Jim Talent | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Missouri | |
In office November 23, 2002 –January 3, 2007 | |
Preceded by | Jean Carnahan |
Succeeded by | Claire McCaskill |
Chair of the House Small Business Committee | |
In office January 3,1997 –January 3,2001 | |
Preceded by | Jan Meyers |
Succeeded by | Don Manzullo |
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from Missouri's 2nd district | |
In office January 3,1993 –January 3,2001 | |
Preceded by | Joan Horn |
Succeeded by | Todd Akin |
Member of the MissouriHouseofRepresentatives from the 92nd district | |
In office January 9,1985 –January 6,1993 | |
Preceded by | Donna Ann Coleman |
Succeeded by | David Klarich |
Personal details | |
Born | James Matthes Talent October 18,1956 Des Peres,Missouri,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Brenda Lee Lyons (m. 1984) |
Children | 3 |
Education | Washington University (BA) University of Chicago (JD) |
James Matthes Talent (born October 18, 1956) is an American politician who was a U.S. Senator from Missouri from 2002 to 2007. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office.
After serving for eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives and then working as a lobbyist, he ran for Governor of Missouri in 2000, losing to Democrat Bob Holden. Two years later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Democrat Jean Carnahan in a special election to complete the term to which Carnahan's husband, Mel, had been elected posthumously in 2000. [1] In the Democratic wave of November 2006, Talent lost his re-election bid to Claire McCaskill, 50% to 47%.
Talent, a senior adviser to Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, [2] served as a member of Romney's 2012 economic policy team during the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign. [3] Talent is a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation [4] and a member of the Defense Policy Board. [5] He is also a co-chairman at Mercury, a Washington D.C. lobbying firm. [6] Following Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, Talent was rumored to be on the short list for United States Secretary of Defense, [7] a position ultimately offered to James Mattis.
Talent grew up in Des Peres, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. [8] His father, Milton Oscar Talent, was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, and was the first in his family to go to college, graduating from Harvard Law School. [9] [10] Talent's mother, Marie Frieda (née Matthes), was an independent court reporter who was raised on a small farm near DeSoto, Missouri. She was from a Christian background; [11] her German ancestors had settled in Jefferson County, Missouri beginning in 1832.
Talent graduated from Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri, in 1973. He earned his B.A. in political science from Washington University in St. Louis, graduating with the Arnold J. Lien Prize as the most outstanding undergraduate in political science. Talent graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Chicago Law School, receiving his J.D. in 1981. Following law school, he served as a law clerk to Judge Richard A. Posner of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Before winning political office Talent served as an adjunct professor at the Washington University School of Law. He married Brenda Lee Lyons in 1984. The Talents have three children.
Talent's interfaith family did not attend religious services, [11] and later in life Talent became a member of the Presbyterian Church in America. [12] [13] He was inspired to become a Christian while listening to one of Luis Palau's radio broadcasts in his car. He pulled over and accepted Jesus Christ into his life then. He refers to it as the moment he "passed from death to life." [14]
Talent began his political career in 1984 when he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. He served four terms there, the last two as minority leader.
In the 1992 House of Representatives election, Talent defeated Bert Walker, the cousin of then-president George H. W. Bush and won the Republican nomination for the state's 2nd Congressional District, based in St. Louis's western suburbs. He went on to defeat Democratic incumbent Joan Kelly Horn in the general election, despite being heavily outspent.
The district had been altered after the 1990 census to preserve large Democratic majorities in the neighboring 1st District of Bill Clay and 3rd District of Dick Gephardt. Horn had appealed for a new map, even asking for a share of St. Louis, but was rebuffed by Clay and Gephardt.
Although Talent won narrowly in 1992, he never had another close race in what became a solidly Republican district. The only challenge he faced came in the 1996 House election, when Horn sought a rematch. Even though popular Democratic Governor Mel Carnahan won the district in his concurrent election, Talent won the rematch with 61% of the vote. [15]
As a freshman in Congress, Talent authored and introduced the Welfare Reform Act of 1994, which was the precursor to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act. Talent served as chairman of the Small Business Committee from 1997 to 2001.
