Wikipedia

Marc Veasey

Marc Allison Veasey (/ˈviːsɪ/; born January 3, 1971) is an American politician serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 33rd congressional district. From 2005 to 2013, he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, where he served as chair pro tempore of the House Democratic Caucus.

Marc Veasey
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 33rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded byConstituency established
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 95th district
In office
January 11, 2005 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byGlenn Lewis
Succeeded byNicole Collier
Personal details
Born
Marc Allison Veasey

(1971-01-03) January 3, 1971 (age 53)
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseTonya Jackson
Children1
EducationTexas Wesleyan University (BA)
WebsiteHouse website
Marc Veasey's voice
Marc Veasey speaks on racial bias within the U.S. Military
Recorded June 21, 2023

Early life and education

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Veasey was born on January 3, 1971,[1] to Connie and Joseph Veasey. With his parents and brother, Ryan, Veasey and his family lived in numerous rental houses in the Stop Six neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas. When he was ten years old, his parents divorced, and Marc, Ryan and their mother moved in with their maternal grandmother in the Como neighborhood of Fort Worth.[2]

Veasey attended Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth.[3] He graduated from Texas Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications.[2][4]

Early career

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Veasey worked as a substitute teacher and sportswriter, as well as writing scripts for an advertising agency. One summer, he volunteered for U.S. Representative Martin Frost, and was hired as a field representative.[2] Veasey worked for Frost for five years.[5][6]

Texas House of Representatives

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Elections

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As a result of the 2003 Texas redistricting, Frost lost his reelection effort in 2004 to Pete Sessions. In 2004, Veasey challenged Democratic State Representative Glenn Lewis for Texas's 95th House district.[5] He defeated Lewis 54%-46% in the primary[7] and won the general election unopposed. He was reelected in 2006 (91%), 2008 (96%), and 2010 (100%).[2][8]

Tenure

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Veasey represented Texas House District 95 from 2005 to 2013.[9] He was the chair pro tempore of the House Democratic Caucus.[10] He sponsored measures to create career and technology training in high schools, and authored HB 62, which honored Tim Cole, a Texas Tech University student wrongly convicted of raping a fellow student in 1985. Veasey also authored a bill requiring a study to lead to greater enforcement of the James Byrd Jr. hate crime bill.[11]

Committee assignments
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  • Elections Committee
  • Environmental Regulation Committee
  • Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services Committee
  • Redistricting Committee
  • Voter Identification & Voter Fraud Select Committee (Vice Chair)[12]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Veasey during the 113th Congress

Elections

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2012

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Veasey declared his candidacy for Texas's 33rd congressional district, a new congressional district for the United States House of Representatives that was created by reapportionment following the 2010 United States census. The district is based in Tarrant and Dallas counties.[13] It is heavily Democratic: the Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) was D+14. It is also highly diverse: 66% Hispanic and 17% African American.[14]

Eleven candidates filed to run in the Democratic primary. Veasey finished first, with 37% of the vote, less than the 50% needed to win the primary outright. State Representative Domingo García ranked second with 25% of the vote, qualifying for the runoff election. Veasey won Tarrant with 49% of the vote, while Garcia won Dallas with 44% of the vote.[15] In the runoff, Veasey defeated Garcia, 53%-47%. He carried Tarrant with a 68% of the vote, as opposed to Garcia's 70% in Dallas.[16] In the general election, he defeated Republican Chuck Bradley, 73%-26%. He won Tarrant with 78% of the vote and Dallas with 66% of the vote.[17][18] Veasey is the first African-American U.S. Representative elected from Tarrant County.[19]

2014

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Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 33

Veasey won re-nomination in the March 4 primary, defeating Tom Sanchez, 13,285 votes (73.5%) to 4,797 (26.5%).[20] He faced no Republican opponent in the general election but Jason Reeves qualified for the ballot as a Libertarian.[21]

2016

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Veasey won re-nomination in the March 1 primary against activist Carlos Quintanilla with 63% of the vote. He lost Dallas County but won Tarrant County. He defeated Republican M. Mark Mitchell in the general election, 74% to 26%. Veasey spent $1.5 million on his campaign.

