Greg Orman
Greg Orman | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 2, 1968 Mankato, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (Before 2007)[1] Democratic (2007 to 2009)[2] Independent (2009–present) |
| Residence | Olathe, Kansas |
| Alma mater | Princeton University |
| Website | Campaign website |
Gregory John "Greg" Orman (born December 2, 1968) is an American entrepreneur and an Independent candidate running to represent Kansas in the United States Senate in the 2014 election.
Background
Orman was born and raised in Mankato, Minnesota, the second-oldest of six children.[1] His mother, Darlene Gates, was a registered nurse.[3] When he was three his parents divorced. His father, Tim, moved to Stanley, Kansas, in southern Johnson County, and opened a furniture store. He lived with his mother during the school year; during the summers he worked in his father's warehouse.[4] His mother was a Democrat, his father a Republican and Orman admired Ronald Reagan.[1]
Orman graduated from Mankato East Senior High School in 1987.[5] In 1986, he was the national President of the Boys Nation and met President Reagan at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.[6]
Orman graduated from Princeton University in 1991 with a degree in economics.[7] He was a member of the Princeton College Republicans[8] and worked for George H. W. Bush's presidential campaign in 1988.[6] However, in 1992 he supported Independent Ross Perot.[1]
Business career
After graduating, Orman worked for consultancy firm McKinsey & Company before he founded Environmental Light Concepts in 1992, which designs and installs energy-efficient lighting systems for commercial and industrial companies.[1] He sold a majority of the company to Kansas City Power and Light in 1996 and left the company in 2002.[1] He has since invested in 15 companies, including boxing equipment manufacturer Combat Brands of Kansas.[1] In 2004, Orman co-founded private equity firm Denali Partners LLC.[7]
Orman has professional and personal ties to former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta,[9][10] and served as his designated representative on the board of New Silk Route, a private equity fund, from April 2013 until March 2014.[11][12] When Gupta was convicted of insider trading in 2012,[13][14] Orman said that "He is a friend of mine, he made a huge mistake, and he's paying the price for it. It shocked me like it shocked a lot of people when it came out that he was charged with those things."[1] Gupta’s family contributed $26,000 to Orman’s 2014 Senate campaign.[15] Gupta himself donated to Orman’s 2008 run for office, in 2007, but his contribution was refunded in 2008.[15]
Political career
At various times Orman has been registered as a Republican and a Democrat. He has been unaffiliated with a party since 2010. After a debate in 2014 he stated, "I've tried both parties; and, like most Kansans, I've been disappointed."[16]
2008 U.S. Senate election
Orman was briefly a candidate for the Democratic nomination in Kansas' 2008 United States Senate election, but dropped out before the primary.[16]
2014 U.S. Senate election
Orman is an Independent candidate in Kansas's 2014 United States Senate election. The campaign gathered enough signatures to get on the ballot as a candidate for the general election.[7]
He is facing incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts in the November general election. Orman has been the main rival to Roberts ever since Democrat Chad Taylor dropped out of the race on September 3 over concerns that he and Orman would split votes from Independent and Democratic voters not breaking for Roberts.[17]
The group Traditional Republicans for Common Sense endorsed Orman on September 3, 2014. This group is composed of approximately 70 former Republican elected officials. Jim Yonally, chairman of the group, stated "We believe Greg Orman is the best qualified candidate for the office of United States senator from Kansas," although some other members of the group expressed their support for Roberts following the announcement.[18] Orman has not received significant support or help from Democratic politicians or organizations.[19]
Because the makeup of the U.S. Senate could be affected if Orman is elected, NBC News said that Orman could be "the most interesting man in politics" in November.[20] If Orman is victorious, the U.S. Senate would have three independent Senators for the first time in the chamber’s history.[21]
Potential caucus affiliation
Due to the close nature of the 2014 Senate elections, Orman could play the role of kingmaker in choosing the Senate Majority Leader.[22] He has proposed to caucus with whichever party has the majority in the Senate, saying that "it's in the best interests of the voters of Kansas that they have a senator in the majority".[23][24] In the event that Orman holds the tiebreaking vote in the Senate, he has stated that he will ask both parties to commit to issues including immigration and tax reform and caucus with whichever agrees.[1] He said in October 2014 that if, after caucusing with one party for four or five months he finds that "they're engaged in the same old partisan politics", he would "absolutely" consider caucusing with the other party to give them the majority instead.[24] He explained: "Ultimately, this is about solving problems. This is about the voters of Kansas saying - the status quo doesn't work anymore."[24]
Contributions
Orman has stated that he "made donations mostly to Democrats",[25] including Democratic Senator Al Franken and President Barack Obama. Dave Helling, in the Kansas City Star, has said "Orman has given to other candidates, mostly Democrats" which includes Democratic Congressional candidates Dennis Moore, Nancy Boyd, and Kay Barnes.[26] After Obama's election he donated to Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown in 2010, Republican U.S. Representative Todd Akin and the National Republican Congressional Committee.[1][16] According to The Hill, Orman has contributed "much more to Democrats" than to Republicans.[27] Orman has replied that since Obama's election, he has moved away from the Democratic Party. He has stated that he voted for Obama in 2008 and voted for Republican nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.[1]
In 2010 he founded the Common Sense Coalition to promote the voices of "the sensible middle"[4] and in 2012 he donated $25,000 to the independent political organization Americans Elect.[1]
Political positions
According to Kansas Democratic Party Chairwoman Joan Wagnon, Orman and the Democratic Party have similar views in support of certain gun restrictions, reproductive rights, and other matters.[19] Orman has described himself as "a problem solver, not a partisan" and describes his ideology as "fiscally responsible and socially tolerant". He supports "broad tax reform", is concerned about the impact entitlement spending is having on the federal deficit, and agrees with some of the ideas of Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan.[4]
Orman has stated that he supports campaign finance reform, by proposing expansion of campaign finance disclosure rules and contribution restrictions. He also supports a constitutional amendment that would overturn the Citizens United decision.[28]
Orman has declined to indicate whether he would have voted for the Dodd-Frank financial services industry reform bill. He has also declined to indicate a position on whether he would support an increase in the gas tax.[29]
Orman accepts the evidence for man-made climate change.[30] He has declined to indicate a position on whether he would support a cap-and-trade emissions trading system.[29]
Orman, a gun owner himself,[31][32] supports universal background checks on gun sales.[33][30] He has not indicated a position on whether he would back an assault-weapons ban.[4]
According to Orman, he would have opposed the Affordable Care Act, but is against repeal of it now.[29]
Orman has stated that he supports maintaining or increasing border patrols to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants into the US. In addition, he supports a path to citizenship for some of the illegal immigrants already in the country.[34]
Orman has declined to take a stance on whether the Keystone Pipeline should be constructed, saying that he doesn't have enough information to make a decision.[4] Orman supports access to abortion.[29]
Orman, a supporter of term limits, has promised to serve no more than two terms.[35]
Personal life
Orman lives in Olathe with his wife, Sybil.[7] They relocated to Kansas from Orlando in 2007.[29]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The Mystery Candidate Shaking Up Kansas Politics". The Atlantic. September 27, 2014.
