Barry Loudermilk | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's11th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Phil Gingrey |
| Member of theGeorgia State Senate from the14th district | |
| In office January 14, 2013 – August 27, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | George Hooks |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Thompson |
| Member of theGeorgia State Senate from the52nd district | |
| In office January 10, 2011 – January 14, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Preston Smith |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Hufstetler |
| Member of theGeorgia House of Representatives from the14th district | |
| In office January 10, 2005 – January 10, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Knox |
| Succeeded by | Christian A. Coomer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Barry Dean Loudermilk (1963-12-22)December 22, 1963 (age 61) Riverdale, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Desiree |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Air University (AS) Wayland Baptist University (BS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1984–1992 |
| Rank | Communications Operations Specialist |
Loudermilk on the retirement of U.S. Sen.Johnny Isakson. Recorded November 19, 2019 | |
Barry Dean Loudermilk (/ˈlaʊdərˌmɪlk/LOW-dər-MILK; born December 22, 1963)[1] is an Americanpolitician from the state ofGeorgia who has been theUnited States House representative fromGeorgia's 11th congressional district since 2015. Prior to this, Loudermilk served in theGeorgia House of Representatives (2005–2010) and theGeorgia Senate (2011–2013).[2] He stepped down from the Georgia Senate to run forPhil Gingrey's congressional seat in the 11th district; Gingreyran for a U.S. Senate seat.
Loudermilk won the Republican nomination for the House seat in a 2014 runoff againstBob Barr.[3] In that race,The Almanac of American Politics stated Loudermilk took a "sharp anti-establishment turn."[4] After a couple years of being in the U.S. House of Representatives, Loudermilk dropped his membership in the "anti-leadership"Freedom Caucus and became increasingly involved in the "more leadership orientedRepublican Study Committee."[5]
Georgia's 11th congressional district is located northwest ofAtlanta and is Republican-favoring.[5] The 2025Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district as favoring Republicans by 12 points.[6]The Almanac has stated that a Democrat with a strong base in populousCobb County could result in a competitive race.[5] From 2014 to present, Loudermilk has been re-elected to successive biennial terms.
Loudermilk enlisted in theUnited States Air Force in 1984, where he worked as a communications operations specialist.[7] While in the Air Force, he attended theCommunity College of the Air Force atAir University to earn hisAssociate of Applied Science in telecommunications technology in 1987 before going on to earn hisBachelor of Science in occupational education and information systems technology fromWayland Baptist University in 1992. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1992. After his military service he founded a company called Innovative Network Systems, Inc.[8]
Loudermilk was elected chairman of theBartow County Republican party in 2001, serving until 2004. He served in theGeorgia House of Representatives forDistrict 14 from 2005 until 2010[9] and was a member of theGeorgia State Senate from 2011 to 2013. As a representative, in 2007 he argued for the abolition ofred-light cameras because the cameras do not conduct an "investigation", as officers do, to see who was driving the vehicle. Instead, cameras cite the vehicle, and it is up to an individual to prove their innocence.[10] As a senator, Loudermilk supported a ban onundocumented students from attending the top 5 public state universities, and he argued to expand the ban to includeall state colleges.[11] Loudermilk resigned from the state senate in August 2013 to focus on a US congressional bid.[12] The bid was for the house seat ofPhil Gingrey, whoran for a U.S. Senate seat.[1]
In the 2014 Republican primary forGeorgia's 11th district, Loudermilk took a "sharp anti establishment turn" and argued thatBob Barr's experience in Washington was a drawback.[4] Loudermilk was described as being the favorite of localtea party groups and having the support of Washington-based figures with a history of endorsing anti-establishment conservative politicians.[13] Barr's surrogates argued that Loudermilk consistently embellished his military record.[14][15]
