Rick Crawford (politician)
Encyclopedia
Eric Alan Rick Crawford (born January 22, 1966) is the U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 for . He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

. Before he was elected to Congress, Crawford was a radio announcer, businessman and U.S. Army veteran.

Early life and education

Crawford grew up in a military family. His father served in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

. He graduated from Alvirne High School
Alvirne High School
Alvirne High School is located in the town of Hudson, New Hampshire with an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students from grades 9-12. Alvirne gets its name from a prominent Hudson family, the Alfred and Virginia Hills family, who left a large piece of property to the town in the early 20th...

 in Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 24,467 at the 2010 census.The primary settlement in town, where 7,336 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Hudson census-designated place and is located at the junctions of New Hampshire...

. He enlisted in the Army, where he served as a bomb disposal technician for four years, while advancing to the rank of Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

. After his service, he attended Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...

 and graduated in 1996 with a B.S.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in Agriculture Business and Economics.

Radio career

He has been a news anchor and agri-reporter on KAIT-TV in Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...

 and Farm Director on KFIN-FM
KFIN
KFIN is a commercial radio station located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, broadcasting on 107.9 FM. KFIN airs a country music format. KFIN is a 98,000 watt station, reaching listeners in all of Northeast Arkansas, as well as Southeast Missouri, Western Tennessee, and Western Mississippi.The station was...

. He owned and operated the AgWatch Network, a farm news network heard on 39 radio stations in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky.

2010 election

Crawford ran against Democratic nominee Chad Causey
Chad Causey
Chad Causey, a native of Jonesboro, Arkansas is the Chief of Staff to retiring U.S. Representative Marion Berry, and the 2010 Democratic nominee for .-Early life and education:...

 and Green Party nominee Kenton Adler for the seat of retiring Democratic incumbent Marion Berry.

Crawford received the endorsements of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...

, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...

, former Congressman Asa Hutchinson
Asa Hutchinson
William Asa Hutchinson is a former U.S. Attorney for the Fort Smith-based Western District of Arkansas, U.S. Congressman from the Third District of Arkansas, Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the first-ever Under Secretary for Border & Transportation Security at the U.S...

, and former Congressman Ed Bethune
Ed Bethune
Edwin Ruthvin "Ed" Bethune, Jr. , is a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, D.C., who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas from 1979-1985. His last campaign was an unsuccessful challenge in 1984 to the second-term reelection of Democratic U.S...

.

Tenure

Republican Rick Crawford was sworn into office on January 5, 2011 as a member of the 112th Congress. He is from the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas, and is the first Republican to represent this district in Washington since the Reconstruction. U.S. Congressman Crawford is a member of the Republican Study Committee
Republican Study Committee
The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...

.

Crawford voted to repeal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law is the principal health care reform legislation of the 111th United States Congress...

 and to return federal non-security spending to fiscal year 2008 levels. He also voted to terminate taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions.

Committee assignments

  • Committee on Agriculture
    United States House Committee on Agriculture
    The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...

    • Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Credit
    • Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
      United States House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
      The House Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management is a subcommittee within the House Agriculture Committee. The subcommittee oversees program and markets for major commercial crops, such as cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains , soybeans, oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, and...

    • Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture
  • Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
    United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
    The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. John Mica currently chairs the committee.-History:...

    • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
    • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
      United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
      The House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The subcommittee oversees highway, transit, and highway safety programs in the United States, as well as policy governing how highway and transit projects...

    • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
      United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
      The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The subcommittee has jurisdiction over water conservation, pollution control, infrastructure, and hazardous waste cleanup, the civil works programs of the U.S. Army...


  • Republican Study Committee
    Republican Study Committee
    The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...


Personal life

Crawford and his wife, Stacy, live in Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...

 with their two children.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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