Kevin Brady
| Kevin Brady | |
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| Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee | |
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Assumed office November 5, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Sam Johnson (Acting) |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 8th district |
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Assumed office January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Jack Fields |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 15th district |
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In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Mike McKinney |
| Succeeded by | Tommy Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kevin Patrick Brady April 11, 1955 Vermillion, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Cathy Brady |
| Education | University of South Dakota (BA) |
Kevin Patrick Brady (born April 11, 1955) is the U.S. Representative for Texas's 8th congressional district, serving since 1997. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes a large swath of suburban and rural territory north of Houston.
Brady was born in Vermillion, South Dakota, one of five children of William F. and Nancy A. Brady. His father, a lawyer, was killed in 1967 in a courtroom shooting in Rapid City when Brady was 12 years old. His mother was left to raise five children by herself. Student body president and a four-sport athlete, Brady graduated from Rapid City Central High School, in 1973. Working his way through college holding a variety of jobs—construction worker, meat packer, manufacturing worker, waiter, and bartender, Brady earned a degree in mass communications from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, where he played varsity baseball, served in the student government association and became a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. In 2005, he was named a distinguished alumnus of the university, and in 2001, was a recipient of the order of achievement by the national Lambda Chi Alpha organization.
A chamber of commerce executive at the Rapid City area chamber of commerce, Brady was elected to the Rapid City common council, at age 26. In 1982, he moved to Texas to work for the Beaumont chamber of commerce and later the south Montgomery county, Woodlands chamber of commerce.
Brady began his Texas political career in 1990 when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, representing The Woodlands, parts of Montgomery County, and five other counties west and north of Houston.
Incumbent Republican congressman Jack Fields of Texas' 8th congressional district decided to retire. Brady decided to run and ranked second in the Republican primary with 22% of the vote in a six candidate field. But the candidate who ranked first, Dr. Gene Fontenot, received just 36% of the vote, short of the 50% threshold. In the run-off election, Brady defeated him 53%–47%. However, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Bush v. Vera that three congressional districts in Texas were unconstitutional. After holding hearings, the court concluded that there was no longer time to hold primaries and instead forced all candidates (Democrats and Republicans) be listed together on the November general election ballot in a jungle primary. If no candidate reached 50%, a special runoff would be held on December 10 between the two highest ranking candidates regardless of political party. In the November election, Brady ranked first with 41% of the vote. In the December run-off election, he defeated Fontenot again 59%–41%.
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