John Ratcliffe (American politician)

John Ratcliffe
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 4th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Preceded by Ralph Hall
U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Texas
In office
February 2007 – July 2008
Chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security for the Eastern District of Texas
In office
2004–2007
Mayor of Heath, Texas
In office
May 2004 – May 2012
Personal details
Born John Lee Ratcliffe[1]
(1965-10-20) October 20, 1965
Mount Prospect, Illinois, U.S.
Political party Republican
Residence Heath, Texas
Alma mater University of Notre Dame (B.A.)
Southern Methodist University (J.D.)
Occupation Attorney
Religion Roman catholicism[2]
Website http://www.ratcliffe.house.gov

John Lee Ratcliffe (born October 20, 1965) is an American politician who serves as the Congressman for Texas's 4th congressional district. The district stretches from the outer eastern suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to Texarkana, and includes Sherman, Bonham, Denison and Rockwall

He defeated 17-term incumbent Ralph Hall, who was the oldest member of Congress at the time, in the runoff primary election on May 27, 2014. Ratcliffe was unopposed in the November 4, 2014 general election and was sworn in as a member of the 114th United States Congress on January 6, 2015.

Says FreedomWorks of Ratcliffe's conservative principles, "After just a year of governance, few have delivered on those ideas the way that Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) has, never failing to put his legislation where his mouth is." [3]

The Dallas Morning News cites Ratcliffe's solutions-oriented record saying that, "U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe’s first term in Washington proves that freshman lawmakers can be players of consequence in Congress." [4]

Early life, education, and early career

Ratcliffe was born the youngest of six children. Both of his parents were teachers.[5] In 1987, Ratcliffe graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in Government and International Studies. He earned his J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 1989.[6]

He is board certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He has served as Adjunct Professor of Law at various law schools, including SMU and Texas Wesleyan University. Between 2004–2012, he was elected to four consecutive terms as mayor of Heath, Texas.[7]

Bush administration

In 2004, Republican President George W. Bush appointed Ratcliffe to be Chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security for the Eastern District of Texas in the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2007, he was appointed United States Attorney of the Eastern District of Texas. It covered 33,000 square miles, including almost all of the 4th Congressional District. He managed 100 federal prosecutors, 6 district offices, and a $12 million budget allocated by the DOJ. On April 16, 2008, “Operation Plymouth Rock” led to the successful prosecution of hundreds of illegal aliens who unlawfully gained employment, which resulted in a $4.5 million criminal penalty.[6] Following his public service, he went back into private law practice, becoming a partner with the Ashcroft Law Firm, LLC. He served as an aide to Mitt Romney as part of a transition team established before the 2012 elections for vetting potential government appointees.[8]

U.S. Representative

2014 congressional election

Ratcliffe decided to run in the Republican primary against 17-term incumbent Congressman Ralph Hall of Texas's 4th congressional district. At 91 years old, Hall was the oldest member of Congress and the oldest person ever to serve in the House of Representatives. The Dallas Morning News wrote that Ratcliffe was Hall's "most serious political challenge in years."[9] In a primary where Hall had begun to look increasingly vulnerable, Ratcliffe received the endorsement of the Dallas Morning News which applauded Hall's long record of public service but cited Ratcliffe's "impressive credentials" and the need for "new ideas and fresh energy."[10] No Democrat even filed, for the 4th is so heavily Republican that any Democratic candidate would have faced nearly impossible odds. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+25, it is the fifth most Republican district in Texas and tied for the 13th most Republican district in the nation.

In the March 4 primary, Ratcliffe finished second with 29 percent of the vote, behind Hall's 45 percent. However, since Hall came up short of a majority, a runoff was forced on May 27. Ratcliffe was subsequently endorsed by the Tea Party Express, the Senate Conservatives Fund, and Club For Growth. Hall was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, former Congressman Ron Paul, congresswoman Michele Bachmann, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.[11]

In the May 27 runoff, Ratcliffe defeated Hall with 53 percent of the vote to Hall's 47 percent. Ratcliffe won 11 of the district's 18 counties, including the four largest (Grayson, Rockwall, Hunt and Lamar).

