Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2022, becoming the first Haitian American Democrat to be elected to Congress. She now proudly represents Florida’s 20th district having won a special election to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Alcee Hastings.
Following a remarkably close race Cherfilus-McCormick was declared the winner of the Democratic primary by five votes over Broward County commissioner Dale Holness. She easily defeated Republican Jason Mariner in the January 11, 2022, general election. She is the only Haitian American Democrat ever elected to Congress and only the second overall, after Republican Mia Love of Utah.
Cherfilus-McCormick was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, to parents from Haiti and raised in the borough of Queens. She moved to Florida at age 13 to attend high school. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government from Howard University and a Juris Doctor from the St. Thomas University School of Law.
After graduating from college, Cherfilus-McCormick served as a project manager for the New York City Transit Authority. From 1999 to 2007, she worked as the vice president for operations of Trinity Health Care Services, a Florida-based family home health care company co-founded by her stepfather, Gabriel Smith. She later served as CEO.
During the campaign, she loaned $3.7 million to her campaign organization. She campaigned on progressive policies such as a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and a $1,000-a-month universal basic income. Her campaign was supported by Brand New Congress, a progressive organization that also backed candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib.
Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick is honored to serve on the House Committee on Education and Labor, as well as the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Haitian Caucus, and the Caribbean Caucus.
As a Haitian American woman in Congress representing one of the largest Haitian communities in the United States, she vows to be a voice for the voiceless representing her beautifully diverse district. Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick has established herself within her district as a healthcare executive working up to the position of chief executive officer for Trinity Healthcare Services Inc. She has an established track record within the healthcare industry improving the quality-of-care people needed for nearly two decades.
Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick is married to Corlie McCormick and is a proud mother of two.