- ^ Kaplan, Rebecca. Is Greg Orman a liberal Democrat? Sen. Pat Roberts thinks so, CBS News, October 15, 2014.
- ^ http://www.ormanforsenate.com/about
- ^ a b c d e "Greg Orman, a political enigma, faces growing scrutiny in Kansas Senate race". The Washington Post. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ Hancock, Peter (September 20, 2014). "Orman travels unique path to enter Kansas politics". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Staking the Senate on Kansas?". The Washington Post. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d Hancock, Peter (2014-07-28). "Senate challenger says he has enough signatures to get on ballot as independent candidate". Lawrence Journal-World.
- ^ Sullivan, Sean (4 September 2014). "Meet Greg Orman, the man who could decide the Senate majority". Washington Post. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
- ^ Lowry, Bryan (September 17, 2014). "Greg Orman maintains professional ties with ex-Goldman Sachs board member convicted of securities fraud". Wichita Eagle. Wichita, Kansas. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^ Carpenter, Tim (September 21, 2014). "Orman's link to jailed investor deeper than first portrayed". Topeka Capital-Journal. Topeka, Kansas. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^ "Greg Orman, a political enigma, faces growing scrutiny in Kansas Senate race". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ "Greg Orman Is the Luckiest Man Running for Senate". Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ "Ex-Goldman director gets two years in jail for insider trading". Los Angeles Times. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ Raghavan, Anita (December 5, 2013). "Gupta Suit Against Partner Is Dismissed". New York Times: Dealbook. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ a b Clozel, Lalita (September 4, 2014). "Greg Orman — Best of Both Parties?". OpenSecrets.org. Washington, D.C. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Roberts and Orman square off at state fair". KSN.com. 2014-09-06.
- ^ "Democrat sees path to upset in Kansas Senate race". Associated Press. 2014-08-17.
- ^ Carpenter, Tim. September 3, 2014. Republican group endorses Orman for Senate. Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved: 18 September 2014
- ^ a b Epstein, Reid J. (September 26, 2014). "Independent Senate Candidate Orman of Kansas Draws Scant Democratic Support". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ Todd, Chuck (September 19, 2014). "Greg Orman: The Most Interesting Man in Politics This November". NBC News. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Ostermeier, Eric (October 1, 2014). "Rise of the Independents? Greg Orman Victory Would Make Senate History". Smart Politics.
- ^ [1]Fivethirtyeeight.org (Sept. 4, 2014)
- ^ Lefler, Dion (September 6, 2014). "Pat Roberts, Greg Orman display their differences in first debate". Wichita Eagle. Wichita, Kansas. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ a b c Dion Lefler (October 6, 2014). "Orman: I Could 'Absolutely' Switch Parties After Picking Senate Side". Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ Rucker, Philip (September 28, 2014). "Greg Orman, a political enigma, faces growing scrutiny in Kansas Senate race". Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ Helling, Dave (September 9, 2014). "Senate candidate Greg Orman's business, political interests run wide". Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ Alexandra Jaffe, "Report: Kansas Senate candidate's ties to convicted investor run deep," The Hill (Sept. 22, 2014)[2]
- ^ Carpenter, Tim (September 15, 2014). "Senate candidate Orman urges campaign finance reform". Topeka Capital-Journal. Topeka, Kansas. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Meet Greg Orman, the Never Elected, Unaffiliated, Seemingly Unstoppable Senate Candidate in Kansas". Bloomberg. 2014-10-07.
- ^ a b September 13, 2014. Stormin’ Orman. The Economist. Retrieved: 11 October 2014.
- ^ Lefler, Dion. September 6, 2014. Pat Roberts, Greg Orman display their differences in first debate. The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved: 11 October 2014.
- ^ The Second Amendment. Campaign website. Retrieved: 11 October 2014.
- ^ Linkins, Jason. October 8, 2014. It's Getting Harder To Sort Out How Greg Orman Will Sort Himself. The Huffington Post. Retrieved: 11 October 2014.
- ^ "Key issues separate Pat Roberts, Greg Orman in U.S. Senate race in Kansas". The Wichita Eagle. 19 September 2014.
- ^ Helling, Dave (19 September 2014). "Pat Roberts and Greg Orman see several issues differently in the U.S. Senate race in Kansas". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 20 September 2014.