Kathy Manning

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Kathy Manning
BornKathy Ellen Manning
12/3/1956
BirthplaceDetroit, Michigan, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationLawyer, politician
Known forU.S. Representative for North Carolina's 6th congressional district (2021–2025), Chair of the Jewish Federations of North America
EducationUniversity of Michigan (JD)
Spouse(s)Randall Kaplan
Children3

Kathy Ellen Manning (born December 3, 1956) is an American lawyer, civic leader, and former politician who served as the U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 6th congressional district from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Manning represented the heart of the Piedmont Triad area, including Greensboro and High Point, as well as parts of Forsyth, Rockingham, and Caswell Counties. Before entering politics, Manning built a career in immigration law in Greensboro and became a prominent figure in American Jewish communal life, serving as the first woman to chair the Jewish Federations of North America. She first ran for Congress in 2018 in North Carolina's 13th congressional district but lost the general election; she then successfully ran for the newly redrawn 6th district in 2020. In December 2023, Manning announced she would not seek reelection, citing what she described as "egregiously gerrymandered congressional districts" resulting from new redistricting maps in North Carolina. Since leaving Congress in January 2025, Manning has remained active in public policy and advocacy, serving as a senior fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and as board chair of the Democratic Majority for Israel.[1][2]

Early Life

Kathy Ellen Manning was born on December 3, 1956, in Detroit, Michigan.[3] Details about her parents and upbringing in Detroit are limited in publicly available sources, though her background in the Jewish community became a defining element of her later civic and political life. Manning eventually relocated to North Carolina, where she established herself in Greensboro as a lawyer and community leader.

Education

Manning attended Harvard University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.[4] She went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School.[3] Her legal education provided the foundation for a career in immigration law that she practiced for several decades in Greensboro.

Career

Legal Career and Civic Leadership

After completing her legal education, Manning established herself as an immigration lawyer in Greensboro, North Carolina. Over the course of her legal career, she became involved in a wide range of civic and philanthropic activities in the Piedmont Triad region.[5]

Manning became a prominent figure in American Jewish communal organizations. She served as the first woman to chair the Jewish Federations of North America, one of the largest Jewish organizations in the country. In this role, her leadership approach emphasized consensus-building and bringing together diverse segments of the Jewish community.[6] Her years of leadership in Jewish communal life were later described as being focused on comity and finding common ground among various constituencies within the community.[6]

Manning was also active in education-related philanthropy and community service in the Greensboro area. She served on the boards of multiple local and national organizations.[3]

2018 Congressional Campaign

Manning entered electoral politics in 2018, announcing her candidacy for North Carolina's 13th congressional district. She ran in the Democratic primary and won the nomination.[7] The Forward noted five key facts about Manning following her primary victory, highlighting her legal career, civic engagement, and status as a political newcomer.[8]

In the November 2018 general election, Manning faced the Republican incumbent Ted Budd (who represented the 13th district at the time). Despite a strong fundraising effort and national attention, Manning lost the race.[9][10] The defeat came in a district that had been drawn in a manner favorable to Republican candidates, a fact that would become central to subsequent legal and political battles over North Carolina's congressional map.

Redistricting and 2020 Campaign

Following the 2018 election, North Carolina's congressional map was challenged in court and ultimately redrawn by the state legislature under judicial order. The new maps, adopted in late 2019, significantly altered several districts. The redrawn 6th congressional district was centered on Greensboro and surrounding areas of the Piedmont Triad, making it more competitive for Democrats than the previous 13th district configuration.[11][12] The incumbent Republican representative for the previous 6th district, Mark Walker, chose not to run for reelection in the redrawn district.

Manning announced her candidacy for the new 6th district and won the Democratic primary in March 2020.[13] In the November 2020 general election, Manning defeated her Republican opponent to win the seat.[14] She became the representative for a district that encompassed Greensboro, High Point, and portions of Forsyth, Rockingham, and Caswell Counties.

U.S. House of Representatives (2021–2025)

Manning was sworn in as a member of the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021. Harvard Magazine noted her as one of the Harvard alumni serving in the new Congress.[4] She succeeded Mark Walker, who had represented the previous iteration of the 6th district before redistricting.

