Michael Todd Whitaker Carey (born March 13, 1971) is an American politician and former coal lobbyist serving as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 15th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, Carey was first elected in a 2021 special election.

Early life and education

Carey was raised in Sabina, Ohio. After attending East Clinton High School, he earned an Associate of Arts degree in economics from the

Marion Military Institute Marion Military Institute, the Military College of Alabama, (MMI, sometimes Marion Institute, Marion Military, or simply Marion) is a Public college, public military junior college in Marion, Alabama. Founded in 1842, it is the official state mi ...

and a Bachelor of Arts in history from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

Career

Carey served in the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

from 1989 to 1999. As a college student, he worked as an aide to State Senator Merle G. Kearns. Carey, prior to his election, worked as vice president of government affairs for American Consolidated Natural Resources, a coal company. He was also chairman of the board of the Ohio Coal Association, prior to stepping down following his congressional run. During the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

presidential elections, Carey developed negative campaign ads against Democratic nominees

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

and

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. As a result of his past career in the coal industry, Carey considers himself a "an advocate for coal miners and American energy independence" and prioritizes development of energy policy in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2021 special

Carey was the Republican nominee in the 2021 15th congressional district special election. He was endorsed by then former President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

and former Vice President

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

. Carey received the most financial contributions out of all 11 candidates in the Republican primary, including from out-of-state donors and individuals in the coal and mining industries. Political commentators and journalists called the race "a test of Trump's influence over Republican politics." Carey won the special election on November 2.

117th Congress

On July 19, 2022, Carey and 46 other Republican representatives voted for the

Respect for Marriage Act The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress in 2022 and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal ...

, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law. On July 28, 2022, Carey and 24 other Republican representatives voted for the CHIPS Act, increasing governmental funding for domestic semiconductor production. In late 2022, Carey announced his "complete" endorsement of Trump.

2022 midterm elections

In the 2022 midterm elections, Carey defeated the Democratic nominee, union leader Gary Josephson. Carey raised around $2.3 million for this election, the 251st-highest sum among elected representatives.

118th Congress

Before the 118th Congress, Carey declared his support for

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...

's bid for House Speaker amid controversy about McCarthy's leadership following the 2022 midterm elections. Carey also announced his intention to "get on the

Ways and Means Committee A ways and means committee is a government body that is charged with reviewing and making recommendations for government budgets. Because the raising of revenue is vital to carrying out governmental operations, such a committee is tasked with fi ...

" in the 118th Congress. In mid-2023, Carey announced the re-launch of the "House Civility and Respect Caucus" with Representative Joyce Beatty, originally formed by Representative Steve Stivers and Beatty. The House Civility and Respect Caucus's expressed purpose is to "promote the use of respectful dialogue on challenging issues." Following the ousting of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy in October 2023, Carey worked to gather votes for the election of Ohio Representative

Jim Jordan James Daniel Jordan (born February 17, 1964) is an American politician who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives as the representative for since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. ...

's bid for Speaker of the House. Following Jordan's withdrawal from the speakership bid, Carey voted for Speaker of the House

Mike Johnson James Michael Johnson (born January 30, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2023. A member ...

. Carey voted to provide Israel with military support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Ways and Means * Committee on House Administration

Personal life

Carey and his wife, Meghan, have two sons and reside in Columbus. Carey has a son named Prescott from a previous relationship; he also has a grandson. He is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Electoral history

2021 special election

2022 midterm election

2024 general election

References

External links

Congressman Mike Carey
official U.S. House website
Campaign website
* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Carey, Mike 1971 births Living people 21st-century Ohio politicians 21st-century Roman Catholics American lobbyists American Roman Catholics Catholic politicians from Ohio Marion Military Institute alumni Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni People from Sabina, Ohio Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives