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Morgan Luttrell

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Morgan Joe Luttrell (born November 7, 1975) is an American politician, businessman, and military veteran serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 8th congressional district since 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Morgan Luttrell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byKevin Brady
Personal details
Born
Morgan Joe Luttrell

(1975-11-07) November 7, 1975 (age 49)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLeslie
Children2
RelativesMarcus (twin brother)
Alma materSam Houston State University (BS)
University of Texas at Dallas (MS)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service2000–2014
RankLieutenant
UnitUnited States Navy SEALs

Early life and education

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Born in Houston in 1975, Morgan Joe Luttrell[1] has a twin brother, Marcus. He graduated from Willis High School.[2] Luttrell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Sam Houston State University in 2000 and a Master of Science in applied cognition neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2016.[3][4] He also has an executive certificate in professional leadership development from Harvard Business School.[5]

Early career

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Luttrell is an adjunct professor at Sam Houston State University,[5] of which he is an alumnus.[2] He also teaches law enforcement leadership.[5]

In 2019, Luttrell founded Trexxler Energy Solutions.[6] He is also the founder of Stronos Industries, which provides recyclable and biodegradable campaign signs.[7]

Military service

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Luttrell served as a United States Navy SEAL. He volunteered and received orders for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in 2001. After months of training, Luttrell graduated from BUD/S class 237. After BUD/S, he completed advanced training courses including parachute training at Basic Airborne School, cold weather combat training in Kodiak, Alaska, and six months of SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) in Coronado, California. Luttrell received the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 as a Combatant Swimmer (SEAL), entitled to wear the Special Warfare Insignia. In 2007, he was commissioned as a Ensign after completing Officer Candidate School and received the 1130 designator as a Naval Special Warfare Officer.[8][9] He served as a SEAL for 7 years until being medically retired in 2014 for a severe traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury he sustained in a helicopter crash in 2009.[10][11] Luttrell travelled to Rosarito, Mexico to obtain psychedelic therapy (ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT) for his injuries, including "hyperaggression" in civilian life; he described the treatments as having "profound" results, with "it [being] like 20 years of therapy in three days."[12][13]

Early political involvement

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Morgan Luttrell (right) and Marcus Luttrell (left) with Vice President Mike Pence at the Unleashing American Energy Event

From 2017 to 2019, Luttrell was a senior advisor to Secretary Rick Perry in the United States Department of Energy.[14][15] At the Energy Department, Luttrell worked to keep U.S. energy industry globally competitive through the Artificial Intelligence and Technologies Office.[16]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2022

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In 2021, Luttrell filed to run as a Republican for Texas's 8th congressional district in the 2022 election to succeed retiring incumbent Kevin Brady.[10]

During his campaign, Luttrell was supported by Rick Perry,[17] Congressman Dan Crenshaw (also a former Navy SEAL), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick,[18] the Congressional Leadership Fund,[19][20] and the American Patriots PAC, which was founded by McCarthy allies.[21] He garnered some notoriety from his brother Marcus, a veteran and the author of the memoir Lone Survivor. In total, there were 11 candidates in the Republican primary,[22] but Luttrell and Christian Collins, a conservative activist, were identified as the primary contenders since they both received significant political endorsements.[23] Collins was supported by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, the House Freedom action fund, and avid Trump supporters such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Madison Cawthorn.[24][25] The Texas Tribune described the race as "a tense proxy war, with some of the best-known Republicans in Texas—and the country—split between two of the leading candidates."[25][26] Luttrell has expressed support for Trump,[27] but he did request and receive campaign funds from a political PAC run by Adam Kinzinger, a major critic of Trump.[28] Luttrell and Collins ran on similar issues—securing the border, gun rights, and restricting abortion[25]—but Collins attempted to portray himself as the more pro-Trump candidate, accusing Luttrell of "lining up with the establishment".[25][29] Donald Trump did not make an endorsement in the race.[29]

