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 a U.S. Representative for Alabama's 1st congressional district from 2021 to 2025. This district covers the area around Mobile, Alabama, including the state's Gulf Coast. Carl is a member of the Republican Party. Before becoming a U.S. Representative, he was a member of the Mobile County Commission from 2012 to 2020. For the last two years on the commission, he was its president.
In 2019, Carl decided to run for the U.S. House seat. The person holding the seat, Bradley Byrne, was leaving. Carl won the Republican nomination and then defeated James Averhart, a Democrat, in the main election. In 2024, after changes were made to the district maps, Carl ran against another sitting representative, Barry Moore, in the Republican primary election and lost.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jerry Carl was born in Mobile, Alabama. He finished high school at Sylacauga High School in 1977. He then went to Lake City Community College, which is now called Florida Gateway College. However, he left college early to return to Mobile and start his first business.
Career
After leaving college, Carl worked for a company called Alabama Power. He also worked for Burford Equipment Company and as a salesman for different businesses in Mobile.
In 1989, Carl started his own company called Stat Medical. This business focused on healthcare equipment. Later, he worked as a manager at Rotech Medical. After that, he started a company that developed real estate. In 2003, Carl founded Carl and Associates, which is a management group. He also started a lumber and timber company called Cricket and Butterfly, LLC.
Serving Mobile County
Carl decided to run for the Mobile County Commission in 2012. He won against the person already holding the position, Mike Dean, in the Republican primary election. Then, he won the general election in November. He was reelected to the commission in 2016. In 2019, Carl was chosen to be the President of the Mobile County Commission.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2020 Election
In June 2020, Jerry Carl announced he would run for the 1st congressional district seat. The current representative, Bradley Byrne, was not running again. Carl faced several other candidates in the Republican primary election. He narrowly won against former state senator Bill Hightower in a runoff election.
In the general 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.
2024 Election
In 2024, the boundaries of the 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 already serving in Congress.
On October 30, 2023, Moore confirmed he would run in the 1st congressional district, challenging Carl. Even though the new 1st district included more of Carl's old territory, he lost the Republican nomination to Moore by 3.4% in the primary election on March 5, 2024.
Time in Congress
117th Congress (2021–2023)
One of Carl's first votes in Congress was against the second effort to remove President Donald Trump from office. Carl stated he voted against it because he believed the reasons for removal were not strong enough. He also called it a "personal vendetta" against the President.
Carl also voted against the American Rescue Plan in March 2021. He said the bill was too big and would increase the national debt. As of June 2023, Carl voted with President Joe Biden's stated positions about 9.7% of the time.
Committee Assignments
For the 118th Congress (which started in 2023), Jerry Carl was part of these important groups:
- Committee on Appropriations: This committee decides how the government's money is spent.
- 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 related to land, water, and wildlife.
- Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs
- Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries
Caucus Memberships
Carl was also a member of the Republican Study Committee. This is a group of conservative Republican members of the House of Representatives.
Political Positions
Jerry Carl describes himself as a conservative politician.
Economy
During a time when the U.S. government was discussing how much money it could borrow, Carl voted for a law called the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.
Immigration
In a TV ad during his 2020 campaign, Carl said he would "stand with Trump, build the wall and end handouts for lawbreaking illegals." This shows his stance on border security and immigration.
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 an attack in 2023.
Gun Control
Carl has said, "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.
Impeachment of Donald Trump
Carl voted against the second effort to remove Donald Trump from office. He also voted to challenge the election results from Pennsylvania and Arizona during the 2020 presidential election count.
Climate Change
Carl was against President Joe Biden's decision to stop new oil and gas production for a while. He said this action would cause many jobs to be lost in Alabama.
2020 Election Vote
On January 6, 2021, Jerry Carl was one of 147 Republican lawmakers who voted to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Personal Life
Jerry Carl married his wife, Tina, in 1981. They have two children together. Carl is a Baptist.
See also
In Spanish: Jerry Carl para niños
