Michael Waltz

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Michael Waltz
Michael Waltz, official portrait, 116th Congress.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byRon DeSantis
Personal details
Born
Michael George Glen Waltz

(1974-01-31) January 31, 1974 (age 47)
Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children1
EducationVirginia Military Institute (BA)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1996–2000 (active)
2000–present (Army National Guard)
RankUS-O6 insignia shaded.svg Colonel[1]
UnitU.S. Army Special Forces
Florida Army National Guard
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
Awards

Michael George Glen Waltz (born January 31, 1974)[2] is an American politician and United States Army officer serving as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in the 2018 Midterm elections and succeeded Ron DeSantis, who went on to be elected the 46th governor of Florida.

Early life and education[]

Waltz was born in Boynton Beach, FL and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida.[3] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies from the Virginia Military Institute and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army.[4][5]

Career[]

Congressman Mike Waltz represents Florida's 6th congressional district, which includes Flagler, Volusia, Lake, and St. Johns counties. Waltz is a combat-decorated Green Beret still serving as a colonel in the U.S. Army National Guard,[1] a former White House and Pentagon policy advisor. He is the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress.

Waltz graduated with honors as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the Virginia Military Institute, and has served over 24 years in the U.S. Army. After commissioning as an Army lieutenant, Waltz graduated Ranger School and was selected to be a Green Beret, serving worldwide as a Special Forces officer with multiple tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa. For his actions in combat, Waltz was decorated with four Bronze Stars including two with valor.[6]

He worked in the Pentagon as a defense policy director for Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates. Waltz then went on to serve in the White House as the vice president's counterterrorism advisor.[7] Waltz wrote "Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret’s Battles from Washington to Afghanistan."[8] .

In 2010, Waltz helped found an analytics and training company Metis Solutions. It was bought in November 2020 by Pacific Architects and Engineers for $92 million.[9]

Political positions[]

War in Afghanistan[]

After telling an anecdote to the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference audience about his time serving in Afghanistan during the public announcement of the Obama-era troop withdrawals, Waltz stated about the War in Afghanistan, "So, are we 15 years in? Yes. Are we in for a lot more fighting and do we need a long-term strategy to undermine the ideology of Islamic extremism — just like we did fascism and just like we did communism? — yes, we do. Uh, and you know, I think we're in for a long haul and I think our nation's leadership needs to begin telling the American people 'I'm sorry, we don't have a choice, we're 15 years in to what is going to be a multi-generational war because we're talking about defeating an idea.' It's easy to bomb a tank, very difficult to defeat an idea and that's exactly what we have to do." Following his statement, a CPAC audience member can be heard disrupting the panel and shouting "It's impossible" in reply to Waltz's stance on the war. [10]

Chinese Communist Party[]

Waltz is considered one of the most hawkish members of Congress as it relates to America's posture towards China, saying "We are in a Cold War with the Chinese Communist Party."[11] In 2021, Waltz was the first member of Congress to call for a full U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics over the CCP's treatment of Chinese Uyghur populations and the enslavement, forced labor, and concentration camp of these ethnic minorities in China.[12]

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

2018
See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 6

Waltz ran for Florida's 6th congressional district in 2018 to succeed incumbent Republican Ron DeSantis, who retired before being elected Governor of Florida in a close race.[13][14] He defeated John Ward and Fred Costello in the Republican primary[15] before facing off against Democratic nominee Nancy Soderberg, a former representative at the United Nations and the former Deputy National Security Advisor, in the general election.[16] Waltz won with 56.31% of the vote to Soderberg's 43.69%.[17]

2020
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 6

Incumbent Waltz was challenged by Democratic Party candidate Clint Curtis. Waltz received 265,393 votes (60.64%), while Curtis received 172,305 (39.36%).[18]

Tenure[]

He won the election over Democrat Nancy Soderberg and was sworn in to the 116th United States Congress on January 3, 2019.

In April 2020, Waltz joined the National Guard's COVID-19 response efforts as a colonel on the planning staff.[19] On November 6, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Waltz tested positive for the virus.[20]

In December 2020, Waltz was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[21] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[22][23][24] Shortly thereafter, the Orlando Sentinel editorial board rescinded its endorsement of Waltz in the 2020 election.[25] The Orlando Sentinel wrote, "We had no idea, had no way of knowing at the time, that Waltz was not committed to democracy."[25][26]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Waltz and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[27][28] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Waltz and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[29]

Waltz, along with all other Senate and House Republicans, voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.[30]

On May 19, 2021, Waltz voted against legislation to establish the formation of a January 6 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol.[31]


Committee assignments[]

Caucus memberships[]

Waltz is a member of the following Congressional caucuses.[34][35]

Electoral history[]

Florida's 6th congressional district Republican primary, 2018[50]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Waltz 32,833 42.4
Republican John Ward 23,543 30.4
Republican Fred Costello 21,023 27.2
Total votes 77,399 100.0
Florida's 6th congressional district, 2018[51]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Waltz 187,891 56.3
Democratic Nancy Soderberg 145,758 43.7
Total votes 333,649 100.0
Republican hold
Florida's 6th congressional district, 2020[52]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Waltz 265,393 60.6
Democratic Clint Curtis 172,305 39.4
n/a Write-ins 158 <0.1
Total votes 437,856 100.0
Republican hold

Personal life[]

He is the father of a teenage girl, and is engaged to Dr. Julia Nesheiwat, herself a combat veteran who served in the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, most recently as Homeland Security Advisor to President Trump. They live in St. Johns County, FL.

Books[]

  • Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret's Battles from Washington to Afghanistan. ISBN 1612346316.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Harper, Mark. "Congressman Michael Waltz promoted to Army National Guard colonel". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online.
  2. ^ Perks, Ashley (November 15, 2018). "Florida New Members 2019". TheHill.
  3. ^ "Biography | U.S. Representative Mike Waltz". waltz.house.gov.
  4. ^ Buswell, Brent. "VMI Grad Elected to U.S. Congress". Kappa Alpha Order. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "Representative Michael Waltz". Representative Michael Waltz. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  6. ^ "Combat Veterans For Congress | Electing Fiscal Conservatives". combatveteransforcongress.org.
  7. ^ "In the House". National Guard Association of the United States.
  8. ^ Waltz, Michael G. (2014). Warrior Diplomat. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9781612346311. JSTOR j.ctt1d9nmt5.
  9. ^ Fang, Lee (August 20, 2021). "Congressman Seeking to Relaunch Afghan War Made Millions in Defense Contracting". The Intercept. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  10. ^ Chang, Gordon. "CPAC 2017 - When did World War III Begin? Part B". YouTube. American Conservative Union. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "Michael Waltz: We are in a cold war with the Chinese Communist Party". April 14, 2021.
  12. ^ Harper, Mark. "Congressman Michael Waltz: Boycott 2022 Olympic Games in China". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online.
  13. ^ "Republican Michael Waltz wins open Florida House seat, keeping 6th District in GOP control". SFGate. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  14. ^ "Special forces: How Mike Waltz defeated the national left – Florida Politics". floridapolitics.com. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  15. ^ "2018 Florida primary election results". Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Piggott, Jim (July 12, 2017). "Former UN ambassador to run for Congress". WJXT. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  17. ^ "2018 Florida general election results". Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  18. ^ Harper, Mark (November 3, 2020). "Michael Waltz wins 2nd term in Congress; his District 6 includes Volusia, Flagler". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  19. ^ "These National Guard members also serve in Congress. Now they're fighting COVID-19". Roll Call. April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  20. ^ "Rep. Mike Waltz Tests Positive for COVID-19". www.mynews13.com. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  21. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  22. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  23. ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  24. ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b Board, Orlando Sentinel Editorial. "We apologize for endorsing U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, who wants to overturn the election | Editorial". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  26. ^ reports, Staff and wire. "Waltz, Webster are among 106 Republicans who signed onto lawsuit to invalidate Joe Biden's victory". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  27. ^ Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  28. ^ "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  29. ^ Williams, Jordan (December 11, 2020). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  30. ^ Carl Hulse (March 6, 2021). "After Stimulus Victory in Senate, Reality Sinks in: Bipartisanship Is Dead". New York Times.
  31. ^ LeBlanc, Paul (May 19, 2021). "Here are the 35 House Republicans who voted for the January 6 commission". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  32. ^ "Waltz Named House Subcommittee Ranking Member". Congressman Mike Waltz. February 11, 2021.
  33. ^ Seligman, Lara. "'The 21st-Century Space Race Is On'".
  34. ^ "Caucuses — U.S. Representative Mike Waltz". waltz.house.gov. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  35. ^ "US Representative Mike Waltz —Committee Assignments". . Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  36. ^ "Army Caucus". Rep. John Carter. May 27, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  37. ^ "Florida Ports Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  38. ^ "For Country Caucus— Summary from LegiStorm". . Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  39. ^ "For Country Caucus". vantaylor.house.gov.
  40. ^ "Reps. Jason Crow and Michael Waltz re-enact D-Day parachute drop into Normandy". Roll Call. June 10, 2019.
  41. ^ "US Kurdish-American Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  42. ^ "Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  43. ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. December 6, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  44. ^ "House Special Operations Forces (SOF) Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  45. ^ "US Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  46. ^ "Congressional Singapore Caucus". www.ciclt.net. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  47. ^ "House Taiwan Caucus". Formosan Association for Public Affairs. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  48. ^ "MEMBERS". RMSP. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  49. ^ "The Women, Peace and Security Congressional Caucus". www.oursecurefuture.org.
  50. ^ "Florida Primary Election Results: Sixth House District". The New York Times. August 30, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  51. ^ "Florida Election Results: Sixth House District". The New York Times. January 28, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  52. ^ "Florida Election Results: Sixth Congressional District". The New York Times. November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.

