Jerry Carl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerry Carl
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Bradley Byrne |
| Succeeded by | Barry Moore (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jerry Lee Carl
June 17, 1958 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Tina Carl
(m. 1981) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Florida Gateway College |
| Signature |  |
Jerry Lee Carl Jr. (born June 17, 1958) is an American businessman and politician. He served as the U.S. Representative for Alabama's 1st congressional district from 2021 to 2025. This district includes the city of Mobile and the state's Gulf Coast. Carl is a member of the Republican Party. Before going to Congress, he was a member of the Mobile County Commission from 2012 to 2020. For the last two years, he was the president of the commission.
In 2019, Carl announced he would run for the House seat. He won the Republican nomination and then defeated James Averhart, a Democrat, in the main election. He was reelected in 2022. In 2024, due to changes in district maps, Carl ran against another sitting representative, Barry Moore, in the Republican primary and lost. He has since filed paperwork to run against Moore again in 2026.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jerry Carl was born in Mobile, Alabama. He finished high school at Sylacauga High School in 1977. He later attended Lake City Community College, which is now called Florida Gateway College. However, he left college to return to Mobile and start his first business.
Career Before Congress
After leaving college, Carl worked for Alabama Power. He also worked as a salesman for different companies in Mobile. In 1989, Carl started his own company called Stat Medical, which sold healthcare equipment. Later, he managed a company called Rotech Medical. He then started a business that developed real estate. In 2003, Carl founded Carl and Associates, a management company. He also started a lumber and timber company called Cricket and Butterfly, LLC.
Carl decided to run for the Mobile County Commission in 2012. He won against the person who held the seat, Mike Dean, in the Republican primary election. He then won the general election in November. He was reelected in 2016. In 2019, Carl was chosen to be the President of the Mobile County Commission.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Elections for Congress
2020 Election
In June 2020, Jerry Carl announced he would run for the 1st congressional district. The person who held the seat, Bradley Byrne, was not running again. Carl faced several other candidates in the Republican primary. He narrowly won against Bill Hightower in the primary election. They then had a runoff election, which Carl also won.
In the main election, Carl defeated the Democratic candidate, James Averhart, with 64.4% of the votes. The 1st district has been represented by Republicans since 1965. When Carl took office in January 2021, he was only the seventh person to hold this seat since 1919. Most of his predecessors held the seat for at least 10 years.
2022 Election
Carl was reelected to his seat in 2022. He won against Libertarian candidate Alexander Remrey. No Democrat ran in this election.
2024 Election
In 2024, the boundaries of congressional districts were changed. This change meant that Carl and another representative, Barry Moore, were now in the same district. This set up a primary election where both Carl and Moore were running against each other for the same seat.
Even though the new district included more of Carl's old territory, he lost the Republican nomination to Moore. The election was held on March 5, 2024, and Carl lost by 3.4%.
Time in Office
117th Congress (2021–2023)
One of Carl's first votes in Congress was against the second impeachment of Donald Trump. He said he voted no because he believed the reasons for impeachment were not strong enough. He also called it "Nancy Pelosi's personal vendetta." Carl also voted against the American Rescue Plan in March 2021. He said the bill was too big and would add to the country's national debt.
Carl voted with President Joe Biden's stated positions about 9.7% of the time.
Committee Work
For the 1118th Congress, Jerry Carl was part of these committees:
- Committee on Appropriations (This committee decides how the government spends money.)
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Committee on Natural Resources (This committee deals with issues about land, water, and wildlife.)
- Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs
- Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries
Groups in Congress
Carl was also a member of the Republican Study Committee. This is a group of conservative Republican members of Congress.
Political Views
Jerry Carl describes himself as a conservative.
Economy
During the 2023 United States debt-ceiling crisis, Carl voted for a law called the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This law aimed to manage the country's debt.
Immigration
In a 2020 campaign ad, Carl said he would "stand with Trump, build the wall and end handouts for lawbreaking illegals."
Israel
Carl believes that Israel is "America's most important regional ally." He supports Israel's right to defend itself. He voted to provide support to Israel after the 2023 attack by Hamas.
Gun Control
Carl has stated, "As a conservative, I'll stop liberals from destroying the Second Amendment." The NRA Political Victory Fund, a group that supports gun rights, gave Carl high ratings and endorsed him in both 2020 and 2022.
2020 Election Results
On January 6, 2021, Carl was one of the Republican lawmakers who voted to object to the results of the 2020 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania and Arizona.
Climate Change
Carl was against President Joe Biden's decision to stop new oil and gas production for a time. He said it would cause many jobs to be lost in Alabama.
Personal Life
Jerry Carl married Tina in 1981. They have two children. Carl is a Baptist.
See also
In Spanish: Jerry Carl para niños