2018

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Veasey again defeated Quintanilla in the primary, with 70% of the vote. In the general election he defeated Republican Willie Billups and Libertarian Jason Reeves with 76%.

2020

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Veasey defeated Sean Segura in the primary, 64% to 36%. He was endorsed by the Dallas Morning News, which claimed Segura "lacks a cohesive knowledge of the district’s public policy needs."[22]

In the general election, Veasey beat Republican Fabian Cordova Vasquez and three minor candidates, including Quintanilla, with 67% of the vote, his weakest showing to date, largely due to Quintanilla's independent candidacy.[23]

Political positions

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Veasey voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[24]

On July 19, 2024, Veasey called for Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 United States presidential election.[25]

Civil rights

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Veasey is a supporter of a woman's right to abortion.[26]

Veasey voted for the Violence Against Women Act and was rated the "preferred" candidate in 2020 by Feminist Majority Foundation.[27] He co-sponsored the Student Non-Discrimination Act.[27]

Energy and oil

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Veasey has agreed with The Heritage Foundation and opposed the Sierra Club on Offshore oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.[28]

Veasey defended Texas oil and interests in February 2021 when President Joe Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline and issued a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters.[29]

Committee assignments

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Caucus memberships

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Personal life

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Veasey is married to Tonya Jackson, a former Texas Senate aide.[37] They have a son.[38] Veasey's uncle, Robert James English, was a television reporter and worked for Jim Wright, a former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.[2]

