Elizabeth "Beth" Ann Van Duyne ( ; born November 16, 1970) is an American politician serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for

Texas's 24th congressional district Texas' 24th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers much of the suburban area in between Fort Worth and Dallas in the state of Texas and centers along the Dallas County, Texas, Dallas–Tarrant County, Texas, ...

since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she was mayor of Irving from 2011 to 2017. She was an official in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the

first Trump administration Donald Trump's first tenure as the president of the United States began on January 20, 2017, when Trump First inauguration of Donald Trump, was inaugurated as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president, and ended on January ...

Early life and education

Van Duyne was born in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

and lived in

Amsterdam, New York Amsterdam () is a city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam is bordered on the northern and ea ...

, until she was seven years old and later lived in Cooperstown.Girsdansky, Gwen
Texas mayor has Amsterdam roots
''

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

The Daily Gazette ''The Daily Gazette,'' from 1902 to 1989 ''Schenectady Gazette,'' is an independent, family-owned daily newspaper published in Schenectady, New York. ''The Daily Gazette'' also owns and operates ''The Amsterdam Recorder'', ''The Gloversville L ...

'', July 27, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2020. In 1986, her family moved to

Irving, Texas Irving is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and is an Inner suburb, inner city suburb of Dallas. Irving is noted for its #Demographics, racial and ethnic diver ...

. She graduated from Greenhill School in

Addison, Texas Addison is an incorporated town in Dallas County, Texas, United States. The 2020 census population was 16,661. Addison is immediately north of Dallas. Addison and Flower Mound were the only two Texas municipalities labeled "towns" with a popul ...

. She also graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'', where she earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in city and regional planning, government, and law.

Career

BethVanDuyne-HUDSWRegAdmin-FtWorthTX-06May2019

Van Duyne became dissatisfied with Herbert Gears, the Democratic Irving

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

lor representing her, over how he handled a

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

case in her neighborhood. She ran against Gears in the 2004 election, and won. Gears was elected mayor in 2005. Van Duyne stepped down from the council in 2010, and successfully ran for mayor against Gears in the 2011 election. She defeated Gears in a rematch in 2014. In 2015, following an article by

Breitbart News ''Breitbart News Network'' (; known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an Radical right (United States), American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * syndicated news, opinion, and commentar ...

that made a false allegation that a court in the

Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, officially designated Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States, ...

followed

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

law, Van Duyne pushed for a vote on a resolution in the Irving City Council that expressed support of a bill in the

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...

seeking to ban Sharia law. Also in 2015, when Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim boy, was arrested for bringing a homemade clock, which teachers thought was a bomb, to school, Van Duyne defended the school's and the Irving Police Department's actions. She was named as a co-defendant in a defamation lawsuit initiated by Mohamed's father. Van Duyne was dismissed from the suit, based partially on the Texas Citizens Participation Act, a state law that "prohibits the use of lawsuits to intimidate or silence citizens and public officials from exercising their right of free speech."Farmer, Liz
Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne to be dismissed from crumbling ‘clock boy' defamation suit
''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...

'', January 14, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2020. "Van Duyne's dismissal comes after her attorneys alleged that she's immune from the lawsuit as a government official. There was also a motion to dismiss the suit based on the Texas Citizens Participation Act, a state law that 'prohibits the use of lawsuits to intimidate or silence citizens and public officials from exercising their right of free speech,' according to the city of Irving news release." The entire suit was eventually dismissed by the judge, who ruled the plaintiffs had failed to prove officials discriminated against Mohamed. In February 2017, Van Duyne announced that she would not seek a third term as mayor. In May 2017,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

appointed Van Duyne as a regional administrator for the

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the secretary of housing and u ...

