Senator John Ashcroft
The Republican Incumbent: Missouri's
U.S. Senate Race

After briefly flirting with a presidential bid, Sen. John Ashcroft is now fighting a tough race to keep his seat as Missouri's junior senator.

Raised in the small city of Springfield, Ashcroft is the son and grandson of Assemblies of God ministers. His father was also a university president, familiarizing the young Ashcroft with a life in the public sphere. Ashcroft graduated from Yale and the University of Chicago Law School, where he met his wife. After graduating from law school, Ashcroft and his wife practiced law and co-authored two college textbooks. During this time they also raised their three children.

In 1972, at the age of 30, Ashcroft ran for Congress and lost a close Republican primary. He was appointed state auditor in 1973 and was elected attorney general in 1976 and 1980. In 1984, he successfully ran for governor and was reelected in1988.

Ashcroft's conservative reputation was cemented during this period. During his tenure, held tax rates down, established enterprise zones to encourage job growth, and built new prisons. By the time he left office, Missouri's tax revenues were among the lowest in the nation. In spite of his conservative record, he has been a strong voice for education spending. In 1991, he backed an effort to raise $385 million in taxes for education which was later rejected by voters.

Beyond establishing his legislative record, Ashcroft's terms as governor are considered to be the root of the animosity between him and his rival in this year's Senate race, Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan. In 1988, Carnahan was elected lieutenant governor. As governor, Ashcroft was distrustful of the ambitious Democrat and sought to limit his power.

Limited to two terms as governor, Ashcroft returned to his law practice in 1992. When Sen. Danforth unexpectedly retired in 1994, Ashcroft was the Republican's obvious choice for the seat. Helped by a close Democratic primary and a conservative record that played well with voters, Ashcroft won with 60 percent of the vote.

As a member of the Senate, Ashcroft quickly established himself as a vocal conservative. A strong proponent of term-limits, he sponsored a constitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Court decision overturning term limits. Ashcroft is also known for his attempts to reform the welfare system. His Charitable Choice proposal, which provides block grants specifically allowing states to use charities or faith-based organizations to provide services, was included in the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. Ashcroft tends to side with business interests, supporting a bill that unions opposed which would allow employers to compensate for overtime with compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay.

January 1998 was a busy period for Ashcroft. He began preparing to run for president and the Lewinsky scandal broke. Ashcroft was a vocal critic of Clinton and was one of the first Senators to call for his impeachment. During the first half of 1998, Ashcroft traveled to Iowa and New Hampshire to raise money for his nascent Presidential campaign. His campaign stalled when Republicans failed to gain Congressional seats in the 1998 elections. Additionally, exit poll results stated that only 34 percent of Missouri residents thought that he would make a good president. This was followed by Missouri Governor Carnahan's announcement that he would run for Senate in 2000 and his constant attacks on Ashcroft. By the end of 1998, it appeared that Ashcroft's presidential campaign and his vocal opposition to Clinton were both hurting his chances keeping his Senate seat. In January 1999, Ashcroft dropped out of the presidential race.

Ashcroft is now concentrating on one of the country's most competitive Senate races. The singing senator is fighting to keep his seat in what has always been a bellwether state.