Manning's tenure in Congress began during a period of significant political upheaval. On January 6, 2021, just three days after she was sworn in, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol. Manning was present in the Capitol during the attack. In recalling the events on the fifth anniversary in January 2026, Manning described the experience and its lasting impact on her understanding of threats to American democratic institutions.[15]

During her time in Congress, Manning supported the Speak Out Act, legislation related to addressing nondisclosure agreements in cases of workplace sexual harassment and assault. She spoke on the House floor in support of the bill in November 2022.[3]

Manning won reelection in 2022, continuing to represent the 6th district in the 118th Congress. Her campaign finance records filed with the Federal Election Commission documented her fundraising and expenditures across her congressional campaigns.[16]

Decision Not to Seek Reelection

In December 2023, Manning announced that she would not be running for reelection in 2024. She attributed her decision to new congressional district maps drawn by the Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly, which she described as "egregiously gerrymandered congressional districts." The new redistricting, which was enacted after the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed a prior ruling that had struck down partisan gerrymandering, dramatically altered the composition of Manning's district, making it heavily favorable to Republican candidates.[5]

Manning's predecessor in the original 6th district, Mark Walker, did not run in the redrawn district either. Following the 2024 election, Virginia Foxx, who had represented an adjacent district, effectively succeeded Manning due to the redistricting changes.[3]

Manning left office on January 3, 2025, at the conclusion of the 118th Congress.

Post-Congressional Career

After leaving Congress, Manning took on several roles in public policy and advocacy. She became a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, where she has participated in public discussions on topics including government shutdowns and fiscal policy. In November 2025, she spoke at a Watson Institute event hosted by the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, where she analyzed the dynamics of a government shutdown.[17]

In May 2025, Manning was named board chair of the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a pro-Israel advocacy organization within the Democratic Party. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported her appointment, noting her background in both Jewish communal leadership and Democratic politics.[18] In this capacity, Manning has been vocal on issues related to antisemitism and Israel policy within the Democratic Party. In June 2025, she publicly criticized the North Carolina Democratic Party leadership for what she characterized as tolerating antisemitism within its ranks.[19]

In early 2026, Manning was quoted in Jewish Insider discussing the challenges facing Jewish Democrats in the political landscape following the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. She stated, "There is no doubt that we are living through very difficult times for American Jews," reflecting on the shifting dynamics within the Democratic Party regarding Israel and related issues.[20]

DMFI's Majority Project, with which Manning is associated as board chair, has focused on electing pro-Israel Democrats and working to win back the House majority for the party.[21]

Personal Life

Manning resides in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is married to Randall Kaplan, and the couple have three children.[3] Manning is Jewish, and her faith has been a significant part of her civic and professional identity throughout her career, particularly through her leadership of the Jewish Federations of North America.[6]

Manning's experience during the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol has remained a subject she has discussed publicly. On the fifth anniversary of the event in January 2026, she reflected on the lasting impact of that day on her perspective regarding democratic governance and political violence.[22]

Recognition

Manning's role as the first woman to chair the Jewish Federations of North America was a milestone in one of the largest Jewish communal organizations in the United States. The Jewish Federations of North America published a profile of Manning in July 2025 highlighting her leadership in bringing together diverse constituencies within the Jewish community and examining how that experience informed her approach to congressional service.[6]

Her election to Congress in 2020 was noted in Harvard Magazine as part of its coverage of Harvard alumni in the 117th Congress.[4] Manning's involvement with the Pitches organization, an alumnae network, has also been documented.[23]

Since leaving Congress, Manning's appointment as a senior fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute and her selection as board chair of the Democratic Majority for Israel have continued to place her in positions of influence in public policy and advocacy circles.[24][18]

Legacy

Manning's congressional career, though spanning only two terms, coincided with a period of intense redistricting battles in North Carolina that drew national attention. Her decision not to seek reelection in 2024, explicitly citing gerrymandering, contributed to the broader national conversation about the impact of partisan redistricting on democratic representation. North Carolina's congressional maps have been among the most litigated in the country, and Manning's political trajectory — losing in a gerrymandered 13th district in 2018, winning in a court-ordered redrawn 6th district in 2020, and then being effectively drawn out of a competitive seat by new maps in 2023 — illustrated the direct impact of redistricting on individual candidates and the voters they represent.

