Jake Ellzey

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Jake Ellzey
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from Texas's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office July 30, 2021

John Kevin "Jake" Ellzey Sr. (born January 24, 1970) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives for the 10th district from January to July 2021. ^[1] He served in the United States Navy as a fighter pilot, completing tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. ^{[2] [3]}

Early life and education

Ellzey was born in Amarillo, Texas, and raised in Perryton. ^[4] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from the United States Naval Academy in 1992. ^[5] Ellzey was deployed nine times in his 20 years in the Navy before becoming a commercial airline pilot. ^[6]

Career

Lieutenant Ellzey studies a map during a mission in 1997

Ellzey meeting with Rear Admiral Richard O'Hanlon in 2009

Since retiring from the Navy, Ellzey has worked as a pilot for Southwest Airlines ^[7] and as a consultant. He was also a social aide in the White House Office during the Bush administration. ^[8] From 2012 to 2018, he was one of five commissioners of the Texas Veterans Commission. ^[9]

In 2018, Ellzey was an unsuccessful candidate for Texas's 6th congressional district. During his campaign, he was endorsed by The Dallas Morning News . ^[10] He placed second in the Republican primary, behind Ron Wright, who won the general election.

Ellzey was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2020. He took office on January 12, 2021. ^[1] He resigned in July 2021 to take his seat in Congress. Governor Greg Abbott set August 31, 2021, as the special election date for the Texas State House of Representatives District 10 seat that Ellzey vacated. ^{[11] [12]} Republican Brian Harrison won the seat, defeating the representative who previously held the seat, John Wray.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2021 special

Main article: 2021 Texas's 6th congressional district special election

On February 26, 2021, Ellzey announced his candidacy in Texas's 6th congressional district special election to replace Ron Wright, who died in office on February 7. ^{[13] [14] [15] [16]} In the 23-candidate nonpartisan blanket primary, Ellzey finished second to Wright's widow Susan, who had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and 354 votes ahead of Democrat Jana Sanchez. On May 2, Sanchez conceded to Ellzey. ^[17] Governor Greg Abbott set July 27 as the special election runoff date. ^[18] Ellzey defeated Wright in the runoff, 53% to 47%. ^[19] He was sworn in on July 30, 2021. ^[7]

2022

Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 6

Ellzey defeated James Buford and Bill Payne in the Republican primary election, and was re-elected unopposed in the general election. ^[20]

2024

Main article: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 6

Ellzey received support from AIPAC and Pro-Israel America in his re-election campaign. ^{[21] [22]} He defeated Democrat John Love III, a former member of the Midland city council, in the general election with 66.4% of the vote. ^[23]

Tenure

At the start of the 118th Congress, Ellzey supported Rep. Kevin McCarthy in his bid for the House speakership, voting for him in all 15 rounds. ^[24] He later opposed the October 2023 vote to remove McCarthy as speaker, which ultimately succeeded 216–210. ^[25] In the succeeding election for the next speaker, Ellzey opposed the candidacy of Republican nominee Jim Jordan, choosing instead to vote for Mike Garcia. He would ultimately support the new nominee, Mike Johnson, in the fourth and final ballot. ^[26]

Ellzey was part of a bipartisan congressional delegation that visited Tel Aviv in June 2024, meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense minister Yoav Gallant. ^{[27] [28]}

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Small Business
  • Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development

Caucus memberships

• Republican Main Street Partnership ^[29]
• Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans ^[30]

Political positions

Ellzey voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. ^{[31] [32]}

Veterans

The PACT ACT which expanded VA benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service, received a "nay" from Ellzey. ^[33] Regarding cannabis, despite lobbying from VSOs such as the DAV, ^[34] Ellzey also voted against the 2022 MORE Act. ^[35]

Abortion

In January 2025, Ellzey cosponsored fellow GOP House member Eric Burlison's bill recognizing personhood as starting at conception. ^[36]

