Angie Craig
Angela Dawn Craig (born February 14, 1972) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 2nd congressional district since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated incumbent Republican Jason Lewis in the 2018 election.[1] The district includes most of the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Burnsville, Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, Apple Valley and Savage.
Angie Craig | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 2nd district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Jason Lewis |
Personal details | |
Born | Angela Dawn Craig February 14, 1972 West Helena, Arkansas, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Cheryl Greene |
Children | 4 |
Education | University of Memphis (BA) |
Website |
Early life and career
Craig was born in West Helena, Arkansas, in 1972.[2][3] She graduated from Nettleton High School in Jonesboro, Arkansas,[4] and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Memphis.[5]
After college, Craig interned at The Commercial Appeal and became a full-time reporter.[6] She moved to London, England from 2002 through 2005,[3][7] and worked at St. Jude Medical in human resources and communications from 2005 through 2017.[8][9][10]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2016 general election
In the 2016 elections, Craig ran for the United States House of Representatives in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district.[11] She announced her candidacy before Republican incumbent John Kline announced his retirement.[9] She faced no opposition in the Democratic primary. In the general election, she faced former conservative talk show host Jason Lewis.[11] She lost by fewer than 7,000 votes.
2018 general election
Craig sought a rematch with Lewis in the 2018 elections.[8] As in 2016, Craig ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She defeated Lewis, becoming the first openly lesbian mother to be elected to Congress, the first woman to be elected in Minnesota's 2nd district, and the first openly gay person elected to Congress from Minnesota.[12][13] Craig received 52.6% of the vote, winning three of the six counties in the district.[14][15]
When she took office in January 2019, she became the first Democrat to represent Minnesota's 2nd district since it assumed its current configuration as a south suburban district in 2003.
Tenure
According to the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, Craig held a Bipartisan Index Score of 0.3 in the 116th United States Congress for 2019, which placed her 114th out of 435 members.[16] Based on FiveThirtyEight's congressional vote tracker at ABC News, Craig voted with Donald Trump's stated public policy positions 5.5% of the time,[17] which ranked her below average in the 116th United States Congress when predictive scoring (district partisanship and voting record) is used.[18]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Committee on Small Business
- Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship
- Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations
Caucus memberships
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | Angie Craig | 15,155 | 100.0 | |
Total votes | 15,155 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jason Lewis | 173,970 | 46.9 | |
Democratic (DFL) | Angie Craig | 167,315 | 45.2 | |
Independence | Paula Overby | 28,869 | 7.8 | |
n/a | Write-ins | 360 | 0.1 | |
Total votes | 370,514 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | Angie Craig | 177,958 | 52.7 | |
Republican | Jason Lewis (incumbent) | 159,344 | 47.1 | |
n/a | Write-ins | 666 | 0.2 | |
Total votes | 337,968 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican | ||||
Personal life
Craig lives in Eagan, Minnesota.[11] She and her wife, Cheryl Greene, have four children.[23]
References
- "Angie Craig Tops Jason Lewis For 2nd District Seat". WCCO. November 6, 2018.
- "Candidate Conversation - Angie Craig (DFL) | News & Analysis | Inside Elections". www.insideelections.com. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- Montgomery, David (October 7, 2016). "Angie Craig: Adoption struggle shaped 2nd District candidate". Twincities.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- "Angie Craig, former Memphis Commercial Appeal reporter, now in Congress". Commercialappeal.com. November 9, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- "News". Hastings Star Gazette. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- Renzetti, Jackie (July 25, 2018). "Voter guide: Angie Craig talks key issues". Hastings Star Gazette. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- Gessner, John (September 22, 2016). "Eagan resident Angie Craig looks to Washington | Local News". hometownsource.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- Rao, Maya (August 27, 2018). "In rematch with Jason Lewis, Angie Craig seeks stronger connection with voters". StarTribune.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- "Angie Craig officially announces run against Rep. Kline". MinnPost. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- "Second District race: What it would mean to elect a former medical device executive to Congress". MinnPost. January 26, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- "It's Jason Lewis vs. Angie Craig in what's likely to be one of the most-watched congressional races in the country". MinnPost. August 13, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- "LGBTQ Candidates Record Historic Midterm Wins In Rainbow Wave | HuffPost". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- Romi Oltuski (October 21, 2018). "If She Wins, Angie Craig Will Be the First Lesbian Mom in Congress". InStyle. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- "Minnesota Election Results: Second House District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
- "MN Election Results". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
- "The Lugar Center - McCourt School Bipartisan Index House Scores 116th Congress First Session (2019)" (PDF). Georgetown University. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- "Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump - Angie Craig". ABC News. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- "Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump". ABC News. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- "Join the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus – DearColleague.us". Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- "Minnesota State Primary 2016 - Results for U.S. Representative District 2". Minnesota Secretary of State. August 9, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- "State General Election 2016 - Results for U.S. Representative District 2". Minnesota Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- "State General Election 2018 - Results for U.S. Representative District 2". Minnesota Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- "GOP official jabs Angie Craig's family | Capitol View | Minnesota Public Radio News". Blogs.mprnews.org. September 13, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Angie Craig. |
- Congresswoman Angie Craig official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Appearances on C-SPAN
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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Preceded by Jason Lewis |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 2nd congressional district 2019–present |
Incumbent |
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by T. J. Cox |
United States Representatives by seniority 352nd |
Succeeded by Dan Crenshaw |