Her career also reflects the intersection of Jewish communal leadership and American political life. As the first woman to lead the Jewish Federations of North America and subsequently as a member of Congress who was open about the role of her Jewish identity in her public service, Manning occupied a distinctive position in both the Jewish communal world and the Democratic Party. Her post-congressional work as board chair of the Democratic Majority for Israel has continued to place her at the center of debates about the relationship between the Democratic Party and pro-Israel advocacy, particularly in the context of the Israel-Hamas war and its domestic political ramifications.[6][18]

References

  1. ↑ "Fmr. Rep. Kathy Manning breaks down government shutdown at Watson event".The Brown Daily Herald.2025-11-03.https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/11/fmr-rep-kathy-manning-breaks-down-government-shutdown-at-watson-event.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  2. ↑ "Kathy Manning to lead Democratic Majority for Israel board of directors".Jewish Telegraphic Agency.2025-05-19.https://www.jta.org/2025/05/19/united-states/kathy-manning-to-lead-democratic-majority-for-israel-board-of-directors.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "About Kathy". 'Office of U.S. Representative Kathy Manning}'. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "John Harvard's Journal: Capitol Hill". 'Harvard Magazine}'. 2021-01. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Greensboro lawyer, fundraiser Kathy Manning to challenge U.S. Rep".Greensboro News & Record.https://www.greensboro.com/news/government/elections/greensboro-lawyer-fundraiser-kathy-manning-to-challenge-u-s-rep/article_3516abb0-b619-551c-b227-58b47db92507.html.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Kathy Manning brought Jews together. Can she do the same for Congress?". 'The Jewish Federations of North America}'. 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  7. ↑ "Contest Details - 2018 Primary". 'North Carolina State Board of Elections}'. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  8. ↑ "Five things to know about Kathy Manning, winner of the North Carolina".The Forward.https://forward.com/fast-forward/400744/five-things-to-know-about-kathy-manning-winner-of-the-north-carolina/.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  9. ↑ "2018 General Election Results". 'North Carolina State Board of Elections}'. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  10. ↑ "Kathy Manning announces congressional candidacy as judges review redrawn district map".Greensboro News & Record.https://greensboro.com/news/local_news/kathy-manning-announces-congressional-candidacy-as-judges-review-redrawn-district-map/article_7c1c5bb8-f892-5f2e-8782-a14da9928453.html.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  11. ↑ "HB 1029, 3rd Edition - Map". 'North Carolina General Assembly}'. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  12. ↑ "Two NC Republicans could lose their districts under new GOP-drawn congressional map".The Washington Post.https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/two-nc-republicans-could-lose-their-districts-under-new-gop-drawn-congressional-map/2019/11/15/26c47ad4-071e-11ea-8292-c46ee8cb3dce_story.html.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  13. ↑ "2020 Primary Election Results". 'North Carolina State Board of Elections}'. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  14. ↑ "Results: North Carolina House District 6".The New York Times.https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-north-carolina-house-district-6.html.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  15. ↑ "Former North Carolina Representative Kathy Manning recalls Jan. 6 on 5th anniversary".FOX8 WGHP.2026-01-06.https://myfox8.com/news/politics/politics/us/former-north-carolina-representative-kathy-manning-recalls-jan-6-on-5th-anniversary/.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  16. ↑ "Candidate: Kathy Manning". 'Federal Election Commission}'. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  17. ↑ "Fmr. Rep. Kathy Manning breaks down government shutdown at Watson event".The Brown Daily Herald.2025-11-03.https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/11/fmr-rep-kathy-manning-breaks-down-government-shutdown-at-watson-event.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Kathy Manning to lead Democratic Majority for Israel board of directors".Jewish Telegraphic Agency.2025-05-19.https://www.jta.org/2025/05/19/united-states/kathy-manning-to-lead-democratic-majority-for-israel-board-of-directors.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  19. ↑ "DMFI board chair, former Rep. Kathy Manning blasts NC Dems for tolerating antisemitism".Jewish Insider.2025-06-27.https://jewishinsider.com/2025/06/dmfi-board-chair-former-rep-kathy-manning-blasts-nc-dems-for-tolerating-antisemitism/.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  20. ↑ "Jewish Democrats alarmed about whether their party will remain welcoming".Jewish Insider.2026-02.https://jewishinsider.com/2026/02/jewish-democrats-israel-gaza-hamas-war-overton-window/.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  21. ↑ "Victory and backing Israel aren't conflicting goals for Democrats — they're the same".The Hill.https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5746518-competitive-races-dmfi-pac/.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  22. ↑ "Former North Carolina Representative Kathy Manning recalls Jan. 6 on 5th anniversary".FOX8 WGHP.2026-01-06.https://myfox8.com/news/politics/politics/us/former-north-carolina-representative-kathy-manning-recalls-jan-6-on-5th-anniversary/.Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  23. ↑ "Alumnae". 'Pitches}'. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  24. ↑ "Fmr. Rep. Kathy Manning breaks down government shutdown at Watson event".The Brown Daily Herald.2025-11-03.https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/11/fmr-rep-kathy-manning-breaks-down-government-shutdown-at-watson-event.Retrieved 2026-03-12.

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