1. Earl LeRoy "Buddy" Carter was born on September 6,1957 and is an American pharmacist and politician serving as the US representative for Georgia's 1st congressional district since 2015.
31 Facts About Buddy Carter
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Buddy Carter is a licensed pharmacist and the only pharmacist currently serving in Congress, which has shaped his legislative priorities, particularly on healthcare and prescription drug policies.
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Buddy Carter has been an outspoken proponent of conservative economic policies, tax reform, and environmental deregulation, often aligning with party leadership on key issues.
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Buddy Carter is a member of several congressional caucuses, including the Republican Study Committee, the House Baltic Caucus, and the Congressional Blockchain Caucus.
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Buddy Carter has continued to emphasize his experience in healthcare as a cornerstone of his political career.
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Buddy Carter earned an associate degree from Young Harris College in 1977 and a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from the University of Georgia in 1980.
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Buddy Carter was conferred the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Young Harris College at its 2024 commencement ceremony.
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Buddy Carter is not related to late former US President and fellow Georgian Jimmy Carter.
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Buddy Carter served on the planning and zoning commission for the city of Pooler from 1989 to 1993 and on Pooler's city council from 1994 to 1995.
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Buddy Carter served as Pooler's mayor from 1996 to 2004.
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Buddy Carter was first elected to the state legislature in 2005, serving two terms in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2006 to 2010.
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Buddy Carter was elected to the Georgia Senate in 2009.
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Buddy Carter sat on the Senate Appropriations, Health and Human Services, Higher Education, and Public Safety committees.
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Buddy Carter gave up his state senate seat in 2014 to run for Congress after 22-year incumbent Jack Kingston announced he was running for the United States Senate.
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Buddy Carter has considered running against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in the 2026 United States Senate election in Georgia.
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In May 2023, Buddy Carter listed a property in Camden County, Georgia, for sale for $4.25 million after having purchased it in 2018 for $2.05 million.
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Buddy Carter had not listed the property in his Congressional financial disclosures and instead said he had not bought the property as an investment.
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On January 6,2021, in a vote held after protestors stormed the US Capitol, Buddy Carter voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election due to unfounded claims made by the president, a vote he has continued to defend, saying it "will be a cold day in hell" before he apologizes for it.
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In 2017, Buddy Carter renewed his push to drug-test people who receive unemployment insurance.
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Buddy Carter has called it "nothing more than a gateway drug".
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Buddy Carter has said that there is no circumstance that would induce him to vote in favor of keeping the ACA, including if most of his constituents were in favor of it.
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On July 26,2017, Buddy Carter was asked during a live television interview if he supported Trump's criticism of US Senator Lisa Murkowski for her opposition to the procedural vote to begin the Senate's healthcare debate.
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In 2024, Buddy Carter introduced a bipartisan bill that would promote innovation for animal-free drug testing, the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act 3.0.
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Buddy Carter voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, saying he believed it would make businesses in his district more competitive in a global market.
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Buddy Carter co-sponsored a bill that would let illegal immigrants serve in the US military in exchange for legal residency.
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Buddy Carter supported Trump's 2017 executive order to temporarily curtail immigration from seven countries until better screening methods are devised.
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Buddy Carter wants to prohibit all federal funding from sanctuary cities in Georgia.
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Buddy Carter is a strong supporter of gun rights, and has an "A" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund for his stances on gun issues.
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In February 2018, during a town hall in Hinesville, when asked about mass shootings in America, Buddy Carter told attendees to not look to Congress for answers about gun violence, saying Congress is not responsible for gun violence in America.
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In December 2020, Carter was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated Trump.
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Buddy Carter voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.