Jay Nixon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jay Nixon
55th Governor of Missouri
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 12, 2009
Lieutenant	Peter Kinder
Preceded by	Matt Blunt
40th Attorney General of Missouri
In office January 1993 – January 12, 2009
Governor	Mel Carnahan Roger Wilson Bob Holden Matt Blunt
Preceded by	William Webster
Succeeded by	Chris Koster
Born	February 13, 1956 (1956-02-13) (age 53) De Soto, Missouri, United States
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Georganne Nixon
Children	Jeremiah and Will Nixon
Alma mater	University of Missouri
Profession	Attorney
Religion	United Methodist
Website	Nixon's Campaign Website Governor of Missouri Website

Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956 in De Soto, Missouri) is the current Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Missouri's Attorney General before his election in 2008. Nixon holds both graduate and undergraduate law degrees from the University of Missouri in Columbia.^[1]

Contents 1 Political career 1.1 Accomplishments as Attorney General 1.2 Personal Achievements 1.3 Controversies 1.4 2008 Governor campaign 2 Electoral history 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Political career

He made his first bid for statewide office in 1988, an unsuccessful effort to oust incumbent U.S. Senator John Danforth. Nixon was defeated by Danforth, winning 32% of the vote compared to Danforth's 68%. Nixon was first elected as Missouri's Attorney General on November 3, 1992, on a platform of fighting crime, cleaning up government corruption, and protecting consumers and the environment. Nixon followed William L. Webster as Attorney General. The 1992 race for Attorney General between Nixon and former State House Minority Leader David Steelman was especially heated; however Nixon beat Steelman 51% to 45%, with an unusually high 4% of the votes going to the Libertarian candidate.

Nixon was re-elected as Attorney General by a wide margin in 1996, and in 1998 he again made an unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate, this time losing to incumbent Republican Kit Bond. In 2000 and 2004 Nixon was again re-elected as Attorney General, both times by similarly wide margins.

[edit] Accomplishments as Attorney General

One of the most popular programs Nixon has implemented is the state's No Call program. More than 3.5 million Missourians are a part of the No Call list, which reduces unwanted telemarketing calls. Nixon also has recovered more than $1.2 million from telemarketers who violated the No Call law.

Nixon's victory in the U.S. Supreme Court in Nixon v. Shrink reinstated Missouri's campaign contribution limits and cleared the way nationally for campaign finance reform. In two other cases of significance, Nixon's work in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Health Midwest cases have resulted in the formation of the state's two largest health care foundations, which will use more than $1.5 billion to help provide health care services to the state's population. Litigation by Nixon against tobacco companies for illegally marketing cigarettes to young people resulted in the largest settlement in the history of the state.

As Attorney General, Nixon created the Environmental Protection Division to enforce Missouri's environmental laws. Attorneys in this division take legal action to stop the pollution of the state's air, water and soil and to look after Missouri's agricultural interests. Successful litigation by the division has resulted in the cleanup of polluted sites and millions of dollars awarded to the state. Nixon also led the fight to protect the state's interests in the management of the Missouri River as well as to preserve some of the state's most valuable natural resources, such as Church Mountain and the waterways of the White River basin.

[edit] Personal Achievements

Nixon's aggressive actions in the Attorney General's Office earned him national recognition. Barrister magazine named him one of the 20 outstanding young lawyers in the nation, and the Missouri Jaycees selected him one of Ten Outstanding Young Missourians.

Prior to becoming Attorney General, he was recognized by the Conservation Federation of Missouri for his environmental work as a state senator.

Officials with the Great Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America have notified Gov. Jay Nixon that he has been selected to receive the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA). Of those Scouts who have attained the rank of Eagle Scout, fewer than one in 1,000 have received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. Gov. Nixon attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1969 at the age of 13 as part of Troop 559 in DeSoto. The award will be presented by the Great Rivers Council on behalf of the National Eagle Scout Association and the Boy Scouts of America during 2010 as part of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. The Great Rivers Council is headquartered in Columbia and covers 33 counties in central and north central Missouri.

[edit] Controversies

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2008) (Find sources: Jay Nixon – news, books, scholar)

As Attorney General, Nixon has also been heavily involved in controversial decisions regarding school desegregation, capital punishment, and abortion. Nixon has overseen the state's involvement in the court settlements that ended mandatory urban busing in St. Louis and Kansas City's public schools ^[2]. His role in the desegregation cases has caused friction with some African American leaders. In addition, Missouri Republicans have criticized Nixon for his campaign soliciting campaign contributions from utility companies, including Ameren during an ongoing criminal investigation by his office of the company, which were immediately returned when the matter drew attention.

The Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) issued a report titled "The Modern Militia Movement" on February 20, 2009, informing the Missouri State Highway Patrol of several groups of people who could possibly be linked to domestic militia groups. According to the report, these groups included white Christians, supporters of third-party presidential candidates Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and Chuck Baldwin, as well as opponents of gun control, illegal immigration, abortion, the Federal Reserve System, and the Internal Revenue Service. Following a joint letter from Paul, Barr, and Baldwin condemning the report, Nixon and the MIAC issued an apology concerning the report and stated that it will no longer be displayed on any official state websites. [2]

[edit] 2008 Governor campaign

Governor Matt Blunt unexpectedly announced on January 22, 2008, that he would not seek a second term. By the filing deadline on March 25, 2008, three Democratic and five Republican candidates had filed.^[3] In the primary election on August 5, 2008, Nixon was elected to be the Democratic nominee, and U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof was elected to be the Republican nominee. Nixon ultimately won the gubernatorial race by 19% to become Missouri's 55th governor. The results of the November 4, 2008, election were: Nixon-58%; Hulshof-39%.

