Keith Self | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's3rd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Van Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Keith Alan Self (1953-03-20)March 20, 1953 (age 72) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) University of Southern California (MA) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1975–1999 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | United States Army Rangers |
Keith Alan Self (born March 20, 1953) is an American politician, military veteran, and former judge who has been theUnited States representative forTexas's 3rd congressional district since 2023. He is a member of theRepublican Party. From 2007 until 2018, he was thecounty judge forCollin County.
Self was born in 1953 at a military hospital inPhiladelphia and graduated fromTascosa High School inAmarillo, Texas.[1][2] He earned aBachelor of Science degree in engineering from theUnited States Military Academy in 1975.[3][failed verification][4] He is married to Tracy Groff.[5][6]
Self is a life member of theNational Rifle Association of America.[1][7] Self is Protestant.
Self served in theUnited States Army from 1975 to 1999. He was a member of theArmy Special Forces andArmy Rangers. He was deployed toQatar,Egypt,Germany,Afghanistan, andBelgium.[2] He was a candidate to replace retiring U.S. representativeDick Armey in 2002, narrowly missing the runoff by 93 votes to future representativeMichael C. Burgess.[8] He was recalled to active duty from 2002 to 2003, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.[9]
Self was elected as thecounty judge[a] forCollin County, Texas, serving three terms from 2007 to 2018.[10] He was a candidate forTexas's 3rd congressional district in the March 2022 Republican primary, finishing second to incumbentVan Taylor and advancing to a May runoff.[11] After the primary, Taylor announced that he would end his congressional campaign amid accusations of marital infidelity, giving Self the nomination.[12][13] Self won the November general election.[14]
On January 3, 2023, at the beginning of the118th Congress, Self voted forJim Jordan and later forByron Donalds to be theU.S. House speaker, in a rebuke ofHouse minority leaderKevin McCarthy.[15][16][17] "I love the new [U.S. House] rules. I’m looking for somebody that will enforce them", Self said.[15] In the 12th round of voting, Self changed his vote to McCarthy, saying "we are making progress... This will change this House, let’s be very clear".[18] Self was one of 15 Republicans to change their votes.[17][18] McCarthy finallywon the speakership on the 15th vote, held early in the morning on Saturday, January 7, with Self voting in favor.[19][20]
As a consequence of the delay in selecting a new speaker, Self was formally sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives in the early morning of January 7, 2023,[21] despite the 118th Congress convening on January 3.[15][22]
During his 2022 midterm election campaign, Self listed his priorities for his district: "Growth challenges such as transportation, proliferation of drag queen shows that target children (I returned a PAC check to a business that sponsored one) and drugs flowing into our area across the border".[28][29]
Self has faced public scrutiny for invoking quotes made by theNazi propagandistJoseph Goebbels. In 2010, while running for the Republican primary for his second term as judge, Self quoted Goebbels, saying "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it" while disparaging his opponent, John Muns. Self did not recant his statement, despite concern from his own party for invoking a Nazi, and posted the quote on his website.[30] Some fellow party members, such asDixie Clem andJodie Anne Laubenberg dismissed the quote as "just a quote".[31]During a March 2025 congressional hearing, Self, in an attempt to compare the answers of former executive director of theDisinformation Governance Board,Nina Jankowicz, to Goebbels, said "I'll leave you and I'll yield back a little bit of my time, a direct quote from Joseph Goebbels; It is the absolute right of the state to supervise the formation of public opinion and I think that may be what we're discussing here".[32][33]
During a March 2025 hearing, SelfmisgenderedSarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, repeatedly identifying her as "Mr. McBride".[34] McBride responded by misgendering Self saying, "Thank you, Madam Chair".Bill Keating, interrupting McBride, criticized Self, saying, "Have you no decency?" and told Self he would not continue the hearing unless he would refer to McBride by her preferred title.[34] Self subsequently adjourned the hearing.[35]
He later commented in an interview about the incident saying that while McBride "can live however he wants," official congressional proceedings must prioritize "the truth" over what Self described as a "fantasy."[36]
The Washington Post listed Self as a2020 presidential election denier.[37]
On May 6, 2023, a gunman used anAR-15 style rifle in anoutlet mall shooting that killed eight and wounded seven inAllen, Texas, within Self's district.[38][39] In the aftermath of the attack, Self was criticized for characterizing people who say that prayer alone will not stop mass shootings as "people that don't believe in an almighty God, who is absolutely in control of our lives".[7][38] He followed up by saying that he did not want to discuss politics so soon after a mass shooting; that Allen remains a "very safe area"; and that calls for additional regulation of AR-15 style rifles, including raising the allowable purchasing age, are “a knee-jerk reaction that does not stop criminals.”[38] Self advocated for arming school staff members with guns and having an armed presence in the public, stating that prayer and full funding of mental health programs are a better remedy for mass shootings thangun control.[7][38]Shannon Watts, the founder of the advocacy groupMoms Demand Action, responded: "Faith without works is dead. Prayers without action are empty."[7]
