Kelly Parker
Kelly Parker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official Portrait, 2023 | |
| Ranking Member of the House Financial Committee | |
|
Assumed office January 5, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Caskill |
| Member of the U.C. House of Representatives from Hispaniola's 87th district | |
|
Assumed office January 4, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Melvin Jones |
| Member of the Harrison Parish Council | |
|
In office January 1, 2013 – January 1, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | George White |
| Succeeded by | Alice Warren |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 18, 1975 Davis, Hispaniola, Antilles |
| Political party |
 Civic Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
James Hunt (m. 2004; div. 2008) Phil Cavil (m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 children |
| Education | University of the Antilles |
Kelly Evelyn Parker (born October 18, 1975) is an Antillean politician and former educator serving as a member of the United Commonwealth House of Representatives, representing Hispaniola's 87th congressional district since 2017. She previously served on the Harrison Parish Council from 2013 to 2017. Since 2023, Parker has served as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.
Born in Davis, Parker attended the University of the Antilles, receiving degrees in political science and education. She worked as an teaching assistant at her alma mater before becoming a professor, teaching urban politics from 1999 to 2013. In 2012, Parker was elected to the Harrison Parish Council as a member of the Civic Democratic Party. After briefly running for parish executive, Parker ran for and was elected to the United Commonwealth House of Representatives in 2016, succeeding longtime representative Melvin Jones in representing coastal areas of Davis. In 2017, she joined the newly-formed Civic Democratic Party. Since entering the House of Representatives, Parker has gained national attention for her combative questioning during congressional hearings, especially towards corporate representatives and officials.
Since taking office, Parker has been considered a leading member of the progressive wing of the Civic Democratic Party and was a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Coalition. Parker is a social progressive, supporting the legalization of abortion in the Antilles and has been ranked as a top congressional advocate for same-sex marriage. She is an ardent opponent of the political power of corporations and wealthy Antilleans in politics, and has advocated for federal restrictions on corporate donations and lobbying. She has stated her support for a universal public healthcare system modelled after Anglo-American ones. Since entering federal politics, Parker has supported the Antillean independence movement to some extent, calling for the creation of an "Antillean nation state". She is a vocal American unionist.
On June 4, 2023, Parker announced her candidacy for the 2024 Antillean presidential election after months of speculation.
Early life, education, and career
Kelly Evelyn Parker was born on October 18, 1975 in Davis, Hispaniola. Her parents were both accountants, and her father was a army veteran who was stationed in New Charleston during the Cuban insurgency. She was born the fourth child and only girl of the couple, having three older brothers. The Parker family resided in Davis for most of her childhood, moving to Bradford, a suburban town outside of Davis, when she was fourteen.
Parker attended elementary and middle school in Davis before attending high school in Bradford. In high school, Parker was a member of the school band and served as chief prosecutor for the mock trial team. In high school, Parker began involving herself in politics, adopting her parents' liberal views and eventually joining the Civic Democratic Party in 1992. She graduated from high school in 1993 as one of the top students of her class and was admitted into the University of the Antilles, studying political science. She graduated from university in 1999 with degrees in political science and education.
Parker worked as a teaching assistant to her former professor from 1999 to 2002 and became a fully-fledged professor at the University of the Antilles in 2003, several days after marrying James Hunt, a former classmate of hers. Parker specialized in urban politics, and also taught classes in Antillean politics and Antillean political history. She briefly taught a class on Antillean history, but cited her discomfort with "decades of discrimination against people of color" as a reason for not teaching another semester. She retired from full time teaching in 2012 in order to enter politics, but has continued to be invited as a guest speaker for political science classes at the University of the Antilles.
Early political career
Harrison Parish Council
Elections
In 2012, Parker ran to represent the 5th district of the Harrison Parish Council, running as a member of the Civic Democratic Party. Parker ran against six different opponents for the open seat, and since the 5th district was considered a Civic Democratic stronghold, the primary match was considered more important the the general election race. Parker secured the Civic Democratic nomination in June of 2012 by a narrow margin, and was elected to the parish council with 76% of the vote.
She was unopposed for the Civic Democratic nomination in 2014, and was re-elected to a second term with 79% of the vote.
Tenure
As a member of the parish council, Parker promoted socially progressive policies, and advocated for a "environmentally-friendly parish". A critic of car culture, Parker proposed several legislation aimed at increasing the use of public transportation within Harrison Parish. On multiple occasions, Parker attempted to amend the parish budget to include increased funding of public transportation. She also advocated for the promotion of art in education, and opposed efforts by multiple school districts to cut funding for classes centered around the arts. During her time on the council, Parker came into frequently conflict with moderate members of the body, including parish executive Jim Gill.
