Rich McCormick | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Lucy McBath (redistricted) |
| Constituency |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Dean McCormick (1968-10-07)October 7, 1968 (age 57) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Oregon State University (BS) National University (MBA) Morehouse School of Medicine (MD) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1997–2017 |
| Rank | Commander |
Richard Dean McCormick (born October 7, 1968) is an American physician and politician. A member of theRepublican Party, he has representedGeorgia in theUnited States House of Representatives since 2023.[1] Until 2025, he represented the6th congressional district. In 2024, he was elected to represent the7th congressional district.
McCormick was born in Las Vegas in 1968 and graduated fromCentral Catholic High School inPortland, Oregon, in 1986.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Science fromOregon State University in 1990.[3] He earned hisMaster of Business Administration fromNational University in 1999 and hisDoctor of Medicine atMorehouse School of Medicine in 2010.[4]
McCormick served in theUnited States Marine Corps andUnited States Navy for over 20 years, spending time in Africa, South Korea, Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf.[5] In the Marine Corps, he was aNaval Aviator and piloted the CH-53E Super Stallion Helicopter; in the Navy, he was aMedical Corps officer and reached the rank ofcommander. During his Marine Corps service, McCormick was cast in the well known U.S Marine Corps recruiting commercial “Chess”. He is an emergency physician and works atGwinnett Medical Center.[6]
WithRob Woodall not running for reelection to theUnited States House of Representatives forGeorgia's 7th congressional district in the2020 elections, McCormick announced his candidacy. He won the primary election, receiving more than 50% of the vote, avoiding a runoff election.[7] McCormick lost the general election toDemocratCarolyn Bourdeaux.[8]
Following redistricting due to the2020 U.S. census, McCormick announced his candidacy in the2022 elections for the newly-redrawnGeorgia's 6th congressional district, which became much more Republican-leaning.[9] In a Republican primary with nine candidates, McCormick and Jake Evans advanced to a primary runoff.[10] He defeated Evans in the runoff[11] and won the November 8 general election against Democrat Bob Christian.[12]
McCormick was among 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[13]
On November 7, McCormick'sH.Res. 845censuredRashida Tlaib for "promoting false narratives regarding theOctober 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel".[14][15]
In December 2023, fellow Georgia Republican RepresentativeMarjorie Taylor Greene accused McCormick of grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her, following a public spat between the two. She askedSpeaker of the HouseMike Johnson to investigate her claims. McCormick said he apologized for the interaction and despite an investigation by the Speaker of the House including a review of surveillance footage and dozens of witnesses, her allegations could not be corroborated.
Following the2024 New Hampshire Republican primary in January, McCormick endorsedDonald Trump's2024 presidential campaign, writing, "I am calling on my fellow conservatives to join me in uniting behind Donald Trump for president." McCormick had previously supportedRon DeSantis'spresidential bid.[16] During an October 2024 rally for Trump's campaign atMcCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, McCormick said that Trump should be awarded theNobel Peace Prize.[17]
Speaking toMaria Bartiromo onMornings with Maria in December 2024, McCormick saidnon-discretionary federal spending should be cut, explaining that:[18]
We're going to have to have some hard decisions. We got to bring the Democrats in to talk aboutSocial Security,Medicaid,Medicare. There's hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved, and we know how to do it, we just have to have the stomach to actually take those challenges on.[19]
In January 2025, McCormick cosponsored fellowGOP House memberEric Burlison's bill recognizing personhood as starting at conception.[20][21]
McCormick criticized having "a blanket rule that gives all kids lunches in high school", as the high schoolers "are capable of going out and actually getting a job and doing something that makes them have value", such as "going to work atBurger King,McDonald's, during the summer".[22] When confronted with the fact that many children are not of working age, many 5 and under, he acknowledged that his guideline did not apply to everybody.[23]
On February 20, 2025, Rich McCormick held atown hall meeting inRoswell, Georgia. The event was held at Roswell City Hall which did not have enough seating capacity for all the people who attempted to attend. Many people sat in various overflow rooms and some were turned away.[24] This was one of the first instances of a trend where Republican members of congress received significant backlash from constituents regarding the beginning ofDonald Trump's second term.[25] Much of this backlash was in response toElon Musk andDOGE, and eventually led to Republican Party leadership discouraging members from hosting in-person town halls.[26][27]
For the119th Congress:[28]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rich McCormick (incumbent) | 275,907 | 64.85 | |
| Democratic | Bob Christian | 149,535 | 35.15 | |
| Total votes | 425,442 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rich McCormick | 48,967 | 43.1 | |
| Republican | Jake Evans | 26,160 | 23.0 | |
| Republican | Mary Mallory Staples | 10,178 | 9.0 | |
| Republican | Meagan Hanson | 9,539 | 8.4 | |
| Republican | Eugene Yu | 7,411 | 6.5 | |
| Republican | Blake Harbin | 4,171 | 3.7 | |
| Republican | Byron Gatewood | 3,358 | 3.0 | |
| Republican | Suzi Voyles | 2,646 | 2.3 | |
| Republican | Paulette Smith | 1,123 | 1.0 | |
| Total votes | 113,553 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rich McCormick | 27,455 | 66.5 | |
| Republican | Jake Evans | 13,808 | 33.5 | |
| Total votes | 41,263 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rich McCormick | 206,886 | 62.22 | |
| Democratic | Bob Christian | 125,612 | 37.78 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rich McCormick | 35,280 | 55.11 | |
| Republican | Renee Unterman | 11,143 | 17.41 | |
| Republican | Mark Gonsalves | 4,640 | 7.25 | |
| Republican | Lynne Homrich | 4,567 | 7.13 | |
| Republican | Eugene Yu | 3,856 | 6.02 | |
| Republican | Lisa Noel Babbage | 3,336 | 5.21 | |
| Republican | Zachary H. Kennemore | 1,195 | 1.87 | |
| Total votes | 64,017 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carolyn Bourdeaux | 190,900 | 51.39 | |
| Republican | Rich McCormick | 180,564 | 48.61 | |
| Total votes | 371,464 | 100.0 | ||
McCormick has three sons from his first marriage. In 2024, McCormick confirmed he was in a relationship with CongresswomanBeth Van Duyne.[35]
McCormick was the runner up of the seventh season of the initial run ofAmerican Gladiators, losing in the final to Pat Csizmazia.[36]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's 6th congressional district 2023–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's 7th congressional district 2025–present | Incumbent | |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 340th | Succeeded by |