John Ratcliffe during an interview with KETR in February 2015

Although it is very rare in any event for a primary challenger to defeat a sitting congressman, Ratcliffe's victory was historic as it marked the first time that a sitting Republican congressman in Texas had been ousted in a primary. Incumbents had previously been successful in all 257 attempts.[12] Hall's defeat was also the first by an incumbent member of Congress in the 2014 election cycle. Ratcliffe was sworn in as a member of the 114th United States Congress on January 6, 2015. He is just the fourth person to represent the district since it was created in 1903.

Tenure

Ratcliffe serves on the Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security Committee. He is also the Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity. He was named to the Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel.[13]

Ratcliffe is an active member of Senator Mike Lee's Article 1 Project - a select coalition of conservatives working to restore the constitutional authority of Congress and stopping executive overreach. [14]

FreedomWorks recognized Ratcliffe as its April, 2016 Congressman of the Month with the following endorsement:

"After just a year of governance, few have delivered on those ideas the way that Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) has, never failing to put his legislation where his mouth is, winning FreedomWorks’ FreedomFighter Award with a first-year score of 95 percent on the FreedomWorks Congressional Scorecard.

The most important project Ratcliffe has attached himself to is the Article I Project, designed to restore Congress’ constitutional authority and rein in an out of control executive branch... Ratcliffe is the primary sponsor of its first official piece of legislation.

For coming to Washington with fire in his belly and an eagerness to get big things done, we’re proud to name Rep. John Ratcliffe FreedomWorks’ Congressman of the Month for April, 2016!"

2016 House election

During his primary campaign for a second term, Ratcliffe received the endorsement of Senator Ted Cruz who stated: “John Ratcliffe is the kind of rock solid conservative that Congress needs and I’m proud to endorse him for reelection. John has quickly built a strong record of fighting for taxpayers by pushing for a balanced budget, opposing increases in the national debt limit, and working to defund the President’s illegal and unconstitutional executive amnesty. John has kept his promise to defend our Constitution and to protect the East Texas values of faith, life, and personal liberty that make America great. I urge the voters in Texas’ fourth congressional district to support my friend, John Ratcliffe.” [15]

On March 1st, 2016 Ratcliffe easily defeated two primary challengers by earning 68% percent of the vote total. He finished 47 percentage points ahead of the second place finisher. Ratcliffe faces no Democratic opponent in the general election.

Personal life

Ratcliffe and his wife, Michele, reside in Heath, Texas, with their two daughters.

References

  1. ↑ State Bar of Texas
  2. ↑ "US Representative John Ratcliffe (Republican Party) – Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce". capecoralvoice.com.
  3. ↑ "FreedomWorks Congressman of the Month". FreedomWorks. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Editorial: We recommend John Ratcliffe in GOP race for 4th Congressional District". Dallas News. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  5. ↑ "John’s Story". Ratcliffe for Congress. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "John Ratcliffe". LinkedIn. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  7. ↑ "John Ratcliffe". The Ashcroft Group. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  8. ↑ O'Keefe, Ed (May 27, 2014). "Rep. Ralph Hall defeated by John Ratcliffe". Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  9. ↑ Gillman, Todd (December 9, 2013). "Ex-US Attorney John Ratcliffe files against Ralph Hall". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Editorial: We recommend Ratcliffe in the 4th Congressional District’s GOP primary". Dallas Morning News. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  11. ↑ DelReal, Jose (May 27, 2014). "Ralph Hall loses Texas GOP runoff". Politico. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  12. ↑ Kecseg, Ross (May 29, 2014). "Ralph Hall Makes History…Will Texans Take Notice?". Empower Texans. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  13. ↑ Ratcliffe Named to Task Force On Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel, Press Release, ratcliffe.house.gov
  14. ↑ "Mike Lee Bids to Reclaim Congressional Power from the Executive". National Review. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  15. ↑ http://www.http://ratcliffeforcongress.com/uncategorized/ted-cruz-endorses-john-ratcliffe-for-re-election-2/#content. Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Ralph Hall		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 4th congressional district
January 3, 2015 – present 		Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Bruce Poliquin
R-Maine 		United States Representatives by seniority
418th 		Succeeded by
Kathleen Rice
D-New York
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