Talent did not seek re-election to Congress in 2000, instead running for governor. He was narrowly defeated by Democratic state Treasurer Bob Holden, 49% to 48%. [17]
For ten months in 2001, Talent worked for Washington lobbying firm Arent Fox, [18] During this time, Talent was not allowed to directly lobby Congress, and he was not licensed to practice law in Washington, leading some Democratic opponents to accuse the lobbying firm of using his appointment as an illegal conduit to donate toward his upcoming Senate race. [19] Arent Fox said the idea that Talent was not paid for genuine work was "absurd", but that "Talent's Republican ties did play a role in his hiring." [20]
In the November 2000 elections, Mel Carnahan, who had died in a plane crash three weeks before, remained on the ballot for election to the Senate. Missouri election law would not allow for Carnahan's name to be removed from the November ballot. Carnahan received more votes than his Republican opponent, incumbent senator (and later United States Attorney General) John Ashcroft. Lieutenant Governor Roger Wilson, as he had promised before the election, appointed Carnahan's widow, Jean, in her husband's place.
The Seventeenth Amendment requires that appointments to the Senate last only until a special election is held. Talent, who received the Republican nomination, narrowly defeated Jean Carnahan in the November 2002 election, 50% to 49%. He was sworn in later that month to fill out the balance of Mel Carnahan's term. [21] [22]
Jack Abramoff contributed $2,000 to Talent's 2002 senatorial campaign [23] and Preston Gates & Ellis, a former Abramoff employer, had also contributed $1,000 to Talent's campaign. [24] Talent later returned both contributions. [25]
Talent was criticized for not returning the money received from Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC), a PAC formed by Tom DeLay. DeLay was facing charges of money laundering and violation of campaign finance laws. A spokesman for Talent has stated that Talent had not yet made a decision about whether or not to return the ARMPAC contribution, stating "Senator Talent is not ready to presume guilt or innocence and wants to give the judicial process a chance to move forward." [26]
During his tenure, Talent served on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Special Committee on Aging, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Talent sought re-election in the 2006 Senate election. His Democratic opponent was state Auditor Claire McCaskill. Talent held a fundraising advantage, [27] in part because of support from the Bush administration; on October 11, 2005, Vice President Dick Cheney held a fundraiser for Talent. [28] Talent accepted $5,000 from the lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Talent subsequently refunded all $5,000. [29]
Talent received a number of endorsements for his re-election, including from the Missouri Farm Bureau, [30] the St. Louis Police Officers' Association, [31] the Missouri Pork Association, [32] the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, [33] the Missouri Corn Growers Association, [34] and Veterans of Foreign Wars. [35]
In 2006, the Washington DC newspaper Roll Call reported that DC lobbying interests had pledged to raise $1 million for Talent's re-election. [36] Talent stated that he does not give favors in exchange for donations, and that he "wouldn't take five dollars from someone who expects something for it." [36]
McCaskill and Talent debated each other on Meet the Press on October 8, 2006. [37] McCaskill narrowly defeated Talent on November 7, 2006, with a 50% to 47% margin of victory.
Having lost his reelection bid, Talent was considered a possible candidate for Governor of Missouri in 2008 after incumbent and fellow Republican Matt Blunt decided to not seek re-election. [38] Talent did not enter the race, which was won by Democrat Jay Nixon.
Talent is widely regarded by political analysts as a reliable conservative, receiving a life score of 93 out of 100 from the American Conservative Union. The National Right to Life Committee gave Talent a 100% rating. [40] In 2005, Talent was tied for the third-highest rating among all senators and representatives as determined by the Republican Liberty Caucus, which promotes "liberty-minded, limited-government individuals to office." [41] [42]
Talent supported the new Renewable Fuel Standard, which would add 7.5 billion US gallons (28,000,000 m3) of renewable fuels to the national supply by 2012, including a measure to include tax credits for businesses offering soybean-based fuels. [43] In addition to renewable fuels, Talent supported drilling in the Arctic as a step in the direction of energy independence, which he sees as critical to national security. [44]
Talent supported the Medicare prescription drug benefit called Medicare Part D, the purpose of which is to reduce the amount seniors pay for their prescription drugs. [45] Talent called for waiving a one percent penalty for senior citizens who missed the deadline to sign up for the program. [46]
Talent voted against an amendment allowing Medicare to negotiate a bulk purchase discount for prescription drugs. [47]
Talent supported limiting awards in medical liability lawsuits. [48] He believes that "medical liability relief will cut costs because physicians won't have to practice 'defensive medicine.'" [33]
Talent supported and proposed legislation to allow trade organizations to sponsor health insurance plans, which he believes would provide uninsured workers the opportunity for more affordable health care. [49]
Talent sponsored legislation to cap the annual percentage interest rate for payday loans to military service personnel from an average of around 39% to 36%. [50]
After joining the Senate in 2002, Talent supported federal legislation that would ban embryonic stem cell research or federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. This included cosponsoring a bill (S.658) [51] sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback, which would ban all forms of human cloning including embryonic therapeutic cloning techniques that are seen as crucial to stem cell research.
