Dale Strong

Dale Strong

Dale Whitney Strong (born May 8, 1970) is an American politician. He has been the U.S. representative for Alabama's 5th congressional district since 2023. His district includes much of North Alabama, such as the city of Huntsville.

Strong belongs to the Republican Party. He started his career by serving on the Madison County Commission in 1996. He later became the chairman of the commission from 2012 to 2023. After that, he began representing his district in Congress.

Early life and career

Dale Strong was born in Monrovia, Alabama and finished school at Sparkman High School in 1988. He studied business at Athens State University and learned to be an emergency medical technician at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Before he became a politician, he worked in public relations for First Alabama Bank and sold products for Solvay S.A.. He also helped people during emergencies and answered 911 calls. In 1989, he got an award for bravery after helping during a tornado in Huntsville.

Madison County Commission

Dale Strong was first elected to the county commission for Madison County in 1996. He was the youngest Republican official in Alabama at that time. He represented the fourth district, which included parts of Harvest and his hometown of Monrovia. During his time on the commission, he also worked as a volunteer firefighter.

In 2011, Strong helped develop an early warning system for tornadoes. He assisted with the county's response to a large tornado outbreak. He later became chairman of the Madison County Commission in 2012, the first Republican to hold that position. As chairman, Strong focused on improving the area's economy, infrastructure, and schools. He also worked to bring federal agencies to Redstone Arsenal. Strong stepped down as chairman in 2023 after being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives (2023–present)

Elections

2022

See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama § District 5

In March 2021, Dale Strong said he wanted to be a representative for Alabama's 5th congressional district in the 2022 election cycle. The person who had the job before him, Mo Brooks, decided to run for a different job, the U.S. Senate. Strong was the first person to say they wanted this job. He said he wanted to keep working on the things that Donald Trump started. In the primary election in May, Strong got the most votes but not enough to win without a second round. He had a runoff election against Casey Wardynski, and he won that with about 63% of the votes. He then won the general election in November with about 67% of the votes.

Tenure

Before he started his job, Strong said he would focus on keeping borders safe and making connections with others. He also said he was open to working with people from different parties to solve problems like energy independence. Strong supported Donald Trump early in the 2024 United States presidential election and invited him to have a meeting in North Alabama.

In 2023, Strong voted against a big money plan to help with the country's debts. In 2024, he voted against sending money to help Ukraine.

Committee assignments

For the 119th Congress:

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (Vice Chair)
  • Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology (Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability

Caucus memberships

• Republican Study Committee

Personal life

Dale Strong is married to Laura Toney. They met at the Huntsville Hospital in 1997 when she worked there as a nurse. They got married in 1999 and have two children.

In October 2016, Strong was on an episode of The Price Is Right. In February 2019, Strong helped a man involved in a car accident on Interstate 65. He pulled the man from the overturned vehicle and gave him CPR.

Strong is a Baptist.

Electoral history