The shooter, Mauricio Martinez Garcia, had enlisted in theU.S. Army in June 2008, but never completedbasic training: he was terminated after three months due to mental health concerns.[40][41] Because this was anadministrative separation, rather than a punitive discharge, Garcia's termination by the Army would not show up on theNational Instant Criminal Background Check System.[42] On May 11, commenting on Garcia's military service, Self characterized him as "exactly the kind of person we're trying to keep weapons out of the hands of" and said that Garcia's ability to buy guns legally was a loophole that he intends to fix; however, Self denied that he was discussing ared flag law.[43]
Self has said that he considers the growth ofU.S. national debt "the existential threat that our nation faces today".[44] Self was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[45] On July 3, 2025, Self voted for H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act[46] which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will increase deficits by $2.8 trillion over the 2025-2034 period.[47]
Self is critical ofIslam, posting onX “Islam is tearing the fabric of American values like faith, family, and freedom.” In September 2025, Self shared a post fromLaura Loomer, a conservative activist and self-described "proudIslamophobe", accusingMichigan senatorial candidateAbdul El-Sayed of supporting theMuslim Brotherhood, andsharia, or Islamic law.[48] Keith Self andRandy Fine have introduced a bill which would ban sharia from the United States.[49] In November 2025, Self delivered an anti-Islam speech on the floor of the House of Representatives. Self condemned sharia as "a culture of violence and domination, totally anathema to the concept of individual freedom." Self further said “While Western civilization has evolved, Islam has not. Islam is stuck in the 8th century, and if they succeed at imposing their beliefs on us, we will be dragged back into theDark Age.”[50][51] In December 2025, Self andChip Roy announced the "Sharia Free America Caucus". The caucus supports legislation banning "adherents of sharia" from the United States and designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.[52] Self has said that sharia has "taken over" France and the United Kingdom, and that anti-sharia legislation would protect the United States from this alleged threat.[53]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Scott Armey | 11,493 | 45.4 | |
| Republican | Michael C. Burgess | 5,703 | 22.5 | |
| Republican | Keith Self | 5,610 | 22.2 | |
| Republican | Roger Sessions | 1,630 | 6.4 | |
| Republican | Dave Kovatch | 675 | 2.7 | |
| Republican | David Gulling | 204 | 0.8 | |
| Total votes | 25,315 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Van Taylor (incumbent) | 31,489 | 48.8 | |
| Republican | Keith Self | 17,058 | 26.5 | |
| Republican | Suzanne Harp | 13,375 | 20.8 | |
| Republican | Rickey Williams | 1,731 | 2.7 | |
| Republican | Jeremy Ivanovskis | 818 | 1.3 | |
| Total votes | 64,471 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Keith Self | 164,240 | 60.5 | ||
| Democratic | Sandeep Srivastava | 100,121 | 36.9 | ||
| Libertarian | Christopher Claytor | 6,895 | 2.5 | ||
| Total votes | 271,256 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Keith Self (incumbent) | 237,794 | 62.5 | |
| Democratic | Sandeep Srivastava | 142,953 | 37.6 | |
| Total votes | 380,747 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)"I love the new rules. I'm looking for somebody that will enforce them," Self said Tuesday after the House adjourned. "That's what I'm working on."
"We are making progress," Self said... "This will change this House, let's be very clear," Self said after voting for McCarthy.
... the 434 members-elect could not decide on a speaker of the House […] Rep.-elect Troy E. Nehls (R-Tex.), a Freedom Caucus guy who is nevertheless voting for Rep.-elect Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) […] The 118th Congress has indeed begun … But the House technically has no members and cannot proceed with the business of the American people.
A House subcommittee hearing went off the rails Tuesday when Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) misgendered Sarah McBride (D-Delaware), the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, and abruptly adjourned the session after a colleague confronted him.
If the military knows that a man has mental issues to the extent that he's going to be denied continuing his training", said Rep. Keith Self, a conservative, pro-gun rights freshman who represents Allen, "that seems like sufficient reason for them to put it in the national database ... That's exactly the kind of person we're trying to keep weapons out of the hands of." ... If Garcia passed a background check, Self said, it's because of a "loophole" he intends to fix. "We're not talking about a red flag law here", he said. "We're talking about the U.S. military that has made the determination that this man had significant mental health challenges.
During an interview with CBS11 before Thursday's five votes he said, "I want someone to lead this Republican conference to address the existential threat that our nation faces today." ... That threat he said is the growing national debt, which has jumped to more than $31 trillion.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 3rd congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 351st | Succeeded by |