Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick 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.
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.
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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. 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.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.
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. 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. She lost, 73.6%–26.4%.2020
Cherfilus-McCormick challenged Hastings again in 2020. She noted various ethics concerns facing Hastings and his health as reasons for running. She lost the August 18 primary, 69.3%–30.7%.2022 special
After Hastings died on April 6, 2021, Cherfilus-McCormick ran again in the 20th district in the 2022 special election. During the campaign, she loaned $3.7 million to her campaign organization. She campaigned on progressive policies such as a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and a $1,000-a-month universal basic income. Her campaign was supported by Brand New Congress, a progressive organization that also backed candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib.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. Cherfilus-McCormick was the first Haitian-American Democrat elected to Congress and the second overall after Republican Mia Love of Utah.
2022 regular election
Following her narrow margin of victory in the special election, Cherfilus-McCormick was again challenged by Holness for the regular election. Cherfilus-McCormick handily defeated Holness in the August Democratic primary, 66%-27% with another 6% going to Anika Omphroy. 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. 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. In these ads, Manley has called Cherfilus-McCormick a "crook" and referenced her ongoing House Ethics committee investigation. Manley has called the lawsuit frivolous. As of January 2026, lawsuit was dismissed. 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.Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress:- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- * Subcommittee on Africa
- * Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- * Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- * Subcommittee on Technology Modernization
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus
- Congressional Ukraine Caucus
- Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment
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. Cherfilus-McCormick voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.Personal life
Cherfilus-McCormick married lawyer Corlie McCormick in 2017 and lives in Miramar, Florida. They have two children together.Cherfilus-McCormick is Protestant.
Financial fraud charges
In 2023, Cherfilus-McCormick was referred to the United States House Committee on Ethics after finding 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.”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. 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 $5 million in FEMA funds, money laundering, making illegal campaign contributions, and conspiring to file a false federal tax return. Attorney General Pam Bondi said "We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice." Cherfilus-McCormick released a statement saying: "This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment - and I am innocent." She faces up to 53 years in prison.
Electoral history
;2018;2020
;2022
;2024