External links[]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Ron DeSantis 		Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 6th congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Jeff Van Drew 		United States representatives by seniority
363rd 		Succeeded by
Jennifer Wexton
  • v
  • t
Florida's delegation(s) to the 116th–present United States Congresses (ordered by seniority)
116th
Senate:
  •   M. Rubio (R)
  •   R. Scott (R)
House:
  •   A. Hastings (D)
  •   M. Díaz-Balart (R)
  •   D. Wasserman Schultz (D)
  •   V. Buchanan (R)
  •   G. Bilirakis (R)
  •   K. Castor (D)
  •   B. Posey (R)
  •   T. Deutch (D)
  •   D. Webster (R)
  •   F. Wilson (D)
  •   L. Frankel (D)
  •   T. Yoho (R)
  •   C. Crist (D)
  •   V. Demings (D)
  •   N. Dunn (R)
  •   M. Gaetz (R)
  •   A. Lawson (D)
  •   B. Mast (R)
  •   S. Murphy (D)
  •   F. Rooney (R)
  •   J. Rutherford (R)
  •   D. Soto (D)
  •   D. Mucarsel-Powell (D)
  •   D. Shalala (D)
  •   R. Spano (R)
  •   G. Steube (R)
  •   M. Waltz (R)
117th
Senate:
  •   M. Rubio (R)
  •   R. Scott (R)
House:
  •   A. Hastings (D)
  •   M. Díaz-Balart (R)
  •   D. Wasserman Schultz (D)
  •   V. Buchanan (R)
  •   G. Bilirakis (R)
  •   K. Castor (D)
  •   B. Posey (R)
  •   T. Deutch (D)
  •   D. Webster (R)
  •   F. Wilson (D)
  •   L. Frankel (D)
  •   C. Crist (D)
  •   V. Demings (D)
  •   N. Dunn (R)
  •   M. Gaetz (R)
  •   A. Lawson (D)
  •   B. Mast (R)
  •   S. Murphy (D)
  •   J. Rutherford (R)
  •   D. Soto (D)
  •   G. Steube (R)
  •   M. Waltz (R)
  •   K. Cammack (R)
  •   B. Donalds (R)
  •   S. Franklin (R)
  •   C. Giménez (R)
  •   M. Salazar (R)
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