Morgan Griffith | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's9th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Rick Boucher |
| Majority Leader of theVirginia House of Delegates | |
| In office January 12, 2000 – December 5, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Cranwell |
| Succeeded by | Kirk Cox |
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from the8th district | |
| In office January 12, 1994 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | G. Steven Agee |
| Succeeded by | Greg Habeeb |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Howard Morgan Griffith (1958-03-15)March 15, 1958 (age 67) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Hilary Davis |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
| Website | House website |
Morgan Griffith speaks in favor of the Medical Marijuana Research Act Recorded December 9, 2020 | |
Howard Morgan Griffith (born March 15, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician who has been theU.S. representative forVirginia's 9th congressional district since 2011. The district covers most ofSouthwest Virginia, including theNew River Valley and the Virginia side of theTri-Cities. He is a member of theRepublican Party and theFreedom Caucus.
Griffith was themajority leader of theVirginia House of Delegates and represented the 8th district from 1994 to 2011. The district was based in his hometown ofSalem and included parts of surroundingRoanoke County.[1]
Griffith was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, and in his infancy his family relocated toSalem, Virginia. He graduated from Andrew Lewis High School in 1976 and fromEmory and Henry College in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts. Griffith completed his education with aJ.D. from theWashington and Lee University School of Law in 1983.[2]
After law school, Griffith settled in Salem, where he worked as anattorney in private practice specializing intraffic violations andDUI. On June 23, 2008, Albo & Oblon LLP, a law firm run by fellow Republican delegateDave Albo, announced that Griffith had joined the firm as head of its new Roanoke/Salem office.[3]
Griffith's first entry into electoral politics came in 1986, when he was chosen as chair of the Salem Republican Party. He chaired the party from 1986 to 1988 and from 1991 to 1994.[citation needed]
In 1993, incumbent DelegateG. Steven Agee chose to run in the Republican primary for Attorney General. Griffith ran for the open seat representing the 8th district and won. He was elected to several terms, facing opposition only in 2001, 2003, and 2009. He served as vice chair of the Rules Committee and on the Courts of Justice Committee, and chaired its Criminal Law Subcommittee. He also served on the Commerce and Labor Committee, and the Committee on Militia, Police, and Public Safety.[4] He was elected House Majority Leader in 2000, the first Republican to hold that position in Virginia's history.[5]
Rather than run for a tenth term in the House of Delegates, Griffith opted to challenge CongressmanRick Boucher, a 13-term incumbent Democrat who had served since 1983. His home in Salem was just outside the 9th's borders at the time, but the district included almost all of his House of Delegates district.
Griffith chose to run for Congress after Boucher voted for thecap and trade bill. Boucher capitalized on the fact that Griffith did not live in the district, and in return Griffith branded Boucher as a rubber stamp forBarack Obama andNancy Pelosi. Griffith won the election by less than 5% of the vote.[6]
Griffith defeated Democratic nominee Anthony Flaccavento, 61.3% to 38.6%.[7]
Griffith defeated Democratic nominee Derek Kitts and Independent Janice Boyd with 68.59% of the vote.
Griffith defeated two Democratic opponents, Flaccavento and Justin Santopietro, and a Whig opponent, Scott Blankenship.[8]
Griffith ran unopposed. He was reelected with 94.39% of the vote.
2024
Griffith defeated Democratic nominee Karen Baker. He was reelected with 72.5% of the vote.
| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Third Party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Morgan Griffith | 14,052 | 100% | no candidate | Write-ins | 35 | 0% | ||||||
| 1997 | Morgan Griffith | 15,383 | 100% | no candidate | Write-ins | 12 | 0% | ||||||
| 1999 | Morgan Griffith | 11,066 | 100% | no candidate | Write-ins | 19 | 0% | ||||||
| 2001 | Morgan Griffith | 17,401 | 70% | D. Martin | 7,581 | 30% | |||||||
| 2003 | Morgan Griffith | 10,860 | 59% | M Q Emick Sr. | 7,469 | 41% | |||||||
| 2005 | Morgan Griffith | 20,484 | 98% | no candidate | Write-ins | 417 | 2% | ||||||
| 2007 | Morgan Griffith | 13,670 | 96% | no candidate | Write-ins | 563 | 4% | ||||||
| 2009 | Morgan Griffith | 16,790 | 69% | E. Carter Turner III | 7,563 | 31% |
| Year | Republican | Votes | Pct | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Third Party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Morgan Griffith | 95,726 | 51.2% | Rick Boucher | 86,743 | 46.4% | Jeremiah Heaton | Independent | 4,282 | 2.3% | |||
| 2012 | Morgan Griffith | 184,882 | 61.28% | Anthony Flaccavento | 116,400 | 38.58% | Write-ins | 376 | 0.12% | ||||
| 2014 | Morgan Griffith | 117,465 | 72.15% | no candidate | William Carr | Independent | 39,412 | 24.21% | |||||
| 2016 | Morgan Griffith | 212,838 | 68.6% | Derek Kitts | 87,877 | 28.3% | Janice Allen Boyd | Independent | 9,050 | 2.9% | |||
| 2018 | Morgan Griffith | 160,933 | 65.2% | Anthony Flaccavento | 85,833 | 34.8% | Write-ins | 214 | 0.1% | ||||
| 2020 | Morgan Griffith | 271,851 | 94.0% | no candidate | Write-ins | 17,423 | 6.0% | ||||||
| 2022 | Morgan Griffith | 182,207 | 73.2% | Taysha DeVaughan | 66,027 | 26.5 | Write-ins | 558 | 0.2% | ||||
| 2024 | Morgan Griffith | 290,645 | 72.5% | Karen G. H. Baker | 109,570 | 27.3% | Write-ins | 748 | 0.2% |
In June 2021, Griffith was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal theAuthorization of Military Force against Iraq. The measure ultimately succeeded in the House and has been pending in the Senate since then.[16]
In 2023, Griffith was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed PresidentJoe Biden to remove U.S. troops fromSyria within 180 days.[17][18]
Griffith has voted to allow Virginia to enforce federal immigration laws to criminalize knowingly employingillegal immigrants or undocumented workers,[19] and also voted to criminalize possession of firearms by illegal aliens.[20]
Griffith voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which authorizes theDepartment of Homeland Security to nearly double the availableH-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.[21][22]
Griffith voted against the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158),[23] which effectively prohibitsImmigration and Customs Enforcement from cooperating with theDepartment of Health and Human Services to detain or removeillegal alien sponsors ofUnaccompanied Alien Children.[citation needed] The measure was approved by both houses of Congress and signed into law by PresidentDonald Trump on December 10, 2019.
