John Hoeven

Coordinates	52°24′29″N1°30′38″N
Name	John Hoeven
Imagesize	196px
Jr/sr
State	North Dakota
Term start	January 3, 2011
Alongside	Kent Conrad
Predecessor	Byron Dorgan
Order2	31st
Office2	Governor of North Dakota
Lieutenant2	Jack Dalrymple
Term start2	December 15, 2000
Term end2	December 7, 2010
Predecessor2	Ed Schafer
Successor2	Jack Dalrymple
Birth date	March 13, 1957
Birth place	Bismarck, North Dakota
Party	Republican Party (2000–present)
Otherparty	Democratic Party (Before 2000)
Spouse	Mikey Hoeven
Alma mater	Dartmouth College (B.A.) Northwestern University (M.B.A.)
Profession	Banker
Religion	Roman Catholicism

John Henry Hoeven III (born March 13, 1957) is the junior United States Senator for North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Republican Party.

Hoeven served as the 31st Governor of North Dakota, serving from December 15, 2000 to December 7, 2010. He was the longest-serving current Governor in the United States at the time of his resignation. Prior to his election to the Governor's office, Hoeven served as the President of the nation's only state-owned bank, the Bank of North Dakota, from 1993 to 2000. Hoeven was elected to the U.S. Senate in the November 2, 2010 general election, and replaced the retiring Sen. Byron L. Dorgan who chose not to seek re-election; Dorgan's term ends on January 3, 2011. Immediately upon his resignation as governor on December 7, 2010; North Dakota's lieutenant governor Jack Dalrymple automatically ascended to the governorship, in accordance with the gubernatorial succession provisions of the Constitution of North Dakota.

Early life

John Hoeven was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, and attended Dartmouth College where he was a brother of Alpha Chi Alpha Fraternity and later graduated with honors. He then received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and was a banker in Minot, North Dakota prior to pursuing a political career. From 1993 to 2000, he was the president and CEO of the state-owned Bank of North Dakota. http://www.governor.state.nd.us/hoeven/

Governorship

Hoeven's governorship included the expansion and diversification of the state's economy, which led to a 75.8 percent growth of the state's gross domestic product. Beginning in 2000, he directed the development of a multi-resource energy program for the state with incentives in each energy sector, leading the state in becoming one of the largest energy producing and exporting states in the country. North Dakota has gained nearly 40,000 new jobs since he took office. The state's wages and personal incomes continue to grow faster than the national average. In the past few years, the state led the nation in export growth. In late 2006, the state's reserve rose past $600 million, and now is over $700 million.

As of December 2009, Hoeven was the most popular governor in the nation. His approval rating stood at 87 percent with only 10 percent disapproving. In 2007, Hoeven proposed a 34% increase in spending, effectively halving the state's $600 million surplus. In January 2007, Hoeven became the nation's most senior governor, having been inaugurated on December 15, 2000, as established by the North Dakota Constitution.

In 2004 John Hoeven served as a Chair of the Midwestern Governors Association.

Gubernatorial campaigns

2000

He sought the office of the Governor of North Dakota as a Republican in 2000, and he was elected, defeating Democrat Heidi Heitkamp by a margin of 55 to 45 percent.

2004

In 2004, when up for re-election, Hoeven faced Democratic challenger Joe Satrom. Hoeven won re-election by a wide margin of 71 to 28 percent.

2008

On September 25, 2007, Hoeven's deputy press secretary, Don Larson, announced that he would be taking a leave of absence from his job to manage the governor's re-election campaign. Another Hoeven staff member, Don Canton, said this was not a formal re-election announcement, but one would be coming later in the fall. On November 13, Governor Hoeven made his formal announcement and campaign kickoff with stops in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck and Minot. On November 4, 2008 Hoeven won a resounding victory carrying 74% of the vote over the Democratic opponent Tim Mathern with 24% of the vote. This is the first time in North Dakota's history that any governor has won three 4 year terms in office.

2010 U.S. Senate campaign

On January 11, 2010, Hoeven announced he would run in the 2010 North Dakota Senate election for the seat being vacated by Senator Byron Dorgan. Hoeven beat Democratic challenger Tracy Potter 76.08% to 22.17%.

Political positions

Hoeven has walked a conservative line as a politician on some issues and a moderate one on others including increasing education funding, ethics reform, compensation for teachers, as well as increased funding on infrastructure. He is pro-life and opposes abortion except for cases of rape, incest, or threat to the mother's life. He opposes government funding for elective abortions in accordance with the Hyde Amendment. He also opposes same-sex marriage. The governor supports decreasing access to parole for offenders and supports second amendment rights. He opposes the Employee Free Choice Act. He believes that public health care should be provided only to the elderly and children, that drug control policy should be a state and not a federal issue, that alternative fuels are a long-term solution but that increased oil drilling is required in the short term, and that investment tax credits should be provided for farm investment .

Hoeven briefly identified himself as a member of the Democratic-NPL Party before becoming active in the Republican Party as a District Chair and volunteer.

References

External links

Senator John Hoeven official U.S. Senate website

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Category:1957 births Category:American bankers Category:American Roman Catholic politicians Category:Dartmouth College alumni Category:Governors of North Dakota Category:Kellogg School of Management alumni Category:Living people Category:North Dakota Republicans Category:People from Bismarck, North Dakota Category:People from Minot, North Dakota Category:United States Senators from North Dakota