Luttrell won the Republican primary with 52.2% of the vote, avoiding a runoff with Collins, who placed second with 22%.[30][31] The Democratic nominee in the general election was Laura Jones, the former Democratic Party chair of San Jacinto County.[29] Luttrell joined a lawsuit with several other congressional Republican candidates to remove Libertarian Party candidates, who are often perceived as threatening to Republican chances in tight elections, from the ballot.[32] FiveThirtyEight rated Luttrell "very likely" to win the election.[33] He was endorsed by the editorial board of the Houston Chronicle.[34] On November 8, 2022, Luttrell defeated Jones in the general election by 68% to 31%.[35]

2024

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Luttrell was uncontested in the 2024 Republican primary, and he will again face Democratic nominee Laura Jones in the general election.[36]

Tenure

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Luttrell assumed office on January 3, 2023[citation needed] and was officially[a] sworn in following the election of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House on January 7.[39] Along with Joaquin Castro and Troy Nehls, Luttrell is one of three twins from Texas in the 118th United States Congress.[40] Luttrell was assigned to the House Armed Services Committee, serving on the Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems and the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations.[41][42]

Luttrell was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[43] He introduced an amendment, that was passed by the House, to a Department of Defense appropriations bill allocating $15 million to conduct clinical trials regarding the use of psychedelic therapy for veterans with traumatic brain injuries.[12] In December 2023, Luttrell joined 13 of his colleagues in requesting an investigation into an attorney at the Office of General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs over their alleged antisemitic comments.[44]

Caucus memberships

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Electoral history

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2022

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Primary results

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Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Morgan Luttrell 34,271 52.2
Republican Christian Collins 14,659 22.3
Republican Jonathan Hullihan 8,296 12.6
Republican Dan McKaughan 1,585 2.4
Republican Jessica Wellington 1,550 2.4
Republican Candice Burrows 1,519 2.3
Republican Chuck Montgomery 1,169 1.8
Republican Michael Philips 871 1.3
Republican Jonathan Mitchell 791 1.2
Republican Betsy Bates 712 1.1
Republican Taylor Whichard 295 0.5
Total votes 65,718 100.0

General election results

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Luttrell overwhelmingly won areas of Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, and Montgomery County within District 8 by 80%, 83%, 80%, and 82%, respectively, while narrowly losing the portion of Harris County within District 8 by a vote of 50%—48%.[46]
Texas's 8th congressional district, 2022[47]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Morgan Luttrell 152,797 68.09
Democratic Laura Jones 68,485 30.52
Libertarian Roy Eriksen 3,116 1.39
Total votes 224,398 100

Personal life

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Luttrell and his wife Leslie have two sons. They live in Magnolia, Texas.[48] Pew Research identified Luttrell as a Protestant, and he has described himself as a "practicing Christian."[25][49]

Notes

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  1. ^ Members of the House of Representatives can not be sworn-in without a Speaker of the House.[37][38]