Electoral history

2018

Republican primary results, 2018 ^[37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ron Wright	20,659	45.1
	Republican	Jake Ellzey	9,956	21.7
	Republican	Ken Cope	3,527	7.7
	Republican	Shannon Dubberly	2,880	6.3
	Republican	Mark Mitchell	2,141	4.7
	Republican	Troy Ratterree	1,854	4.0
	Republican	Kevin Harrison	1,768	3.9
	Republican	Deborah Gagliardi	1,674	3.7
	Republican	Thomas Dillingham	543	1.2
	Republican	Shawn Dandridge	517	1.1
	Republican	Mel Hassell	266	0.6
Total votes			45,785	100.0

Republican primary runoff results, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ron Wright	12,747	52.2
	Republican	Jake Ellzey	11,686	47.8
Total votes			24,433	100

2020

Election results: ^[38]

District	Democratic		Republican		Libertarian		Total		Result
	District 10	-	-	65,062	75.83%	20,733	24.17%	85,795		100.00%	Republican Hold

2021

Texas's 6th congressional district special election, 2021 ^[39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Susan Wright	15,052	19.21
	Republican	Jake Ellzey	10,851	13.85
	Democratic	Jana Sanchez	10,497	13.39
	Republican	Brian Harrison	8,476	10.81
	Democratic	Shawn Lassiter	6,964	8.89
	Republican	John Anthony Castro	4,321	5.51
	Democratic	Tammy Allison Holloway	4,238	5.41
	Democratic	Lydia Bean	2,920	3.73
	Republican	Michael Wood	2,503	3.19
	Republican	Michael Ballantine	2,224	2.84
	Republican	Dan Rodimer	2,086	2.66
	Democratic	Daryl J. Eddings Sr.	1,652	2.11
	Republican	Mike Egan	1,543	1.97
	Democratic	Patrick Moses	1,189	1.52
	Democratic	Manuel R. Salazar III	1,119	1.43
	Republican	Sery Kim	888	1.13
	Republican	Travis Rodermund	460	0.59
	Independent	Adrian Mizher	351	0.45
	Democratic	Brian K. Stephenson	271	0.35
	Libertarian	Phil Gray	265	0.34
	Democratic	Matthew Hinterlong	252	0.32
	Republican	Jennifer Garcia Sharon	150	0.19
	Democratic	Chris Suprun	102	0.13
Total votes			78,374	100

2021 (runoff)

2021 Texas' 6th congressional district special election runoff ^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jake Ellzey	20,837	53.27
	Republican	Susan Wright	18,279	46.73
Total votes			39,116	100.00
	Republican hold

2022

2022 Texas' 6th congressional district election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jake Ellzey (incumbent)	149,321	100.00
Total votes			149,321	100.00
	Republican hold

2024

2024 Texas's 6th congressional district election ^[40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jake Ellzey (incumbent)	188,119	65.7
	Democratic	John Love III	98,319	34.3
Total votes			286,438	100.0
	Republican hold

Personal life

Ellzey and his wife Shelby have two children. They live near Midlothian, Texas. ^[7]

