| Michael Burgess | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 26th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Richard Armey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 23, 1950 Rochester, Minnesota |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Laura Burgess |
| Residence | Lewisville, Texas |
| Alma mater | University of North Texas, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston |
| Occupation | Obstetrician |
| Religion | Reformed Episcopal Church[1] |
Michael Clifton Burgess, (born December 23, 1950) is the U.S. Representative for Texas's 26th congressional district, serving since 2003, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus.
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Burgess was born on December 23, 1950 in Rochester, Minnesota to Harry Meredith Burgess and Norma Crowhurst. He graduated from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in 1972 and graduated from the medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1977. He completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas.[2]
Burgess, who had never held any public office and voted in the Democratic primaries in 1990, 1992, and 1994,[3] entered in the 2002 Republican primary election to replace U.S. Congressman and House Majority Leader Richard Armey. The district, comprising the majority of Denton County, was strongly Republican.
Using the campaign slogan "My dad is NOT Dick Armey",[3] and with the endorsement of multiple medical Political Action Committees and the support of organizations like the National Beer Wholesalers Association,[4] Burgess took second place in the primary behind Congressman Armey's son, finishing with 23% of the vote to Armey's 45%. Armey's failure to capture a 50% majority led to a runoff election. Before the runoff, the left-leaning Dallas Morning News released a series of articles alleging that Armey used his influence as a judge to procure county jobs and contracts for his friends. Although false, the report strongly hurt his campaign and Burgess won the runoff by a 55% to 45% margin.
Burgess went on to win the general election and has subsequently won reelection four times, most recently against Democrat Neil Durrance.
Burgess is one of nine medical doctors in Congress, and one of seven in the House of Representatives. He served as a campaign surrogate for Sen. John McCain during McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. He is active in the health care reform debate. During the 111th United States Congress, he chaired the Congressional Health Care caucus. In May 2009, Congressional Quarterly noted that Congressman Burgess had "become a prominent voice on health care issues." [5]
On August 9, 2011, Burgess met with a Tea Party group in Keller, Texas to discuss his recent vote to raise the debt ceiling. When a constituent asked if the House of Representatives was considering impeaching President Barack Obama, Burgess responded "It needs to happen, and I agree with you it would tie things up... No question about that."[6]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dick Armey |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 26th congressional district 2003–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Jo Bonner R-Alabama |
United States Representatives by seniority 200th |
Succeeded by Dennis Cardoza D-California |