Electoral history

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Election results
Year Office Election Subject Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
2004 State Representative Primary Marc Veasey Democratic 4,880 54.29% Glenn Lewis (i) Democratic 4,109 45.71%
2004 State Representative General Marc Veasey Democratic 33,769 100.00%
2006 State Representative General Marc Veasey (i) Democratic 18,259 90.53% John Paul Robinson Libertarian 1,909 9.47%
2008 State Representative General Marc Veasey (i) Democratic 39,150 95.52% Hy Siegel Libertarian 1,838 4.48%
2010 State Representative General Marc Veasey (i) Democratic 19,835 100.00%
2012 U.S. Representative Primary Marc Veasey Democratic 6,938 36.77% Domingo Garcia Democratic 4,715 24.99% Kathleen Hicks Democratic 2,372 12.57%
David Alameel Democratic 2,064 10.94% Manuel Valdez Democratic 884 4.69%
Steve Salazar Democratic 482 2.56% Chrysta Castaneda Democratic 395 2.09%
Jason E. Roberts Democratic 342 1.81% Carlos Quintanilla Democratic 286 1.52%
Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. Democratic 201 1.07% J. R. Molina Democratic 189 1.00%
2012 U.S. Representative Primary Runoff Marc Veasey Democratic 10,766 52.73% Domingo Garcia Democratic 9,653 47.27%
2012 U.S. Representative General Marc Veasey Democratic 85,114 72.51% Chuck Bradley Republican 30,252 25.77% Ed Lindsay Green 2,009 1.71%
2014 U.S. Representative Primary Marc Veasey (i) Democratic 13,292 73.48% Tom Sanchez Democratic 4,798 26.52%
2014 U.S. Representative General Marc Veasey (i) Democratic 43,769 86.51% Jason Reeves Libertarian 6,823 13.49%
2016 U.S. Representative Primary Marc Veasey (i) Democratic 20,526 63.41% Carlos Quintanilla Democratic 11,846 36.59%
2016 U.S. Representative General Marc Veasey (i) Democratic 93,147 73.71% M. Mark Mitchell Republican 33,222 26.29%
2018 U.S. Representative Primary Marc Veasey (i) Democratic 15,175 70.32% Carlos Quintanilla Democratic 6,405 29.68%
2018 U.S. Representative General[39] Marc Veasey (i) Democratic 90,805 76.16% Willie Billups Republican 26,120 21.91% Jason Reeves Libertarian 2,299 1.93%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "State Rep. Marc Veasey". texastribune.org. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e Tinsley, Anna M. (July 22, 2012). "Marc Veasey hopes his years in politics will help open a new chapter | Local Elections |". Star-telegram.com. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  3. ^ "Marc Veasey: Leader and Candidate for District 33 - Metropolitan - Daily Campus - Southern Methodist University". Smudailycampus.com. October 30, 2012. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  4. ^ "Star Telegram: Search Results". December 14, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Mosier, Jeff (March 10, 2004). "Archives | The Dallas Morning News, dallasnews.com". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  6. ^ "Star Telegram: Search Results". January 3, 2004.
  7. ^ "Our Campaigns - TX State House 095 - D Primary Race - Mar 09, 2004".
  8. ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Marc Veasey".
  9. ^ "Star Telegram: Search Results". March 14, 2004.
  10. ^ "U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey".
  11. ^ "ABOUT MARC - Marc Veasey".
  12. ^ "Marc Veasey".
  13. ^ "Texas - Congressional District 33" (PDF). www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  14. ^ ftp://ftpgis1.tlc.state.tx.us/DistrictViewer/Congress/PlanC235r100.pdf
  15. ^ "Our Campaigns - TX District 33 - D Primary Race - May 29, 2012".
  16. ^ "Our Campaigns - TX District 33 - D Runoff Race - Jul 31, 2012".
  17. ^ "Our Campaigns - TX District 33 Race - Nov 06, 2012".
  18. ^ Tinsley, Anna M. (August 28, 2010). "Marc Veasey, Roger Williams set to join North Texas congressional delegation | Elections &". Star-telegram.com. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  19. ^ Tinsley, Anna M. (August 28, 2010). "Fort Worth's Veasey wins runoff for U.S. House seat | Elections & Politics | News from F". Star-telegram.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  20. ^ "Democratic primary election returns". team1.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  21. ^ Young, Stephen (July 10, 2014). "Meet Jason Reeves, the Guy Guaranteed to Finish at Least Second to Marc Veasey". Unfair Park. Dallas Observer. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  22. ^ "We recommend Marc Veasey in the 33rd Congressional District Democratic primary". The Dallas Morning News. January 30, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  23. ^ "TX District 33 2020". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  24. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  25. ^ "Rep. Mark Pocan calls on Biden to drop out, saying concerns are 'jeopardizing' Dem chances". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  26. ^ "Marc Veasey on the Issues". ontheissues.org. On the Issues. 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  27. ^ a b "Marc Veasey on Civil Rights". ontheissues.org. On the Issues.
  28. ^ "Marc Veasey on Energy & Oil". ontheissues.org. On the Issues. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  29. ^ Greene, Richard (February 5, 2021). "When Biden put the squeeze on Texas' oil and gas industry, Democrats squealed, too". news.yahoo.com. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  30. ^ "Membership". Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  31. ^ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  32. ^ "Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi And Ralph Norman Relaunch The Bipartisan Congressional Solar Caucus For The 118th Congress". United States Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  33. ^ "Boyle and Veasey form "Blue Collar Caucus" in Congress". Congressman Brendan Boyle. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  34. ^ "Members". Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  35. ^ "Members". U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  36. ^ "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  37. ^ "Star Telegram: Search Results". December 12, 2004.
  38. ^ "The Graham Leader". The Graham Leader. March 20, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  39. ^ "Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
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Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by
Glenn Lewis
 Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 95th district
2005–2013 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
New constituency
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 33rd congressional district
2013–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Seniority in the U.S. House of Representatives
141st 		Succeeded by
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