Beth Van Duyne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beth Van Duyne
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 24th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Kenny Marchant
Mayor of Irving
In office July 7, 2011 – May 16, 2017
Preceded by	Herbert Gears
Succeeded by	Rick Stopfer
Personal details
Born	(1970-11-16) November 16, 1970 (age 54) Albany, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Casey Wallach ​ ​ (m. 1995; div. 2012)​
Domestic partner	Rich McCormick (2024-present)
Children	2
Education	Cornell University (BA)
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Elizabeth Ann Van Duyne (/ˌvænˈdaɪn/ VAN-dyne; born November 16, 1970) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 24th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, she was mayor of Irving from 2011 to 2017. She was an official in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the first Trump administration.

Early life and education

Van Duyne was born in upstate New York and lived in Amsterdam, New York, until she was seven years old and later lived in Cooperstown. In 1986, her family moved to Irving, Texas. She graduated from Greenhill School in Addison, Texas. She also graduated from Cornell University, magna cum laude, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in city and regional planning, government, and law.

Career

Van Duyne as HUD Southwest Regional Administrator in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2019

Van Duyne became dissatisfied with Herbert Gears, the Democratic Irving city councillor representing her, over how he handled a zoning case in her neighborhood. She ran against Gears in the 2004 election, and won. Gears was elected mayor in 2005. Van Duyne stepped down from the council in 2010, and successfully ran for mayor against Gears in the 2011 election. She defeated Gears in a rematch in 2014.

In 2015, following an article by Breitbart News that made a false allegation that a court in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex followed Sharia law, Van Duyne pushed for a vote on a resolution in the Irving City Council that expressed support of a bill in the Texas Legislature seeking to ban Sharia law. Also in 2015, when Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim boy, was arrested for bringing a homemade clock, which teachers thought was a bomb, to school, Van Duyne defended the school's and the Irving Police Department's actions. She was named as a co-defendant in a defamation lawsuit initiated by Mohamed's father. Van Duyne was dismissed from the suit, based partially on the Texas Citizens Participation Act, a state law that "prohibits the use of lawsuits to intimidate or silence citizens and public officials from exercising their right of free speech." The entire suit was eventually dismissed by the judge, who ruled the plaintiffs had failed to prove officials discriminated against Mohamed.

In February 2017, Van Duyne announced that she would not seek a third term as mayor. In May 2017, President Donald Trump appointed Van Duyne as a regional administrator for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), overseeing Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2020

After Kenny Marchant announced in August 2019 that he would not seek reelection to the United States House of Representatives, Van Duyne resigned from HUD so that she could run to succeed Marchant in representing Texas's 24th congressional district, a suburban stretch between Dallas and Fort Worth, including parts of Denton, Dallas, and Tarrant counties. She received Trump's endorsement in early 2020 and won the Republican primary on March 3, defeating four rivals with about 65% of the vote.

In the general election, Van Duyne faced the Democratic nominee, Candace Valenzuela, a former Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board member. Van Duyne opposed the Affordable Care Act, saying it "has done profound damage to the healthcare of Americans." During the campaign, she ran advertisements in which she said she would protect laws that require preexisting conditions to be covered by insurance. Valenzuela criticized Van Duyne for not wearing a face mask or socially distancing at campaign events, in contradiction to public health guidance at the time. Van Duyne called Valenzuela a "coward" for not campaigning in person during the pandemic, and praised the Trump administration's handling of the public health crisis. On criminal justice reform, Van Duyne stated her opposition to ending cash bail. The Atlantic has described Van Duyne as "the new face of Trumpism in Texas."

On November 3, Van Duyne defeated Valenzuela, 48.8% to 47.5%, even as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden carried the district by 5 points. According to the Dallas Morning News, Van Duyne focused on public safety and the economy during the campaign. During the campaign, approximately $7.6 million was spent on advertisements against Van Duyne and $7.9 million on advertisements against Valenzuela.

2022

On November 8, Van Duyne defeated Democrat Jan McDowell, 59.75% to 40.25%. McDowell was previously the Democratic nominee for Texas's 24th congressional district in 2016 and 2018, losing both times to Kenny Marchant.

Van Duyne's district was competitive in the 2020 elections, but redistricting maps released by Republicans in 2021 shift the lean of her district to the right by nearly 20 points, making it non-competitive. The proposed maps would draw her 2020 challenger's home out of the district.

Tenure

Van Duyne is one of 147 Republican lawmakers who voted to overturn results in the 2020 presidential election by objecting to Pennsylvania's electors on January 7, 2021.

Political positions

Ukraine

Van Duyne voted against H.R. 7691, the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, which would provide $40 billion in emergency aid to the Ukrainian government.

Immigration

Van Duyne sponsored H.R. 6202, the American Tech Workforce Act of 2021, introduced by Representative Jim Banks. The legislation would establish a wage floor for the high-skill H-1B visa program, thereby significantly reducing employer dependence on the program. The bill would also eliminate the Optional Practical Training program that allows foreign graduates to stay and work in the United States.

2024 Republican primary

Van Duyne was named as part of the 2024 Trump campaign's Texas leadership team in March.

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Van Duyne was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure'
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
• Committee on Small Business
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Regulations (Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access
• Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress

Caucus memberships

• Republican Governance Group

Personal life

Van Duyne met her former husband, Chris "Casey" Wallach, while they were attending Cornell University. They have two children, and divorced in 2012 after being married for 17 years. Van Duyne confirmed she was in a relationship with Georgia congressman Rich McCormick in 2024.

..... The man was identified as Richard Christian Dillard, a former communications staffer for Van Duyne's 2020 House campaign.

Van Duyne is an Episcopalian.

Electoral history

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives