Emilia Sykes Explained
Emilia Strong Sykes[1] [2] (born January 4, 1986) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly represented the 34th district of the Ohio House of Representatives, which consists of portions of the Akron area. From 2019 until 2021, she also served as minority leader of that chamber.
Biography
Sykes grew up in the Akron area and is the daughter of state senator Vernon Sykes and former state representative Barbara Sykes, who successively held the same seat from 1982 to 2014. Between Vernon, Barbara, and Emilia, the Sykes family held the seat for 40 years.[3] [4]
Sykes obtained a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Kent State University.[5] She received a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and a Master of Public Health from the College of Public Health and Health Professions.[6]
Sykes has served as an administrative adviser in the Summit County fiscal office.[7] In 2013, she ran for the Ohio House of Representatives to succeed her father, Vernon, who was term-limited.[8] She defeated Summit County councilman Frank Communale to secure the Democratic nomination,[9] and Republican nominee Cynthia Blake 72%-28% in the general election.[10]
In 2015, Sykes and fellow Democratic lawmaker Greta Johnson introduced a bill that sought to exempt feminine hygiene products from sales tax.[11]
In 2019, Sykes was elected the leader of the Democrats in the Ohio House, becoming minority leader.[12]
During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Sykes supported Joe Biden.[13]
Sykes won the EMILY's List 2020 Gabby Giffords Rising Star Award.[14]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2022
In January 2022, Sykes announced her candidacy for Ohio's 13th congressional district.[15]
In November 2022, she won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Madison Gesiotto Gilbert in an upset.[16]
Tenure
Speaker of the House vote
Sykes cast her first votes on January 3, 2023, voting multiple times for Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to serve as Speaker of the House.[17]
COVID-19 policy
On January 31, 2023, Sykes voted against H.R.497:Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, a bill which would remove COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.[18] [19]
On February 1, 2023, Sykes voted against a resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency.[20] [21]
Infrastructure
In March 2023, Sykes and Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) cosponsored the bipartisan RAIL Act (H.R.1633) which is an attempt to improve railroad safety.[22]
Syria
On March 8, 2023, Sykes voted against H.Con.Res. 21 which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[23] [24]
Voting rights
On February 9, 2023, Sykes voted against H.J.Res.24: Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022,[25] [26] which would nullify the District of Columbia's law that allows noncitizen residents to vote in local elections.[27] [28]
Caucus memberships
The following is a partial list of Sykes' caucus memberships:
Committee assignments
Electoral history
Year!!Democrat | Votes | Pct | | Republican | Votes | Pct |
---|
2014 | | | Emilia Sykes | align="right" | 17,299 | | 71.9% | | | Cynthia Blake | | 6,082 | | 28.1% |
2016 | | | Emilia Sykes | align="right" | 35,154 | | 77.1% | | | Gene Littlefield | | 10,420 | | 22.9% |
2018 | | | Emilia Sykes | align="right" | 30,164 | | 78.4% | | | Josh Sines | | 8,329 | | 21.6% |
2020 | | | Emilia Sykes | align="right" | 36,251 | | 76.8% | | | Henry Todd | | 10,926 | | 23.2% | |
US House Ohio 13th District!Year!!Votes!Pct!!Votes!Pct2022 | | Emilia Sykes | | 149,816 | | 52.7% | | Madison Gesiotto Gilbert | | 134,593 | | 47.3% | |
See also
External links
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Notes and References
- Web site: Lawyer Directory – The Florida Bar. Mar 17, 2020. March 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170307124429/http://www.floridabar.org/names.nsf/0/54C4ABE64975AA2785256A84003B0930?OpenDocument. live.
- Web site: Emilia Strong Sykes Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com. www.martindale.com. Mar 17, 2020. October 1, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221001135936/https://www.martindale.com/attorney/emilia-strong-sykes-168808120/. live.
- Web site: Sykes tells local Democrats about 'Ohio Promise' - Morrow County Sentinel. 2019-07-26. www.morrowcountysentinel.com. en-US. 2019-12-20. 2019-12-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20191220143326/https://www.morrowcountysentinel.com/news/26967/sykes-tells-local-democrats-about-ohio-promise. live.
- Web site: For the Ohio House: Emilia Sykes and Greta Johnson. Akron Beacon Journal. en. 2019-12-20. 2019-12-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20191220143322/https://www.beaconjournal.com/article/20140927/OPINION/309279568. live.
- Web site: Walsh . by Ellin . Emilia Sykes wins primary for 34th Ohio House District . 2022-10-01 . Akron Beacon Journal . en-US . 2022-10-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221001135932/https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/falls-news-press/2014/05/11/emilia-sykes-wins-primary-for/19776065007/ . live .
- Web site: 2022-01-18 . Rep. Emilia Sykes joins competitive US House race in Ohio . 2022-10-01 . AP NEWS . en . 2022-01-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220126190224/https://apnews.com/article/congress-ohio-supreme-court-ohio-akron-house-elections-b00ab1d4eb97bde3c8c8ff5d96fbd39f . live .
