John Raese
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| John Raese | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 10, 1950 Morgantown, West Virginia[1] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Raese |
| Residence | Morgantown, West Virginia |
| Alma mater | West Virginia University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Website | http://www.raeseforsenate.org |
John R. Raese (pronounced "/ˈrāsē/") (born April 10, 1950) is an American business owner and politician. He has lost campaigns to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate in 1984, 2006 and 2010, and a campaign for Governor of West Virginia in 1988. His is running for the West Virginia Senate again in 2012.
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[edit] Early life, education and career
Raese is the son of Jane Greer Raese and Richard Aubrey "Dyke" Raese, a former head basketball coach at West Virginia University (WVU).
Raese graduated from WVU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1973. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Greer Industries, a steel and limestone producer. His business interests also include The Dominion Post (Morgantown), the West Virginia Radio Corporation, which owns 15 radio stations, and the MetroNews radio network serving 56 stations. Greer Industries also owns Seneca Caverns, a tourist spot in Eastern West Virginia.
[edit] Chairman of the WV Republican Party
During his tenure as Chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party (GOP), Raese supported allowing independent voters in West Virginia to vote in Republican Party primaries. He joined with the West Virginia Federation of Young Republicans to promote "Initiative, Referendum, and Recall," debating the Democratic Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates, Chuck Chambers.
[edit] Political positions
Raese supports eliminating the Federal minimum wage, the Department of Education, Department of Energy and the Internal Revenue Service.[2][3]
Raese opposes abortion, human cloning and federally funded stem cell research. He favors repealing the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and supports the U.S. Military's now-defunct Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.[4][5][6]
[edit] Political campaigns
[edit] 1984 candidate for U.S. Senate
Raese ran for the U.S. Senate against two-term Governor Jay Rockefeller, during a difficult economic downturn. Rockefeller outspent Raese tenfold, $12 million to $1.2 million. Raese ran as a "Reagan Republican", a traditional conservative on both economic and social policies, and he challenged Rockefeller's record on such sensitive issues, such as coal mine closures in the state. Some national news organizations were preparing for a possible upset by the little-known Raese as the general election day approached. Raese narrowly lost the U.S. Senate race to Rockefeller in the general election 52%-48%. Raese challenged the outcome of the race.
[edit] Candidate in 1988 Republican Gubernatorial Primary
In 1988, Raese ran against three-term Republican Governor Arch A. Moore in the GOP gubernatorial primary, losing 53%-47%. Moore later lost the general election.
[edit] 2006 candidate for U.S. Senate
In 2006 Raese ran against Robert C. Byrd, the longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate and former Senate Majority Leader and Senate Appropriations Chair.
He won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate with 58 percent of the vote in a field of six candidates. In radio advertisements aired during the primary race, Raese's campaign replayed a tape of an endorsement from Ronald Reagan made during the 1984 Senate race.
In the general election, Republicans such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky stumped for Raese. Raese stressed the value of the private sector in creating jobs, and the importance of honoring traditional values. He also supported the pro-life movement, the right to bear arms, and tax cuts. During the election, the Byrd campaign criticized Raese for making a comment about Byrd's deceased wife, Erma Ora Byrd.[7] Byrd was reelected by a margin of 64.4% to 33.7%.
[edit] 2007-2009
In 2007, Raese's wife, Elizabeth, launched a new statewide women's group, "Conservative Women of West Virginia." The group was active for the GOP national and state ticket in the 2008 election. More recently, the group has been supportive of some of the initiatives of the WV Republican Party, including helping with the May 2009 speaking engagement of Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.[citation needed]
In 2008, Raese donated money to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to the unsuccessful US Senate campaign of Jay Wolfe and to the "Raese for Senate" committee. In the 2008 Republican presidential primaries, he supported former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, donating $1,000 to his campaign in 2007.[8]
[edit] 2010 candidate for U.S. Senate
Following the death of Senator Robert C. Byrd in 2010, plans were made to hold a special election to fill the unexpired term of his US Senate seat. Republican Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito, daughter of former Governor Arch A. Moore, was initially considered to be a potential candidate for the seat. Raese announced that he was considering a third Senate bid, stating that he might run to her right in a potential primary between the two. Ultimately, Capito declined to run for the seat. Raese subsequently won the Republican nomination, but was defeated by his Democratic opponent, Joe Manchin, in the general election.[9][10][11]
[edit] Personal life
Raese and his wife Liz have two daughters. His wife, Liz, is the founder of the Conservative Women of West Virginia (CWWV). They have homes in Palm Beach, Florida, Telluride, Colorado, and Morgantown, West Virginia.[12] In 2010 Liz Raese was registered to vote in Florida, where their children go to school, so her West Virginia voter registration was purged, leaving her unable to vote for her husband in his 2010 race for the US Senate from West Virginia.[13]
Raese, along with Greer Industries colleague Bob Gwynne, designed the golf course at the invitation-only Pikewood National Golf Club in Morgantown, WV. In 2010 Golf Digest [1] rated it a Best New Private course, "in part because of [the] dogleg par 5 around the rim of a deep gulch, the sort of audacity one would expect from amateur architects."
[edit] References
- ^ Brown, Elizabeth Nolan (2010-10-05). "How Old Is John Raese?". Politics Daily. http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/10/05/how-old-is-john-raese/. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- ^ Politico, John Raese: Abolish Minimum Wage, Oct 12 2010, http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43474.html
- ^ Who Runs Government, Washington Post, accessed Oct 17 2010, http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/John_Raese
- ^ John Raese campaign website, Oct 12 2010, http://www.raeseforsenate.org/index.php/category/west-virginia-senate-issues/west-virginia-senate-a-pro-life-conservative/
- ^ "John Raese says health care law forces patients to go to a bureaucrat before a doctor". PolitiFact. October 19, 2010. http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/oct/19/john-raese/john-raese-says-health-care-law-forces-patients-go/. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ Who Runs Government, Washington Post, accessed Oct 17 2010, http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/John_Raese
- ^ "Byrd campaign decries Raese's gravesite comment: Democrats also take issue with ads criticizing senator - Charleston Gazette". Encyclopedia.com. 2006-06-09. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-13925544.html. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "John Raese - $7,177,450 in Political Contributions for 2008". Campaignmoney.com. http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/john-raese.asp?cycle=08. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ "Raese may join race for Senate - State News - Charleston Daily Mail - West Virginia News and Sports". Dailymail.com. 2010-07-16. http://www.dailymail.com/News/statenews/201007151024. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
- ^ http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/west_virginia/question /questions_west_virginia_senate_september_27_2010
- ^ http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/ppp-poll-goper-raese-leads-by-3-points-in-wv-sen-race.php
- ^ Associated Press, Elections 2010, http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/pre-election/bios/51735.html?SITE=NPRELN&SECTION=PREELECTION&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
- ^ Pierce, Emily (October 15, 2010). "Raese’s Wife Loses W.Va. Voter Status". Roll Call (Washington, D.C.). http://www.rollcall.com/news/50765-1.html. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
[edit] External links
- Greer Industries, Inc. official business site
- John Raese for Senate official campaign site
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Arch A. Moore, Jr. |
Republican nominee for United States Senator from West Virginia (Class 2) 1984 |
Succeeded by John Yoder |
| Preceded by David T. Gallaher |
Republican nominee for United States Senator from West Virginia (Class 1) 2006, 2010 |
Most recent |
