Kenny Marchant

Infobox_Congressman
name = Kenny Marchant


date of birth = birth date and age|1951|02|23
place of birth = Bonham, Texas
state = Texas
district = 24th
term = 2005–present
preceded = Martin Frost
succeeded = Incumbent
party = Republican
spouse = Donna Marchant
religion = Church of the Nazarene
occupation= construction executive
alma_mater= Southern Nazarene University
residence= Carrollton, Texas

Kenneth "Kenny" Marchant, a Republican from Texas, was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2004. He was born February 23, 1951 in Bonham, Texas, though he calls Coppell, Texas, home. He is married to Donna Marchant and has four children.

Marchant grew up in suburban Dallas and graduated from R.L. Turner High School. He attended college at Southern Nazarene University (SNU) in Bethany, Oklahoma, graduating with a business degree. He worked as a real estate developer and he owned a homebuilding company prior to entering politics.

Marchant served as councilman on the Carrollton, Texas City Council from 1980 to 1984, was mayor of Carrollton from 1984 to 1986. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1987 to 2004. During three of his nine terms in the Texas House, Marchant served as chariman of the Committee on Financial Institutions. He pushed for legislation that reorganized the Texas Banking Code. In 2002, he was chosen as Chariman of the Texas House Repubilcan Caucus

Marchant has been named a Top Ten Legislator by Texas Monthly and Legislator of the Year by the Texas Municipal League. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/elections/2004/candidates/22457/] In the current 110th Congress, Marchant serves on the United States House Committee on Financial Services, Committee on Education and Labor, and Oversight and Government Reform Committee. [ [http://www.marchant.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=20 Congressman Kenny Marchant - 24th District of Texas - Legislation ] ]

Marchant, a respected veteran Texas politician, represents ushr|Texas|24 ( [http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx24_109.gifmap] ). Marchant had planned to run for Congress two years earlier in a bid to represent the newly-created ushr|Texas|32|32nd district in suburban Dallas, but fellow Republican Pete Sessions, an incumbent, chose to run there instead. During the 2003 Texas redistricting, Marchant, in his position on the Texas House's Redistricting Committee, was ideally positioned to help draw Texas districts. As part of this effort, the 24th District, represented by 13-term Democrat Martin Frost, was reconfigured into a heavily Republican district with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+15. In the process, Frost's home was drawn into the heavily Republican 6th District of Joe Barton. It was an open secret that Marchant redrew this district for himself; indeed, the new 24th is centered around Carrollton, which he has represented for a quarter century.

Marchant worked closely with George W. Bush when he was governor of Texas. A moderate conservative, Marchant has occasionally broken ranks with the GOP, as he did to increase the minimum wage. [ [http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/points/stories/DN-mckenzie_20edi.ART.State.Edition1.379bba4.html Works well with others? What a flaw! | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Opinion: Points ] ] He has said that his top priority on Capitol Hill will be cutting the federal deficit with fiscal conservative policies. Marchant played a strong role in shaping the Texas State financial regulatory environment and has formidable experience in reducing deficits. [ [http://www.marchant.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=17 Congressman Kenny Marchant - 24th District of Texas - Biography ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.marchant.house.gov/ Congressman Kenny Marchant] official U.S. House site
* [http://www.kennyforcongress.com Kenny Marchant for Congressman] official campaign site