Newly elected U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud (right) and his family participated in a mock swearing-in ceremony for media cameras before the official swearing-in on the House floor July 10. Speaker Paul Ryan conducted the ceremony for the Republican from Victoria. Photo courtesy of Office of the Speaker of the House

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud (right) and his family participated in a mock swearing-in ceremony for media cameras before the official swearing-in on the House floor July 10. Speaker Paul Ryan conducted the ceremony for the Republican from Victoria. Photo courtesy of Office of the Speaker of the House

Corpus Christi once again has a representative in Congress. Michael Cloud was sworn in July 10 by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan after winning an emergency special election June 30 to represent District 27. The district stretches from Nueces County on the Gulf of Mexico to Bastrop County in Central Texas.
The election was held to fill the remaining five months of a two-year term vacated by Blake Farenthold, who resigned in April before the House Ethics Committee could rule against him in two investigations.
The official swearing-in took place on the floor of the House in the U.S. capitol of Washington, D.C. Cloud was introduced to the House by fellow Texan U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Ennis), after which he addressed his new peers with his three children by his side.
“I pray that we have the courage and the strength to do what’s right and to serve the people of this nation well,” he said. “I look forward to working with you as we work toward this more perfect union.”
Cloud bested eight other candidates in the special election with 52 percent of the vote. As he takes over Farenthold’s old office in the capitol and hires staff for field offices in Victoria and Corpus Christi, Cloud will continue to campaign for the next election, just four months away.
As the Republican nominee for a full two-year term, Cloud will face Democrat Eric Holguin, Libertarian Daniel Tinus, and Independent James Duerr, who was recently added to the ballot by petition.
Though Cloud has never held an elected office, he has been deeply involved in party politics, serving seven years as chair of the Republican Party in Victoria. He is currently on the State Republican Executive Committee.
A proud conservative, Cloud studied communications at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. He was marketing directory of his church in Victoria and now runs his own media company for web development and video production.