[edit] Electoral history

2008 Race for Governor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	1,680,611	58.40
	Republican	Kenny Hulshof	1,136,364	39.49
	Libertarian	Andy Finkenstadt	31,850	1.11	-
	Constitution	Greg Thompson	28,941	1.01

2004 Race for Attorney General
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	1,592,842	59.96
	Republican	Chris Byrd	1,000,503	37.66
	Libertarian	David R. Browning	43,538	1.64	-
	Constitution	David Fry	19,802	0.75

2000 Race for Attorney General
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	1,378,296	60.25
	Republican	Sam Jones	855,814	37.41
	Libertarian	Mitch Moore	53,363	2.33	-

1998 Race for U.S. Senator
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Kit Bond	830,625	52.68
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	690,208	43.77
	Libertarian	Tamara A. Millay	31,876	2.02	-
	Constitution	David Fry	15,368	0.97
	Reform	James F. Newport	8,780	0.56

1996 Race for Attorney General
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	1,243,091	59.42
	Republican	Mark Bredemeier	767,962	36.71
	Constitution	Kimberly Lowe	81,074	3.88

1992 Race for Attorney General
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	1,154,714	49.94
	Republican	David L. Steelman	1,064,814	46.05
	Libertarian	Mitchell J. Moore	92,576	4.00	-

1988 Race for U.S. Senate
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John C. Danforth	1,407,416	67.70
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	660,045	31.75
	Libertarian	John Guze	11,410	0.55	-

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Governor Jay Nixon official site
• Jay Nixon for Governor 2008 official campaign site

• Biography at the National Governors Association
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
• Follow the Money – Jeremiah W (Jay) Nixon
  • 2008 Governor campaign contributions
  • 2006 2004 2002 2000 Attorney General campaign contributions

Legal offices
Preceded by William L. Webster	Missouri State Attorney General 1993-2009	Succeeded by Chris Koster
Political offices
Preceded by Matt Blunt	Governor of Missouri 2009–present	Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Claire McCaskill	Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Missouri 2008	Succeeded by Most recent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Joe Biden Vice President of the United States Jill Biden Second Lady of the United States (if present)	United States order of precedence While in Missouri	Succeeded by Mayors of Missouri cities if present next fixed Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Preceded by John Baldacci Governor of Maine	United States order of precedence While outside Missouri	Succeeded by Mike Beebe Governor of Arkansas

v • d • e Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Missouri Governors McNair · Bates · Williams · Miller · Dunklin · Boggs · Reynolds · M. Marmaduke · Edwards · King · Price · Polk · H. Jackson · Stewart · C. Jackson · Gamble · Hall · Fletcher · McClurg · Brown · Woodson · Hardin · Phelps · Crittenden · J. Marmaduke · Morehouse · Francis · Stone · Stephens · Dockery · Folk · Hadley · Major · Gardner · Hyde · Baker · Caulfield · Park · Stark · Donnell · Donnelly · Smith · Donnelly · Blair · Dalton · Hearnes · Bond · Teasdale · Bond · Ashcroft · Carnahan · Wilson · Holden · Blunt · Nixon Lieutenant Governors Ashley · Reeves · Dunklin · Boggs · Cannon · Marmaduke · Young · Price · Brown · Jackson · Reynolds · Hall · Smith · Stanard · Gravely · Johnson · Coleman · Brockmeyer · Campbell · Morehouse · Claycomb · O'Meara · Bolte · Lee · Rubey · McKinley · Gmelich · Painter · Crossley · Lloyd · Bennett · Winter · Harris · Davis · Blair · Long · Bush · Eagleton · Morris · Phelps · Rothman · Woods · Carnahan · Wilson · Maxwell · Kinder

v • d • e Current governors of U.S. states and territories AL Riley (R) AK Parnell (R) AZ Brewer (R) AR Beebe (D) CA Schwarzenegger (R) CO Ritter (D) CT Rell (R) DE Markell (D) FL Crist (R) GA S. Perdue (R) HI Lingle (R) ID Otter (R) IL Quinn (D) IN Daniels (R) IA Culver (D) KS Parkinson (D) KY Beshear (D) LA Jindal (R) ME Baldacci (D) MD O'Malley (D) MA Patrick (D) MI Granholm (D) MN Pawlenty (R) MS Barbour (R) MO Nixon (D) MT Schweitzer (D) NE Heineman (R) NV Gibbons (R) NH Lynch (D) NJ Corzine (D) NM Richardson (D) NY Paterson (D) NC B. Perdue (D) ND Hoeven (R) OH Strickland (D) OK Henry (D) OR Kulongoski (D) PA Rendell (D) RI Carcieri (R) SC Sanford (R) SD Rounds (R) TN Bredesen (D) TX Perry (R) UT Herbert (R) VT Douglas (R) VA Kaine (D) WA Gregoire (D) WV Manchin (D) WI Doyle (D) WY Freudenthal (D) DC Fenty (Mayor) (D) Terr. AS Tulafono (D) GU Perez Camacho (R) MP Fitial (Cov) PR Fortuño (NPP/R) VI de Jongh (D) Republican 24* · Democratic 31 · Covenant 1 · New Progressive 1* * Fortuño is a member of two parties.