Jake Ellzey | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's6th district | |
| Assumed office July 30, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Wright |
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives from the 10th district | |
| In office January 12, 2021 – July 30, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | John Wray |
| Succeeded by | Brian Harrison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Kevin Ellzey (1970-01-24)January 24, 1970 (age 55) Amarillo, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Shelby Hoebeke |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1992–2012 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
John Kevin "Jake" Ellzey Sr. (born January 24, 1970) is an American politician and former military officer serving as theU.S. representative forTexas's 6th congressional district since 2021. A member of theRepublican Party, he previously served as a member of theTexas House of Representatives for the 10th district from January to July 2021.[1] He served in theUnited States Navy as a fighter pilot, completing tours inAfghanistan andIraq.[2][3]
Ellzey was born inAmarillo, Texas, and raised inPerryton.[4] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from theUnited 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]
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Since retiring from the Navy, Ellzey has worked as a pilot forSouthwest Airlines[7] and as a consultant. He was also a social aide in theWhite House Office during theBush administration.[8] From 2012 to 2018, he was one of five commissioners of the Texas Veterans Commission.[9]
In2018, Ellzey was an unsuccessful candidate forTexas's 6th congressional district. During his campaign, he was endorsed byThe Dallas Morning News.[10] He placed second in the Republican primary, behindRon Wright, who won the general election.
Ellzey was elected to theTexas 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 thespecial election date for the Texas State House of Representatives District 10 seat that Ellzey vacated.[11][12] RepublicanBrian Harrison won the seat, defeating the representative who previously held the seat,John Wray.
On February 26, 2021, Ellzey announced his candidacy inTexas's 6th congressional district special election to replaceRon Wright, who died in office on February 7.[13][14][15][16] In the 23-candidatenonpartisan blanket primary, Ellzey finished second to Wright's widow Susan, who had been endorsed by former PresidentDonald Trump, and 354 votes ahead of Democrat Jana Sanchez. On May 2, Sanchez conceded to Ellzey.[17] GovernorGreg 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]
Ellzey defeated James Buford and Bill Payne in the Republican primary election, and was re-elected unopposed in the general election.[20]
Ellzey received support fromAIPAC andPro-Israel America in his re-election campaign.[21][22] He defeated Democrat John Love III, a former member of theMidland city council, in the general election with 66.4% of the vote.[23]
At the start of the118th Congress, Ellzey supported Rep.Kevin McCarthy in his bid for theHouse speakership, voting for him in all 15 rounds.[24] He later opposed the October 2023 vote toremove McCarthy as speaker, which ultimately succeeded 216–210.[25] In thesucceeding election for the next speaker, Ellzey opposed the candidacy of Republican nomineeJim Jordan, choosing instead to vote forMike 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 visitedTel Aviv in June 2024, meeting withIsraeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu anddefense ministerYoav Gallant.[27][28]
Ellzey described theTexas Central Railwaybullet train project as "all one big grift" and applauded theTrump administration’s decision to pull their 64 million dollar grant from the project.[32]
Ellzey voted to provide Israel with support following2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[33][34]
ThePACT ACT which expandedVeterans Affairs benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service, received a "nay" from Ellzey.[35]
In January 2025, Ellzey cosponsored fellowGOP House memberEric Burlison's bill recognizing personhood as starting at conception.[36]
| 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 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ron Wright | 12,747 | 52.2 | |
| Republican | Jake Ellzey | 11,686 | 47.8 | |
| Total votes | 24,433 | 100 | ||
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 |
| 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 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jake Ellzey | 20,837 | 53.27 | |
| Republican | Susan Wright | 18,279 | 46.73 | |
| Total votes | 39,116 | 100.00 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jake Ellzey (incumbent) | 149,321 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 149,321 | 100.00 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| 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 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Ellzey and his wife Shelby have two children. They live nearMidlothian, Texas.[7]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 6th congressional district 2021–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 289th | Succeeded by |
