Travis Childers

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A special election in Mississippi's 1st congressional district was triggered when 12-year Republican incumbent Roger Wicker was appointed by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to the United States Senate seat vacated by Trent Lott.

Childers was endorsed by many prominent newspapers in the region: the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, [7] the Commercial Dispatch , [8] and the Commercial Appeal . [9]

Several candidates qualified for the election. In the initial April 22 special election, Childers won 49.4 percent of the vote, falling just 400 votes short of the majority (50 percent plus one) needed to avoid a runoff. On May 13, Childers faced Republican candidate Greg Davis (who had won 46.3 percent on April 22). [10] [11] Childers won the runoff.

This election returned the district to the Democrats. The seat was held by Democrat Jamie Whitten of Charleston for 54 years, the longest tenure of any congressman until Michigan representative John Dingell passed the mark on February 11, 2009. Whitten retired in 1995 and was succeeded by Wicker. Childers' victory came as a major shock to the Republicans. The district has a decided conservative bent; Wicker had won his first race for the seat with 63 percent of the vote and had faced no serious opposition since then. The district has supported the official Democratic candidate for president only once since 1956; George W. Bush carried the district with 62 percent of the vote in 2004.

2008 general

Childers faced Greg Davis again in the general election on November 4, 2008. [1] Childers defeated Davis 54% to 44%. [12]

2010

Childers ran for re-election on November 2, 2010. He was challenged by Republican State Senator Alan Nunnelee (who held the state senate seat Wicker held before being elected to Congress), Constitutionalist Gail Giaramita, Libertarian Harold Taylor, Reformist Barbara Dale Washer, and Independent Wally Pang. Nunnelee defeated Childers, [13] 55–41.

Proving just how Republican this district still was, Childers is the only Democratic candidate in the district to win as much as 40 percent of the vote since Whitten's retirement.

2014 Senate election

Childers campaigning for U.S. Senate Travis Childers.jpg
Childers campaigning for U.S. Senate

Childers ran for the United States Senate in 2014. [14] [15] His Republican opponent was incumbent Thad Cochran. Childers was endorsed by the Alliance for Retired Americans during his Senate campaign. [16] Childers lost the election to Cochran on November 4, 2014.

Positions on issues

Childers identifies himself as a moderate Democrat. Childers supports increased funding for public education. He favored a swift withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. [17] He is against privatization of Social Security and raising the age of retirement. Childers describes himself as pro-life and pro-gun, [18] and he was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee [19] and the NRA Political Victory Fund [20] [21] in his 2010 reelection campaign. Childers said he supports job creation, increasing the minimum wage and is a strong advocate for public education. [22] Childers supports tax breaks for small businesses that put people back to work, and ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs to India and China. [23] He supports equal pay for women, and increasing the minimum wage to a livable wage. [24] Citing the national debt, Childers pledged to support a Balanced Budget Amendment. Childers has been described as a Blue Dog Democrat. [25]

Personal life

Childers and his wife, Tami, have two children: Dustin, a recent graduate from Mississippi College School of Law practices law in the family's hometown. Lauren, a graduate of the University of Mississippi is an employee of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Lauren Childers was Miss Ole Miss in the year 2010. His wife Tami manages the family's healthcare businesses. Travis Childers is a member of Booneville First United Methodist Church.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Clarion Ledger: Childers wins 1st District for Democrats". Clarionledger.com. Retrieved 2013-10-23.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 "ABOUT TRAVIS | Travis W. Childers for U.S. Senate" . Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  3. ↑ "Travis Childers wins Democrat nomination for Senate, awaits Cochran or McDaniel". 4 June 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  4. ↑ Travis W. Childers Principal Broker, Childers Realty and Associates
  5. 1 2 "Project Vote Smart - Representative Travis W. Childers - Voting Record". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  6. ↑ Brett (2010-03-25). "Childers Won't Push Healthcare Repeal " Majority In Mississippi". Majorityinms.com. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  7. ↑ "Editorial: Childers best choice." Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal 18 April 2008.
  8. ↑ "Childers for Congress." Commercial Dispatch 20 April 2008 Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "Childers for Mississippi's 1st District." Commercial Appeal 11 May 2008.
  10. ↑ "The Clarion-Ledger: Mississippi's News Source". 26 April 2008. Archived from the original on 26 April 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  11. ↑ "An Alarm Bell Goes Off for GOP in Mississippi". Realclearpolitics.com. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  12. ↑ "Local and National Election Results - Election Center 2008 - Elections & Politics from". CNN.com. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  13. ↑ "Blue Dog Childers unseated in 1st District". Hattiesburg American. Associated Press. November 2, 2010. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Childers to run for Senate in Miss". Politico . 28 February 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  15. ↑ Blake, Aaron (15 November 2013). "Ex-Rep. Travis Childers (D) considering run for Mississippi Senate seat". The Washington Post . Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  16. ↑ "Union retiree group endorses Childers" . Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  17. ↑ Brumfield, Patsy R.; EMILY LE COZ (2008-04-23). "Childers, Davis to meet yet again May 13". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008.
  18. ↑ "Electoral-Vote.com: May 13th Special Election". Electoral-vote.com. 2000-12-31. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  19. ↑ "Miss. Right to Life Grades The Candidates". Majorityinms.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  20. ↑ "NRA-PVF Endorses U.S. Rep. Travis Childers for Re-Election in Mississippi's 1st Congressional District". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014.
  21. ↑ West, Phil. "Travis Childers receives NRA endorsement". Commercialappeal.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-23. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  22. ↑ "Travis Childers outlines platform for November" . Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  23. ↑ "Thông Tin Cập Nhật Về Tình Hình Xuất Nhập Khẩu Việt Nam". childersforsenate.com. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  24. ↑ Harrison, Bobby. "Childers highlights minimum wage, equal pay" . Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  25. ↑ "Blue Dog Coalition". House.gov. 2009-04-27. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
Travis Childers
Travischilders.jpg
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives
from Mississippi's 1st district
In office
May 13, 2008 –January 3, 2011
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi's 1st congressional district
2008–2011		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Mississippi
(Class 2)
2014 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
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