Early life

Jay Nixon is a lifelong resident of De Soto, Missouri, where he was born. His mother, Betty Lea (née Willson), was a teacher and president of the local school board, and his father, Jeremiah "Jerry" Nixon, served as the city's mayor. One of his paternal thrice great-grandfathers, Abraham Jonas, was an early Jewish settler in Illinois and friend of Abraham Lincoln (one of Nixon's paternal great-grandmothers was Jewish, though Nixon is Methodist). His great-great-grandfather Charles Henry Jonas was the brother of Democratic U.S. Senator Benjamin F. Jonas of Louisiana and another, James Oscar Nixon, was a brother of U.S. Representative John Thompson Nixon of New Jersey. Another paternal ancestor, John Inskeep, had served as Mayor of Philadelphia (from 1800 to 1801 and 1805 to 1806). He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1978, later earning a law degree from the same institution.

Missouri State Senate (1987-1993)

In 1986, after a period of private practice in his hometown, Jay Nixon was elected to the Missouri Senate from a district in Jefferson County, serving for three terms from 1987 to 1993.

1988 U.S. Senate Election

He made his first bid for statewide office in 1988, an unsuccessful effort to oust incumbent U.S. Senator John Danforth. Nixon only won 32% of the vote compared to Danforth's 68%--at the time, the most lopsided defeat a Democrat had suffered in a statewide race in Missouri history.

Missouri Attorney General (1993-2009)

He was first elected as Missouri's Attorney General on November 3, 1992, on a platform of fighting crime, cleaning up government corruption, and protecting consumers and the environment. Nixon followed William L. Webster as Attorney General. The 1992 race for Attorney General between Nixon and former State House Minority Leader David Steelman was especially heated; however Nixon beat Steelman 51-45%.

Nixon was re-elected as Attorney General by a wide margin in 1996, 2000, and 2004.

1998 U.S. Senate election

In 1998, Jay Nixon again made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate, losing to incumbent Republican Kit Bond by 53-44%.

Accomplishments

Nixon implemented the state's No Call program. More than 3.5 million Missourians are a part of the No Call list, which reduces unwanted telemarketing calls. Jay Nixon also has recovered more than $1.2 million from telemarketers who violated the No Call law.

Jay Nixon's victory in the Supreme Court of the United States in Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC reinstated Missouri's campaign contribution limits and cleared the way nationally for campaign finance reform. In two other cases of significance, Nixon's work in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Health Midwest cases have resulted in the formation of the state's two largest health care foundations, which will use more than $1.5 billion to help provide health care services to the state's population. Litigation by Nixon against tobacco companies for illegally marketing cigarettes to young people resulted in the largest settlement in the history of the state.

As the state's Attorney General, Nixon created the Environmental Protection Division to enforce Missouri's environmental laws. Attorneys in this division take legal action to stop the pollution of the state's air, water and soil and to look after Missouri's agricultural interests. Successful litigation by the division has resulted in the cleanup of polluted sites and millions of dollars awarded to the state. His aggressive actions in the Attorney General's Office earned him national recognition. Barrister magazine named him one of the 20 outstanding young lawyers in the nation, and the Missouri Jaycees selected him one of Ten Outstanding Young Missourians. Prior to becoming Attorney General, he was recognized by the Conservation Federation of Missouri for his environmental work as a state senator.

Nixon received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA). Of those Scouts who have attained the rank of Eagle Scout, fewer than one in 1,000 have received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1969 at the age of 13 as part of Troop 559 in De Soto. The award was presented by the Great Rivers Council on behalf of the National Eagle Scout Association and the Boy Scouts of America during 2010 as part of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. In 2013, he joined with nine mayors to establish July 15 as Social Media Giving Day, encouraging citizens to support charities via social media.

Controversies

Jay Nixon has overseen the state's involvement in the court settlements that ended mandatory urban busing in St. Louis and Kansas City's public schools. His role in the desegregation cases has caused friction with some African American leaders. In addition, Missouri Republicans have criticized Nixon for his campaign managers' soliciting campaign contributions from utility companies, including Ameren during an ongoing criminal investigation by his office of the company, which were immediately returned when the matter drew attention.

The Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) issued a report titled "The Modern Militia Movement" on February 20, 2009, informing the Missouri State Highway Patrol of several groups of people who could possibly be linked to domestic militia groups. According to the report, these groups included white Christians, supporters of third-party presidential candidates Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and Chuck Baldwin, as well as opponents of gun control, illegal immigration, abortion, the Federal Reserve System, and the Internal Revenue Service. Following a joint letter from Paul, Barr, and Baldwin condemning the report, Nixon and the MIAC issued an apology concerning the report and stated that it will no longer be displayed on any official state websites.

Governor of Missouri (2009-Present)

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Elections

2008 election

Main article: Missouri gubernatorial election, 2008

Governor Matt Blunt announced on January 22, 2008 that he would not seek a second term. By the filing deadline on March 25, 2008, three Democratic and five Republican candidates had filed.

In the primary election on August 5, 2008, Nixon was selected to be the Democratic nominee, and U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof was selected to be the Republican nominee. Jay Nixon won the gubernatorial race by 19 percentage points over Hulshof to become Missouri's 55th governor (by 58% to 39%) on November 4, 2008.

2012 election

Main article: Missouri gubernatorial election, 2012

The 2012 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2012. Nixon won re-election against businessman Dave Spence (R).

Job creation ranking

In a June 2013 analysis by The Business Journals looking at 45 of the country's 50 governors by their job creation record, Nixon was ranked number 39. The five governors omitted from the analysis all assumed office in 2013. The ranking was based on a comparison of the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee

In October 2013, Nixon was appointed Chair of the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee in the National Governors Association by NGA Chair Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and NGA Vice Chair Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.

Controversies

Challenge from the State Auditor

On August 26, 2011, Nixon was sued by state auditor Tom Schweich, who alleged he violated the state constitution by cutting spending on education and other services to help cover the costs of the Joplin tornado and spring flooding. Nixon reportedly announced $170 million in budget cuts for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2011.

Schweich and his attorneys argued that the cuts were intended to be permanent and that the governor can reduce expenditures only when revenues fall below projections. Nixon's attorneys claimed that the cuts are temporary and authorized under a constitutional section that gives the governor the power to control the rate of expenditures. The section of the Missouri Constitution under question states, "The governor may control the rate at which any appropriation is expended during the period of the appropriation by allotment or other means, and may reduce the expenditures of the state or any of its agencies below their appropriations whenever the actual revenues are less than the revenue estimates upon which the appropriations were based."

Special session

On July 15, 2010, Nixon signed a tax incentives bill designed to support the state's automotive industry and manufacturing jobs. This bill passed after a 4-week special legislative session that he called to start on June 24 of that year. The incentives allow automakers to retain withholding taxes only after a company makes a firm commitment to make capital investments in productive capacity and keep workers on the job in Missouri. To offset the cost of the incentives, the governor asked legislators to reform the state's employee pension system. Legislators complied and passed the bill; Nixon signed it into law on July 19. Members of the new retirement system are required to contribute 4% of their pay to the pension system, work at least 5 years longer and must work 10 years to be guaranteed their pension, as opposed to 5 years on the old system.

Tax credits

On July 21, 2010, he unveiled a tax review commission, composed of 25 business, community, and legislative leaders. He outlined three priorities for the commissioners - determine which of the 61-tax credit programs have a return on investment (which do not) and then make recommendations. He wanted to ensure that the tax credits create jobs, boost development, and build strong communities. Nixon stressed several times that he did not want to eliminate tax credits, noting that it would create uncertainty in the market and would impact the bond ratings of Missouri. Critics argued that if the governor was serious about stimulating productive economic growth in Missouri, he would eliminate the tax incentive programs entirely.

The commission traveled around Missouri to hear from residents, with its first stop in St. Joseph. All of the testimony at the first hearing was in favor of tax credits. Nine residents testified in favor of different tax credits. But due to the low numbers, the commission went into recess for a majority of the time between 3 and 9 p.m.

Economic development

In September 2010, Nixon outlined his plan to move the state's economy forward at the Governor's Economic Development Conference (GEDC) in Kansas City. He said that he had worked hard to keep the state's fiscal house in order since he entered office in 2009 and noted how he had managed to cut $1.5 billion from the state budget over the two previous years. Nixon said the state managed to keep its AAA bond ratings by all three rating agencies, which made Missouri one of only seven states across the country with AAA ratings by all three bond rating agencies at the time. The governor also talked about a steering committee he initiated and charged with the task of producing a strategic plan for the state's economic future. In 2013 Nixon met with company officials from Pharma Medica, a Canadian-based contract research organization about expanding to Missouri. The company opened its first US clinic and bio-tech lab in November 2013, and starting running clinical research trials in February 2014.

