Jim Talent facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Talent
Official Senate portrait
United States Senator from Missouri
In office November 23, 2002 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Jean Carnahan
Succeeded by	Claire McCaskill
Chair of the House Small Business Committee
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Jan Meyers
Succeeded by	Don Manzullo
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Joan Horn
Succeeded by	Todd Akin
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 92nd district
In office January 9, 1985 – January 6, 1993
Preceded by	Donna Ann Coleman
Succeeded by	David Klarich
Personal details
Born	James Matthes Talent (1956-10-18) October 18, 1956 (age 68) Des Peres, Missouri, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Brenda Lee Lyons ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	3
Education	Washington University (BA) University of Chicago (JD)

James Matthes Talent (born in 1956) is an American politician. He served as a U.S. Senator for Missouri from 2002 to 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Before becoming a Senator, he spent eight years in the United States House of Representatives. In 2002, he won a special election to the U.S. Senate. He defeated Jean Carnahan to complete the term of her late husband, Mel Carnahan. In 2006, he lost his re-election bid to Claire McCaskill.

Today, Jim Talent is a senior advisor for political campaigns. He is also a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation. This group works on public policy. He is also part of the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee. This committee advises the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Early Life and Education

Jim Talent grew up in Des Peres, Missouri. This is a suburb of St. Louis. His father, Milton Oscar Talent, was the first in his family to go to college. His mother, Marie Frieda, was a court reporter.

Jim Talent graduated from Kirkwood High School in 1973. He then went to Washington University in St. Louis. He earned a degree in political science. He later graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1981.

After law school, he worked for a judge. He also taught law at Washington University School of Law. In 1984, he married Brenda Lee Lyons. They have three children together.

Political Career

Jim Talent started his political career in 1984. He was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. He served four terms there. For two of those terms, he was the minority leader. This means he led the party that was not in control.

Serving in the House of Representatives

In 1992, Talent ran for the United States House of Representatives. He won the Republican nomination for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District. This district covers the western suburbs of St. Louis. He defeated the Democratic leader, Joan Kelly Horn.

Even though he won by a small margin in 1992, he easily won his next elections. He served as chairman of the Small Business Committee. This was from 1997 to 2001.

House Committee Roles

• House Small Business Committee, chair (1997–2001)
• House Armed Services Committee
• House Education and the Workforce Committee

Running for Governor in 2000

Talent decided not to run for Congress again in 2000. Instead, he ran for Governor of Missouri. He was narrowly defeated by the Democratic state Treasurer, Bob Holden.

Serving in the U.S. Senate

2002 Senate Election

In the November 2000 elections, Mel Carnahan was running for the Senate. He sadly died in a plane crash before the election. However, Missouri law did not allow his name to be removed from the ballot. Carnahan still received more votes than his opponent.

The Lieutenant Governor then appointed Carnahan's widow, Jean, to the Senate. The U.S. Constitution requires a special election to fill such a seat. Jim Talent won the Republican nomination for this special election. He narrowly defeated Jean Carnahan in November 2002. He was sworn in later that month.

Senator Talent talks to sailors from Missouri at Naval Support Activity Bahrain in 2004.

During his time in the Senate, Talent served on several important committees. These included the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Agriculture Committee.

2006 Senate Election

Talent ran for re-election in the 2006 Senate election. His Democratic opponent was state Auditor Claire McCaskill. Talent had more money for his campaign. This was partly due to support from the Bush administration.

McCaskill narrowly defeated Talent on November 7, 2006. She won with 50% of the vote to Talent's 47%. After losing, Talent did not run for Governor in 2008.

Senate Committee Roles

• Senate Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Seapower (chairman)
• Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
  • Subcommittee on Marketing, Inspection, and Product Promotion (chairman)
• Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Senate Special Committee on Aging

Political Views

Jim Talent is known as a conservative politician. He often supported policies that promote limited government. He also supported traditional values.

Jim Talent meets with then-Chief Justice nominee John Roberts in 2005.

Energy Policy

Talent supported using more renewable fuels. These include fuels made from plants like soybeans. He also supported drilling for oil in the Arctic. He believed this would help the U.S. become more energy independent. This means relying less on other countries for energy.

Health Care Policy

Talent supported the Medicare prescription drug benefit. This program helps seniors pay for their medicines. He also wanted to limit awards in medical lawsuits. He believed this would lower health care costs.

He supported allowing trade groups to offer health insurance plans. He thought this would make health care more affordable for workers.

Stem Cell Research

When he first joined the Senate, Talent supported banning federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. However, he later changed his view. He said that technology was changing. He wanted to find a balance between research and protecting against human cloning.

He voted against expanding federal funds for embryonic stem cell research. This was for embryos donated by fertility clinics.

Minimum Wage

Talent believed that minimum wage issues should be decided by states. He supported raising the minimum wage if it came with tax breaks for small businesses. He worried that raising the minimum wage too much could reduce jobs.

Bioterrorism Concerns

Talent has spoken out about the risk of bioterrorism. He believes the U.S. needs to be better prepared for biological attacks. He co-chaired a commission that warned about this threat. The commission said a biological attack was likely by 2013. He has called for better emergency plans for public health crises.

Electoral History

• 2006 election for U.S. Senate
  • Jim Talent (R), 47%
  • Claire McCaskill (D), 50%
• 2002 election for U.S. Senate
  • Jim Talent (R), 50%
  • Jean Carnahan (D), 49%
• 2000 election for Missouri Governor
  • Bob Holden (D), 49%
  • Jim Talent (R), 48%
• 1998 election for U.S. House of Representatives
  • Jim Talent (R), 70%
  • John Ross (D), 28%
• 1996 election for U.S. House of Representatives
  • Jim Talent (R), 61%
  • Joan Kelly Horn (D), 37%
• 1994 election for U.S. House of Representatives
  • Jim Talent (R), 67%
  • Pat Kelley (D), 31%
• 1992 election for U.S. House of Representatives
  • Jim Talent (R), 50%
  • Joan Kelly Horn (D), 48%