Jim Graves | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1953-09-27)September 27, 1953 (age 71) St. Cloud, Minnesota |
| Political party | Democratic-Farmer-Labor |
| Alma mater | St. Cloud State University(BS) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Website | Jim Graves for Congress |
James Joseph Graves (born September 27, 1953) is an American businessman and founder of the nationwideAmericInn hotel franchise. He was theDemocratic Party nominee for theUnited States House of Representatives inMinnesota's 6th congressional district in2012, challengingRepublican incumbentMichele Bachmann.[1]
A native of Minnesota, Graves graduated fromSt. Cloud State University with a BS in education. He worked as a teacher prior to founding the AmericInn inRogers, Minnesota in 1979. As CEO, Graves grew the hotel from a small business to a nationwide hotel franchise. In 1993 he also co-founded the Graves Hospitality Corporation inMinneapolis.[2] His luxury Graves 601 Hotel is rated byTravel + Leisure as one of the world's top 500 accommodations.[3]
Graves gained national attention during his competitive congressional race against Republican incumbent Michele Bachmann in 2012. Despite being outspent by a 12 to 1 margin in Minnesota's most conservative district, Graves lost the general election by 4,300 votes, or less than one-percent.[4][5] In 2013, he announced his candidacy for Minnesota's 6th congressional district.[5] On May 31, 2013, Graves announced that he was suspending his campaign indefinitely.[6]
Graves was inducted into the Twin Cities Business Hall of Fame in 2015.[7]
Born inSt. Cloud, Minnesota, Graves attendedCathedral High School before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in education fromSt. Cloud State University. During college, he and his wife performed as professional musicians andfolk music singers.[2]
Graves worked as a teacher at Holy Spirit Elementary School inSt. Cloud for two years prior to entering business. In 1979 he founded AmericInn as a small business that expanded into a nationwide chain, and in 1993, began the luxury Graves Hospitality Corporation with his son.[2]
In 2012, Graves received the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives and began attracting national media attention after polls showed he was a competitive challenger to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.[2] Graves donated more than $500,000 to his own campaign.[8]
Graves' campaign receivedbipartisan support across the political spectrum. He was endorsed by former Republican GovernorArne Carlson of Minnesota,[9] former MinnesotaIndependence Party Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Horner,[10] andMassachusetts Democratic CongressmanBarney Frank, among others.[11]
Graves came close to pulling off anupset victory against Rep. Bachmann, in what was one of the costliest congressional races in history. He lost by just one percent, despite being outspent twelve to one in what is widely considered Minnesota's most conservative district.[4]
On the issue of abortion, during his 2012 campaign with Rep. Bachmann, Graves revealed he ispro-choice, stating during a Minnesota Public Radio-moderated debate that abortion is an issue between a woman, her family and her God: "I don't want the government to be involved in that process."[12]
On April 11, 2013, Graves' campaign manager announced Graves' intention to run for the House of Representatives again in 2014, remaining in the sixth district.[13][14]
AfterRep. Bachmann decided not to run again, Graves announced that he was not running in 2014.
Graves isCatholic and has three sons with his wife, Julie. Graves has a net worth estimated between $22 million and $111 million (USD).[2]