Lizzie Fletcher

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Lizzie Pannill Fletcher
Lizzie Fletcher.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 7th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byJohn Culberson
Personal details
Born
Elizabeth Ann Pannill

(1975-02-13) February 13, 1975 (age 46)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Scott Fletcher
​
(m. 2007)​
RelativesKatherine Center (sister)
EducationKenyon College (BA)
College of William and Mary (JD)
WebsiteHouse website

Elizabeth Ann Fletcher[1] (née Pannill; born February 13, 1975) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Texas. A Democrat, she represents Texas's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. The district includes much of western Houston.

Early life and education[]

Fletcher was born at Hermann Hospital in Houston on February 13, 1975.[2][3] She grew up in the River Oaks neighborhood of Houston and graduated from St. John's School.[4]

Fletcher left Texas to attend Kenyon College in Ohio, where she earned Phi Beta Kappa honors, and then attended William & Mary Law School in Virginia.[2]

She then returned to Houston, where she worked for the law firm Vinson & Elkins.[5][6] Later, she worked at Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing, where she met her husband, Scott, and became the firm's first female law partner.[2][7]

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

2018
See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 7

Fletcher defeated Laura Moser in the Democratic Party primary election after a primary and runoff election that saw Democrats sharply divided between Fletcher (backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) and Moser (backed by Our Revolution).[8][9]

In the November 6 general election, Fletcher campaigned as a moderate against nine-term Republican incumbent John Culberson, defeating him by five percentage points (52.5% to 47.5%).[10][11] Culberson held his own in his longstanding base of west Houston, parts of which he had represented for three decades at the state and federal levels, as well as in the Memorial area, but could not overcome Fletcher's strong performance in the district's share of southwest Houston and the Bear Creek area.

Upon her swearing-in on January 3, 2019, Fletcher became the first Democrat to represent the district since its creation in 1967. She is also the first woman to represent the district.[11]

2020
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 7

Fletcher was reelected with 50.8% of the vote to Republican nominee Wesley Hunt's 47.5%.[12] Despite winning by a smaller margin than 2018, she held down-ballot drop-off voting to less than 4% from top-ballot candidate Joe Biden, who carried the district with 54% of the vote.[citation needed]

Tenure[]

As of September 2021, Fletcher had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[13]

Committee assignments[]

Caucus memberships[]

[15][better source needed]

Electoral history[]

Democratic primary results, 2018[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lizzie Fletcher 9,731 29.3
Democratic Laura Moser 8,077 24.4
Democratic Jason Westin 6,364 19.2
Democratic Alex Triantaphyllis 5,219 15.7
Democratic Ivan Sanchez 1,890 5.7
Democratic Joshua Butler 1,245 3.7
Democratic James Cargas 650 2.0
Total votes 33,176 100.0
Democratic primary runoff results, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lizzie Fletcher 11,423 67.1
Democratic Laura Moser 5,605 32.9
Total votes 17,028 100.0
Texas's 7th congressional district, 2018[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lizzie Fletcher 127,959 52.5
Republican John Culberson (incumbent) 115,642 47.5
Total votes 243,601 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
Texas's 7th congressional district, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lizzie Fletcher (incumbent) 159,529 50.8
Republican Wesley Hunt 149,054 47.4
Libertarian Shawn Kelly 5,542 1.8
Total votes 314,125 100.0
Democratic hold

Personal life[]

Fletcher is the sister of Katherine Center.[18] She met her husband, Scott, at the law firm where they both worked.[6]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ William and Mary Law Review Staff, 2004-2005
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Texas New Members 2019". The Hill. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018. A Houston native, Fletcher grew up in the district before heading to Ohio to attend Kenyon College, where she was in the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa. She later attended William & Mary Law School.
  3. ^ "Meet Lizzie Fletcher | Lizzie Pannill Fletcher | U.S. Congress | Texas 7th Congressional District". Lizziefletcher.com. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  4. ^ Abby Livingston (May 24, 2018). "Lizzie Pannill Fletcher's bid against U.S. Rep. John Culberson emerging as major fall fight". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "In this Texas district, the Democrats seem serious about winning". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Elaina Plott (September 2, 2018). "Democrats Hope to Flip Houston's Seventh House District". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Andrew Edmonson (October 5, 2018). "War for the West – OutSmart Magazine". Outsmartmagazine.com. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  8. ^ Sullivan, Sean; Weigel, Dave (May 23, 2018). "Lizzie Fletcher defeats Laura Moser in bitter Democratic primary in Texas". Washington Post. Retrieved May 26, 2018. Moser still made it into a runoff against Fletcher but was unable to build momentum during the next two months.
  9. ^ Livingston, Abby (May 24, 2018). "With primary behind her, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher's bid against U.S. Rep. John Culberson emerging as major midterm fight for fall". Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 21, 2018. Moser placed second behind Fletcher out of seven candidates in the March primary but lost badly to Fletcher in a runoff Tuesday night...But while Moser ran a spirited campaign against Fletcher, she conceded the race quickly and graciously and pledged to back Fletcher's bid.
  10. ^ Edgar Walters & Kathryn Lundstrom (November 6, 2018). "Democrat Lizzie Fletcher defeats Texas GOP Congressman John Culberson". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Scherer, Jasper (November 7, 2018). "Lizzie Fletcher looks to legislate the way she won: in moderation". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 20, 2018. When Fletcher unseated Culberson Tuesday night by a relatively comfortable five points, however, she did so behind a Houston-centric campaign that emphasized her local roots and pulled in right-leaning independents and disillusioned Republicans. Now, having flipped a seat controlled for the last 52 years by Republicans, Fletcher heads to Washington with a target on her back, but also a desire to legislate with the same moderate approach she used to build her campaign.
  12. ^ "Rep. Lizzie Fletcher wins 2nd term in Texas' District 7 race". November 3, 2020.
  13. ^ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  14. ^ "Leadership | New Democrat Coalition". newdemocratcoalition.house.gov. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  15. ^ "Committees and Caucuses". Lizzie. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  16. ^ "2018 Primary Election Official Results". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  17. ^ "Texas Election Results". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  18. ^ "NYT bestselling author Katherine Center on Twitter: "Totally in awe of my little sister, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, who just announced she is running for Congress in Texas"". Twitter.com. May 12, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2018.

External links[]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
John Culberson 		Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 7th congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Ilhan Omar 		United States representatives by seniority
338th 		Succeeded by
Chris Pappas
  • v
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Texas's delegation(s) to the 116th–present United States Congresses (ordered by seniority)
116th
Senate:
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House:
117th
Senate:
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