Ann Wagner

Ann Louise Wagner (née Trousdale, September 13, 1962) is an American politician and diplomat serving as the U.S. Representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, she previously was the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg from 2005 to 2009.

Her district, based in St. Louis County, is heavily suburban and the wealthiest district in the state. It includes most of St. Louis's southern and western suburbs as well as some of the northern exurbs in St. Charles County and the northern portion of Jefferson County. Prior to her diplomatic post, Wagner chaired the Missouri Republican Party for six years, from 1999 until 2005; she co-chaired the Republican National Committee for four years, starting in 2001.

Wagner was born and raised in St. Louis. She attended Cor Jesu Academy, a private Catholic all-girls school in South County, and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1984 with a BSBA from the business school with an emphasis in logistics. After college, she went to work in the private sector and held management positions at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City and Ralston Purina in St. Louis.

1990s

Wagner entered Republican politics in 1990, heading the GOP's efforts during the decennial redistricting of Missouri. In 1992, she was state director of the unsuccessful campaign for the reelection of President George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle.

2000s

Chairwoman of Missouri GOP

She was elected to her first term of office as chair of the Missouri Republican Party in 1999, becoming the first woman to occupy the position. Her most notable achievement in that role came during her second two-year term when she oversaw the party's taking of majority control of both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly, winning the Senate in a 2001 special election and the House in the 2002 general election, the first time this had been seen for over 40 years. During her third term, the party held its majorities in both chambers and also took the Governor's seat for the first time in 12 years with the election of Matt Blunt in 2004, giving the GOP complete control of state government for the first time since 1921. Her six years as chairperson witnessed George W. Bush carry Missouri in both of his presidential bids and also saw the Republican Party win a majority of the state's congressional delegation.

National campaigning

In 2001, she took office as a co-chair of the Republican National Committee and helped preside over the 2004 Republican National Convention. In this position, she took a strong role in directing the development of the Winning Women initiative, whose aim was to improve the image of the GOP towards women and demonstrate the relevance of its platform to them. Her work with the committee took her to 48 states. In January 2005, she left her role as co-chair after one term.

In 2004, Wagner was a fundraising "ranger" for President George W. Bush.

U.S. Ambassadorship

On February 20, 2005, Wagner was elected to a fourth term as Chair of the Missouri Republican Party. On May 16, she was nominated by President Bush to the position of United States Ambassador to Luxembourg. On July 16, 2005, she was confirmed in the post by a voice vote in the United States Senate, after which U.S. Senator Jim Talent (R-Mo.) said that she was, "A considerate woman, whose character and abilities uniquely qualify her to represent our nation."

On August 1, she was sworn in as Ambassador by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the Harry S. Truman Building of the US Department of State in Washington D.C..

2010s

2010 U.S. Senate election

After returning from Luxembourg, Wagner served as Chairwoman for Roy Blunt's successful 2010 U.S. Senate campaign. Blunt defeated Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan 54%-41% to retain the seat in the Republican column following Kit Bond's retirement from the seat.

2011 RNC Chairman election

On November 29, 2010, Wagner sent a video message to the committee members of the Republican National Committee announcing she was running for RNC Chair. The election was held in January 2011, and Wagner conceded after the sixth round after receiving 17 votes The contest was ultimately won by Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party.

2012

Wagner announced her candidacy for Missouri's 2nd congressional district after incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Todd Akin announced his unsuccessful bid to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill. Wagner received endorsements from Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, and the anti-abortion women's group the Susan B. Anthony List. She won the four-way Republican primary—the de facto election given the lack of support for the Democratic nominee, Glenn Koenen —with 66% of the vote. In November, she won the general election by 23 points.

Wagner is the third Republican woman elected to Congress from Missouri (after Jo Ann Emerson and Vicky Hartzler), and the second who was not elected as a stand-in for her husband (after Hartzler; Emerson was originally elected to finish out the term of her late husband, Bill Emerson).