Greg Bluestein, writing inThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said that in the Air Force, Loudermilk rose "to the rank of staff sergeant, the candidate has told us. While in campaign speeches he speaks of his experience as an 'aviator,' Loudermilk says his flying experience has been as a civilian. He obtained a pilot’s license in 2008. And that picture of Loudermilk in an Air Force jumpsuit in a small plane? He was a spotter for search-and-rescue missions."[15] In response to press requests and Barr's surrogates, Loudermilk released a military resume and his discharge paperwork.[15]
In the primary, Loudermilk topped Barr[13] and won easily against him in the runoff. Loudermilk ran unopposed in the November election.[5] Once in office that November, he cast a "principled vote" (one of only three) againstJohn Boehner as Speaker of the House, which he thought likely cost him a desired committee assignment.[5]The Almanac of American Politics wrote that "after this initial dustup, Loudermilk moved closer to Republican leaders, despite criticism fromright-wing talk radio hosts. In 2017, he dropped his membership in the anti leadershipFreedom Caucus, citing a lack of time, while increasing his activity with the more leadership orientedRepublican Study Committee."[5]
As of December 2024, Loudermilk was serving as chairman of theHouse Administration Subcommittee on Oversight. In this position, he spearheaded a report targetingLiz Cheney over her role in theJanuary 6th Committee.[16] In January 2025, Loudermilk became the chair of aHouse Judiciary Committee subcommittee formed bySpeaker Johnson that was intended to cast doubt on the work of the January 6th Committee.[17][18]
The lines of the 11th Congressional district of Georgia were last updated as of January 3rd, 2025, after a court-ordered redrawing. The district is located to the northwest of Atlanta. As of 2025, the 11th district includesMarietta, the largest city andcounty seat of populousCobb County; cities along theI-575 corridor includingWoodstock,Holly Springs, andCanton (the county seat ofCherokee County); parts ofAcworth andKennesaw; and other cities alongI-75 north of Atlanta includingEmerson,Cartersville (the county seat ofBartow County),Adairsville, andCalhoun (the county seat ofGordon County). The district is Republican-favoring. Given district lines before the 2025 redraw,The Almanac of American Politics said that "recent results suggest that a Democrat with a strong base in Cobb County could give Loudermilk a serious run," given its large population base.[5] The 2025Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district as favoring Republicans by 12 points.[6]
In the 114th congress, Loudermilk had an 84% score from conservative political advocacy groupHeritage Action for his voting record, with the average House Republican scoring 63%.[19]
In February 2017, Loudermilk co-sponsoredH.R. 861, which would eliminate theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency by 2018.[20]
As mentioned above, Loudermilk is a former member of the Freedom Caucus[21][22] and has been endorsed by theevangelical author andpolitical activist forChristian nationalist causes,David Barton.[23]
For the118th Congress:[24]
On May 19, 2022, theUnited States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack requested that Loudermilk appear for an interview about a tour he led of theUnited States Capitol Complex on January 5, 2021, the day before the2021 United States Capitol attack.[30] House Democrats had suggested Loudermilk aided in the attack, which he and House Republicans disputed. In June, Capitol police concluded that there was nothing suspicious about Loudermilk's tour. Capitol police chiefTom Manger said, "There is no evidence that Rep. Loudermilk entered the U.S. Capitol with this group on January 5, 2021."[31] The next day, the committee released video of Loudermilk leading the tour of the Capitol complex on January 5 in areas "not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints";[32] the footage showed the group walking through tunnels underneath the Capitol, but not within the main building. A man in the tour group can also be seen taking photos of hallways. The committee then shared footage claiming the man was at the riot, showing footage of a man at the storming of the Capitol the next day.[33]
Loudermilk filed an ethics complaint against RepresentativeMikie Sherrill and other members for alleging he gave a reconnaissance tour of the Capitol on January 5.[34][35]
Loudermilk supports reformingMedicaid,Medicare, andSocial Security. He supports repealing and replacing theAffordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). He compared the 2017 Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare to theAmerican Revolutionary War andWorld War II.[36]
Loudermilk said he considers the presidency ofDonald Trump a "movement" and has praised the concept of "Make America Great Again." He has creditedPaul Ryan, rather than Trump, with Republican success in Congress.[36] In 2017, Loudermilk called Ryan a "revolutionary thinker."[36]
In December 2019, Loudermilk likened theimpeachment of Trump to thecrucifixion of Jesus. In a floor speech, he said, "WhenJesus was falsely accused of treason,Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers... During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than the Democrats have afforded this president in this process", a fact pattern disputed by religious scholarship and rated byPolitiFact as "false."[37]
In December 2020, Loudermilk was one of 126 Republican members of theHouse of Representatives to sign anamicus brief in support ofTexas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at theUnited States Supreme Court contesting the results of the2020 presidential election, in whichJoe Biden defeated[38] Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lackedstanding underArticle III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[39][40][41]
Giventhe refusal to accept the 2020 election loss of Donald Trump by allies and supporters, Loudermilk voted to reject the results in both Arizona and Pennsylvania immediately after theJanuary 6th Capitol attack.[42] He was one of 139 Republican House members who objected to certifying Biden as president.[42][43]
In 2016, theClub for Growth named Loudermilk a "defender of economic freedom" for his conservative voting record on the economy.[44]
Loudermilk opposes the regulation ofbuy now, pay later financing.[45]
Loudermilk supports abalanced budget amendment but does not consider it "politically viable."[36]
Loudermilk supportstax reform and voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[46] He called the act a "big Christmas present" for his constituents, claiming it would reduce the deficit, improve the lives of all Americans, and cause more companies to hire due to increased revenues. He said, "I could understand it if all we were doing was just giving a corporate tax break—you could make that argument. But the bulk of the tax reform is giving middle-income Americans a significant tax cut."[36]
Loudermilk supports dismantling the IRS and establishing aflat tax system.[36]
In September 2017, the Georgia-based credit bureauEquifax revealed a data breach that affected 143 million Americans and was characterized by technology journalists as "very possibly the worst leak of personal info ever to have happened".[47] Four months earlier, Loudermilk, who had received $2,000 in campaign contributions from Equifax as part of an extensivelobbying effort,[48][49] introduced a bill that would reduce consumer protections in relation to the nation's credit bureaus, including capping potential damages in aclass action suit to $500,000 regardless of class size or amount of loss.[50][51] The bill would also eliminate allpunitive damages.[50][51] After criticism from consumer advocates, Loudermilk agreed to delay consideration of the bill "pending a full and complete investigation into the Equifax breach."[50][original research?]
Loudermilk argued in 2015 against negotiating theIran nuclear deal. He citedBenjamin Netanyahu's perspective and arguedIran was a dangerous terrorist state—one that sought regional if not global hegemony.[52] He was a Committee on Homeland Security and task force member for the bipartisan 2015Final Report of the Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel.
Loudermilk isanti-abortion and believes that life starts at conception. He supports theright to life movement and has said, "Life is the ultimate right endowed by God and it is the responsibility of governments to protect that right, not to destroy it."[53]
Loudermilk opposes federal legalization ofsame-sex marriage, believing it should be decided by states. In 2015, Loudermilk condemned the Supreme Court decision inObergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution.[54] He has supported theFirst Amendment Defense Act.[55]
Loudermilk's wife is named Desiree.[1] He has three adult children (Travis, Christiana, and Michael)[7]—who were homeschooled and mostly not vaccinated[56]—and 7 grandchildren as of 2024.[57] Christiana was commended with a 2011 Georgia Senate resolution about her accomplishments in theCivil Air Patrol.[58] Travis, who has worked forMarjorie Taylor Greene, has had 3 children from his relationship with Sarah Redwine.[59] Loudermilk is aBaptist[60] and has spoken of his attendance to Oakland Heights Baptist Church in Cartersville, GA.[61] He was "standing near home plate" when the 2017Congressional baseball shooting began, in which he was uninjured.[62] In response to the shooting, Loudermilk said his assistants in Georgia were armed.[63]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's 11th congressional district 2015–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 141st | Succeeded by |
