Michael Clifton Burgess (born December 23, 1950) is an American physician and politician who represented Texas's 26th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2025. The district is anchored in Denton County, a suburban county north of Dallas and Fort Worth. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Before his election, he practiced as a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology. In 2002, Burgess defeated Scott Armey, the son of House Majority Leader and then-U.S. Representative Dick Armey, in a primary runoff election. As a congressman, he was a member of the congressional Tea Party Caucus. Burgess has been involved in the debates over health care reform and energy policy. He opposes abortion, is unsure of the extent of the contribution of human activity to global warming, supported President Donald Trump's restrictions on travel from Muslim-majority countries and refugee immigration, and supports the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Burgess declined to seek a 12th term during the 2024 election cycle, and retired from Congress in 2025.
Early life, education, and medical career
Michael Burgess was born in Rochester, Minnesota, the son of Norma (née Crowhurst) and Harry Meredith Burgess; his paternal family emigrated from Nova Scotia, Canada. He graduated from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in 1972 and from McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1977. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Over the course of his career, Burgess delivered over 3,000 babies. He is an Episcopalian.
Burgess, who had never held any public office entered the 2002 Republican primary election to replace House Majority Leader Dick Armey. His opponent was Armey's son, Scott. The district, comprising almost all of Denton County (except a sliver in the southeast), was strongly Republican, and pundits predicted that whoever won the primary would not only win the general election, but be assured of at least a decade in Congress. Using the campaign slogan "My dad is NOT Dick Armey", Burgess touted the support of medical Political Action Committees and organizations like the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Burgess took second place in the primary, with 23% of the vote to Armey's 45%. Since neither candidate earned the required majority of votes, a runoff election ensued. Before the runoff, The Dallas Morning News released a series of articles alleging that Armey used his influence as a judge to procure county jobs and contracts for his friends. The report hurt Armey's campaign, and Burgess won the runoff with 55% of the vote. He won the general election with 75% of the vote.
Burgess's vote shares include:
nearly 84% in 2014 (for the first time, Burgess did not draw a Democratic challenger, and ran against nominal Libertarian opposition)
Burgess won his eighth term in the U.S. House in 2016. With 211,730 votes (66.4%), he defeated Democratic nominee Eric Mauck and Libertarian Mark Boler, who polled 94,507 (29.6%) and 12,843 (4%), respectively.
Burgess won a ninth term in 2018. With 185,268 votes (59.4%), he defeated Democratic nominee Linsey Fagan, who polled 121,584 (39%). Another 5,008 (1.6%) went to Boler, who also ran in 2016.
Burgess was elected to a tenth term in 2020. He received 261,963 votes to Democratic nominee Carol Iannuzzi's 161,009 and Boler's 9,243, winning the election with 60.6% of the vote to 37.3% and 2.1%, respectively.
A member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party caucus, Burgess was considered a conservative member of the House. Through 2011, he had a lifetime rating of 93.59% from the American Conservative Union. Burgess signed Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
On August 9, 2011, Burgess met with a Tea Party group in Keller, Texas, to discuss his vote to raise the debt ceiling. When a constituent asked whether the House was considering impeaching President Barack Obama, Burgess responded, "It needs to happen, and I agree with you it would tie things up ... No question about that."
In 2013, Burgess voted for legislation to ban abortion after the 22nd week of pregnancy.
Burgess has been a staunch pro-life advocate over the course of his career.
Burgess opposed the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In 2010, he voted against the DREAM Act.
Burgess supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, saying that Trump was "well within his authority" to issue the order and that "Congress should remain involved in the process and provide legislation to strengthen not only border security but vetting those who wish to enter the country through any means."
Burgess sponsored H.R. 6202, the American Tech Workforce Act of 2021, introduced by Representative Jim Banks. The legislation would establish a wage floor for the high-skill H-1B visa program, thereby significantly reducing employer dependence on the program. The bill would also eliminate the Optional Practical Training program that allows foreign graduates to stay and work in the United States.