Ralph Abraham (politician) facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Ralph Abraham


Surgeon General of the Louisiana Department of Health
Incumbent
Assumed office January 8, 2024
Governor	Jeff Landry
Preceded by	Courtney Phillips
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th district
In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Vance McAllister
Succeeded by	Julia Letlow

Personal details
Born	Ralph Lee Abraham Jr. (1954-09-16) September 16, 1954 (age 70) Alto, Louisiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Dianne Abraham (m. 1977)
Children	3
Education	Louisiana State University (BA, DVM) Louisiana State University, New Orleans (MD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Mississippi Army National Guard United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
Rank	First lieutenant

Ralph Lee Abraham Jr. was born on September 16, 1954. He is an American veterinarian, a doctor, and a politician. Currently, he serves as the Surgeon General for the state of Louisiana. Before this, he was a U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 5th district from 2015 to 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party and lives in Alto, Louisiana.

In 2019, Abraham ran for governor of Louisiana. However, he did not get enough votes to move on to the final round of the election. On February 26, 2020, he announced that he would not seek reelection for his seat in Congress.

As Louisiana's Surgeon General, he has given instructions to the Louisiana Department of Health. These instructions were to stop promoting large-scale vaccination programs.

Early Life and Education

Ralph Abraham Jr. is the son of Marlene Posey, a retired teacher, and Ralph Abraham Sr. His grandparents came to the U.S. from Lebanon.

Abraham studied at Louisiana State University. He became a veterinarian in 1980 and worked with animals for ten years. Later, he went back to school at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He earned a medical degree in 1994 and became a family doctor.

He has also served in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Mississippi National Guard. Ralph Abraham and his wife, Dianne, have three children. He has also worked as a special doctor who checks pilots' health.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

Ralph Abraham represented Louisiana's 5th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is where laws are made for the entire country.

Winning Elections

2014 Election

In 2014, Abraham ran against Jamie Mayo, a Democratic candidate and the Mayor of Monroe. Abraham won the election with 134,612 votes (64.2%). Mayo received 75,004 votes (35.8%). Abraham officially started his term in office on January 3, 2015.

2016 Election

For his reelection in 2016, Abraham faced one other candidate. This was Billy Burkette, a fellow Republican from Baton Rouge. Burkette had been a constable and a chairman of the Louisiana Band of Choctaw Indians. During his campaign, Burkette said that the Environmental Protection Agency had made rules that were too strict for farming. Abraham won this election.

2018 Election

In 2018, Abraham ran for reelection again. He competed against three other candidates. These were Billy Burkette, an Independent; Jessee Carlton Fleenor, a Democrat; and Kyle Randol, a Libertarian. Abraham won with 149,010 votes (67%). Fleenor received 67,113 votes (30%). The other two candidates received the remaining 3% of the votes.

Key Actions and Votes in Congress

After he was elected, Abraham chose Luke Letlow, who had managed his campaign, to be his chief of staff.

Supporting Civil Rights

In June 2017, Abraham helped to introduce a bill called the Civil Rights Uniformity Act of 2017. This bill aimed to make sure civil rights laws were applied fairly to everyone.

Judicial Nominations

In August 2017, Abraham supported President Donald Trump's choice for a judge. This was Terry Doughty, who was nominated for a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. This court is located in Monroe. U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy and John Neely Kennedy also supported this choice.

Tax Law Changes

In December 2017, Abraham voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This law changed many tax rules. After his vote, he said that it would be a "great tax bill" for both Louisiana and the United States. He believed businesses would benefit and be able to invest more in their companies and employees. He also thought it would lead to higher wages and more job opportunities.

Endorsing a Successor

In 2020, Abraham decided not to run for reelection. He supported Luke Letlow to take his place in Congress. Letlow won the election. However, he sadly passed away from COVID-19 complications just a few days before he was supposed to start his term. Letlow's wife, Julia Letlow, later won a special election to fill the empty seat.

Committees and Groups in Congress

While in Congress, Ralph Abraham was part of several important committees and groups.

Committee Assignments

Committee on Agriculture: This committee deals with issues related to farming and food.
- Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry
- Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
Committee on Science, Space and Technology: This committee focuses on science, space exploration, and new technologies.
- Subcommittee on Space
- Subcommittee on Research and Technology
- Subcommittee on Oversight
United States House Committee on Armed Services: This committee works on issues related to the military and national defense.
- Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
- Subcommittee on Military Personnel

Caucus Memberships

Abraham was also a member of various caucuses. These are groups of lawmakers who share common interests or goals.

Congressional Western Caucus
Coast Guard Caucus
Historic Preservation Caucus
GOP Doctor's Caucus
Mississippi River Caucus
Congressional National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus
National Guard Youth Challenge Caucus
Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus
Veteran's Caucus
Veterinary Medicine Caucus
U.S.-Japan Caucus

Campaign for Governor

On December 6, 2018, Ralph Abraham announced he would run for governor of Louisiana in the 2019 election. He finished third in the primary election. This meant he did not get enough votes to advance to the runoff election. The runoff election is a second round of voting that happens when no candidate wins more than half of the votes in the first round. The other top candidates were fellow Republican Eddie Rispone and the Democratic governor at the time, John Bel Edwards.

Political Views

Abraham greeting Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in 2018

Ralph Abraham has shared his views on many important topics.

Health Care and Public Health

Abraham believes that the Affordable Care Act should be ended. He also does not support expanding Medicaid, which is a program that helps people with low incomes get health care.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Abraham has stated that things like wearing masks, lockdowns, and vaccination requirements were "practically ineffective." He has also said that information about negative effects from COVID vaccines was "suppressed." He has questioned whether people who received COVID vaccines can safely donate blood. He has also suggested a possible link between COVID vaccines and miscarriages.

As the Surgeon General of Louisiana, Abraham issued a directive in February 2025. This directive told Louisiana state workers to stop holding large vaccination clinics and to stop promoting seasonal vaccines.

Economic Issues

Abraham supports making the tax system simpler. He also believes in equal pay for women, meaning men and women should be paid the same for doing the same job.

Energy Policy

Abraham supports the Keystone Pipeline, which is a large oil pipeline project.

Immigration

On the topic of illegal immigration, Abraham is against giving amnesty (a pardon for past offenses) to people who are in the country illegally. He supports making border security stronger.

He also supported President Trump's executive order from 2017. This order temporarily stopped immigration from seven specific countries. The goal was to create better ways to check people entering the U.S. His spokesperson said that Abraham agreed with the President that all steps must be taken to protect American citizens from possible threats.

Abraham has said he supports banning "sanctuary cities" in Louisiana. These are cities that have policies to protect undocumented immigrants. He also once said he would pay for four minority congresswomen to leave the United States if they would tell him where they wanted to go.

Death Penalty

Abraham supports the death penalty. He has stated that as governor, he would find a way to restart executions in Louisiana. .....

LGBT Issues

Abraham was "100 percent" against transgender people serving in the military.

Texas v. Pennsylvania Lawsuit

In December 2020, Ralph Abraham was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed a legal document. This document supported Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court. The lawsuit challenged the results of the 2020 United States presidential election, where Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. The Supreme Court decided not to hear the case. They said that Texas did not have the legal right to challenge the election results of another state.