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Raymond John "Chip" Cravaack (born January 29, 1959) is an American former politician and aviator. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for northeastern from 2011 to 2013. In his first run for political office, he upset 18-term Democratic incumbent Jim Oberstar by a margin of 4,400 votes to become the first Republican since 1947 to represent the district. Previously, Cravaack was a pilot for Northwest Airlines, and before that, he was a Navy pilot and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He was defeated by DFL nominee Rick Nolan on November 6, 2012.
He was a union steward for the Airline Pilots Association. He served as a "strike coordinator" during the 1998 pilots' Strike action, bringing military discipline and parade-ground style marching to the picket lines.
Cravaack moved to New Hampshire after Congress to be with his sons, where he spent the last eight years before retirement as a teacher at Bishop Guertin High School, teaching U.S. History, Economics, and U.S. Government.
He is now retired and shuttles between the Winnipesaukee area in New Hampshire and the cradle of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida.
Cravaack entered the race as a political novice and an underdog. The 8th had been in Democratic hands since 1947, and Oberstar was the longest-serving congressman in Minnesota's history, usually cruising to reelection. Geography also seemed to be against Cravaack; his home in Lindstrom was in Chisago County, in the southern portion of the district. His campaign manager was future Minnesota House of Representatives member Anne Neu.
According to the Star Tribune, Cravaack's campaign was "structured like a military operation". He toured the district in a motor home dubbed "The War Wagon," and gave volunteers ranks such as commander, captain, and precinct lieutenant. He discovered that his experience as a union steward attracted the interest of district voters, especially the .
Cravaack campaigned on a platform of free-market principles and government spending cuts. He attacked Oberstar's vote on the health care bill, saying he would vote to repeal and replace it, and called an Oberstar-approved extension of the Clean Water Act to include wet meadows a "land grab" by the federal government. Cravaack also criticized the earmark process that Oberstar had used to fund infrastructure projects in the district, saying it was time for the spending to stop, and attacked Oberstar's vote on "cap and trade" legislation to limit carbon emissions, saying it would result in higher energy prices. In his first ad, Cravaack paid homage to Oberstar's service, saying that he ran against Oberstar "with all due respect" but accusing him of having lost touch with the district.
The crowd jeered Oberstar at a candidate debate held in Duluth, and he called for a more civil atmosphere at the next debate. The second debate centered on economic issues. Cravaack argued that the 2003 Bush tax cuts should be continued in all to stimulate employment, and Oberstar said he would end the tax cut for the top two percent of earners because the lowered tax had caused part of the Deficit spending.
A poll conducted for KSTP-TV in the Twin Cities in October showed Oberstar ahead of Cravaack by only one point, 47% to 46%. Cravaack received the endorsement of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich as the polls tightened. He was also endorsed by Minnesota's largest anti-abortion organization, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, and the largest newspaper in the district, the Duluth News Tribune. In the November 2 election, Cravaack scored one of the biggest upsets in Minnesota political history, unseating Oberstar by 4,399 votes. He believed the abortion issue was crucial to his victory; he had argued that Obamacare allowed for the payment of abortions with taxpayer funds and encouraged euthanasia for the elderly. By the time of the election, Cravaack characterized the bill as an example of socialized medicine that would result in the rationing of medical care.
In March 2011, Cravaack came under criticism by Duluth students and community leaders for voting for a budget bill that made cuts to the federal Pell Grant program that provides financial aid to college students, including 30 percent of the students at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He also received attention for implying during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing that Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca was furthering the goals of a terrorist organization.
In March 2012, Cravaack introduced a bill in Congress that would have allowed mining and logging in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest through a land exchange that would rely on the state environmental review process and bypass federal environmental reviews, with proceeds going to the school districts.
He also sponsored a bill, which became law, that required the TSA to treat military personnel with respect while traveling on orders or in uniform. "The bill's intent, he said, is that the military personnel would be able to go through security with the same ease as registered flyers."
Cravaack opposed sequestration and voted against the Budget Control Act, saying, "You cut with a scalpel, not a meat ax."
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