References

1. "Five New Texas House Candidates Who Won't Be Waiting on Election Results". The Texan . November 3, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
2. "Jake Ellzey". Ballotpedia . Retrieved January 22, 2021.
3. Spinks, Bill (March 3, 2020). "Ellzey wins Texas House District 10 primary". Waxahachie Daily Light . Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
4. "Republicans vy for District 10 Texas House seat". CedarCreekLake.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
5. "Rep. Jake Ellzey - Texas State Directory Online". www.txdirectory.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
6. Peterson, Kristina (July 28, 2021). "Jake Ellzey Wins Texas Special Election, Upsetting Trump-Endorsed Candidate" . The Wall Street Journal . New York, New York . Retrieved July 28, 2021.
7. Gillman, Todd J. (July 30, 2021). "Jake Ellzey, fence mended with Trump, is sworn in by Pelosi as Texas' newest congressman". The Dallas Morning News . Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
8. Spinks, Bill. "Forum set for Texas House candidates". Brownwood Bulletin . Retrieved February 8, 2021.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
9. "Rep. Jake Ellzey Sworn In as State Representative for House District 10". www.house.texas.gov. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
10. "We recommend Jake Ellzey in the GOP primary for 6th Congressional District". Dallas News. February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
11. Gromer, Jeffers. Gov. Greg Abbott sets Aug. 31 special election to replace U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey in Texas House, Dallas Morning News , August 6, 2021.
12. Svitek, Patrick. Special election to fill former state Rep. Jake Ellzey's North Texas seat set for Aug. 31, Texas Tribune , August 6, 2021.
13. "Freshman state Rep. Jake Ellzey joins crowded race to replace Republican Ron Wright in Congress". Dallas News. February 26, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
14. "Recount laws in Texas". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
15. "Texas 6th Congressional District Special Election Results and more -". Decision Desk HQ . May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
16. Ethan Cohen, Adam Levy and Clare Foran (May 2, 2021). "Susan Wright advances to runoff in Texas' 6th District special election with tight race for second spot". CNN . Retrieved May 2, 2021.
17. Weigel, David; Wang, Amy (May 2, 2021). "Texas Democrats concede lockout in House special election". The Washington Post . Retrieved May 2, 2021.
18. Svitek, Patrick (May 12, 2021). "Gov. Greg Abbott sets July 27 as date of special election runoff to succeed late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright". Texas Tribune .
19. "Texas Election Results" . Retrieved July 27, 2021.
20. "Texas Sixth Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times . November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
21. "Support Pro-Israel Candidates". AIPAC PAC. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
22. "Pro-Israel America Announces Twenty Candidate Endorsements". Pro Israel America. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
23. "Republican Jake Ellzey wins reelection to U.S. House in Texas' 6th Congressional District". KOB . November 5, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
24. McCartney, Allison; et al. (January 6, 2023). "Vote Count: McCarthy Elected House Speaker After 15 Ballots". The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
25. Cook Escobar, Molly; et al. (October 3, 2023). "Live Vote Count: House Decides Whether to Oust McCarthy as Speaker" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
26. Gamio, Lazaro; et al. (October 25, 2023). "Vote Count: Mike Johnson Elected House Speaker After Three-Week Vacancy". The New York Times . Retrieved November 1, 2023.
27. "Gallant to Congress members: We're fighting for Western civilization". Jewish News Syndicate . June 17, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
28. "PM Netanyahu Meets with Bipartisan US Congressional Delegation". gov.il. Prime Minister's Office. July 7, 2024 [June 19, 2024]. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
29. "Candidates". RMSP PAC. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
30. "Members of the Caucus on U.S. - Türkiye Relations & Turkish Americans". Turkish Coalition of America. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
31. Demirjian, Karoun (October 25, 2023). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 30, 2023.
32. Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (October 25, 2023). "Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
33. https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202257
34. "DAV Magazine July/August 2023 Page 5". www.qgdigitalpublishing.com.
35. https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2022107
36. "Congressman Burlison Introduces the Life at Conception Act". January 24, 2025.
37. "2018 Primary Election Official Results". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
38. "Texas 2020 election". The Texas Tribune. November 3, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
39. "Texas' 6th Congressional District's election results". www.texastribune.org. Texas Tribune. May 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
40. "Official Canvass Report 2024 NOVEMBER 5TH GENERAL ELECTION November 05, 2024" (PDF). Texas Secretary of State. January 7, 2025. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.

External links

• Campaign website
• Official House website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by John Wray	Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 10th district 2021	Succeeded by Brian Harrison
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Ron Wright	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 6th congressional district 2021–present	Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Melanie Stansbury	United States representatives by seniority 292nd	Succeeded by Shontel Brown