Lisa McClain

Lisa McClain
Lisa McClain
Born	Lisa Carmella Iovannisci; April 7, 1966 (age 60)
Occupation	Politician
Years active	2021–present
Known for	U.S. representative from Michigan; Chair of the House Republican Conference

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Lisa McClain, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 8 August 2025

Lisa Carmella McClain (née Iovannisci; born April 7, 1966) is an American lawmaker who has served as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2021. She initially represented Michigan's 10th congressional district from 2021 until 2023 and has been serving Michigan's 9th congressional district since that year. Affiliated with the Republican Party, McClain holds a leadership position as the Chair of the House Republican Conference.

Early life and career

Raised in Stockbridge, Michigan, McClain completed her high school education at Stockbridge Junior / Senior High School in 1984. She pursued further studies at Lansing Community College before obtaining a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Northwood University.

Her professional background includes an eleven-year tenure at American Express followed by employment at the Hantz Group from 1998 through 2019.

2020

Following the retirement of incumbent congressman Paul Mitchell, McClain declared her candidacy for his seat. She secured the Republican nomination by defeating state Representative Shane Hernandez in the August 4 primary and subsequently won the November general election against Democrat Kimberly Bizon. McClain received an endorsement from then-President Donald Trump.

2022

On February 7, former President Donald Trump publicly endorsed McClain for the 2022 midterms. She was elected to represent Michigan's newly redrawn 9th district, obtaining 63.9% of the vote over Democrat Brian Jaye, who garnered 33.2%.

2024

Facing no opposition in the primary, McClain went on to win the general election with 66.8% of votes, defeating Clinton St. Mosley along with two third-party contenders.

Tenure

On December 7, 2023, McClain introduced a resolution to formally censure Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) for activating a fire alarm on September 30, which she characterized as an effort to interrupt House proceedings. The measure passed with a vote tally of 214–191.

Committee assignments

Caucus Affiliations

Fiscal Policy and Expenditures

McClain, aligning with all Senate and House Republicans, opposed both the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022. She voted in favor of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which aimed to suspend the federal debt limit.

During a 2025 interview with Politico, McClain reiterated a misconception regarding Social Security benefits being paid to individuals born over 150 years ago. This misunderstanding originated from a programming anomaly in the Social Security Administration’s COBOL system, where unknown birthdates default to May 20, 1875—the date associated with the "Convention du Mètre".

Marriage Legislation

In 2022, McClain cast a vote opposing the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation that established federal recognition of marriages across state lines irrespective of "sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin."

Healthcare Initiatives

Together with Representatives Elissa Slotkin and John Moolenaar, McClain co-sponsored the Patient Advocate Tracker Act, designed to enhance access to information technology for patient advocacy within the Veterans Health Administration. This legislation was signed into law by President Biden on September 16, 2022.

Veterans Affairs

In August 2021, McClain introduced legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to 13 service members who lost their lives in a suicide bombing during the evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport amid the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. President Biden enacted this bill into law on December 16, 2021.

2020 Election and Trump Support

On January 6, 2021, McClain voted against certifying the electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania in the 2020 presidential election.

At a Trump rally in 2022, she inaccurately asserted that former President Trump was responsible for "capturing Osama bin Laden." In 2025, McClain publicly criticized Episcopal bishop Mariann Budde for delivering a sermon in Trump's presence that called for compassion toward fearful Americans, describing it as "extremely out of line."

Personal Details

Lisa McClain and her husband Michael live in Romeo, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit, and are parents to four children. She has successfully raised more than $1 million dedicated to multiple sclerosis research and treatment. McClain practices Roman Catholicism.

External links

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