Michael Cloud | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's27th district | |
| Assumed office July 10, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Blake Farenthold |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Jonathan Cloud (1975-05-13)May 13, 1975 (age 50) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Oral Roberts University (BS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Michael Jonathan Cloud (born May 13, 1975) is an American politician representingTexas's 27th congressional district in theUnited States House of Representatives since 2018. He is a member of theRepublican Party.
Cloud is a member of the new House Department of Government Efficiency Committee.
Cloud graduated fromOral Roberts University in 1997 with aBachelor of Science in mass media communications.[1] At Oral Roberts, he was on the cross country and track teams.[2] He chaired theVictoria County Republican Party from 2010 to 2017.[3]
Cloud succeeded RepublicanBlake Farenthold, who resigned amid controversy due to settling a sexual harassment lawsuit with public money.[4][5] He won the Republican runoff for the regularly scheduled election with help from theClub for Growth and the endorsement ofRon Paul, who had previously represented parts of the district.[6] On June 30, 2018, he won the special election, defeatingDemocratic nominee Eric Holguin, 55% to 32%.[3]
Cloud defeated Holguin again in November, along with independent candidate James Duerr andLibertarian candidate Daniel Tinus, with 60.3% of the vote.
Cloud defeated Democratic nominee Ricardo "Rick" De La Fuente and Libertarian candidate Phil Gray with 63.1% of the vote.[7]
Cloud was sworn in on July 10, 2018.[8]
In December 2020, Cloud 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[9] 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.[10][11][12]
During the2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Cloud and his colleagues were ushered to a secure location. Later, video footage of him surfaced in which he refused to wear a mask, in violation of House rules.[13][14]
On January 3, 2023, at the beginning of the 118th Congress, Cloud voted forJim Jordan to be theU.S. House speaker, in rebuke ofHouse minority leaderKevin McCarthy.[15]
Cloud voted to provide Israel with support following2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[16][17]
In June 2021, Cloud was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal theAUMF against Iraq.[18][19]
In 2023, Cloud 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.[20][21]
Cloud voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.[22][23]
Cloud voted against the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158),[24] 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] He demanded answers in October 2024 from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding a report that found nearly 300,000 migrant children disappeared from tracking.[25]
In 2022, Cloud 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.[26][27]
Cloud was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[28]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Cloud | 19,872 | 54.8 | |
| Democratic | Eric Holguin | 11,599 | 32.0 | |
| Democratic | Raul (Roy) Barrera | 1,748 | 4.8 | |
| Republican | Bech Bruun (withdrawn) | 1,571 | 4.3 | |
| Democratic | Mike Westergren | 858 | 2.4 | |
| Republican | Marty Perez | 276 | 0.8 | |
| Independent | Judith Cutright | 172 | 0.5 | |
| Libertarian | Daniel Tinus | 144 | 0.4 | |
| Independent | Christopher Suprun | 51 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 36,268 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bech Bruun | 15,845 | 36.1 | |
| Republican | Michael Cloud | 14,866 | 33.9 | |
| Republican | Christopher K. Mapp | 5,302 | 12.1 | |
| Republican | Jerry Hall | 3,616 | 8.2 | |
| Republican | John Grunwald | 3,038 | 6.9 | |
| Republican | Eddie Gassman | 1,226 | 2.8 | |
| Total votes | 43,893 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Cloud | 15,234 | 61.0 | |
| Republican | Bech Bruun | 9,723 | 39.0 | |
| Total votes | 24,957 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Cloud (incumbent) | 125,118 | 60.3 | |
| Democratic | Eric Holguin | 75,929 | 36.6 | |
| Independent | James Duerr | 4,274 | 2.1 | |
| Libertarian | Daniel Tinus | 2,100 | 1.0 | |
| Total votes | 207,421 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Cloud (incumbent) | 60,945 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 60,945 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Cloud (incumbent) | 172,305 | 63.1 | |
| Democratic | Ricardo "Rick" De La Fuente | 95,446 | 34.9 | |
| Libertarian | Phil Gray | 5,482 | 2.0 | |
| Total votes | 273,253 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Cloud (incumbent) | 45,741 | 72.5 | |
| Republican | A.J. Louderback | 7,704 | 12.2 | |
| Republican | Chris Mapp | 4,542 | 7.2 | |
| Republican | Andrew Alvarez | 2,648 | 4.2 | |
| Republican | Eric Mireles | 2,478 | 3.9 | |
| Total votes | 63,113 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Cloud (incumbent) | 133,416 | 64.4 | |
| Democratic | Maclovio Perez | 73,611 | 35.6 | |
| Total votes | 207,027 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Cloud (incumbent) | 53,304 | 74.6 | |
| Republican | Scott Mandell | 10,791 | 15.1 | |
| Republican | Luis Espindola | 3,838 | 5.4 | |
| Republican | Chris Mapp | 3,553 | 5.0 | |
| Total votes | 71,486 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Cloud (incumbent) | 183,980 | 66.04 | |
| Democratic | Tanya Lloyd | 94,596 | 33.96 | |
| Total votes | 278,576 | 100.00 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Cloud isProtestant.[38]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Potential recruits receiving Freedom Fund money this cycle include Chip Roy in Texas' 21st District, Yvette Herrell in New Mexico's 2nd District, Mark Harris in North Carolina's 9th District, Greg Steube in Florida's 17th District, Denver Riggleman in Virginia's 5th District, Mark Green in Tennessee's 7th District, Russ Fulcher in Idaho's 1st District, Ron Wright in Texas' 6th District and Ben Cline in Virginia's 6th District.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 27th congressional district 2018–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 185th | Succeeded by |