2014

In her first bid for reelection, Wagner ran unopposed in the Republican primary and proceeded to easily win the general election while simultaneously increasing her margin of victory from her first election in 2012.

2016

2018

Tenure

On December 18, 2019, Wagner voted against both articles of impeachment against Trump. Of the 195 Republicans who voted, all voted against both impeachment articles.

The following is an incomplete list of legislation sponsored by Rep. Wagner.

• Retail Investor Protection Act (H.R. 2374; 113th Congress) – a bill that would delay the Department of Labor's regulations on when a financial advisor must be considered a fiduciary.
• Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2014 (H.R. 4225; 113th Congress) – a bill that would prohibit knowingly benefiting financially from, receiving anything of value from, or distributing advertising that offers a commercial sex act in a manner that violates federal criminal code prohibitions against sex trafficking of children or of any person by force, fraud, or coercion. The bill would make it a felony to post prostitution ads online. Wagner said that Congress was "taking steps towards ending what I would call modern-day slavery." Wagner argued that her bill had been reviewed by the Justice Department in an attempt to ensure that it did not violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution's guarantee of the right to free speech. Wagner argued that the House had not passed any legislation on human trafficking in 13 years, and that "our efforts to combat sex trafficking need to be updated to match the problem as it stands today."
• Retail Investor Protection Act (HR 1090; 114th Congress)—a revised version of legislation sponsored by Rep. Wagner that would delay the DOL's regulations regarding fiduciary advisors passed the U.S. House of Representatives on October 27, 2015 by a vote of 245-186.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Financial Services (Vice Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• Committee on Foreign Affairs (Vice Ranking Member)

Caucus memberships

• Republican Study Committee
• Congressional Constitution Caucus

Ann is married to Ray Wagner Jr, a former Missouri Director of Revenue. They live in Ballwin, a western suburb of St. Louis.

The Wagners have three children: Raymond III (Married to Julia, [née: Grawe] of St. Louis, Missouri), a West Point graduate and U.S. Army Ranger, Stephen, a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Mary Ruth, a graduate of Miami University.

Ann's mother-in-law was Loretto Wagner, a noted anti-abortion activist, who died on June 17, 2015, of complications from diabetes at age 81.

In a 2011 RNC debate, she stated that her favorite book was Decision Points, by George W. Bush.

In 2016, Wagner made headlines by withdrawing her endorsement for the GOP nominee for President, Donald Trump. Wagner's position on Trump changed several times since her initial endorsement in September; in October she withdrew her support and called on Trump to step down, but in November walked that statement back and voiced her intent to vote for Trump.

Wagner has consistently opposed financial regulations, including retirement investment rules that require brokers to put their clients' best interests before their own profits. Wagner has worked with the Trump Administration to target financial oversight rules. On February 3, 2017, Wagner appeared in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump during the signing of executive orders to examine a repeal of the popular Dodd-Frank financial regulatory package, as well as to delay the Department of Labor's proposed fiduciary standard, which requires that financial advisors act in their clients' best interests and disclose all fees. Wagner, who has been a vocal and consistent opponent of the fiduciary rule, was invited by President Trump to explain the rule to the White House press pool. She said to the assembled reporters, "What we're doing, is we are returning to the American people, low and middle income investors and retirees their own control over their own retirement savings." President Trump then congratulated her, calling her a "very special person." Critics argue that this change allows brokers to conceal kickbacks and conflicts of interest from investors.

More recently, Wagner's efforts to undermine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have led local newspapers to accuse her of playing "swamp politics." Since she formed her Congressional campaign committee in 2011, Wagner has received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from employees of investment and insurance companies.

Wagner was among the first members of Congress to sponsor the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017, which weakens oversight by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, allows greater risk-taking by financial institutions, and eliminates the requirement that financial advisors act in their clients' best interests.

On May 4, 2017, Wagner voted in favor of the American Health Care Act, also known as Trumpcare.