Deborah Ross (politician)

Ross was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 20, 1963, and grew up in Connecticut. She is the daughter of Barbara (née Klein) and Marvin Koff. Her father was an Air Force physician and her mother was a teacher. Ross earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in 1985 and her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1990. == Legal career ==

After graduating from law school, Ross worked for Raleigh-based Hunton & Williams as a tax litigator and municipal bond lawyer. American Civil Liberties Union Ross was hired as state director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of North Carolina in 1994. She worked on First Amendment and juvenile justice issues. Alongside Governor Jim Hunt and then State Senator Roy Cooper, she overhauled North Carolina's system for dealing with youth offenders. In response to racial profiling reports, she also successfully encouraged state police agencies to collect race-based statistics for traffic stops. Ross stepped down from her position at the ACLU in 2002 when she launched her state House campaign. GoTriangle On May 1, 2013, Ross announced she would resign from the legislature in June to serve as legal counsel for GoTriangle, the triangle area's regional transit agency. On June 1, 2013, Grier Martin was appointed to succeed her in the House. Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP In March 2017, Ross joined the regional law firm of Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP in Raleigh. Her practice focused on the economic development, energy, utilities, and infrastructure needs of businesses and government. Smith Moore Leatherwood combined with national law firm Fox Rothschild, LLP, on November 1, 2018. == Early political career ==

North Carolina legislature Ross was first elected to the North Carolina General Assembly in 2002 and defeated Wake County Commissioner Phil Jeffreys in 2004 to win a second term. She faced no opposition in the 2006 general election, and in 2007, Ross was first elected as one of the House Democratic Whips. Ross supported the Equal Pay Act, an unsuccessful bill that would have banned North Carolina employers from paying workers differently based on gender. In 2012, Ross compared state coastal protection policies that ignore scientists' sea level rise forecasts to burying one's "head in the sand". She said she was concerned that increased risk of flooding would lead insurance companies to charge higher premiums for coastal property owners. 2016 U.S. Senate campaign In 2015, Ross resigned as legal counsel at GoTriangle to run for the U.S. Senate in 2016. She won the March 2016 Democratic primary with 62.4% of the vote from a field of four candidates. Ross was endorsed by EMILYs List, Planned Parenthood, the North Carolina Association of Educators, the North Carolina AFL–CIO, American Association for Justice, End Citizens United, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, and the League of Conservation Voters. In the general election, Ross ran against the incumbent, Republican Richard Burr. Ross raised more money than Burr for three consecutive quarters, but nevertheless had less cash on hand as Burr began the year with $5.3 million in campaign funds. As of October 21, Ross was down 2.8% in the Real Clear Politics average of polls. The race received national attention as The Cook Political Report rated the race a toss-up and Democrats viewed the seat as one they could win. in the November election, Burr defeated Ross 51% to 45%. ==U.S. House of Representatives ==

Elections 2020 , 2021|upright On December 2, 2019, Ross announced her candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina's newly redrawn 2nd congressional district in 2020. She jumped into the race shortly after a court-ordered redistricting cut the 2nd back to southern Wake County, including almost all of Raleigh. The old 2nd covered roughly half of Wake County, along with several exurbs south and east of the capital. Had the district existed in 2016, Hillary Clinton would have carried it with 60% of the vote and defeated Donald Trump by over 24 points. defeating Clinton by 12 points. On paper, the new map turned the 2nd from a Republican-leaning district into a safely Democratic district. Ross won the Democratic primary on March 3. She won the general election on November 3, defeating Republican nominee Alan Swain and Libertarian Jeff Matemu. Tenure On July 1, 2021, Ross and Mariannette Miller-Meeks introduced the America's CHILDREN Act. If enacted, the bill would grant a pathway to permanent residency for children who grew up in the United States legally but were blocked from obtaining permanent residency due to green card backlogs and other legal barriers. On June 23, 2025, Ross, Lance Gooden, and Dina Titus introduced the Pro Codes Act. If enacted, the bill would allow private, for-profit corporations to claim copyright of laws based on the "model codes" they sell to government bodies. This would overturn cases like Veeck v. Southern Building Code Congress Int'l that have held that the public has the right to view, copy, dissect, and critique laws they are held to regardless of the authorship of the text. Committee assignments For the 119th Congress: • Committee on Ethics • Committee on the Judiciary • Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet • Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement • Committee on Science, Space, and Technology • Subcommittee on Energy (Ranking Member) • Subcommittee on Environment Caucus memberships • Black Maternal Health Caucus • Congressional Equality Caucus • Congressional Ukraine Caucus • New Democrat Coalition • Democratic Women’s Caucus • Rare Disease Caucus == Political positions ==

, 2023 Ross has supported legislation that expands tax credits for families. She voted for the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which increased the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $3,000 per child aged 6 to 17 and to $3,600 for children under 6, with payments distributed monthly instead of as a lump sum. She supported legislation that expanded premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and offered financial incentives to states that had not yet expanded Medicaid under the ACA. Ross supported the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, a $280 billion bill aimed at increasing U.S. semiconductor manufacturing. Following its passage, semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed announced plans to build a $5 billion production facility in Chatham County. ==Personal life==

Ross and her husband, Steve Wrinn, live in a home that they restored in Boylan Heights, a historic neighborhood in Raleigh. Ross is one of three Unitarian Universalists in Congress. ==Electoral history==

2024 2022 2020 2016 {{Election box begin no change {{Election box candidate with party link no change {{Election box candidate with party link no change|candidate=Sean Haugh 2010 2008 2006 2004 2002 ==See also==