Jim Talent

James Matthes "Jim" Talent (born October 18, 1956) is an American politician, the junior Senator from Missouri. He is a Republican.

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A lifelong resident of the St. Louis area, he began his political career in 1984 when he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. He served four terms there, the last two as minority leader.

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In 1992, he won the Republican nomination for the state's 2nd Congressional District, based in St. Louis' western suburbs. The district had been heavily altered after the 1990 census in order to protect the neighboring 1st District of William Clay, Sr. and 3rd District of Dick Gephardt, both Democrats. But this had come before the upset victory of Democrat Joan Kelly Horn. Talent won narrowly, but never faced another close race in what rapidly became a solidly Republican district. He served as chairman of the Small Business Committee from 1997 to 2001. He was the Republican candidate for Governor in 2000, but he was narrowly defeated by Democratic state treasurer Bob Holden.

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In that same election, Governor Mel Carnahan, who remained on the ballot for election to a Senate seat even though he had died in a plane crash a month before the election, defeated John Ashcroft. Though by prior arrangement Carnahan's widow, Jean Carnahan, was appointed Senator in her husband's place, the Seventeenth Amendment requires that such appointments last only until a special election is held. Talent received the Republican nomination and narrowly defeated Jean Carnahan in the midterm election of November 2002 and was sworn in later that night to fill out the balance of Mel Carnahan's term. He will be up for re-election in 2006, likely against Democratic state auditor Claire McCaskill.

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Talent's voting record is strongly conservative.

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October 18: October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). There are 74 days remaining....

1956: 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar....

American: :This page disambiguates the many uses of American. For an article about those various uses, please see Use of the word American....

Jim Talent related Images and Photos (experimental)

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