Jaime Herrera Beutler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jaime Herrera Beutler
Official portrait, 2012
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 3rd district
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Brian Baird
Succeeded by	Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez
Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 18th district
In office November 29, 2007 – January 2, 2011
Preceded by	Richard Curtis
Succeeded by	Ann Rivers
Personal details
Born	Jaime Lynn Herrera (1978-11-03) November 3, 1978 (age 46) Glendale, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Daniel Beutler ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	3
Education	Bellevue College University of Washington (BA)

Jaime Lynn Herrera Beutler (born November 3, 1978) is an American politician. She was a U.S. representative for Washington's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2023. A U.S. representative is a person elected to help make laws for the entire country. Her district is in the southwestern part of Washington state.

Herrera Beutler is a member of the Republican Party. She became well-known as one of ten Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump in 2021. This was after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Because of this vote, other Republicans ran against her in the next election. She did not win the primary election in 2022 and was replaced by Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat.

Early Life and Education

Jaime Lynn Herrera was born in Glendale, California. Her father has Mexican roots, and her mother's family came from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany. She grew up in Ridgefield, Washington.

She was homeschooled until the ninth grade and later graduated from Prairie High School, where she played basketball. In 2004, she earned a degree in communications from the University of Washington.

Before becoming a politician, Herrera Beutler worked as an intern. She worked for the Washington State Senate and the White House. She was also an aide for U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

Start in Politics

In 2007, Herrera Beutler was chosen to be a state representative for Washington's 18th district. She replaced a representative who had to leave his job. The next year, in 2008, she won an election to keep her seat with 60% of the vote.

While in the state government, she was a leader for her party. A bill she created to give tax relief to business owners serving in the military was signed into law.

Serving in the U.S. Congress

Elections

In 2010, Herrera Beutler ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. She won the election with 53% of the vote, becoming the representative for Washington's 3rd district. After her election, she announced she would use her husband's last name and be known as Jaime Herrera Beutler.

She was reelected five times, in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020. In most of these elections, she won by a large number of votes.

In 2022, she ran for reelection again. However, she faced challenges from other Republicans, including Joe Kent, who was a strong supporter of Donald Trump. Kent ran against her because she had voted to impeach Trump. In the primary election, where voters choose the top two candidates, Herrera Beutler finished third. This meant she could not run in the final election. She said, "I’m proud that I always told the truth, stuck to my principles, and did what I knew to be best for our country."

Work in Congress

In 2011, Herrera Beutler introduced her first bill. It suggested cutting the pay of members of Congress, the president, and the vice president by 10%.

In 2014, she proposed a law to help children on Medicaid with serious medical needs get better-organized care.

She is a member of groups like the Republican Main Street Partnership, which includes moderate Republicans.

Vote to Impeach Donald Trump

On January 6, 2021, a crowd of people stormed the U.S. Capitol building. A week later, Herrera Beutler announced she would vote to impeach President Trump. Impeachment is a process to charge a government official with a crime.

She said there was "indisputable evidence" that Trump had acted against his promise to protect the country. She blamed him for encouraging the attack. She was one of only ten Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted to impeach him.

She explained her vote by sharing a story. She said that when another Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, asked Trump to stop the rioters, Trump replied, "Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are." Herrera Beutler said this showed Trump either "didn't care" or "wanted it to happen."

Political Views

Herrera Beutler's voting record shows she often agreed with the Republican party. However, she was also known for working with Democrats sometimes.

• Healthcare: In 2012, she wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). But in 2017, she voted against a Republican plan to replace it. She was worried it would harm children who rely on government health programs.
• Donald Trump: She voted against Trump's first impeachment in 2019. But she voted for his second impeachment in 2021 after the Capitol attack. She also voted to create a special committee to investigate the attack.
• LGBT Rights: In 2022, she first voted against a bill to protect same-sex marriage at the federal level. Later that year, she voted in favor of the final version of the bill, which became law.
• Military Issues: In 2013, she co-sponsored a bill to change how the military handles cases of serious misconduct. In 2021, she was one of 49 Republicans who voted to repeal the 2002 law that allowed the U.S. to go to war in Iraq.

Life After Congress

After leaving Congress in January 2023, Herrera Beutler began working as an adviser for the Children's Hospital Association. In October 2023, she ran for the position of Washington Public Lands Commissioner but was not elected.

Personal Life

In 2008, Jaime Herrera married Daniel Beutler. They live in Camas, Washington, and have three children.

In 2013, while pregnant with her first child, she learned the baby had Potter's syndrome. This is a very serious condition where the baby's kidneys do not develop, which can prevent the lungs from growing. Doctors told her the baby would likely not survive.

A stranger suggested an experimental treatment of injecting a salt-water solution into her womb. This would help the baby's lungs develop. A doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital agreed to try it. The treatment worked.

Her daughter, Abigail, was born in July 2013. She was the first baby known to survive birth without kidneys. Herrera Beutler called her "every bit a miracle." In 2016, when Abigail was two, she received a kidney transplant from her father.

Herrera Beutler also has a son, born in 2016, and another daughter, born in 2019.

Electoral history

* Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2020, write-ins received 977 votes.

See also

In Spanish: Jaime Herrera Beutler para niños

• List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
• Women in the United States House of Representatives