- Web site: First New Democratic House Leader in Five Years Has Strong Ties to the Statehouse. 2019-03-27. 28 January 2019. 2019-03-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327183905/http://www.statenews.org/post/first-new-democratic-house-leader-five-years-has-strong-ties-statehouse. live.
- News: Emilia Sykes to seek the Ohio House seat her family long has held . Akron Beacon Journal . Akron . 2013-09-17 . 2014-12-10 . 2014-02-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140226113240/http://www.ohio.com/news/emilia-sykes-to-seek-the-ohio-house-seat-her-family-long-has-held-1.429317 . live .
- News: Emilia Sykes in the Democratic primary for Ohio House District 34: editorial endorsement . Cleveland Plain Dealer . Cleveland . 2014-04-29 . 2014-12-10 . 2014-12-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141214150312/http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/04/emilia_sykes_in_the_democratic.html . live .
- Web site: Sykes wins 34th Ohio State House District seat. REPORTER. Ellin Walsh . MyTownNEO. en. 2019-12-20. 2019-12-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20191220143326/https://www.mytownneo.com/article/20141109/NEWS/311099616. live.
- Web site: Is 'Tampon Tax' discriminatory to women?. 2016-03-31. WCPO. en. 2020-03-23. 2020-03-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20200323175755/https://www.wcpo.com/news/political/ohio-state-government-news/group-of-women-file-lawsuit-against-state-over-discriminatory-tax-on-feminine-hygiene-products. live.
- News: Emilia Sykes named new Ohio House Democratic leader. Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. 2019-01-21. 2019-03-27. 2019-03-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327183952/https://www.ohio.com/news/20190123/emilia-sykes-named-new-ohio-house-democratic-leader. live.
- Web site: Richardson . Seth A. . March 11, 2020 . Joe Biden announces backing from Emilia Sykes, more than half of Cleveland City Council . March 23, 2020 . . en . March 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200323173504/https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/03/joe-biden-announces-backing-from-emilia-sykes-more-than-half-of-cleveland-city-council.html . live .
- Web site: Mills . Emily . Emilia Sykes wins national award for dedication to women, families . Akron Beacon Journal . July 2, 2020 . July 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200703125724/https://www.beaconjournal.com/news/20200702/emilia-sykes-wins-national-award-for-dedication-to-women-families . live .
- Web site: DeNatale . Dave "Dino" . January 18, 2022 . Former Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Sykes announces run for Congress . March 27, 2022 . WKYC . October 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221001135933/https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/politics/former-ohio-house-minority-leader-emilia-sykes-announces-bid-congress/95-28a2f436-d411-4a06-9e78-2be35a5f2605 . live .
- Web site: Emilia Sykes defeats Madison Gesiotto Gilbert in 13th Congressional District race. Akron Beacon Journal.
- Web site: Akron native Emilia Sykes casts first votes as 13th Congressional District representative . 2023-10-18 . Akron Beacon Journal . en-US.
- Web site: 31 January 2023 . Seven Democrats join Republicans in vote to lift vaccine mandate for healthcare workers . Washington Examiner.
- Web site: On Passage - H.R.497: To eliminate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on . 12 August 2015 .
- Web site: House passes resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency . February 2023 .
- Web site: On Passage - H.J.RES.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by . 12 August 2015 .
- Web site: After East Palestine derailment, Sykes, Johnson introduce RAIL Act to improve railroad safety . 2023-10-18 . Akron Beacon Journal . en-US.
- Web site: H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023 .
- News: [//www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2023-03-08/house-votes-down-bill-directing-removal-of-troops-from-syria House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria ]. US News & World Report . 8 March 2023 . 6 April 2023.
- Web site: 2023-01-31 . H.J.Res.24 - Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022. (118th Congress). . 2023-10-18 . Congress.gov.
- Web site: H.J.Res. 24: Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia … -- House Vote #118 -- Feb 9, 2023 . GovTrack.
- Web site: D.C. Law 24-242. Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022. D.C. Law Library . 2023-10-18 . code.dccouncil.us . en-US.
- Web site: 2022-10-19 . DC Council passes bill allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections . 2023-10-18 . WTOP News . en.
- Web site: Endorsed Candidates . 2022-12-03 . NewDem Action Fund . en-US.
- Web site: Congressional Equality Members. 22 February 2023.
- Web site: 2023-10-17 . Committees and Caucuses Congresswoman Emilia Sykes . https://web.archive.org/web/20231011141358/https://sykes.house.gov/about/committees-and-caucuses . 2023-10-11 . 2023-10-18 . sykes.house.gov . en.
- Web site: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee . 2023-10-18 . transportation.house.gov . en.
- Web site: House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology . 2023-10-18 . House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology . en.