reading American history. McMorris says she lives by former President Ronald Reagan's motto: "There's no limit to what a person can do or where one can go if one doesn't mind who gets the credit."^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Politics

[edit] State Representative

1994-2004 Washington State House Representative, 7th District.[1]. From 2002-2003, she served as the House Republican leader[2]. She chaired the House Commerce and Labor Committee, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, and the State Government Committee.[3].

[edit] Controversy and criticism

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who faces felony charges for money laundering campaign finances, helped finance McMorris's campaign with a $5000 from ARMPAC, DeLay's political action committee.^[8]^[9]

The Goldmark campaign says McMorris received $2,500 from former Congressman Bob Ney who recently plead guilty to bribery.^[10]