Katrina Lanette Pierson (née Shaddix; born ) is an American politician and communications consultant. She was the national spokesperson for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. She defeated Justin Holland by 56.4% to 43.6% on May 28, 2024, in the Republican primary runoff for the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

for the 33rd District.Texas Election Results Tracker: May 28, 2024 Runoff Election
''The Texan'', May 28, 2024.

Early life and education

Pierson was born in Wichita,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

to a white mother and a black father. Her mother gave birth to her at 15 and initially gave her up for adoption, but changed her mind. She grew up with her single mother, in poverty. Pierson received an associate of science degree from Kilgore College. In 2006, she earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the

University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas, United States. It is the northernmost institution of the University of Texas System. It was initially founded in 1961 as a private res ...

Career

Early work

Pierson worked for InVentiv Health in 2008; for the Baylor Health Care System from July 2009 to August 2011, as a practice administrator; for ASG Software Solutions from May 2011 to December 2012, as the director of corporate affairs; in 2013 launched PCG, a private consulting firm, ultimately being hired by the Trump campaign in 2015.

Early political work

She became an activist in the Republican

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2007, catapulted into the mainstream by Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The movement expanded in resp ...

in 2009. Speaking in April 2009 at a Dallas Tea Party event, she called for Texas to secede from the U.S. She founded a local Tea Party group in

Garland, Texas Garland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located within Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County with portions extending into Collin County, Texas, Collin and Rockwall County, Texas, Rockwall counties. It is located northeast of Dallas and is a ...

. In 2012, Pierson actively supported

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

in the 2012 Senate race in Texas, and appeared on stage with him on election night in November.

2014 Texas congressional race

In the 2014 Texas congressional elections, Pierson challenged incumbent congressman Pete Sessions in the Republican primary to represent Texas' 32nd district. Her candidacy was endorsed by Rafael Cruz and by

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, and author who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nomi ...

. In the March primary, Pierson received 36 percent of the vote, losing to Sessions, who received 63 percent. Pierson went on to become spokesperson for the Tea Party leadership fund.

Trump 2016

In January 2015, Pierson attended a meeting for Tea Party activists in

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...

with Ted Cruz. While in Myrtle Beach, she also met with

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 ...

. In November 2015 she was hired as the national spokesperson for Trump's campaign, subsequently appearing frequently on television in that capacity, often being seen as one of Trump's staunchest defenders amidst controversial comments.

Post-2016 election

After the 2016 election, Pierson turned down an administration position as Deputy Press Secretary, and instead worked at America First Policies, a pro-Trump

501(c)(4) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the Law of the United States#Federal law, federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)). Such organizations are exempt from some Taxation in the Un ...

group. In March 2018, the Trump 2020 campaign hired Pierson as a senior adviser.

Post-2020 election and January 6 attack

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that Pierson served as a liaison between the White House and organizers at Donald Trump's "Save America" rally on

the Ellipse The Ellipse, sometimes referred to as President's Park South, is a park south of the White House fence and north of Constitution Avenue and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. The Ellipse is also the name of the circumference ...

, preceding the

2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...

. This reporting was later corroborated by text messages obtained by CNN in 2022. In 2021, Pierson publicly mulled running in the

Texas's 6th congressional district Texas's 6th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives is in an area that includes Hill County, Texas, Hill, Ellis County, Texas, Ellis, Navarro County, Texas, Navarro, Anderson County, Texas, Anderson, and Cherokee Co ...

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

to replace deceased U.S. Representative Ron Wright. She ultimately decided against a bid for the seat, but stated that she was "not closing the door" on a future run for Congress. Pierson was one of eleven individuals subpoenaed on September 29, 2021 by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack regarding their involvement in organizing the

Stop the Steal After Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, Republican nominee and then-incumbent president Donald Trump pursued an unprecedented effort to overturn the election, with support from his campaign, ...

rally that preceded the attack on the United States Capitol by Trump's supporters. According to records obtained by CNN, Pierson texted White House Chief of Staff

Mark Meadows Mark Randall Meadows (born July 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 29th White House chief of staff from 2020 to 2021 under the Trump administration. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the U.S. representat ...

on January 2 and 3, 2021, noting that " ings have gotten crazy and I desperately need some direction" before declaring "I'm done. I can't be a part of embarrassing POTUS any further."

2024 Texas State House race

In the 2024 Texas House of Representatives election, Pierson launched a campaign for the 33rd district, challenging incumbent Justin Holland. In the

Super Tuesday Super Tuesday is the United States presidential primary election day in February or March when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses. Approximately one-third of all delegates to the presidential nominatin ...

primary on March 5, Pierson came in first, with 39.5% to Holland's 38.7%, thus forcing the race to a runoff on May 28. Pierson defeated Holland in the runoff by a margin of 56.4% to 43.6%.

Personal life

In 1997, at 20, Pierson was arrested for shoplifting, to which she pleaded no contest, received deferred adjudication, and, ultimately, a dismissal with the case sealed. Pierson had a three-month marriage at a young age, during which she gave birth to a son.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierson, Katrina Black conservatism in the United States Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign People associated with the 2016 United States presidential election Candidates in the 2014 United States elections Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Women state legislators in Texas African-American state legislators in Texas Politicians from Wichita, Kansas 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature Tea Party movement activists CNN people American political commentators Texas Republicans 1976 births Living people Protesters in or near the January 6 United States Capitol attack University of Texas at Dallas alumni Kilgore College alumni