Mike Conaway
Mike Conaway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 11th district | |
| In office 2005–present | |
| Preceded by | Chet Edwards |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Suzanne Conaway |
| Residence | Midland, Texas |
| Alma mater | Texas A&M University-Commerce |
| Occupation | accountant |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1970-1972 |
K. Michael "Mike" Conaway, usually known as Mike Conaway (born June 11, 1948), is a Republican from Texas who represents that state's 11th congressional district (map). The district is located in West Texas and includes Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Brownwood and Fredericksburg.
Political career
Conaway was born in Borger in the Texas Panhandle northeast of Amarillo. He graduated in 1966 from Permian High School in Odessa in Ector County. He is a 1970 graduate of East Texas State University (since renamed Texas A&M University-Commerce). He is married to Suzanne Conaway and has four children.[citation needed]
Prior to his election to the United States Congress, Conaway served in the United States Army from 1970 to 1972,[1] was an accountant, a chief financial officer at a bank and at an oil and gas exploration firm operated by George W. Bush. From 1981 until 1986, Conaway was the chief financial officer of Bush's failed Arbusto Energy Inc. He has long been friends with Bush, and the two mixed in many of the same social circles in Midland. He also served on the Midland Independent School District Board from 1985 to 1988.
Soon after Bush was elected governor of Texas, he appointed Conaway to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, which regulates accountancy in Texas. He served on the board as a volunteer for seven years, the last five as chairman.[citation needed]
His first run for elective office came in 2003, when he ran in a special election for the 19th Congressional District, which came open after 18-year Republican incumbent Larry Combest stepped down shortly after winning a 10th term. Conaway lost by 587 votes to fellow Republican Randy Neugebauer. A few months later, the Texas Legislature redrew the state's districts in an effort engineered by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Three brand-new districts were created, one of them being the 11th, which was based in Midland. Previously, Midland had been part of the Lubbock-based 19th District. DeLay was particularly keen to draw a district based in Midland, Odessa and the oil-rich Permian Basin in part because Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick was from that area. This district is heavily Republican — by some accounts, the most Republican district in Texas. Republican candidates usually garner 70 percent or more of the vote in this area (Glasscock County had voted 93.1 percent for Bush in 2000, the highest percentage of any county in the nation). The race was essentially over when Conaway announced his candidacy. He won in November with 77 percent of the vote, one of the largest percentages by anyone facing major-party opposition. He was reelected unopposed in 2006 and faced no major-party opposition in 2008; it is very unlikely he will face substantive opposition in the foreseeable future[citation needed].
Conaway is one of the few Certified Public Accountants in Congress. Conaway endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for president in 2008.[citation needed]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
- Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Agriculture Committee
From 2003 through 2005, $14.7 billion in crop subsidies went to the congressional districts of members on the House Committee on Agriculture, an analysis by the non-partisan Environmental Working Group found. That was 42.4% of the total subsidies. Conaway is reported to have brought $322 million to his district.[2]
Conaway chaired audit exposing NRCC financial fraud
In January 2007, Conaway began chairing the three-member audit committee for the National Republican Congressional Committee. By January 28, 2008, Conaway had uncovered a fraud, where hundreds of thousands of dollars were missing from NRCC bank accounts, and supposed annual audits on the NRCC books had actually not been performed since 2001.[3]
References
- ^ Dilanian, Ken, " Billions go to House panel members' districts", USA Today. July 26, 2007.
- ^ "Texas lawmaker uncovers GOP committee fraud", by Suzanne Gamboa, Associated Press, published by the Houston Chronicle, March 13, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Mike Conaway official House site
- United States Congress. "Mike Conaway (id: c001062)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Federal Election Commission — Hon. K. Michael Conaway campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Mike Conaway issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Mike Conaway campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative K. Michael 'Mike' Conaway (TX) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Mike Conaway profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Mike Conaway voting record
- Mike Conaway for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Mike Conaway - Lessons Learned at Odessa Permian Five Part Series