Sam Graves
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Sam Graves
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Pat Danner |
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| Born | November 7, 1963 Tarkio, Missouri |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lesley Hickok |
| Residence | Tarkio, Missouri |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri |
| Occupation | farmer |
| Religion | Baptist |
Samuel B. Graves, Jr. (born November 7, 1963) is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, currently representing Missouri's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, a post he has held since 2001. The district, located in the northwestern portion of the state, includes the portion of Kansas City north of the Missouri River as well as St. Joseph. He is currently the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Small Business.
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[edit] Biography
Graves is a lifelong resident of Tarkio, a small city not far from the Iowa and Nebraska borders. He graduated from the University of Missouri. He is a former volunteer fireman and Eagle Scout. He is also a sixth-generation farmer. Graves was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1992. After only one term, he was elected to the Missouri State Senate in 1994.
In 2000, Democratic Congresswoman Pat Danner suddenly retired due to breast cancer. Graves filed within the short period of time left for filing. Graves faced Congresswoman Danner's son, Steve Danner, a former Missouri state senator, in the general election. Graves referred to Danner as a "tax and spend Liberal" and won the race with 51% of the vote [1] largely by running up huge margins in the rural areas of the district. He was arguably helped by George W. Bush carrying the district. Graves easily won re-election in 2002, [2] 2004, [3] and 2006 [4].
Because Missouri's 6th District has historically not been considered safe for either party, elections in the district tend to be closely contested. As a result, candidates in the district often receive large contributions from their national parties and party leaders. Graves received a total of $35,000 from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's ARMPAC.[5]
Following the economic crisis of Wall Street in September 2008, Graves voted against the Proposed bailout of United States financial system saying it neither "punished the wrongdoers nor adequately protected the innocent taxpayers, investors and retirees” caught in the Wall Street banking crisis."[6]
Graves is the brother of Todd Graves, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.[7] In October 2008, Senator Kit Bond apologized to Todd Graves, after a U.S. Justice Department report cited Bond forcing Graves out over a disagreement with Representative Graves.[8] Following the report, Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed a special prosecutor to investigate whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other officials involved in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys broke the law.[9]
[edit] Committee assignments
- Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Small Business (Ranking Member)
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
[edit] 2008 re-election campaign
In 2008, Graves faced his toughest challenge to date from former Kansas City mayor Kay Barnes. He gained national attention early in the race for running an ad accusing Barnes of promoting "San Francisco values". It was initially considered one of the hottest races in the country. Ultimately, however, Graves won reelection fairly handily, taking 59 percent of the vote to Barnes' 37 percent.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.sos.mo.gov/enrweb/raceresults.asp?eid=14&oid=3990&arc=1
- ^ http://www.sos.mo.gov/enrweb/raceresults.asp?eid=87&oid=24483&arc=1
- ^ http://www.sos.mo.gov/enrweb/raceresults.asp?eid=131&oid=32756&arc=1
- ^ http://www.sos.mo.gov/enrweb/raceresults.asp?eid=189&oid=43072&arc=
- ^ http://www.ourfuture.org/issues_and_campaigns/accountablecongress/delay/money9.cfm
- ^ "Graves, Boyda vote against $700B bailout in the U.S. House". The News-Press. September 30, 2008. http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2008/sep/30/graves-boyda-vote-against-700b-bailout-us-house/. Retrieved on 2007-05-17.
- ^ "Kit Bond apologizes for staff's role in firing of federal prosecutor". News-Leader. September 30, 2008. http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080930/BLOGS09/80930039. Retrieved on 2007-05-17.
- ^ "Kit Bond apologizes for staff's role in firing of federal prosecutor". The News Leader. September 30, 2008. http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080930/BLOGS09/80930039. Retrieved on 2007-05-17.
- ^ "Prosecutor will investigate firings of nine U.S. Attorneys". The Miami Herald. September 29, 2008. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/706763.html. Retrieved on 2007-05-17.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Sam Graves official site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Top PAC Donations to Grave's Campaign from Review Journal, 2002
- Sam Graves for Congress official campaign site
| United States House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by Pat Danner |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 6th congressional district 2001– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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