Gordon Christensen

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Gordon Christensen

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2016

Contact

Personal website

Gordon Christensen was a 2016 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 4th Congressional District of Missouri.

Biography

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Christensen is a medical doctor, specializing in the study and treatment of infectious diseases. He has taught medicine at the University of Missouri (MU) and worked at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital. In the 1990s, he acted as a federal whistleblower, testifying "before Congress as part of an inquiry into the cover up [sic] of murders at the Veterans hospital." Before his work at the veterans hospital, he was "credited with the discovery of an overlooked skin bacteria that caused often fatal infections in intravenous (IV) lines and other medical implants." Christensen served as chair of the MU Faculty Council from 2003 to 2005 and the chief of staff at the University of Missouri Hospital from 2008 to 2009. After his research career, he focused on working with poor communities internationally to improve health care and medical treatment.

Elections

2016

See also: Missouri's 4th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Vicky Hartzler (R) defeated Gordon Christensen (D) and Mark Bliss (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Hartzler defeated John Webb in the Republican primary, while Christensen defeated Jack Truman to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on August 2, 2016. Hartzler won re-election in the November 8 election.

U.S. House, Missouri District 4 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Vicky Hartzler Incumbent	67.8%	225,348
	Democratic	Gordon Christensen	27.8%	92,510
	Libertarian	Mark Bliss	4.3%	14,376
Total Votes				332,234
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

U.S. House, Missouri District 4 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Gordon Christensen	62.7%	17,160
Jack Truman	37.3%	10,196
Total Votes		27,356
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

U.S. House, Missouri District 4 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Vicky Hartzler Incumbent	72.5%	73,853
John Webb	27.5%	28,037
Total Votes		101,890
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

Campaign themes

2016

The following issues were listed on Christensen's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	My Political Philosophy: I consider myself to be fiscally conservative, but socially progressive. In my experience, the American people believe that government should be as small as it can possibly be and yet still get the job done. I know of no one who believes we should have an unnecessarily large government. Rebuilding the Middle Class: I share the concerns of the American people regarding the economic challenges facing Americans who are not members of the wealthy top 1%. As a member of the next Congress, I will work to rebuild and protect the “99%” – the women and men who have made America great. Protecting Veterans: I believe in what Abraham Lincoln famously declared, [that we should] “… care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” Healthcare: My goal is to ensure that every American citizen has the health insurance they need at a cost they can afford. If they cannot afford health insurance, then I believe it is appropriate for government to subsidize the insurance in whole or in part. Women's Rights: As a husband, I supported my wife as she completed her doctorate in clinical psychology. As a father, I supported my two daughters as they pursued doctorates in Astronomy (Charlotte) and Computer Science (Janara). As an academic physician, notably as the Chief of Staff for the University of Missouri Hospital, I have consistently promoted women to rise to professional achievement and positions of leadership. I consider myself a feminist who advocates for women by practicing feminism rather than just preaching feminism.	”
—Gordon Christensen's campaign website, http://www.christensenforcongress.com/the-issues/

See also

• United States House of Representatives
• Missouri's 4th Congressional District election, 2016
• Missouri's 4th Congressional District

External links

Suggest a link

• Campaign website
• Facebook page
• Twitter feed

Footnotes

[show]

Missouri's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Josh Hawley (R)

Eric Schmitt (R)

Representatives

District 1

Wesley Bell (D)

District 2

Ann Wagner (R)

District 3

Bob Onder (R)

District 4

Mark Alford (R)

District 5

Emanuel Cleaver (D)

District 6

Sam Graves (R)

District 7

Eric Burlison (R)

District 8

Jason Smith (R)

Republican Party (8)

Democratic Party (2)