Chip Cravaack | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2011 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's8th district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Oberstar |
| Succeeded by | Rick Nolan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Raymond John Cravaack (1959-01-29)January 29, 1959 (age 66) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BS) University of West Florida (MEd) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1981–1990 (acting) 1990–2005 (reserve) |
| Rank | Captain |
Raymond John "Chip" Cravaack[1] (born January 29, 1959)[a] is an American former politician and aviator. He was aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives for northeasternMinnesota's 8th congressional district from 2011 to 2013. In his first run for political office, he upset 18-termDemocratic incumbentJim Oberstar by a margin of 4,400 votes to become the firstRepublican since 1947 to represent the district.[11] Previously, Cravaack was a pilot forNorthwest Airlines, and before that, he was aNavy pilot and a graduate of theU.S. Naval Academy. He was defeated byDFL nomineeRick Nolan on November 6, 2012.[12]
Cravaack was born in 1959 inCharleston, West Virginia.[a][3] His ancestry includesGerman,Italian, andRomanian-German.[13] He grew up in theCincinnati suburb ofMadeira, Ohio, the eldest of three children in a Republican family that had a military background; his father, Ray, served in theKorean War, and his grandfather served inWorld War I, as a motorcycle dispatch rider.[6][7] Cravaack graduated fromSt. Xavier High School in 1977.[14][7] He graduated from theUnited States Naval Academy in 1981 with a bachelor of science degree and a Master's of Education from the University of West Florida in 1989.[15]
Following graduation, Cravaack served in theNavy as a helicopter pilot, fulfilling a childhood ambition.[11][7] While in the Navy serving as a Flight Instructor in Pensacola Florida, he earned a Master of Education from theUniversity of West Florida.[7] After his release from active duty, he served in theNaval Reserve, serving withaircraft carrier crew augmentation units, the Navy Command Center at the Pentagon, CINCPAC Fleet in Hawaii, and ended his career serving with NATO, Supreme Allied Atlantic. Cravaack retired in 2005 with the rank ofCaptain.[7]
Cravaack moved to Minnesota and began working as a pilot forNorthwest Airlines in 1990. He was out of work for two years in the early 1990s due to layoffs, during which time he became a simulator instructor for a subsidiary of Northwest Airlines teaching foreign pilots.[7][10]
He was aunion steward for theAirline Pilots Association.[11][10] He served as a "strike coordinator" during the 1998 pilots'strike, bringing military discipline and parade-ground style marching to thepicket lines.[7]
Cravaack moved to New Hampshire after Congress to be with his sons, where he spent the last eight years before retirement as a teacher at Bishop Guertin High School, teaching U.S. History, Economics, and U.S. Government.[citation needed]
He is now retired and shuttles between the Winnipesaukee area in New Hampshire and the cradle of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida.[citation needed]
Cravaack was inspired to run for Congress by a suggestion from atalk radio show host that voters demandtown hall meetings with their congressmen during thehealth care billTea Party movement protests of August 2009.[7] Cravaack went with 25 people to one of Oberstar's Minnesota offices asking for a meeting that day and when Oberstar did not come, Cravaack decided to challenge him in the November 2010 election.[11][7]
Cravaack entered the race as a political novice and an underdog.[10] The 8th had been in Democratic hands since 1947, and Oberstar was the longest-serving congressman in Minnesota's history, usually cruising to reelection.[7][10] Geography also seemed to be against Cravaack; his home in Lindstrom was inChisago County, in the southern portion of the district. His campaign manager was future Minnesota House of Representatives memberAnne Neu.[16]
According to theStar Tribune, Cravaack's campaign was "structured like a military operation".[7] He toured the district in amotor home dubbed "The War Wagon," and gave volunteers ranks such as commander, captain, and precinct lieutenant.[10] He discovered that his experience as aunion steward attracted the interest of district voters, especially theminers.[10]
