Renee Ellmers

Renee Louise Ellmers (née Jacisin; born February 9, 1964)[2] is an American registered nurse and politician who was the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district from 2011 to 2017.

[8] She sought the Republican Party nomination for Congress in North Carolina's 2nd congressional district, which was then held by seven-term incumbent Bob Etheridge.

She faced car dealer Todd Gailas and retired businessman Frank Deatrich in the May 4, 2010 Republican primary.

Congressman Bob Etheridge and two young men claiming to be students working on a project[12] was posted to the internet.

[19][20] The Republicans won control of the General Assembly in the 2010 election as well, and used the redistricting process to make the 2nd friendlier for Ellmers.

[21] In the November general election, Ellmers defeated Democratic nominee Steve Wilkins, a retired US Army officer and Moore County businessman, 56%–41%.

In May 2014 primary she faced conservative Internet talk show host Frank Roche, who campaigned mainly against her support of immigration reform.

[28] Ellmers had to contend with a high level of campaign spending by outside groups aligning themselves with the Tea Party movement, including Americans for Prosperity, which spent in the "low six figures" to defeat her.

In September 2011, Ellmers told students at Campbell University that she opposed a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions because it was too broad.

[33] In 2015, Ellmers—who identifies as pro-life—co-led a group of Republican women that advocated against holding a floor vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act; the bill would ban abortions after 20 weeks' gestation.

"[35] In May 2017, Ellmers began working for the United States Department of Health and Human Services as a regional director in Atlanta.

She introduced the bill as her response to President Obama issuing an executive order to cease deportation of undocumented immigrants.

[40][41] The bill is aimed at funds Congress appropriated for White House salaries and expenses for fiscal year 2015.

The bill would give an exemption to agricultural farming companies from the section of the Affordable Care Act that mandates health insurance coverage for employers that have more than 50 employees.

After the birth of their son, the family moved to Dunn, North Carolina, where Ellmers and her husband ran a practice.