(HUD), overseeing Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2020

After

Kenny Marchant Kenny Ewell Marchant (born February 23, 1951) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for , from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he represented several areas around Dallas and Fort Worth. On August 5, 20 ...

announced in August 2019 that he would not seek reelection to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Van Duyne resigned from HUD so that she could run to succeed Marchant in representing , a suburban stretch between Dallas and Fort Worth, including parts of Denton,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, and Tarrant counties.Panetta, Grace
Everything you need to know about Texas' 24th Congressional District House race between Beth Van Duyne and Candace Valenzuela
''Business Insider'', August 28, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020. She received Trump's endorsement in early 2020 and won the Republican primary on March 3, defeating four rivals with about 65% of the vote. In the general election, Van Duyne faced the Democratic nominee, Candace Valenzuela, a former Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board member. Van Duyne opposed the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

, saying it "has done profound damage to the healthcare of Americans." During the campaign, she ran advertisements in which she said she would protect laws that require preexisting conditions to be covered by insurance. Valenzuela criticized Van Duyne for not wearing a face mask or socially distancing at campaign events, in contradiction to public health guidance at the time. Van Duyne called Valenzuela a "coward" for not campaigning in person during the pandemic, and praised the Trump administration's handling of the public health crisis. On criminal justice reform, Van Duyne stated her opposition to ending

cash bail In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In book-keeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-imm ...

. ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' has described Van Duyne as "the new face of

Trumpism Trumpism, also referred to as the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, is the political movement and ideology behind U.S. president Donald Trump and his political base. It comprises ideologies such as right-wing populism, right-wing ...

in Texas." On November 3, Van Duyne defeated Valenzuela, 48.8% to 47.5%, even as Democratic presidential nominee

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

carried the district by 5 points. According to the ''

'', Van Duyne focused on public safety and the economy during the campaign.Garcia, Nic
Candace Valenzuela concedes to Beth Van Duyne in heated North Texas congressional race
''

'', November 10, 2020. During the campaign, approximately $7.6 million was spent on advertisements against Van Duyne and $7.9 million on advertisements against Valenzuela.

2022

On November 8, Van Duyne defeated Democrat Jan McDowell, 59.75% to 40.25%. McDowell was previously the Democratic nominee for Texas's 24th congressional district in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, losing both times to Kenny Marchant. The 24th was competitive in the previous two elections, but redistricting maps released by Republicans in 2021 shifted the lean of her district to the right by nearly 20 points, making it non-competitive. The new map pushed the district into whiter, wealthier and traditionally Republican areas near Dallas and Fort Worth, including the Park Cities. It also drew her 2020 challenger's home out of the district.

2024

Van Duyne ran for a third term and defeated Democrat Sam Eppler in the general election, winning 60% of the vote.

Tenure

Van Duyne is one of 147 Republican lawmakers who voted to overturn results in the 2020 presidential election by objecting to Pennsylvania's electors on January 7, 2021.

Political positions

Ukraine

Van Duyne voted against H.R. 7691, the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, which would provide $40 billion in emergency aid to the Ukrainian government.

Immigration

Van Duyne sponsored H.R. 6202, the American Tech Workforce Act of 2021, introduced by Representative

Jim Banks James Edward Banks (born July 16, 1979) is an American politician and naval officer serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from Indiana. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for from 2017 to 2025 a ...

. The legislation would establish a wage floor for the high-skill H-1B visa program, thereby significantly reducing employer dependence on the program. The bill would also eliminate the Optional Practical Training program that allows foreign graduates to stay and work in the United States.

2024 Republican primary

Van Duyne was named as part of the 2024 Trump campaign's Texas leadership team in March.

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Van Duyne was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 On January 19, 2023, the United States hit its United States debt ceiling, debt ceiling, leading to a debt-ceiling crisis, part of an ongoing political debate within United States Congress, Congress about United States federal budget, federal ...

in the House.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ** Subcommittee on Aviation ** Subcommittee on Highways and Transit ** Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management * Committee on Small Business ** Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Regulations (Chair) ** Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access * Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress

Caucus memberships

* Republican Governance Group * Congressional Western Caucus *

Creator Economy Caucus The Creator Economy Caucus, also called the Congressional Creators Caucus, is a bipartisan caucus of U.S. legislators whose members work to support online content creators. It was founded during the 119th Congress in June 2025 by Congressional ...

Co-Chair

Personal life

Van Duyne met her former husband, Chris "Casey" Wallach, while they were attending

. They have two children, and divorced in 2012 after being married for 17 years. Van Duyne confirmed she was in a relationship with

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

congressman Rich McCormick in 2024. In February 2021, a man died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

using a firearm outside of Van Duyne's home in Irving. The man was identified as Richard Christian Dillard, a former communications staffer for Van Duyne's 2020 House campaign. Van Duyne is an

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...