Tom Daschle

Thomas Andrew Daschle (born December 9, 1947), known as Tom Daschle, was a U.S. Senator from South Dakota and the Senate Minority Leader. A United States Democratic Party, he was narrowly defeated on November 2, 2004, by the Republican candidate, John Thune, in his bid for re-election.

Career in the House of Representatives and the Senate

In 1978, Daschle was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served four terms and quickly became a part of the Democratic leadership.

Related Topics:
1978 - United States House of Representatives

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In 1986, Daschle was elected to the Senate in a close victory over incumbent Republican James Abdnor. In his first year, he was appointed to the powerful Senate Finance Committee, an unusual honor for a freshman. In 1988, then-Senate Democratic Leader George J. Mitchell named Daschle the first-ever co-chair of the Democratic Policy Committee, making him the first South Dakotan ever to hold a Senate leadership position.

Related Topics:
1986 - James Abdnor - Senate Finance Committee - 1988 - Senate Democratic Leader - George J. Mitchell - Democratic Policy Committee

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To enhance his state's economy, Daschle also became the first U.S. Senator to be a full-time economic development director, a staff position he maintains today. He was also one of the first members of the U.S. Congress to establish a toll-free telephone line that connects South Dakotans to his Washington, DC office.

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In U.S. Senate election, 1992 and U.S. Senate election, 1998, South Dakotans re-elected Daschle to the Senate by overwhelming margins. In 1994, he was chosen by his colleagues to succeed the retiring Senator George Mitchell as Democratic Leader. In the history of the Senate, only Lyndon Johnson had served fewer years before being elected to lead his party. In addition to the Leader's post, Daschle also served as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. In past Congresses, he has served on the Veterans, Indian Affairs, Finance and Ethics Committees. From January 3, 2001, to January 20, 2001, Daschle became Senate Majority Leader for the first time, as the Senate was evenly divided with 50 members from each major party, and as long as Al Gore was Vice President of the United States, this gave the Democrats the majority in that chamber. Upon the swearing in of the George W. Bush Administration on January 20, 2001, Dick Cheney became Vice President and the Democrats returned to being in the minority and Daschle reverted to being Senate Minority Leader.

Related Topics:
U.S. Senate election, 1992 - U.S. Senate election, 1998 - 1994 - Lyndon Johnson - U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry - January 3 - 2001 - January 20 - Senate Majority Leader - Al Gore - Vice President of the United States - George W. Bush - Dick Cheney

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However, when Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont announced in May 2001 that he was leaving the Republican caucus to become an independent and would caucus with the Democrats, this returned control of the body to the Democrats and Daschle again became Majority Leader.

Related Topics:
Jim Jeffords - Vermont - May 2001 - Caucus

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