Cravaack campaigned on a platform offree-market principles and government spending cuts.[7] He attacked Oberstar's vote on the health care bill, saying he would vote to repeal and replace it, and called an Oberstar-approved extension of theClean Water Act to include wet meadows a "land grab" by the federal government.[10][17] Cravaack also criticized theearmark process that Oberstar had used to fund infrastructure projects in the district, saying it was time for the spending to stop,[11][10] and attacked Oberstar's vote on "cap and trade" legislation to limitcarbon emissions, saying it would result in higher energy prices.[10] In his first ad, Cravaack paid homage to Oberstar's service, saying that he ran against Oberstar "with all due respect" but accusing him of having lost touch with the district.[18]
The crowd jeered Oberstar at a candidate debate held inDuluth, and he called for a more civil atmosphere at the next debate.[17] The second debate centered on economic issues.[17] Cravaack argued that the 2003Bush tax cuts should be continued in alltax brackets to stimulate employment, and Oberstar said he would end the tax cut for the top two percent of earners because the lowered tax had caused part of thedeficit.[17]
A poll conducted forKSTP-TV in theTwin Cities in October showed Oberstar ahead of Cravaack by only one point, 47% to 46%.[19] Cravaack received theendorsement of formerSpeaker of the HouseNewt Gingrich as the polls tightened.[10] He was also endorsed by Minnesota's largestanti-abortion organization,Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, and the largest newspaper in the district, theDuluth News Tribune.[11] In the November 2 election, Cravaack scored one of the biggest upsets in Minnesota political history,[20] unseating Oberstar by 4,399 votes.[21] He believed the abortion issue was crucial to his victory; he had argued that Obamacare allowed for thepayment of abortions with taxpayer funds andencouraged euthanasia for the elderly.[7] By the time of the election, Cravaack characterized the bill as an example ofsocialized medicine that would result in the rationing of medical care.[7]
Following his election in November 2010, Cravaack backed fellow Minnesota RepresentativeMichele Bachmann for the number four GOP leadership position of House Republican Conference chair.[22]
In March 2011, Cravaack came under criticism by Duluth students and community leaders for voting for a budget bill that made cuts to the federalPell Grant program that providesfinancial aid to college students, including 30 percent of the students at theUniversity of Minnesota Duluth.[23] He also received attention for implying during aHouse Homeland Security Committee hearing thatLos Angeles County SheriffLee Baca was furthering the goals of a terrorist organization.[24]
In March 2012, Cravaack introduced a bill in Congress that would have allowed mining and logging in theBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness andSuperior National Forest through a land exchange that would rely on the state environmental review process and bypass federal environmental reviews, with proceeds going to the school districts.[25][26]
He also sponsored a bill, which became law, that required the TSA to treat military personnel with respect while traveling on orders or in uniform. "The bill's intent, he said, is that the military personnel would be able to go through security with the same ease as registered flyers."[27]
Cravaack opposed sequestration and voted against the Budget Control Act, saying, "You cut with a scalpel, not a meat ax."[27]
In the 2012 election, Cravaack was endorsed by theMesabi Daily News inVirginia and theDuluth News Tribune.[33] On November 6, he lost his seat to former Democratic congressmanRick Nolan, by 31,456 votes.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chip Cravaack | 133,490 | 48.2% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar (incumbent) | 129,091 | 46.6% | |
| Independence | Timothy Olson | 11,876 | 4.3% | |
| Constitution | Richard (George) Burton | 2,492 | 0.9% | |
| Write-ins | 132 | .01% | ||
| Total votes | 277,081 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | 70 | |||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic (DFL) | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Rick Nolan | 191,976 | 54.3% | |
| Republican | Chip Cravaack (incumbent) | 160,520 | 45.4% | |
| Write-ins | 1,167 | 0.3% | ||
| Total votes | 353,665 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratic (DFL)gain fromRepublican | ||||
Cravaack was twice married and twice divorced. He first married Jill Ann Jurgensen in 1984. After they divorced, he then married Traci Rae Gordon on December 31, 1993 inHennepin County, Minnesota They had two sons, and they divorced in 2011.[5] As of 2016, he taught social studies atBishop Guertin High School, a Catholic College Preparatory School inNashua, New Hampshire.[36]
RAYMOND "CHIP" CRAVAACK, Republican, of Lindstrom, MN; born in Charleston, WV
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's 8th congressional district 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