On February 10, 2006, Talent withdrew his support for the bill, [52] citing the need to balance research and protection against human cloning. This move followed criticism by Talent's opponent in the 2006 election, Claire McCaskill, as well as pressure from Missouri business interests that oppose restrictions on stem cell research. Though this reversal was criticized as being politically motivated, [53] Talent told the Associated Press, "The technology is changing all the time and so I'm always considering whether there is a better way to strike the balance." [54] Talent suggested that moral concerns might be put to rest through a possible future scientific breakthrough – replicating embryonic stem cells without the use of cloned embryos.
There was a ballot-initiative in Missouri in November 2006 to amend the state constitution and allow, in line with federal law, stem cell research and treatment. [55] On May 1, 2006, Talent announced his opposition to the proposed ballot-initiative. [56] Stem cell research and treatment is working up to be a divisive issue for many Republicans and is taking a particular prominence in Missouri. [57]
In July 2006, he voted against expanding federal funds for embryonic stem cell research in cases where the embryos were donated by fertility clinics or were created for purposes of fertility treatment. [58] This bill passed the Senate 63–37, but was vetoed by President Bush, in a move that was said to have significant political implications for Talent. [59]
Talent did take a position on the ballot-initiative in Missouri, called Proposition B, that would raise the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 per hour, or to the level of the federal minimum wage if that is higher, with subsequent adjustments for inflation. [55] He said he believed it was a state issue, but stated he supports minimum wage increases if they are coupled with tax breaks for small businesses. [60] Talent believed that increasing the minimum wage could reduce the number of jobs by raising the cost of doing business. [61]
Talent supported a ban on abortions, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. [62]
Talent has been outspoken about what he sees as the nation's vulnerability to a growing bioterrorism threat. He is Vice Chair of the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of WMD proliferation and terrorism, which has concluded that, unless action is taken, a biological attack within the United States is increasingly likely and will become a probability by 2013. [63] Together with former Senator Bob Graham, Chairman of the commission, he has criticized the federal government's readiness to deal with major public health crisis'. On January 4, 2010, the two senators published an op-ed in the Washington Post , arguing that an unsatisfactory response to the 2009 flu pandemic shows the need for better medical emergency plans. [64]
Robert Lee Holden Jr. is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of Missouri from 2001 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Missouri state treasurer from 1993 to 2001 and represented the 136th district in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1983 to 1989. Since leaving public office, Holden has worked at Webster University, where he founded the Holden Public Policy Forum, and serves as the president and chairman of the United States Heartland China Association.
Melvin Eugene Carnahan was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in 2000. Carnahan was a Democrat and held various positions in government.
William Todd Akin was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district from 2001 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in New York City, Akin grew up in the Greater St. Louis area. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, Akin served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and worked in the computer and steel industries. In 1988, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. He served in the state house until 2000, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, in which he served until 2013.
Jean Anne Carnahan was an American politician and writer who was the First Lady of Missouri from 1993 to 2000, and served as the state's junior United States senator from 2001 to 2002. A Democrat, she was appointed to fill the Senate seat of her husband Mel Carnahan, who had been posthumously elected after his death in October, becoming the first woman to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate.
Roger Byron Wilson is an American politician who served as the 44th lieutenant governor of Missouri from January 1993 to October 2000 and as the 52nd governor of Missouri from October 2000 to January 2001. Wilson was serving his second four-year term as lieutenant governor and was preparing to retire from elected public service when Governor Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash on October 16, 2000. Wilson first became acting governor and was sworn in as governor when Carnahan’s death was confirmed.
The 2002 United States Senate elections featured a series of fiercely contested elections that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats and thus a narrow majority from the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. The Senate seats up for election, known as class 2 Senate seats, were last up for regular election in 1996. The election cycle was held on November 5, 2002, almost 14 months after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Claire Conner McCaskill is an American former politician who served as a United States senator from Missouri from 2007 to 2019 and as State Auditor of Missouri from 1999 to 2007.
