Chip Cravaack
Raymond "Chip" Cravaack (b. December 29, 1959) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Minnesota's 8th Congressional District from 2011 to 2013. He ran for re-election in 2012 and was defeated by Rick Nolan (D) in the general election.[1]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Cravaack was a "moderate Republican follower."[2]
Biography
Cravaack was born in 1959 in Charleston, West Virginia. After graduating from St. Xavier High School, Cravaack went on to earn his B.S. at the United States Naval Academy. Upon graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1981 to 1990 and in the Navy Reserve from 1990 to 2005. Prior to his political career, Cravaack worked as a pilot.[3]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Cravaack's professional and political career:[3]
- United States Navy, 1981-1990
- United States Navy Reserve, 1990-2005
- U.S. House of Representatives, Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, 2011-2013
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Cravaack served on the following House committees:[4]
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Subcommittee on Aviation
- Subcommittee on Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation
- Subcommittee on Water Resources & Environment
- Homeland Security Committee
- Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
- Subcommittee on Transportation Security
- Science, Space, and Technology Committee
- Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation
Issues
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Cravaack voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[5]
Elections
2012
Cravaack sought re-election in 2012. He ran unopposed in the August 14 Republican primary. He lost to Rick Nolan (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[6][7] His district is historically Democratic, and he was considered a vulnerable incumbent.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Rick Nolan |
54.3% | 191,976 | |
| Republican | Chip Cravaack Incumbent | 45.4% | 160,520 | |
| NA | Write-in | 0.3% | 1,167 | |
| Total Votes | 353,663 | |||
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" (dead link) | ||||
Targeted
Cravaack was targeted in 2012 by the Super PAC House Majority PAC. The Democratic-allied PAC spent about $1,498,915 on defeating Cravaack.[9]
Media
Super PAC House Majority PAC's TV ad against Cravaack criticized his vote for an austere federal budget.[10]
Chip Cravaack, "House Majority PAC ad against Chip Cravaack: 'Class'"[11] |
2010
On November 2, 2010, Cravaack won election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated James L. Oberstar (D), Timothy Olson (I), and Richard "George" Burton (C) in the general election.[12]
| U.S. House, Minnesota District 8 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Chip Cravaack |
48.2% | 133,490 | |
| Democratic | James L. Oberstar Incumbent | 46.6% | 129,091 | |
| Independent | Timothy Olson | 4.3% | 11,876 | |
| Constitution | Richard "George" Burton | 0.9% | 2,492 | |
| Independent | Write-In | 0% | 132 | |
| Total Votes | 277,081 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Personal Gain Index
- See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)
- See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)
The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:
PGI: Change in net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Cravaack's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $843,018 to $1,945,000. This averages out to a net worth of $1,394,009, which is lower than the average net worth of Republicans in 2010 of $7,561,133.[13]
| Chip Cravaack Yearly Net Worth | |
|---|---|
| Year | Average Net Worth |
| 2009 | $753,416 |
| 2012 | $1,961,510 |
| Growth from 2009 to 2012: | 160% |
| Average annual growth: | 53%[14] |
| Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[15] | |
The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.
Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Cravaack paid his congressional staff a total of $852,494 in 2011. Overall, Minnesota ranked 26th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[16]
Staff bonuses
According to an analysis by CNN, Cravaack was one of nearly 25 percent of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Cravaack's staff was given an apparent $16,967.30 in bonus money.[17]
National Journal vote ratings
Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.
2012
According to the data released in 2013, Cravaack ranked 155th in the conservative rankings in 2012.[18]
2011
According to the data released in 2012, Cravaack ranked 170th in the conservative rankings in 2011.[19]
Voting with party
November 2011
Chip Cravaack voted with the Republican Party 93.0 percent of the time, which ranked 116 among the 242 House Republican members as of December 2011.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Cravaack has two sons with his wife, Traci.[20]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Chip + Cravaack + Minnesota + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ ABC News, "General Election Results 2012-Minnesota," November 7, 2012
- ↑ GovTrack, "Cravaack" accessed May 14, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Biographical Guide to Members of Congress, "Chip Cravaack" accessed December 11, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "House of Representatives Committee Assignments" accessed December 3, 2011
- ↑ U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
- ↑ ABC News, "General Election Results 2012-Minnesota," November 7, 2012
- ↑ Minn Post, "Minnesota congressional incumbents report a huge financial edge," accessed February 11, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "House Ratings" accessed October 3
- ↑ Open Secrets, "House Majority PAC Independent Expenditures," accessed March, 2013
- ↑ House Majority PAC 'House Majority PAC launches third wave of ads against Chip Cravaack," accessed May 4, 2012
- ↑ [YouTube channel]
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013 accessed December 11, 2011
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Chip Cravaack (R-Minn), 2010," accessed October 8, 2012
- ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
- ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Chip Cravaack," accessed October 8, 2012
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Congressional bonuses in a time of cuts," accessed March 8, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 26, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ Official House Site, "Biography," accessed December 3, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Oberstar (D) |
U.S. House of Representatives - Minnesota District 8 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by Rick Nolan (D) |
