Samuel Bruce Graves Jr. is the U.S. Representative for, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes the entire northern third of the state, from the Kansas border to the Illinois border. However, the bulk of its population lives in the northern suburbs of Kansas City.
Early life, education and career
Graves was born in Tarkio, Missouri, a small city in the northwestern corner of Missouri not far from the Iowa and Nebraska borders. A lifelong resident of Tarkio, Sam is the son of Janice A. and Samuel Bruce Graves. He graduated from the University of Missouri College of Agriculture in Columbia, Missouri with a degree in Agronomy. He was a member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma fraternity, also known as AG-Sig and was an active member of Ruf-Nex.
Following the economic crisis of Wall Street in September 2008, Graves voted against the proposed bailout of United States financial system, claiming that it "neither 'punished the wrongdoers nor adequately protected the innocent taxpayers, investors and retirees' caught in the Wall Street banking crisis." In January 2014, Graves introduced the TRICARE Family Improvement Act. The bill would allow dependents of military members to stay on their parents' TRICARE health plan after turning age 26. The bill would change current law, which requires those dependents to change to a separate health plan after turning 26. The American Conservative Union gave him an 85% evaluation in 2017. As of 2019, Graves has a 4 percent lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters.
Graves is the brother of Todd Graves, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. In October 2008, U.S. Senator Kit Bond apologized to Todd Graves after a U.S. Justice Department report cited Bond forcing Graves out over a disagreement with Representative Graves. Following the report, U.S. Attorney GeneralMichael Mukasey appointed a special prosecutor to investigate whether former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other officials involved in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys broke the law.
Ethics investigation
In 2009, the House Ethics Committee began inquiring whether or not Graves used his position on the Small Business Committee to invite Brooks Hurst, a longtime friend and a business partner of his wife, to testify at a committee hearing on the federal regulation of biodiesel and ethanol production. Graves had failed to mention the financial link between Hurst and Lesley Graves at the hearing, which dealt with federal subsidies for renewable fuels. A review by the independent Office of Congressional Ethics found "substantial reason to believe that an appearance of conflict of interest was created." Graves said in a statement, "I look forward to a quick review of the facts and answering any questions that the committee may have. I believe that a speedy review will show that all the rules of the House concerning testimony in front of the Small Business Committee were followed." The Office of Congressional Ethics referred the case to the House Ethics committee, which ended its own investigation in October, and released a report finding no ethical violations, as it asserted there was no standard in place for appearances like Hurst's.
Political campaigns
In 2000, Democratic U.S. Representative Pat Danner suddenly retired due to breast cancer. Graves filed within the short period of time left for filing. Graves faced Representative Danner's son, Steve Danner, a former 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 largely by running up huge margins in the rural areas of the district. He was arguably helped by George W. Bush carrying the district in the 2000 presidential election, a theory known as the coattail effect.
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
Graves faced a tougher reelection race in 2008 against Democratic nominee and former Kansas City MayorKay Barnes. He gained national attention early in the race for running an ad accusing Barnes of promoting "San Francisco values." It was initially considered one of the hottest races in the country; however, Graves won reelection fairly handily, taking 59 percent of the vote to Barnes's 37 percent.
