Virginia Brown-Waite

Republican Representative of Florida's 5th district

Representative
Florida, district 5
January 7, 2003 - January 3, 2005
Representative
Florida, district 5
January 4, 2005 - January 3, 2007
Representative
Florida, district 5
January 4, 2007 - January 3, 2009
Representative
Florida, district 5
January 6, 2009 - January 3, 2011

http://house.gov/brown-waite

Congresses Served

House Terms

January 1, 1943 (82 years old)

Birthday

Served as U.S. Representative for Florida’s 5th congressional district from 2003 to 2011.
Founded Maggie’s List, a political action committee.
Born and raised in Albany, New York; first in her family to earn a college degree.
Worked as a staffer in the New York State Senate for 17 years, eventually becoming a legislative director.
Moved to Florida in the mid-1980s after her second husband retired.
Elected as a county commissioner in Hernando County, Florida, serving from 1991 to 1993.
Served in the Florida State Senate from 1992 to 2002, holding positions such as Senate Majority Whip and president pro tempore.
Supported the death penalty and expressed a belief in symbolic messages during executions.
Had a lifetime rating of 90 from the American Conservative Union but occasionally broke with her party.
Criticized President George W. Bush for not engaging with a broader audience and was skeptical of his Social Security reform proposal.
Introduced the Jessica Lunsford Act to punish sex offenders and reduce their ability to re-offend, though it was never voted upon.
Supported the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq under certain conditions and opposed an amendment to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood.
Advocated for a federal prohibition of online poker and was an ardent opponent of gun control.
Proposed the American Heroes Repatriation Act to move American soldiers buried in France and Belgium back to the United States.
Caused controversy by referring to Puerto Ricans and Guamanians as “foreign citizens” and later clarified her statement.
Voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and abstained from voting on the American Recovery and Investment Act.
Was informed about inappropriate behavior by Mark Foley towards pages and alerted Republican leadership.
Won her congressional seat in 2002 after the district was redrawn to favor Republicans and was re-elected in subsequent elections until announcing her retirement in 2010 due to health issues.
Endorsed Hernando County sheriff Richard B. Nugent as her successor upon retirement.
Invoked Larry the Cable Guy’s “Git-R-Done” catchphrase during a floor debate on U.S. participation in Iraq.