Jay Nixon

Jay Nixon
55th Governor of Missouri
In office January 12, 2009 – January 9, 2017
Lieutenant	Peter Kinder
Preceded by	Matt Blunt
Succeeded by	Eric Greitens
40th Attorney General of Missouri
In office January 11, 1993 – January 12, 2009
Governor	Mel Carnahan Roger Wilson Bob Holden Matt Blunt
Preceded by	William Webster
Succeeded by	Chris Koster
Personal details
Born	Jeremiah Wilson Nixon (1956-02-13) February 13, 1956 De Soto, Missouri, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Georganne Nixon
Children	2
Residence	University City, Missouri, U.S.
Education	University of Missouri, Columbia (BA, JD)

Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Nixon was first elected Governor in 2008 and reelected in 2012. Prior to his governorship, he served the state's 40th Attorney General from 1993 to 2009.

Early life

Jay Nixon grew up in 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—1801 and 1805—1806).

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 two terms from 1987 to 1993.

Missouri Attorney General (1993–2009)

Accomplishments

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.

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.

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 (2009–2017)

Elections

Nixon in 2008

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.

2012 election

Nixon defeated Republican Dave Spence to win a second term in 2012, running on a platform of fiscal responsibility and bipartisanship.

Tenure

Gov. Jay Nixon watches a Missouri Tigers volleyball game at the Hearnes Center in 2013.

Budget

Throughout his time in office, Nixon made budget restrictions to account for lower-than-expected revenues, or statutory changes affecting the budget. Upon taking office, Nixon "began cutting spending almost immediately and has made repeated reductions to the budgets passed by the Legislature in subsequent years."

In 2010, Nixon was called the state's budget "cutter-in-chief" by the Associated Press for his efforts to reduce spending and right-size state government.

Some of Nixon's budget restrictions drew criticism and in 2011 Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich filed suit arguing that Nixon lacked the constitutional authority to restrict spending. Schweich's lawsuit was dismissed by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2013 but the following year the Missouri General Assembly passed and voters approved Amendment 10, granting legislators the ability to overrule a governor's budget restrictions.

Economy

After taking office during the Great Recession, Nixon focused on creating jobs, investing in education and strengthening the state's economy while keeping the budget in balance.

From November 2015 to November 2016, Missouri added 57,100 jobs, more than all eight of its neighboring states.

Aiming to revitalize the state's automotive manufacturing industry, Nixon created an Automotive Jobs Task Force and in 2011 called a special session of the General Assembly to pass the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs Act. On October 21, 2011 Ford confirmed that it would make a $1.1 billion investment in its Kansas City Assembly Plant and add 1,600 jobs at the facility. On November 4, 2011 General Motors announced plans for a $380 million investment in its Wentzville plant outside St. Louis.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch editorialized that "key to both Ford and GM agreeing to expand in the state were incentives championed in last year's Legislative special session by Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, and the then-leaders of the House and Senate, Ron Richard and Charlie Shields, both Republicans."

Education

During his eight years in office, Nixon negotiated four tuition freezes for students at public higher education institutions.

Disaster response

Nixon drew praise for his handling of natural disasters, including the state's response to the EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin on May 22, 2011. The Associated Press in 2011 called him "a ubiquitous commander of disasters."

Public Defender System funding crisis

On August 2, 2016, Michael Barrett, director of the Missouri State Public Defender System called on Nixon to act as a public defender in a criminal assault case. Nixon's communications director, Scott Holste, questioned the authority of Barrett to do so. The appointment followed a July 2016 legal action in which Barrett et al. challenge the constitutionality of restricting funds for indigent defense. In an open letter to Nixon, Barrett cites Missouri Revised Statues Section 600.042.5(1) as well as the 6th and 14th amendments to the United States Constitution as reason for the controversial action. Barrett blames Nixon for the underfunding and understaffing of the public defender system and chose to appoint him because he is "the one attorney in the state who not only created the problem, but is in a unique position to address it." According to Barrett, the funding for "resources that assist with delivering legal services" have increased between 5 and 6% since 2009, while costs over the same period have increased 18%. The case load has increased over 12% in the past year. According to a 2008 report by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Missouri ranks 49th in per capita legal aid spending. Ruth Petsch, Jackson County Missouri’s chief public defender, cites the lack funding for inadequate defense and 9 to 12 month delays in adjudication for indigent persons who often remain in jail and are unable to maintain active employment during that time.

Shooting of Michael Brown and Ferguson unrest

Main articles: Shooting of Michael Brown and Ferguson unrest

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

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 Democratic Primary Election, 2012
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±
Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	270,140	85.99
Democratic	William Campbell	25,775	8.20
Democratic	Clay Thunderhawk	18,243	5.81

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

Missouri Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election 2008
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±
Democratic	Jay Nixon	304,181	85.0
Democratic	Daniel Carroll	53,835	15.0

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 Democratic Primary Election 1998
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±
Democratic	Jay Nixon	200,339	66.5
Democratic	James Askew	57,364	19.1
Democratic	Daniel Dodson	19,257	6.4
Democratic	Bob Buck	14,774	4.9
Democratic	Andrew Ostrowski	9,389	3.1

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	-

External links

• Jay Nixon at DMOZ

Party political offices
Preceded by Harriett Woods	Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Missouri (Class 1) 1988	Succeeded by Alan Wheat
Preceded by Geri Rothman-Serot	Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Missouri (Class 3) 1998	Succeeded by Nancy Farmer
Preceded by Claire McCaskill	Democratic nominee for Governor of Missouri 2008, 2012	Succeeded by Chris Koster
Legal offices
Preceded by William Webster	Attorney General of Missouri 1993–2009	Succeeded by Chris Koster
Political offices
Preceded by Matt Blunt	Governor of Missouri 2009–2017	Succeeded by Eric Greitens