Ralph Abraham (politician)
| Ralph Lee Abraham, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th district | |
|
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 | Three children |
| Parents | Ralph Lee and Marlene Posey Abraham |
| Residence |
Mangham, Richland Parish Louisiana |
| Alma mater |
Louisiana State University Louisiana State University School of Medicine |
| Occupation | Former veterinarian |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch |
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Mississippi National Guard |
Ralph Lee Abraham, Jr. (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]
Background
Abraham is the son of the former Marlene Posey (1932-2015), a retired educator, who died in West Monroe, Louisiana, in the summer of 2015 at the age of eighty-three.[4] She is interred at the Alto Baptist Church Cemetery in Alto in Richland Parish,[5] alongside her husband, Ralph Abraham, Sr., (1933-1980).[6]
Abraham has served in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Mississippi National Guard.He 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, location not specified, either New Orleans or Shreveport.[7]
U.S. House of Representatives
Tenure
Rep. Abraham was sworn into office in the 114th United States Congress on January 3, 2015.
After his election, Abraham announced that Luke J. Letlow, his campaign manager, will become his chief of staff in January.[8]
Committee assignments
Political positions
In his debate with opponent Jamie 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."[9] 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."[9]
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."[9]
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 (July 29, 2015). "Congressman Abraham’s mother, 83, dies". The Monroe News-Star. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Marlene Posey Abraham". The Monroe News-Star. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Ralph Lee Abraham". findagrave.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ Greg Hilburn (November 22, 2014). "Abraham: ‘We remained consistent and persistent’". The Monroe News-Star. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ↑ Greg Hilburn (December 10, 2014). "Letlow named Abraham’s chief of staff". The Monroe News-Star. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- 1 2 3 Kaleb Causey (November 20, 2014). "Mayo, Abraham face off in 5th District debate". The Monroe News-Star. Retrieved December 13, 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 |
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