Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Cathy McMorris Rodgers Bio

Cathy Anne McMorris Rodgers (born May 22, 1969) is an American politician and longtime Republican member of Congress who represented Washington’s 5th congressional district from 2005 to 2025. The district covers the eastern third of Washington State and includes Spokane, the state’s second-largest city. Over two decades in the U.S. House of Representatives, she rose through party leadership to become the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress and the chair of the House Republican Conference from 2013 to 2019. In February 2024, she announced she would not seek reelection, and her seat was filled by Republican Michael Baumgartner in the 119th Congress.

Early Life and Background

Cathy Anne McMorris Rodgers was born on May 22, 1969, in Salem, Oregon, to Corrine (née Robinson) McMorris and Wayne McMorris. Her family had come to the American West in the mid-19th century as pioneers along the Oregon Trail. In 1974, when she was five years old, her family moved to Hazelton, British Columbia, Canada, where they lived in a cabin while building a log home on their farm.

In 1984, the McMorrises settled in Kettle Falls, Washington, and established the Peachcrest Fruit Basket Orchard and Fruit Stand. McMorris Rodgers worked at the family orchard for 13 years, an experience that shaped her lifelong ties to rural Eastern Washington. In 1990, she earned a bachelor’s degree in pre-law from Pensacola Christian College, a then-unaccredited Independent Baptist liberal arts college in Florida. She later returned to school and completed an Executive MBA at the University of Washington in 2002.

Path to US Politics

After finishing her undergraduate degree, McMorris Rodgers was hired in 1991 by Washington State Representative Bob Morton, first as his campaign manager and then as his legislative assistant. She entered the state legislature in January 1994 when she was appointed to the Washington House of Representatives to fill Morton’s vacancy after he moved to the state Senate. She went on to win a special election that year and represented the 7th Legislative District, which included parts or all of Ferry, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, and Stevens Counties.

Within the Washington State House, McMorris Rodgers chaired the House Commerce and Labor Committee, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, and the State Government Committee. From 2002 to 2003, she served as House minority leader, the top House Republican leadership post in the chamber. She stepped down as minority leader in 2003 to run for the U.S. House of Representatives and was elected to Congress in 2004.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers Career

Early Career (1994–2003)

McMorris Rodgers spent nearly a decade in the Washington State House of Representatives, focusing on rural health care and transportation funding. She was widely credited with sponsoring legislation requiring the state to reimburse rural hospitals for the cost of serving Medicaid patients and for helping push through a controversial gas tax used to fund transportation improvements.

She was an early opponent of same-sex marriage, co-sponsoring legislation in 1997 that would have banned it in Washington State. She also voted against a 2004 bill that would have added sexual orientation to the state’s anti-discrimination law. After briefly serving as House minority leader, she left the state legislature to mount a successful 2004 campaign for the U.S. House, winning 59.7 percent of the vote against Democratic hotel magnate Don Barbieri.

Breakthrough (2005–2012)

After arriving in Congress, McMorris Rodgers quickly built a reputation as a rising party leader. She became the Republican co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues in 2007, advocating for pay equity, child support enforcement, women’s health programs, and protections for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Her legislative work included a bill to speed the licensing process for dams and promote energy production, which reached President Barack Obama’s desk without a single dissenter on Capitol Hill.

On November 19, 2008, she was elected vice chair of the House Republican Conference for the 111th United States Congress, becoming the fourth-highest-ranking Republican in caucus leadership and the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House. She served as vice chair until 2012, when she defeated Representative Tom Price to become chair of the House Republican Conference. Her winning 2012 race against Democratic nominee Rich Cowan earned her 61.9 percent of the vote.

Republican Party Era (2013–2025)

As chair of the House Republican Conference from 2013 to 2019, McMorris Rodgers was a central party spokesperson in the House during the Obama and Trump administrations. In January 2014, House Speaker John Boehner and Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell chose her to deliver the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s 2014 State of the Union Address. She was the 12th woman, the fifth female Republican, and only the third Republican to deliver the response alone.

She eventually joined the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and chaired the panel in a high-profile 2023 hearing with TikTok CEO Shou Chew over data security and ties to the Chinese Communist Party. In 2019, she was appointed as the Republican Representative to the United Nations General Assembly. She also helped establish the bipartisan, bicameral Abraham Accords Caucus in 2022 to support peace in the Middle East. On February 8, 2024, McMorris Rodgers announced she would not run for reelection, ending a 20-year career in the U.S. House. Republican Michael Baumgartner succeeded her in the 119th Congress.

Notable Events and Milestones

In April 2007, McMorris Rodgers became the first member of Congress in more than a decade to give birth while in office, with the birth of a son later diagnosed with Down syndrome. In 2018, she defeated former state Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown with about 55 percent of the vote, despite a competitive race in which the candidates disagreed over the age of the earth. In January 2021, she initially objected to certifying the 2020 Electoral College results but reversed her position after the January 6 assault on the Capitol, ultimately voting to certify President Joe Biden’s win.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers Career Wins

McMorris Rodgers won ten consecutive U.S. House elections in Washington’s 5th congressional district from 2004 through 2022, typically securing between 55 and 65 percent of the vote. She never lost a general election during her two decades in Congress.

U.S. House Elections Highlights

She first won the open 5th District seat in 2004 with 59.7 percent of the vote after five-term incumbent George Nethercutt retired to run for the U.S. Senate. She was reelected with 56.4 percent in 2006 and expanded her margin to 65.28 percent in 2008. She continued to win comfortably over the next decade, taking 64 percent in 2010, 61.9 percent in 2012, 60.68 percent in 2014, and 59.64 percent in 2016.

Her most competitive race came in 2018 against former state Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, whom she defeated with about 55 percent of the vote. She returned to stronger margins in 2020 and 2022 before announcing her retirement in February 2024.

Other Wins & Achievements

Beyond her House races, McMorris Rodgers won internal Republican leadership battles that elevated her to vice chair and then chair of the House Republican Conference. She also won the Washington State House minority leader post in 2002, the top House Republican leadership role in that chamber, before stepping down to run for Congress.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers Family

Family Background and Political Lineage

McMorris Rodgers is the daughter of Wayne McMorris and Corrine (née Robinson) McMorris. Her family moved from Oregon to British Columbia in 1974 and later to Kettle Falls, Washington, in 1984, where they ran the Peachcrest Fruit Basket Orchard and Fruit Stand. Her family has deep roots in rural Eastern Washington, a region she came to represent in Congress.

Personal Life

Cathy McMorris married Brian Rodgers on August 5, 2006, in San Diego. Brian Rodgers is a retired U.S. Navy commander and a Spokane native who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is the son of David H. Rodgers, who served as mayor of Spokane from 1967 to 1977. In February 2007, she legally changed her name to Cathy McMorris Rodgers. The couple has three children: a son born in 2007, a daughter born in December 2010, and a second daughter born in November 2013. The family resides in Spokane, Washington, and attends Grace Evangelical Free Church.