Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Andrew Puzder
| Andy Puzder | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | CKE Restaurants, Inc. |
| Role: | CEO |
| Location: | Carpinteria, California |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Education: | •Cleveland State University (B.A., history, 1975)[1] •Washington University School of Law (J.D., 1978)[2] |
| Website: | Official website |
Andrew Puzder was the CEO of the fast food company CKE Restaurants, Inc., which owns Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Red Burrito, and Green Burrito.[2] In January 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Puzder to serve as U.S. ambassador to the European Union.[3]
On December 8, 2016, Trump named Puzder as his nominee for secretary of labor.[4][5] Puzder withdrew his nomination on February 15, 2017, following reports that he did not have sufficient support in the Republican-controlled Senate to be confirmed.[6][7]
Puzder was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from California. All 172 delegates from California were bound by state party rules to support Donald Trump at the convention.[8]
Nomination for U.S. Secretary of Labor
On December 8, 2016, Donald Trump announced that he was selecting Andrew Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which owned fast-food chains like Hardee’s and Green Burrito, as his nominee for secretary of Labor.[9] Puzder served as a trustee for a joint fundraising committee for Trump’s presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee. At the 2016 Republican National Convention, he was on the Platform Committee as a delegate from California and served as the co-chair of the subcommittee on “Restoring the American Dream,” which focused on economic, labor, and tax issues. In 2010, he co-authored a book called Job Creation: How it Really Works and Why Government Doesn’t Understand It, in which he argued, "Private enterprise, unencumbered by excessive government intervention, will create jobs."[10]
Puzder's confirmation hearing was initially scheduled for January 17, 2017. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions delayed Puzder's hearing, holding Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos's hearing on that day instead.[11] "Because of the complicated Senate calendar in January, the hearing may not be until February," a congressional aide said.[12]
On January 31, 2017, Puzder's confirmation hearing was delayed for a fourth time because Puzder’s financial disclosures and other necessary paperwork had not yet been submitted to the Senate.[13]
Puzder withdrew his nomination on February 15, 2017, following reports that he did not have sufficient support in the Republican-controlled Senate to be confirmed.[6][7] He said in a statement, "After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor. I am honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America's workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity. I want to thank President Trump for his nomination. ... While I won't be serving in the administration, I fully support the President and his highly qualified team."[14]
Career
Legal career
After graduating from the Washington University School of Law in 1978, Puzder joined the law offices of Morris A. Shenker and served as commercial trial lawyer. In 1984, Puzder moved to Stolar Partnership and worked with Charles A. Seigel.[2]
Restaurant career
In 1991, Puzder met Carl Karcher, founder of fast food restaurant Carl's Jr.; Karcher, experiencing financial problems, asked Puzder to relocate to California and serve as his personal attorney. Puzder helped Karcher avoid bankruptcy and to retain ownership in CKE Restaurants. Puzder negotiated with William Foley, chairman and CEO of Fidelity National Financial, Inc., to resolve Karcher's financial issues. As a result, in 1995 Foley became chairman and CEO of CKE and Puzder became executive vice president and general counsel for Fidelity National. Karcher stayed on with CKE as chairman emeritus.[2] Shortly thereafter, Foley and Puzder established their own chain restaurant company, Santa Barbara Restaurant Group, and Puzder served as CEO.[2][1]
In 1997, Puzder was appointed executive vice president and general counsel for CKE, which had recently purchased the fast food chain Hardee's. At the time, Hardee's was a struggling franchise, and the purchase put a significant financial strain on CKE. In June, 2000, Puzder was made president and CEO of Hardee’s Food Systems and, in September, he was made president and CEO of CKE Restaurants.[2][1] In 2010, the company went private in a $1 billion takeover, and Puzder was kept on as CEO of CKE.[1][2]
Presidential elections, 2016
In July 2016, the Sacramento Bee reported that then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump named Puzder as one of his victory committee chairs in California.[15]
Trump planned a fundraising event in Bel-Air, California in mid-July 2016. Puzder was one of the hosts of the event.[16]
Throughout the 2016 election cycle, Puzder had contributed to super PACs supporting Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, and Marco Rubio—in 2012, he supported presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R). According to USA Today, Puzder contributed almost $70,000 in May 2016, to the Republican National Committee through Donald Trump's victory committee.[17]
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Puzder was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from California. All 172 delegates from California were bound by state party rules to support Donald Trump at the convention.[8]
Platform subcommittee
Puzder was appointed to the 2016 Republican National Convention's Platform subcommittee on Trade. When asked about the party's trade platform by The Wall Street Journal on July 8, 2016, Puzder stated that he was unsure and added "I believe in trade, I think we need trade. I don’t think we need massive trade deficits. But I think if we had better negotiated trade deals and we enforce the deals we had, we wouldn’t have massive trade deficits."[18]
Delegate rules
Republican presidential candidates were responsible for selecting their own delegates from California to the national convention. California state law required delegates to support the winner of the California Republican primary election unless that candidate received less than 10 percent of the vote at the convention in the first round of voting; or if the candidate released them; or if voting at the convention proceeded to a third round.
California primary results
| California Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
 Donald Trump |
74.7% | 1,582,099 | 172 | |
| Ted Cruz | 9.5% | 201,441 | 0 | |
| John Kasich | 11.4% | 242,073 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 0.7% | 14,938 | 0 | |
| Jim Gilmore | 3.7% | 77,417 | 0 | |
| Totals | 2,117,968 | 172 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and California Secretary of State | ||||
Delegate allocation
California had 172 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 159 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 53 congressional districts). California's district delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the plurality winner in a given congressional district won all of that district's delegates.[19][20]
Of the remaining 13 delegates, 10 served at large. California's at-large delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the plurality winner of the statewide primary vote received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were required to pledge their support to the winner of the state's primary.[19][20]
See also
- Donald Trump potential high-level administration appointments
- Republican National Convention, 2016
- 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
- RNC delegate guidelines from California, 2016
- Republican delegate rules by state, 2016
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 LinkedIn, "Andrew Puzder," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 CKE Restaurants, Inc., "Andrew F. Puzder," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Andrew Puzder Is Trump’s Choice for Ambassador to the European Union," April 14, 2025
- ↑ Politico, "Donald Trump's Cabinet-in-waiting: What we know so far," November 17, 2016
- ↑ New York Times, "Trump’s Labor Pick, Andrew Puzder, Is Minimum Wage Critic," accessed December 8, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Hill, "Trump’s Labor nominee to withdraw: reports," February 15, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 CNN, "Source: Puzder hearing expected to be canceled as Republicans bolt," February 15, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 CA GOP, "Updated delegate list," accessed July 11, 2016
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Trump Picks Fast-Food Executive Andy Puzder as Nominee for Labor Secretary," December 8, 2016
- ↑ Reuters, "Factbox: U.S. labor secretary nominee's book lays out his job creation theory," December 8, 2016
- ↑ CNBC, "Trump Labor pick Puzder's hearing could be delayed until February," January 10, 2017
- ↑ Politico, "Puzder hearing could be delayed until February," January 10, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Labor nominee Puzder’s confirmation hearing delayed a fourth time," January 31, 2017
- ↑ Fox News, "Labor pick Puzder withdraws from consideration amid controversy," February 15, 2017
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Republicans, Trump campaign name California fundraising chairs," July 1, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Obama makes his case for Clinton: She always kept me on my game," July 5, 2016
- ↑ USA Today, "Analysis: Thousands of Republican donors avoid Donald Trump," June 27, 2016
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Republicans Descend on Cleveland: What to Watch," July 11, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
| |||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
