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 |
| Religion | Baptist |
Samuel "Sam" Graves (born November 7, 1963) is a politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, currently representing Missouri's 6th congressional district (map) in the United States House of Representatives.
Graves was born in Tarkio, Missouri and he graduated from the University of Missouri. He is a former volunteer fireman and Eagle Scout. Graves was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1992 as a Republican and he was then elected to the Missouri State Senate in 1994.
In 2000, 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]. Graves easily won re-election in 2002, [2] 2004, [3] and 2006 [4].
Because Missouri's 6th District has changed between Democratic and Republican control several times, 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]. Graves's Democratic opponents have criticized him for this connection [6]. Republicans say that the charges against DeLay are politically motivated. [7] [8]
Congressman Graves is the brother of Todd Graves, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
On May 14, 2007, former Kansas City, Missouri mayor Kay Barnes announced herself as a Democratic candidate for the 6th District Congressional seat. To date, she is the most formidable opponent to challenge Graves.
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[edit] Committee Assignments
- Agriculture Committee
- Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research
- Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
- Small Business Committee
- Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Subcommittee on Aviation
- Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
[edit] Criticism
According to the Associated Press, Rep. Graves spent nearly half of a $273,000 US Grant for spending on urban youth programs in his district on curbing gothic subculture in Blue Springs, Missouri in 2002. Graves sought to spend $118,000 of that money for therapy, assessment and case management, as well as a series of town meetings to discuss the issue. But because there was not enough interest, Graves' project shifted from Goths to counterculture and negative influences.
Graves has launched attack ads on his opponent Kay Barnes claiming that Barnes shares "San Francisco values" with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who's district encompasses most of San Francisco . [10] [11]
[edit] References
- ^ Almost Half of Grant to Combat Goth Culture in Blue Springs Returned. KCTV. May 21, 2004.
| Preceded by Pat Danner |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 6th congressional district 2001– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
[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
- Sam Graves for Congress official campaign site
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