About
Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.) was sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives on July 21, 2020, representing New York’s conservative 27th Congressional District. He won the seat after his predecessor, Chris Collins—the very first member of Congress to endorse Trump—was indicted for insider trading (though Trump pardoned him a few months later, before leaving office). In June 2022 Jacobs announced that he would not run for reelection in 2022 after he said publicly that he would support congressional efforts to ban assault weapons and was immediately vilified by the GOP.
Jacobs, a successful real estate developer in the Buffalo area, was previously New York’s secretary of state as well as the clerk of Erie County and a member of the New York State Senate. He has also held other positions in public service, including working as a clerk for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a deputy commissioner of Environment and Planning in Erie County..
In 2020, Trump endorsed Jacobs in his bid for the House seat. After the November election, the congressman showed his loyalty by voting against certifying Biden’s Electoral College win, impeaching Trump for inciting the violence at the Capitol, and establishing a special House committee to investigate the insurrection, among other measures. He drew criticism when the first bill he introduced in Congress would have benefited his real estate interests and the developers who financed his campaign by invalidating a New York workplace safety law.
January 6, 2021
- Just hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Jacobs voted against certification of the 2020 Electoral College results, explaining: “My position was much more on a Constitutional [basis] for the future in terms of protecting the integrity of our elections.”
- Jacobs voted against impeaching Trump for his role in inciting the mob that disrupted congressional certification of the presidential election. He argued that “the process was rushed, avoided due process, and set a dangerous precedent to further politically weaponize impeachment.”
- Jacobs voted against establishing a House committee to investigate the attack on the Capitol and the congressional proceedings underway inside.
The Big Lie
- Prior to casting his vote against certifying the Electoral College votes for Biden, Jacobs relied on constitutional arguments advocated by fellow GOP representatives. In the statement he issued, he wrote: “There is no question the presidential election was contentious and conducted under trying circumstances, leading several states to make unprecedented changes to their electoral systems without the authorization of their respective state legislatures as the Constitution dictates.”