In 2015, Parker was subjected to an internal investigation by the parish council after it was alleged that she bribed students with improved grade averages in exchange for unpaid assistance in her first campaign. Parker categorically denied the allegations, which she believed were made by "certain disgruntled staffers", and called the investigation a "political witch hunt" orchestrated by her "sellout colleagues". A month later, the investigation concluded that the allegations were false, and Parker was reinstated to her previous committee assignments.
2016 Harrison Parish executive campaign
In October of 2015, Parker announced her campaign to unseat Jim Gill as parish executive of Harrison Parish. She ran on a clear progressive platform, aimed at improving the parish budget and promoting progressive policies. Despite receiving much financial support, Parker trailed Gill, who had been parish executive for nearly ten years, all throughout the early primary race. In February of 2016, Parker withdrew from the race and instead ran for to succeed longtime incumbent Melvin Jones in the United Commonwealth House of Representatives. It is believed that her low polling numbers were a major factor in her switching races. Gill went on to be elected to another term as parish executive.
U.C. House of Representatives
Elections
2016
In February of 2016, Parker announced her bid to succeed longtime U.C. Representative Melvin Jones. She ran in Hispaniola's 87th congressional district, which encompasses much of coastal Davis. In the primary, she ran against fellow parish councilor Margaret Bradshaw. Parker won the Civic Democratic nomination with 57% of the vote, and went on to be elected to the House of Representatives, defeating Federalist opponent Mark Heathrow in a landslide, winning 60% of the vote.
2018
Parker ran for a second term in 2018, and secured the Civic Democratic nomination without contest. She went on to defeat Federalist challenger Regina Thomas in another landslide, winning 64% of the vote.
2020
Parker ran for a third term in 2020, and was contested by three fellow Civic Democrats for the nomination. However, she easily defeated her primary challengers and later went on to win another landslide election against Federalist Fred Caine, winning 67% of the vote.
2022
Parker ran for a fourth term in 2022 and secured the Civic Democratic nomination without contest. She went on to defeat Federalist challenger Ulysses Harrison in another landslide, winning 59% of the vote.
Tenure
As a member of the United Commonwealth House of Representatives, Parker has emerged as a leading figure in the progressive wing of the Civic Democratic Party. She has supported socially progressive policies, and has been known for her confrontational and aggressive questioning style during congressional hearings, especially towards corporate officials and representatives. In 2022, she was ranked as the third most progressive member of the House of Representatives by the Center for Antillean Progress.
Throughout her tenure as a member of the House of Representatives, Parker has taken a staunch anti-corporate stance, and has worked towards eliminating corporate influence in Antillean politics. On January 5, 2017, a day after being sworn into her first term, Parker proposed the Democratic Elections Act, which proposed banning corporate lobbying and donations in federal and state elections. The bill was defeated in committee. She attempted to re-introduce the bill on three separate occasions in 2017 and 2018, though in all three instances it failed to get out of committee.
In 2018, Parker was appointed to the House Financial Committee, replacing U.C. Representative Martha Gallegos of Cuba, who was retiring. Because of her freshmen status, Parker was not apart of any committee prior to being appointed to the financial committee. During her first committee hearing in 2018, Parker gained national attention for her combative questioning towards Antilles Entertainment Group CEO Harry Pickett, drawing attention to inconsistencies between Duffy testimonies and statements put forward by his company regarding money laundering. She again harshly questioned Duffy in a separate hearing in 2019, where she questioned Duffy on his relationship with members of the National Assembly, and asked if he had received insider knowledge of stocks.
After the Civic Democratic Party nearly gained a majority in the House of Representatives during the 2018 midterms, Parker pledged to push for an investigation into the Abarough family. In June of 2019, Parker, along with sixty fellow Civic Democrats, participated in a congressional sit-in for same-sex marriage. On social media, Parker demanded the immediate legalization of same-sex marriage, and criticized President Michael Abarough for "homophobic rhetoric".
Parker was considered a potential contender for the 2020 Civic Democratic presidential nomination, but declined to run, believing that she would be more effective as a member of the House of Representatives. Instead, she endorsed Mayor of Montgomery Allen Paul. In January of 2020, Parker was briefly detained for "inciting violence" during a rally for abortion rights in front of the Presidential Palace. She was released without charges immediately following her detainment. In 2021, Parker was appointed to the House Oversight Committee.
In 2023, Parker challenged William Abernathy for the leadership position of the House Civic Democrats. She was supported by fellow progressive representatives, though was defeated by Abernathy in closed door conference meeting. During the 2023 Speaker of the Antillean House of Representatives election, she was nominated by fellow progressive representative Amari Adeola for Speaker and despite voting for Abernathy she received TBD votes from her Civic Democratic colleagues. On January 5, 2023, Parker was elected the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee by her peers.