Fiscal policy

In 2010, Nixon received a grade of "B" on his taxing and spending record by the Cato Institute, a free-market think tank. Scores ranging from 0-100 were calculated for each governor based on seven tax and spending variables. Those scores were then converted to the letter grades "A" to "F." Nixon received a score of 59 and a grade of "B."

Nixon proposed a fiscal budget for fiscal year 2012 that would reduce total spending by 2.5%. Total spending recommended by the governor in his State of the State Address is $23.3 billion compared to estimated total spending of $23.8 billion for the fiscal year 2011, ending June 30.

The state plane

It cost taxpayers nearly $400,000 for Nixon to fly around the state during his first two years in office, with different state agencies picking up the tab. The last flight paid by the governor's office was on January 31, 2009. Lawmakers are working on legislation to prohibit the governor from using funds from other departments for travel expenses.

Teacher sexual abuse

In August 2011, Nixon signed SB54 into law; this was a bill that designed to protect students from sexual abuse from their teachers. Among the more controversial parts of the bill was section 162.069, which states that "eachers also cannot have a nonwork-related website that allows exclusive access with a current or former student." This makes it a crime for teachers to have a current or former student under the age of 18 as a friend on a social networking site such as Facebook. Many teachers took issue with this facet of the measure.

Possible impeachment filing

In November 2013, Nick Marshall, a Republican member of Missouri House of Representatives, threatened to seek impeachment against Nixon. Marshall cites Nixon's executive order allowing same-sex couples legally married in other states to file joint state tax returns in Missouri, the release of concealed gun permit holders to a federal agent and driver's license procedures as the impeachable offenses.

Shooting of Michael Brown and Ferguson unrest

Main articles: Shooting of Michael Brown and Ferguson unrest

Nixon's handling of the Michael Brown shooting and subsequent protests in Ferguson, Missouri, brought him international attention and criticism that he had not done enough to quell the rioting. As the details of the original shooting event emerged from investigators, police established curfews and deployed riot squads to maintain order. Along with peaceful protests, there was looting and violent unrest in the vicinity of the original shooting. According to media reports, there was police militarization when dealing with protests in Ferguson. Gov. Nixon first turned over control of the town to the Missouri State Highway Patrol and later declared a state of emergency and implemented nightly curfews, later calling in the National Guard to help restore peace and order. The unrest continued on November 24, 2014 after the police officer who shot Michael Brown was not indicted by a grand jury.

Electoral history

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As Governor

Missouri gubernatorial election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	1,485,147	54.68%	−3.71%
	Republican	Dave Spence	1,157,475	42.62%	+3.12%
	Libertarian	Jim Higgins	73,196	2.70%	+1.59%

Missouri Gubernatorial Election 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	1,680,611	58.40
	Republican	Kenny Hulshof	1,136,364	39.49
	Libertarian	Andy Finkenstadt	31,850	1.11	-
	Constitution	Greg Thompson	28,941	1.01

As Attorney General

Missouri Attorney General Election 2004
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	1,592,842	59.96
	Republican	Chris Byrd	1,000,503	37.66
	Libertarian	David R. Browning	43,538	1.64	-
	Constitution	David Fry	19,802	0.75

Missouri Attorney General Election 2000
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	1,378,296	60.25
	Republican	Sam Jones	855,814	37.41
	Libertarian	Mitch Moore	53,363	2.33	-

Missouri Attorney General Election 1996
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	1,243,091	59.42
	Republican	Mark Bredemeier	767,962	36.71
	Constitution	Kimberly Lowe	81,074	3.88

Missouri Attorney General Election 1992
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	1,154,714	49.94
	Republican	David L. Steelman	1,064,814	46.05
	Libertarian	Mitchell J. Moore	92,576	4.00	-

U.S. Senate elections

Missouri U.S. Senate Election 1998
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Kit Bond	830,625	52.68
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	690,208	43.77
	Libertarian	Tamara A. Millay	31,876	2.02	-
	Constitution	David Fry	15,368	0.97
	Reform	James F. Newport	8,780	0.56

Missouri U.S. Senate Election 1988
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Danforth	1,407,416	67.70
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	660,045	31.75
	Libertarian	John Guze	11,410	0.55	-

[ Source: Wikipedia ]