Kathy Manning facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kathy Manning
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Official portrait, 2021
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 6th district |
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| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Walker |
| Succeeded by | Virginia Foxx (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 3, 1956 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Randall Kaplan |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) University of Michigan (JD) |
Kathy Ellen Manning (born December 3, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician. She represented North Carolina's 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Her district covered the Piedmont Triad area, including cities like Greensboro and High Point. It also included parts of Forsyth, Rockingham, and Caswell Counties.
In December 2023, Manning announced she would not run for reelection. This decision was due to new "unfairly drawn" congressional districts in North Carolina. This process is called gerrymandering.
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Kathy Manning's Early Life and Career
Manning was born in Detroit, Michigan, on December 3, 1956. Her family was Jewish. Her father worked for the Ford Motor Company for 40 years. Kathy Manning studied music and drama at the Interlochen Center for the Arts's National Music Camp.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. There, she started the Radcliffe Pitches, Harvard's first female a cappella singing group. She also earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
After law school, Manning worked as a lawyer in Washington D.C. for about five years. In 1987, she moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, her husband's hometown. She continued practicing law there for 20 years. She became a partner at a big law firm. In 2002, she started her own law firm focusing on immigration.
Manning was the first woman to lead the board of the Jewish Federations of North America from 2009 to 2012. She also served on the boards of other important Jewish organizations. She helped start Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools.
Starting in 2012, she led a ten-year project to build the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. This is a large, modern performing arts venue in downtown Greensboro.
Kathy Manning in the U.S. House of Representatives
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Elections to Congress
2018 Election
In 2018, Kathy Manning ran for the United States House of Representatives. She ran against Republican Ted Budd in North Carolina's 13th district. This district was generally more Republican. She lost this election.
2020 Election
In 2019, court orders changed the congressional districts in North Carolina. The 6th District was redrawn to include the Triad area, which was more Democratic. The previous representative, Republican Mark Walker, decided not to run again in this new district.
Manning announced she would run in the new 6th District. She won the Democratic primary election. In the main election, she defeated Republican Lee Haywood with 62% of the votes. When she took office on January 3, 2021, she made history. She became the first woman to represent the 6th District. She was also the first Democrat to represent this district since 1985. Additionally, she was the first Jewish person to represent North Carolina in Congress.
Manning has said that health care is a very important issue for her. This is because of her own experience getting insurance for her daughter's chronic illness.
2022 Election
On November 8, 2022, Manning won reelection to her seat. She defeated Republican Christian Castelli.
After the 2020 census, North Carolina's lawmakers redrew the congressional maps. These maps were challenged in court. The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the maps were unfairly drawn to favor one political party. This is called extreme partisan gerrymandering. The court ordered new maps to be drawn. A group of experts then drew fair maps, which were approved.
The new maps for the 6th District removed most of Winston-Salem. However, they kept all of Guilford County, Greensboro, and High Point. The district also expanded to include Rockingham County and most of Caswell County.
Time in Office
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Kathy Manning was sworn into Congress on January 3, 2021. This was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three days later, on January 6, 2021, she was in the House Chamber gallery during the attack on the U.S. Capitol. She was among the last people to be safely removed from the gallery. She had to stay in a secure location for nearly five hours. Afterward, she returned to the House Chamber to vote to confirm the election of President Biden.
Manning often voted in line with President Joe Biden's positions. In the 117th Congress, she voted with his positions 100% of the time.
Key Laws and Efforts
In the 118th Congress, Manning introduced the Countering Antisemitism Act. This bill works to strengthen federal efforts against antisemitism. This bill was supported by both Democrats and Republicans. It included ideas from the Biden administration's plan to fight antisemitism.
On September 9, 2024, the Securing Global Telecommunications Act passed the House. Manning introduced this bill with Republican Congresswoman Young Kim. This law requires the U.S. Department of State to create a plan. The plan is to encourage other countries to use secure communication systems.
On November 20, 2024, the House of Representatives agreed to Manning’s resolution. This resolution condemned the rise of antisemitism around the world. It also encouraged more international cooperation to fight antisemitism.
As a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Manning worked on laws to improve mental health services in schools. She also worked to expand health care to address high rates of maternal mortality.
Manning was also a co-sponsor of The Dignity Act. This bill aimed to reform immigration laws. It included measures to secure borders and speed up asylum decisions. It also sought to create a path to citizenship for DACA recipients. DACA helps young immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
Committee Roles
Manning served on important committees in the House of Representatives:
- Committee on Foreign Affairs (She was Vice Ranking Member for the 118th Congress.)
- Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
- Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia (She was Vice Chair for the 117th Congress.)
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
- Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development
Groups and Caucuses
Manning was part of several groups in Congress, called caucuses:
- New Democrat Coalition (She led the Workforce Development Task Force.)
- Democratic Women's Caucus (She was Policy Co-Chair.)
- Congressional Equality Caucus
- Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
- Black Maternal Health Caucus
- Labor Caucus
- Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus
- Rare Disease Caucus
In 2022, Manning became the lead Democrat on the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism. She held meetings with White House officials and leaders from other countries. She also met with major Jewish organizations. Manning spoke out strongly after the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. She hosted many meetings with families of hostages and members of Congress.
Kathy Manning's Personal Life
Kathy Manning is married to Randall Kaplan. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2021
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Manning greeting President Joe Biden in April 2022
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Manning speaking with Governor Roy Cooper and EPA Administrator Michael Regan
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Manning and other members of the US congressional delegation with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Israel, March 28, 2024
See Also
- List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