Committee assignments
- House Committee on Financial Services
- Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions
- Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion
- House Committee on Oversight and Accountability (ranking member)
- Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Liberties
- Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy
- Subcommittee on National Security
Caucus memberships
2024 presidential election
Starting in January 2023, Kelly Parker would be subjected to speculation by several news and media outlets, starting with CBS News, on a potential bid for the presidency. Parker herself was initially silent, however she would publically express interest in a potential presidential run in early March, stating on March 8 that she was "looking into it" when asked about if she would run for president and compete in the Civic Democratic primaries for the party's nomination.
Further speculation emerged as Parker further expressed interest in running for president and voiced criticisms for Alexander Wilder and Mike Connelly, two candidates in the primaries, due to their moderate political positions saying that while she personally respected them and agreed with most of their views, she believes that the party needs to be more ambitious and commit to progressive policies believing that they would be a better contrast to the conservatism and nationalism of President Lawrence and the Federalist Party.
On May 18, Parker filed paperwork for the FEC while not formally announcing her candidacy for the presidency. This got major news attention as it was viewed as a sign that she was to inevitably announce her candidacy. That same day, Parker stated she would make a formal announcement on June 4 where her final decision would be made and would occur in her home city of Davis.
Announcement
Parker formally announced the beginning of her presidential bid on June 4, 2023, at a campaign rally held in her home city of Davis. The event was organized 2.5 weeks in advance and tickets sold out four days before the rally was held, attracting thousands of spectators and atendees to support the representative. Parker became the second woman to enter into the race after fellow representative and congressional collegue Sarah Wilson from Cuba had announcer her bid in April. Parker's speech started with her personal and early life and then mentioned several accomplishments she has achieved while in congress as well as her voting record and denounced both the Lawrence administration and his policies, accusing him of being a "an authoritarian hiding behind a quasi-democratic facad".
Political positions
Parker identifies as socially progressive. She is a leading member of the progressive wing of the Civic Democratic Party and is the founder of the Congressional Progressive Coalition. On social issues, Parker is a social liberal and progressive. She is a supporter of the legalization of abortion in the Antilles and has been a frequent advocate for same-sex marriage. In 2019, she participated in a congressional sit-in protest demanding rights for same-sex couples and participated in protests outside the Presidential Palace calling for legal access to abortion. She has also stated her support in education reform, as she believes that current curriculums are "bias towards revisionism" and discriminatory. As a benefactor of the Patriots Bounded Act, Parker has been a notable advocate for ending restrictions on federal suffrage. Throughout her career in politics, Parker has become known for her combative questioning of corporate representatives and officials in hearings, and has directly criticized many corporations for influencing parts of the government. She is a supporter of wealth distribution and reparations for African Antilleans.
On foreign policy, Parker is a vocal American unionist and has called for the Antillean membership in the Conference of American States. Parker is supportive of Antillean membership in the Northern Treaty Organization, though believes that the NTO needs "serious reform". She has been a leading proponent of two state solution with the United Commonwealth, and as a supporter of the Antillean independence movement, she believes peace with the American mainland could be achieved through the creation of an Antillean nation state.
Personal life
In 2004, Parker married her former university classmate James Hunt. The two had two children (May and Benjamin), and divorced in 2008 citing irreconcilable differences. Parker was granted full custody of their children in 2013 after Hunt voluntarily relinquished his custody of his children in order to enter drug rehabilitation. In 2015, Parker married Phil Cavil, a fellow professor at the University of the Antilles. Parker identifies as a Marylander Antillean, with her great-grandparents fleeing the mainland United Commonwealth during the Continental Revolutionary War.
Parker identifies as a "lapsed Christian", and has expressed her desire to attend church services more frequently than she has.
See also
- C-class articles
- Altverse II
- Antilleans (Altverse II)
- Antillean politicians (Altverse II)
- 1975 births
- People from Davis, Hispaniola
- University of the Antilles alumni
- Antillean educators
- Members of the Davis Parish Council
- Antillean abortion-rights activists
- Members of the United Commonwealth House of Representatives from Hispaniola
- Civic Democratic Party members of the United Commonwealth House of Representatives
- Hispaniola Civic Democrats
- Living people
- Antillean American unionists
- Antillean nationalists
- Progressivism in the Antilles
- LGBT rights activists from the Antilles
- Antillean Christians
- Antillean feminists
- Candidates in the 2024 Antillean presidential election
- Christians from Hispaniola
- Universal basic income activists
- Non-interventionism