References

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  1. ^ "DocumentCloud". www.documentcloud.org. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  2. ^ a b University, Sam Houston State. "Distinguished Alumni - Sam Houston State University". SHSU Online. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "Bioguide Search". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Morgan Luttrell". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Retired Navy Seal Morgan Luttrell announces bid for congress". cbs19.tv. June 3, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Lotz, Anna (February 11, 2022). "Q&A: Republican candidates running for U.S. Rep. District 8 seat talk priorities". impact. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Industries, Stronos. "Navy Seal & War Veteran, Morgan Luttrell Launches Stronos Industries, Offering Biodegradable Political Signage". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "Morgan Luttrell". BrainLine. March 4, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  9. ^ England, Zach (June 30, 2020). "Navy SEAL veteran — twin brother of 'Lone Survivor' author — starts eco-friendly signage company". Navy Times. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Caldwell, Emily (June 1, 2021). "Morgan Luttrell, long-time Rick Perry ally, files to run for open Houston-area congressional seat". Dallas News. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  11. ^ "Candidates". RMSP PAC. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Gorman, Reese (September 27, 2023). "House approves funding for a study on using psychedelic therapy for veterans". Washington Examiner. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Londoño, Ernesto (July 21, 2023). "Minneapolis Mayor Loosens Enforcement of Psychedelics". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Singman, Brooke (February 18, 2022). "Texas Republican congressional candidate Morgan Luttrell lands $600K ad buy, support from top GOP super PAC". Fox News. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  15. ^ Industries, Stronos. "Navy Seal & War Veteran, Morgan Luttrell Launches Stronos Industries, Offering Biodegradable Political Signage". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  16. ^ Choi, Matthew (November 16, 2022). "Meet the seven new Texans in Congress". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Goldmacher, Shane (February 27, 2022). "'Blood Red': How Lopsided New District Lines Are Deepening America's Divide". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  18. ^ "Here's how the Democratic coalition has frayed since 2020". NBC News. February 21, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  19. ^ Singman, Brooke (February 18, 2022). "Texas Republican congressional candidate Morgan Luttrell lands $600K ad buy, support from top GOP super PAC". Fox News. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  20. ^ Schneider, Andrew (January 20, 2022). "11 GOP candidates crowd the race to replace Woodlands Congressman Kevin Brady". Houston Public Media. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  21. ^ "How Kevin McCarthy's political machine worked to sway the GOP field". Washington Post. September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "Morgan Luttrell Wins Crowded GOP Primary Race to Replace Rep. Kevin Brady". The Texan. March 3, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  23. ^ Scherer, Jasper (December 7, 2021). "Houston-area congressional race draws 9 GOP primary candidates". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  24. ^ "The primary foreshadowing the future of the GOP". POLITICO. February 25, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  25. ^ a b c d e Svitek, Patrick (February 3, 2022). "National GOP proxy war breaks out in crowded primary to succeed U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  26. ^ LaTour, Amee (March 3, 2022). "Morgan Luttrell wins TX-08 Republican primary – Ballotpedia News". Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  27. ^ "GOP primary in Texas tests how far Trump loyalty should extend". Roll Call. February 17, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  28. ^ Wong, Scott (December 8, 2021). "Trump war with GOP seeps into midterms". The Hill. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  29. ^ a b c Schneider, Andrew (March 3, 2022). "Morgan Luttrell wins the GOP nomination to succeed Congressman Kevin Brady in Conroe". Houston Public Media. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  30. ^ "Texas' 8th Congressional District". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  31. ^ Lotz, Anna (March 1, 2022). "UPDATED: Luttrell wins Republican primary in U.S. District 8 race". impact. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  32. ^ Scherer, Jasper (August 18, 2022). "Texas Republicans file lawsuit to sweep 23 Libertarians off 2022 ballot as polls forecast tight races". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  33. ^ Silver, Nate (June 30, 2022). "2022 House Forecast". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  34. ^ The Editorial Board (October 6, 2022). "Editorial: We recommend Morgan Luttrell in 8th Congressional District". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  35. ^ "Texas Eighth Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  36. ^ "Texas 8th Congressional District Primary Election Results". The New York Times. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  37. ^ Broadwater, Luke (January 4, 2023). "Lacking a Speaker, One Part of Government Ceases to Function". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  38. ^ "Delaying the Swearing In Is Playing Havoc With the House". Time. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  39. ^ Sprunt, Barbara; Davis, Susan (January 7, 2023). "Kevin McCarthy elected House speaker after 15 votes and days of negotiations". NPR. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  40. ^ "Twins, sons and happy meals: Things the 118th Congress will have that the 117th does not". Roll Call. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  41. ^ "House authorizers finalize subcommittee rosters | InsideDefense.com". insidedefense.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  42. ^ Ward, Er; Berg, Matt (January 18, 2023). "WEFore art thou, tanks?". POLITICO. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  43. ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  44. ^ "East Texas News - Luttrell leads letter addressing antisemitism | East Texas News". easttexasnews.com. December 8, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  45. ^ "Candidates". RMSP PAC. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  46. ^ "Texas Eighth Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  47. ^ U. S. REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 8, Texas Secretary of State, November 8, 2022.
  48. ^ "Meet Morgan". Morgan Luttrell. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  49. ^ "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Retrieved July 28, 2023.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 8th congressional district
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
398th 		Succeeded by
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