New Members 2010 - North Carolina

REP.-ELECT RENEE ELLMERS (R-N.C.-02)

Date of Birth: Feb. 9, 1964
Birthplace: Ironwood, Mich.
Residence: Dunn, N.C.
Occupation: Nurse
Education: B.S., Oakland University 
Previous Office Held: None
Family: Husband, Brent; one child

Renee Ellmers defeated seven-term Rep. Bob Etheridge (D), who gained national attention when he was caught angrily confronting two students on tape. 

Ellmers was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After completing high school, she trained as a medical assistant. For the next eight years, Ellmers attended college while working full- and part-time jobs. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Oakland University.

She gained attention during the campaign when she came out with an ad that seemed to use the words “the Muslims” and “the terrorists” interchangeably. It focused on the proposed Islamic cultural center in New York City, a few blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center.

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