Michael Clifton Burgess (born December 23, 1950) is an American physician and politician representing in the United States House of Representatives. The district is anchored in Denton County, a suburban county north of Dallas and Fort Worth.
In 2002, Burgess defeated Scott Armey, the son of House Majority Leader and then-U.S. Representative Dick Armey, in a primary runoff election. Before his election, he practiced as a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology.
A member of the Republican Party and the congressional Tea Party Caucus, Burgess has been involved in the debates over health care reform and energy policy. He opposes abortion, is unsure of the extent of the contribution of human activity to global warming, supported President Donald Trump's restrictions on travel from Muslim-majority countries and refugee immigration, and supports the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Early life, education, and medical career
Michael Burgess was born in Rochester, Minnesota, the son of Norma (née Crowhurst) and Harry Meredith Burgess; his paternal family emigrated from Nova Scotia, Canada. He graduated from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in 1972 and from the medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1977. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Burgess is an Anglican.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
Burgess, who had never held any public office and voted in the Democratic primaries in 1990, 1992, and 1994, entered the 2002 Republican primary election to replace House Majority Leader Dick Armey. His opponent was Armey's son, Scott. The district, comprising almost all of Denton County (except a sliver in the southeast), was strongly Republican, and pundits predicted that whoever won the primary would not only win the general election, but be assured of at least a decade in Congress. Using the campaign slogan "My dad is NOT Dick Armey", Burgess touted the support of medical Political Action Committees and organizations like the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Burgess took second place in the primary, with 23% of the vote to Armey's 45%. Since neither candidate earned the required majority of votes, a runoff election ensued. Before the runoff, The Dallas Morning News released a series of articles alleging that Armey used his influence as a judge to procure county jobs and contracts for his friends. The report hurt Armey's campaign, and Burgess won the runoff with 55% of the vote. He won the general election with 75% of the vote.
Burgess's vote shares include: 66% in 2004 60% in 2006 60% in 2008 67% in 2010 68% in 2012 nearly 84% in 2014 (for the first time, Burgess did not draw a Democratic challenger, and ran against nominal Libertarian opposition)
Burgess won his eighth term in the U.S. House in 2016. With 211,730 votes (66.4%), he defeated Democratic nominee Eric Mauck and Libertarian Mark Boler, who polled 94,507 (29.6%) and 12,843 (4%), respectively.
Burgess won a ninth term in 2018. With 185,268 votes (59.4%), he defeated Democratic nominee Linsey Fagan, who polled 121,584 (39%). Another 5,008 (1.6%) went to Boler, who also ran in 2016.
Burgess was elected to a tenth term in 2020. He received 261,963 votes to Democratic nominee Carol Iannuzzi's 161,009 and Boler's 9,243, winning the election with 60.6% of the vote to 37.3% and 2.1%, respectively.
Tenure
A member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party caucus, Burgess is considered a conservative member of the House. Through 2011, he had a lifetime rating of 93.59% from the American Conservative Union. Burgess is a signer of Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
Impeachment of Obama
On August 9, 2011, Burgess met with a Tea Party group in Keller, Texas, to discuss his vote to raise the debt ceiling. When a constituent asked whether the House was considering impeaching President Barack Obama, Burgess responded, "It needs to happen, and I agree with you it would tie things up ... No question about that."
Abortion
In 2013, Burgess voted for legislation to ban abortion after the 22nd week of pregnancy.
Burgess testified that abortion should be banned after 20 weeks of gestation in part because he believes fetuses can feel pain and pleasure.
Immigration and refugees
Burgess opposed the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In 2010, he voted against the DREAM Act.