Spouse Dianne Abraham | Name Ralph (politician) | |
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Parents Ralph Lee and Marlene Posey Abraham Residence Mangham, Richland ParishLouisiana Alma mater Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University School of Medicine Occupation PhysicianFormer veterinarian Role United States Representative Office United States Representative since 2015 Education LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport (1990–1994) Children Ashley Abraham, Lee Abraham, KiAnne Abraham Similar People Garret Graves, Jamie Mayo, Charles Boustany, Bill Cassidy, John Fleming Profiles | ||
Ralph Lee Abraham Jr. (born September 16, 1954), is an American physician and former veterinarian from Mangham, Louisiana, who won election on December 6, 2014, as a Republican to represent Louisiana's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.
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Background
Abraham is the son of the former Marlene Posey (1932–2015), a retired educator, and Ralph Abraham, Sr. (1933–1980). His paternal grandparents were emigrants from Lebanon.
He graduated from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, in Baton Rouge in 1980, and was a practicing veterinarian for 10 years. He returned to Louisiana State University School of Medicine for a medical degree in 1994, and practiced family medicine.
Abraham has served in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Mississippi National Guard. He and his wife, Dianne, have three children. He has been an aviation medical examiner.
Tenure
Abraham defeated his Democratic opponent, Mayor Jamie Mayo of Monroe, by a margin of 134,612 votes (64.2 percent) to 75,004 (35.8 percent). He was sworn into office in the 114th United States Congress on January 3, 2015.
After his election, Abraham chose Luke J. Letlow, his campaign manager, as chief of staff.
Committee assignments
Political positions
Abraham believes the Affordable Care Act should be repealed. He opposes the expansion of Medicaid. Regarding illegal immigration, Abraham opposes amnesty and supports strengthening border security. He supports simplifying the tax code, equal pay for women, and approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Abraham supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to halt temporarily Muslim immigration until the development of more enhanced screening methods. His spokesman said “Dr. Abraham generally supports President Trump’s temporary suspension of the refugee and immigration admittance program. Dr. Abraham agrees with President Trump that we must take all necessary steps to protect American citizens from potential terrorism threats, and this temporary measure from the President will allow for a thorough review of our policies and procedures for vetting applicants from war-torn areas.”
In March 2017, Representative Abraham visited with about seventy farmers from the agricultural lobby, the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation. He told the farmers, "Food security is national security. Agriculture is at the forefront of the fight because any interruption in the food supply or a compromise in its safety goes right to the heart of the nation.” Marty Wooldridge, a cattleman from Caddo Parish said that Abraham's slogan "Food security is national security" should be incorporated into the slogan of the Farm Bureau. Abraham, Louisiana’s only member on the House Agriculture Committee, defined his job in part to "educating members whose districts might be deeply metropolitan and who have no perspective on the importance of agriculture.”
In August 2017, Abraham endorsed the nomination by U.S. President Donald Trump of Terry Doughty, also of Richland Parish, for a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, based in Monroe. The selection also carries the backing of U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy and John Neely Kennedy.
Election of 2016
In his bid for reelection in 2016, Abraham defeated one challenger, fellow Republican Billy Burkette of Baton Rouge, a former constable in East Feliciana Parish and a former chairman of the Louisiana Band of Choctaw Indians. Burkette claimed in his campaign that the Environmental Protection Agency has issued overly strict regulations that hamper farming.