From Cornell to Texas City Council
Born in Albany, New York, Elizabeth Ann Van Duyne's family moved to Irving, Texas, in 1986. After high school, she attended Cornell University, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in city and regional planning, government, and law. Upon returning to Texas, she worked as a consultant and for various companies, but her entry into politics was sparked by a local zoning issue. Dissatisfied with her city council representative's handling of the matter, she decided to run against him in 2004 and won a seat on the Irving City Council, where she served until 2010.
Mayor of Irving
In 2011, Van Duyne was elected the first female mayor of Irving, a position she held for two terms until 2017. Her tenure focused on economic development, and her office cited the creation
of 40,000 jobs and $3 billion in new growth during her leadership. She gained a national profile for her vocal opposition to a supposed Sharia law court operating in the city, a controversy that drew both strong support and criticism. Throughout her time as mayor, she championed fiscal conservatism, passing balanced budgets and maintaining the city's AAA bond rating.
A Role in the Trump Administration
After choosing not to seek a third term as mayor, Van Duyne was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017 to serve as a regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Working under Secretary Ben Carson, she oversaw HUD programs and operations in a five-state region that included Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Her work there involved leading disaster recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey and implementing administration priorities like Opportunity Zones. She resigned from the post in 2019 to launch her congressional campaign.
Election to Congress
With the backing of a Trump endorsement, Van Duyne entered the 2020 race for Texas's 24th Congressional District, a competitive suburban area between Dallas and Fort Worth. She won a crowded Republican primary and went on to narrowly defeat her Democratic opponent, Candace Valenzuela, in one of the country's most closely watched races that year. She assumed office on January 3, 2021. Subsequent redistricting made the district more solidly Republican, and Van Duyne secured comfortable reelection victories in 2022 and 2024.
Key Policy Stances and Record
In Washington, Van Duyne has established a consistently conservative voting record. She serves on the influential House Committee on Ways and Means as well as the Committee on Small Business. Her legislative priorities often revolve around tax cuts, reducing federal regulations, and supporting small businesses. She has championed extending the Trump-era tax cuts and has introduced legislation aimed at providing tax relief and easing the burden of federal rules on businesses. On immigration, she advocates for stricter border security, including building a wall and increasing support for law enforcement, while suggesting a pathway to legal status—but not citizenship—for certain non-criminal immigrants. She has also voted against providing additional aid to Ukraine and opposed bills like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the Respect for Marriage Act.
