Representative Jody B. Hice

Jody Brownlow Hice (born April 22, 1960) is an American politician, radio show host, and political activist who served as the U.S. representative for Georgia’s 10th congressional district from January 3, 2015, to January 3, 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served four terms in the United States House of Representatives, during which he contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of his constituents in northeast and east-central Georgia. Known for describing himself as a “constitutional conservative,” he has been characterized as a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and an “America First” Republican.

Hice is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He pursued higher education at several religious institutions, reflecting his early and sustained commitment to Christian ministry. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, followed by a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He later earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Luther Rice Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. These academic credentials underpinned his subsequent career as a pastor, educator, and religious broadcaster.

Before entering elective office, Hice spent many years in pastoral ministry and denominational leadership. In 1998, he became senior pastor of Bethlehem First Baptist Church in Bethlehem, Georgia, a position he held until April 2010. During this period, he also served as first vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention from 2004 to 2005 and was a Professor of Preaching at Luther Rice Seminary. In 2002, he expanded his public profile by starting “Let Freedom Ring,” a conservative talk radio show originally broadcast on WIMO 1300 AM in Bethlehem, Georgia. After leaving Bethlehem First Baptist Church, he became senior pastor at The Summit Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in Loganville, Georgia, serving there from 2011 until December 2013, when he stepped down to run for Congress.

Hice’s first bid for federal office came in 2010, when he sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in Georgia’s 7th congressional district. He advanced to a runoff but lost to former congressional aide Rob Woodall. He reemerged as a candidate after Georgia’s 10th congressional district became an open seat when Representative Paul Broun announced a campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2014. Hice was the second candidate to formally enter the race on April 15, 2013, citing government spending as his foremost concern. The contest developed into a seven-way Republican primary. In the May 20, 2014, primary, Hice finished first with 34 percent of the vote, narrowly ahead of trucking company owner Mike Collins, who received 33 percent. Because no candidate secured a majority, a primary runoff was held between Hice and Collins. The runoff campaign became heated, with accusations of campaign sign theft and reports of supporters being harassed at debates. Hice won the July runoff with 54 percent of the vote and went on to win the November 2014 general election with 66.52 percent of the vote in a strong Republican year, securing his first term in Congress.

During his congressional service from 2015 to 2023, Hice served on several key House committees and caucuses. He was a member of the Committee on Natural Resources, where he served on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources and the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. He also served on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, including as vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations and as a member of the Subcommittee on National Security. In addition, he participated in several ideological and issue-based caucuses, including the House Freedom Caucus, the Congressional Western Caucus, the Veterinary Medicine Caucus, the Republican Study Committee, and the Second Amendment Caucus. Over the course of his tenure, he advocated for a balanced budget amendment, supported efforts to audit the Federal Reserve and co-sponsored the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and, along with all other House and Senate Republicans, voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Hice was reelected multiple times to represent Georgia’s 10th district. After winning the Republican primary with 78 percent of the vote in one of his reelection cycles, he faced Democratic nominee Tabitha A. Johnson-Green in the general election. During the 2018 campaign, at an October event where he appeared with Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Hice criticized former President Barack Obama for what he described as a “socialist agenda” during Obama’s two terms in office and urged opposition to Democratic gains in the midterm elections, declaring that “it’s time for this so-called blue wave to be body-slammed.” He defeated Johnson-Green in the 2018 general election. In a subsequent election cycle, after again winning the Republican primary, he once more faced Johnson-Green as the Democratic nominee and prevailed in the general election, securing additional terms in Congress.

Hice’s tenure in the House coincided with a particularly contentious period in American politics, especially surrounding the 2020 presidential election. He was one of 139 Republican representatives who voted on January 6–7, 2021, to object to and overturn the certification of certain states’ electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election. In January 2021, he made an unsuccessful objection to the counting of Georgia’s electoral votes. Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler had initially planned to object to Georgia’s electors but withdrew her objection after the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol; Hice nonetheless proceeded with his objection and joined efforts in Congress that day to challenge the election results.

On March 22, 2021, Hice announced that he would not seek reelection to the House but would instead run for Georgia secretary of state in the 2022 election, challenging incumbent Republican Brad Raffensperger. Raffensperger had refused to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results despite pressure from former President Trump and several Republican allies, including Hice, who advanced false claims of widespread voter fraud. After Hice declared his candidacy, Trump endorsed him, and during the campaign Hice continued to repeat unfounded allegations about the 2020 election. In the May 24, 2022, Republican primary, Raffensperger defeated Hice outright, winning enough votes to avoid a runoff. With the conclusion of the 117th Congress on January 3, 2023, Hice’s service in the U.S. House of Representatives came to an end after four terms in office.