Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Official portrait, 2024
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 20th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 18, 2022
Preceded byAlcee Hastings
Personal details
BornSheila Cherfilus
(1979-01-25) January 25, 1979
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
Corlie McCormick
​
(m. 2017)​
Children2
EducationHoward University (BA)
St. Thomas University (JD)
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website
Criminal information
Criminal statusIndicted
Criminal charge

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (née Cherfilus; /ˈʃɜːrfɪləs/ SHUR-fill-əss; born January 25, 1979)[2] is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 20th congressional district since 2022. Her district covers most of the Black-majority areas in and around Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. A member of the Democratic Party, she won a special election in 2022 to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Alcee Hastings.[3]

Cherfilus-McCormick has been the subject of financial fraud charges including, in November 2025, being indicted on 17 counts of theft of $5 million in FEMA funds, money laundering, and making illegal campaign contributions. If convicted, she faces up to 53 years in prison.[4][5][6]

Early life and career

Cherfilus-McCormick was born in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, to parents from Haiti and raised in the borough of Queens. She moved to Florida at 13 to attend high school.[7] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government from Howard University and a Juris Doctor from the St. Thomas University School of Law.[8]

After graduating from college, Cherfilus-McCormick served as a project manager for the New York City Transit Authority. From 1999 to 2007, she worked as the vice president for operations of Trinity Health Care Services, a Florida-based family home health care company co-founded by her stepfather, Gabriel Smith. She later served as CEO.[9]

U.S. House of Representatives

Tenure

Cherfilus-McCormick is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

On December 27, 2023, the House Ethics Committee announced that it was investigating Cherfilus-McCormick over complaints that she may have violated campaign finance laws, failed to submit required disclosures, and carried out improper hiring practices.[10][11][12][13] Subsequently, the investigative subcommittee of the Ethics Committee found that Cherfilus-McCormick's actions were consistent with the allegations in the criminal indictment against her, as well as more extensive misconduct, and included violations of campaign finance laws and regulations, criminal laws, the Ethics in Government Act, the Code of Ethics for Government Service, and House rules.[14] Cherfilus-McCormick has denied the allegations.

Elections

2018

Cherfilus-McCormick ran for Florida's 20th congressional district in the August 28 Democratic primary against incumbent Alcee Hastings in 2018.[15] She lost, 73.6%–26.4%.[16]

2020

Cherfilus-McCormick challenged Hastings again in 2020. She noted various ethics concerns facing Hastings and his health as reasons for running.[8] She lost the August 18 primary, 69.3%–30.7%.[17]

2022 special

See also: 2022 Florida's 20th congressional district special election

After Hastings died on April 6, 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick ran again in the 20th district in the 2022 special election.[18][19][20] During the campaign, she loaned $3.7 million to her campaign organization.[21][22] She campaigned on progressive policies such as a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and a $1,000-a-month universal basic income.[7] Her campaign was supported by Brand New Congress, a progressive organization that also backed candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib.[23]

After a recount, Cherfilus-McCormick was declared the winner of the Democratic primary by five votes over Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness in an upset. She easily defeated Republican Jason Mariner in the January 11, 2022, general election.[24][25] Cherfilus-McCormick was the first Haitian-American Democrat elected to Congress and the second overall after Republican Mia Love of Utah .[26]

2022 regular election

Following her narrow margin of victory in the special election, Cherfilus-McCormick was again challenged by Holness for the regular election.[27] Cherfilus-McCormick handily defeated Holness in the August Democratic primary, 66%–27% with another 6% going to Anika Omphroy.[28] Cherfilus-McCormick defeated Republican nominee Drew Montez-Clark with 72% of the vote during the November election, and she started her first full term in Congress on January 3, 2023.

2026

Cherfilus-McCormick is facing a primary challenge from 26-year old activist and substitute teacher Elijah Manley, who has out-raised and outspent her to date in the race.[29][30] In September 2025, Cherfilus-McCormick filed a $1 million defamation lawsuit against Manley claiming that Manley has spread “blatant lies” about her record and reputation.[31][32][33][34][35] In these ads, Manley has called Cherfilus-McCormick a "crook" and referenced her ongoing House Ethics committee investigation.[36] Manley has called the lawsuit frivolous. As of January 2026, the lawsuit was dismissed.[37] In October 2025, at a town hall meeting, Cherfilus-McCormick and Manley got into a heated exchange that ended with Cherfilus-McCormick telling Manley "your mama" multiple times.[38][39]

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:[40]

Caucus memberships

Political positions

Cherfilus-McCormick voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[47] Cherfilus-McCormick voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[48][49]

Personal life

Cherfilus-McCormick married lawyer Corlie McCormick in 2017 and lives in Miramar, Florida. They have two children together.[8]

Cherfilus-McCormick is Protestant.[50][51]

Financial fraud charges

In 2023, Cherfilus-McCormick was referred to the United States House Committee on Ethics after they found that there was "substantial reason to believe" that Cherfilus-McCormick made payments to a state political action committee in connection with her campaign for U.S. Congress and did not report her payments as contributions to her congressional campaign.”[52] In early 2026, the investigative subcommittee of the Committee on Ethics found that Cherfilus-McCormick's actions were consistent with the allegations in the criminal indictment against her, as well as more extensive misconduct, and included violations of campaign finance laws and regulations, criminal laws, the Ethics in Government Act, the Code of Ethics for Government Service, and House rules.[14]

In January 2025, the state of Florida filed a $5 million lawsuit against Cherfilus-McCormick's South Florida-based Trinity Health Care Services business for knowingly accepting overpayments of invoices for work that was not actually performed during the COVID-19 pandemic.[53] The state alleged that Cherfilus-McCormick used this money to fund her congressional campaign. Between 2020 and 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick gained over $6 million in wealth, millions of which she loaned to her campaign; she had previously only spent tens of thousands on her campaign.

In November 2025, Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted on charges including theft of $5 million in FEMA funds, money laundering, making illegal campaign contributions, and conspiring to file a false federal tax return.[54][4][5] Attorney General Pam Bondi said "We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice."[4] Cherfilus-McCormick released a statement saying: "This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment – and I am innocent",[55] subsequently waiving arraignment and pleading not guilty.[56] She faces up to 53 years in prison and millions in fines.[6][56]

Electoral history

2018
2018 Florida's 20th congressional district Democratic primary results[57]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alcee Hastings (incumbent) 52,628 73.8
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 18,697 26.2
Total votes 71,325 100
2020
2020 Florida's 20th congressional district Democratic primary results[58]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Alcee Hastings (incumbent) 62,759 69.3
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 27,831 30.7
Total votes 90,590 100
2022
2022 Florida's 20th congressional district special Democratic primary results[59][60]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 11,662 23.764
Democratic Dale Holness 11,657 23.753
Democratic Barbara Sharief 8,680 17.7
Democratic Perry E. Thurston Jr. 7,282 14.8
Democratic Bobby DuBose 3,458 7.1
Democratic Omari Hardy 2,902 5.9
Democratic Priscilla Taylor 1,677 3.4
Democratic Elvin Dowling 646 1.3
Democratic Emmanuel Morel 454 0.9
Democratic Phil Jackson 342 0.7
Democratic Imran Siddiqui 316 0.6
Total votes 49,074 100
2022 Florida's 20th congressional district special election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 44,707 79.0
Republican Jason Mariner 10,966 19.4
Libertarian Mike ter Maat 395 0.7
Independent Jim Flynn 265 0.5
Independent Lenny Serratore 262 0.5
Total votes 56,595 100
2022 Florida's 20th congressional district Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (incumbent) 47,601 65.6
Democratic Dale Holness 20,783 28.6
Democratic Anika Omphroy 4,197 5.8
Total votes 72,581 100
2022 Florida's 20th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (incumbent) 136,215 72.3
Republican Drew Montez Clark 52,151 27.6
Total votes 188,366 100
2024
2024 Florida's 20th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (incumbent) unopposed 100
Total votes N/A 100

See also

References

  1. ^ [https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26289405/25-cr-20500-indictment.pdf United States Of America Vs. Sheila Cherfilus-Mccormick, Edwin Cherfilus, Nadege Leblanc, and David Kofi Spencer]
  2. ^ "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Weigel, David (January 11, 2022). "Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick wins House seat in Florida special election". The Washington Post. Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won Tuesday's election to fill Florida's vacant 20th Congressional District, returning her party to the 222-seat majority it held after the 2020 elections.
  4. ^ a b c "US Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida indicted on charges of stealing $5M in disaster funds". AP News. November 20, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "House Democrat charged with stealing $5 million in FEMA funds, and making illegal campaign contributions". NBC News. November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Press, The Associated (November 20, 2025). "U.S. Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick indicted on charges of stealing $5M in disaster funds". NPR. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Kassel, Matthew (October 20, 2021). "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick hopes the third time's a charm in FL20". Jewish Insider. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Washington, Wayne (August 6, 2020). "Lawyer makes second run at long-time incumbent Hastings". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  9. ^ Knowles, Tiffani (November 30, 2021). "Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick preps to lead in D.C." Miami Times Online. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  10. ^ "House Ethics Committee opens inquiry into Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick after campaign finance allegations". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. December 28, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
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