Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 20th district |
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| Assumed office January 18, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Alcee Hastings |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sheila Cherfilus
January 25, 1979 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Corlie McCormick
(m. 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Howard University (BA) St. Thomas University (JD) |
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was born on January 25, 1979. She is an American businesswoman and politician. She currently serves as a U.S. Representative for Florida's 20th congressional district. This district covers many areas with a large Black population around Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She won a special election in 2022 to take the place of Alcee Hastings after he passed away.
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Early Life and Education
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was born in Brooklyn, a part of New York City. Her parents came from Haiti. She grew up in Queens, another part of New York City. When she was 13, she moved to Florida for high school.
College and Law School
She went to Howard University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She studied political science and government there. Later, she earned a law degree (called a Juris Doctor) from the St. Thomas University School of Law.
Career Before Congress
After finishing college, Cherfilus-McCormick worked as a project manager. This was for the New York City Transit Authority. From 1999 to 2007, she worked at Trinity Health Care Services. This was a family business in Florida that provided home health care. Her stepfather, Gabriel Smith, helped start the company. She was the vice president of operations and later became the CEO.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. This group supports African-American members of Congress. She also works on important committees.
Committee Roles
She serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs. This committee deals with how the U.S. interacts with other countries. She is also on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. This committee helps people who have served in the military.
Specific Subcommittees
For the 118th Congress, she is part of several smaller groups called subcommittees:
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on Africa
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Subcommittee on Technology Modernization (She is the Ranking Member, meaning the lead member from the minority party.)
Elections to Congress
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has run for Congress several times.
Running in 2018 and 2020
She first ran for Florida's 20th congressional district in 2018. She ran against the person already holding the seat, Alcee Hastings. She lost this election. She ran against Hastings again in 2020 but lost once more.
Winning the 2022 Special Election
After Alcee Hastings passed away in April 2021, a special election was held. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick ran again for the 20th district seat. During her campaign, she supported ideas like a Green New Deal (to fight climate change), Medicare for All (healthcare for everyone), and a $1,000-a-month universal basic income.
She won the Democratic primary election by only five votes. This was a big surprise! Then, she easily won the main election in January 2022. She became the first Haitian-American Democrat elected to Congress. She is only the second Haitian-American overall to serve in Congress.
The 2022 Regular Election
After winning the special election, she had to run again for the regular election later in 2022. She won the Democratic primary easily this time. In the November election, she won with 72% of the votes. She started her first full term in Congress on January 3, 2023.
Groups She Belongs To
She is a member of several groups within Congress:
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus
Political Views
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick often votes in line with President Joe Biden's ideas. For example, she voted to support Israel after an attack in 2023.
Personal Life
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick married lawyer Corlie McCormick in 2017. They live in Miramar, Florida. They have two children together. She is a Protestant Christian.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2024