The 2006 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, 2006, with all 33 Class 1 Senate seats being contested. The term of office for those elected in 2006 ran from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2013. Before the election cycle, the Republican Party controlled 55 of the 100 Senate seats.
Robin Colleen Carnahan is an American businesswoman, lawyer, and politician, who previously served as the Missouri Secretary of State and currently serves as the Administrator of General Services in the Biden administration. She is the daughter of Missouri politicians Mel and Jean Carnahan. In 2010, she was the Democratic nominee in the U.S. Senate election in Missouri to replace retiring Republican Senator Kit Bond but lost to Roy Blunt. She was then a senior advisor at the global strategy firm Albright Stonebridge Group. In 2013, Carnahan was named a fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. In February 2016, she joined the General Services Administration as the director of the state and local practice at 18F, a role she held until January 2020. She then became a fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University.
The 2006 United States Senate election in Missouri was held November 7, 2006, to decide who would serve as senator for Missouri between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2013. This election was the fifth consecutive even-number year in which a senate election was held in Missouri after elections in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004.
The monetary influence of Jack Abramoff ran deep in Washington, as Jack Abramoff spent millions of dollars to influence and entertain both Republican and Democratic politicians. Abramoff had a reputation for largesse considered exceptional even by Washington standards. In addition to offering many Republican members of Congress expensive free meals at his restaurant, Signatures, Abramoff maintained four skyboxes at major sports arenas for political entertaining at a cost of over $1 million a year. Abramoff hosted many fundraisers at these skyboxes including events for Republican politicians publicly opposed to gambling, such as John Doolittle. Abramoff gave over $260,000 in personal contributions to Republican candidates, politicians, and organizations, and funded numerous trips for politicians and staffers and gave none to Democrats.
The Missouri bellwether was a political phenomenon that noted that the state of Missouri voted for the winner in all but one U.S. presidential election from 1904 to 2004. While states like Pennsylvania, Nevada, Florida and Wisconsin have been arguably stronger indicators of political trends in recent years, Missouri was a consistent swing state throughout the 20th century. Prior to the 2008 elections, Lincoln County, Missouri was said to be the only bellwether county in a bellwether state. Missouri was also considered a bellwether of U.S. views on hot-button social issues such as stem cell research and school vouchers. Some economists also considered the state a bellwether for economic trends such as consumer confidence and unemployment.
Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 was a state constitutional amendment initiative that concerned stem cell research and human cloning. It allows any stem cell research and therapy in the U.S. state of Missouri that is legal under federal law, including somatic cell nuclear transfer to produce human embryos for stem cell production. It prohibits cloning or attempting to clone a human being, which is defined to mean "to implant in a uterus or attempt to implant in a uterus anything other than the product of fertilization of an egg of a human female by a sperm of a human male for the purpose of initiating a pregnancy that could result in the creation of a human fetus, or the birth of a human being". Commercials supporting and opposing the amendment aired during the 2006 World Series, in which the St. Louis Cardinals participated. The issue became especially intertwined with the 2006 U.S. Senate election in Missouri, with the Republican and Democratic candidates on opposite sides of the issue.
The 2000 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 7, 2000, to select the next U.S. senator from Missouri. Incumbent Republican senator John Ashcroft lost re-election to a second term to Democratic governor Mel Carnahan despite Carnahan's death in a plane crash 20 days before Election Day. Newly inaugurated governor Roger Wilson appointed Mel Carnahan's widow Jean Carnahan to fill the seat pending a 2002 special election.
The 2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri was held on November 5, 2002, to decide who would serve the rest of Democrat Mel Carnahan's term, after he died while campaigning and posthumously won the 2000 election. The winner would serve the remainder of the term ending in 2007. Governor Roger Wilson appointed Carnahan's wife Jean, also a Democrat, to serve temporarily. She then decided to run to serve the remainder of the term, but she was narrowly defeated by Republican nominee Jim Talent.
The 2012 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri were held specifically on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, and elected the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Missouri, a loss of one seat following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a federal quadrennial presidential election, concurrent statewide gubernatorial election, quadrennial statewide lieutenant gubernatorial election, and an election to the U.S. Senate.
The 2016 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the governor of Missouri, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Missouri took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Missouri, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections, including Missouri's quadrennial State Auditor election.
The 2022 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 8, 2022, concurrently with elections for all other Class 3 U.S. senators and elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, to select a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Missouri. Incumbent senator Roy Blunt, a Republican, did not seek a third term in office. Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the open seat, defeating Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine.
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