Ralph Abraham (politician)
| Ralph Abraham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th district | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Vance McAllister |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 16, 1954 Monroe, Louisiana, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Dianne Abraham |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Mangham, Richland Parish Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Louisiana State University Louisiana State University School of Medicine |
| Occupation | Physician Former veterinarian |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Mississippi National Guard |
Ralph Lee Abraham (born September 16, 1954)[1] is an American physician and former veterinarian from Mangham, Louisiana, who won election on December 6, 2014, as a Republican to represent Louisiana's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.[2] He defeated his Democratic opponent, Mayor Jamie Mayo of Monroe, by a margin of 134,612 votes (64.2 percent) to 75,004 (35.8 percent).[3]
Abraham has served in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Mississippi National Guard. Abraham and his wife, Dianne, have three children. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and the Louisiana State University School of Medicine.[4]
In his debate with opponent Mayo, Abraham recalled that he developed his medical practice "from a little trailer. ... You should come to my practice in Mangham on a daily basis and I can show you the debacle of the Obamacare law ... As a practicing physician, right now, it's not working and it's even dangerous. ... When there is a wrong, we stand up and correct it. When we don't, we become just another socialist country. We've got to get back to fiscal responsibility."[5]Mayo dismissed Abraham as a "multimillionaire" and endorsed the expansion of the Medicaid program to incorporate more of the working poor. Abraham replied, "You would think if I've made millions of dollars from [Medicaid], then I would be for it. To expand Medicaid would take in 500,000-plus people. What the Obama administration won't tell you is that 260,000 of those would be moved from private insurance groups."[5]
Regarding illegal immigration, Abraham said that he stands for "No amnesty (and) seal the borders. For those illegals, 5 million-plus now, ... we don't know who they are, what they are, or who they represent. No amnesty, seal the border."[5]
After his election, Abraham announced that Luke J. Letlow, his campaign manager, will become his chief of staff in January.[6]
References
- ↑ "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). Roll Call. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
- ↑ "NELA Doctor Running for Congress". myarklamiss.com. May 30, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Runoff election returns, December 6, 2014". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
- ↑ Greg Hilburn (November 22, 2014). "Abraham: ‘We remained consistent and persistent’". The Monroe News-Star. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Kaleb Causey (November 20, 2014). "Mayo, Abraham face off in 5th District debate". The Monroe News-Star. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ↑ Greg Hilburn (December 10, 2014). "Letlow named Abraham’s chief of staff". Monroe News-Star. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
External links
- Official House website
- Ralph Abraham for Congress
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Project Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vance McAllister |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th congressional district January 3, 2015 – present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by Frank Guinta R-New Hampshire | United States Representatives by seniority 377th |
Succeeded by Pete Aguilar D-California |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