While serving in the Virginia House of Delegates, Griffith supported a constitutional amendment to prohibitsame-sex marriage by defining marriage as between one man and one woman.[24] He voted in favor of a motion to effectively kill a bill to prohibit discrimination on the basis ofsexual orientation for government employees in Virginia.[25]
In 2017, Griffith voted to nullify theStream Protection Rule, which included improvements in the protection of water supplies, water quality, streams, fish and other wildlife that can be negatively affected by surface coal mining.[26] The same year, he joined other members of the House of Representatives in passing an amendment to H.R. 3354, which undermined theEnvironmental Protection Agency’s ability to enforce environmental standards in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which covers six states and the District of Columbia.[27][28]
Griffith is a proponent of "an 'all of the above' energy strategy" that utilizes both fossil fuel and renewable energy sources.[29] In 2011, he joined other GOP members in urging Interior SecretaryKen Salazar to reconsider the ban on offshore drilling off Virginia's coast.[30]
Griffith voted in favor of several bills to reduce restrictions on gun ownership, including a bill to allowconcealed weapons in vehicles without a permit[31] and to allow concealed weapons permit holders to carry their firearms in restaurants and bars.[32] He also voted to prohibit consumption of alcohol while in possession of a concealed weapon.[33] In 2004 Griffith voted to prohibit carrying firearms or ammunition in non-secure areas of airport terminals, including baggage claim areas.[34][35]
Early in 2010, Griffith voted in favor of a bill to prohibit anyindividual mandate to purchasehealth insurance.[36] This law passed Virginia's legislature before the federalPatient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted, which Virginia has used to challenge the individual mandate in federal court.[37] On July 17, 2013, Griffith was the lone GOP member of the House to vote against delaying the implementation of the individual mandate.[38]
Just before theUnited States federal government shutdown of 2013, Griffith issued a press release in which he endorsed the final House version ofContinuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014, which would have continued funding for federal government operations while delaying implementation of the Affordable Care Act.[39] He voted against theContinuing Appropriations Act, 2014, the Senate-proposed compromise that ended the shutdown without defunding the ACA.[40]
Griffith has consistently voted for expansions of thedeath penalty to include eligibility for accomplices to a murder, as well as for those who murder a judge or a witness.[41][42][43]
When surveyed in 1999 on his political positions byProject Vote Smart, Griffith indicated that he supports legalizedabortion in thefirst trimester and to save the life of the mother,[44] while favoring the restriction of abortion throughparental notification laws and prohibition ofpartial-birth abortion. His voting record has generally been consistent with that survey, voting in favor of restrictions such as parental-notification and parental-consent, restricting state funding of abortions,[45] and requiringabortion clinics to meet the same licensing requirements as surgical centers. In 2006 Griffith voted to restrict state funding forfetal stem cell research.[46]
In 2007 Griffith voted against[47] a bill in theVirginia General Assembly, HB 2797, which stated "That life begins at the moment of fertilization and the right to enjoyment of life guaranteed by Article 1, § 1 of the Constitution of Virginia is vested in each born andpreborn human being from the moment of fertilization".[48]
Griffith's 2010 campaign website reported that Griffith has a "100% pro-life" voting record and an "A" rating from theVirginia Society for Human Life (VSHL). But VSHL's report on 2007 legislation in Virginia omits reference to HB 2797.[49] Project Vote Smart indicated that Griffith declined to retake their survey in 2010.[44]
Griffith supports raising the retirement age and reducing the number of American troops serving overseas as means of reducing the federal budget deficit.[50] Most recently, he voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[51]
In 2014, Griffith introduced legislation to movemarijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II narcotic, which would effectively make the drug legal for medical purposes under federal law.[52]
In December 2020, Griffith 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[53] incumbentDonald 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.[54][55][56]
Presidential election certification
On January 6, 2021, Griffith was one of the 147 Republican members of Congress who objected to certifying the2020 presidential election.[57]
In September 2021, Griffith was among 75 House Republicans to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, which contains a provision that would require women to be drafted.[58][59]
Griffith was among 19 House Republicans to vote against the final passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.[60]
In 2022, Griffith was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[61][62]
Griffith was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[63]
Griffith voted to support Israel following the2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[64][65]
Griffith and his wife, the former Hilary Davis, have three children. He is anEpiscopalian.[66]
In 2014 Griffith founded theCongressional Friends of Wales Caucus in honor of his Welsh heritage.[67]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Virginia House of Delegates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from the 8th district 1994–2011 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 9th congressional district 2011–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 84th | Succeeded by |
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 9th congressional district | ||
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