Sam Graves

Graves was born in Tarkio, Missouri. He earned a bachelor's degree in agronomy from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri in 1986.[1]Graves has worked as a farmer, pilot, and businessman. Before he was elected to Congress, Graves was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995 and a member of the Missouri Senate from 1995 to 2001.[2]

Sam Graves did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Sam Graves did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Sam Graves did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Sam Graves did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

The following issues were listed on Graves' campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

Fiscal Discipline: I am proud to be one of the few Members of Congress who did not vote for any of the bailouts, government takeovers or stimulus bills passed by Congress.

Taxes: Currently, the U.S. tax code is 55,000 pages long. It’s over two million of credits, loop-holes and giveaways. It takes the average small business 37 hours to do their taxes. That’s time and money they should be able to spend growing the business.

Jobs: The federal government does not exist to create jobs. In fact, every new job it does “create” is paid for by American taxpayers. What Washington should be doing is cutting taxes and limiting harmful regulations. If that happens, businesses – especially small businesses – will once again begin to expand, hire and thrive.

National Defense: I have always been a vocal proponent for a strong national defense. Under our Constitution, the federal government’s top responsibility is to protect this nation from our enemies. While we certainly need to cut spending at the national level, it is wrong to make the Department of Defense bear the brunt of these cuts as we continue to fight a global War on Terrorism.

Agriculture: I’m proud to call myself a family farmer. Our family continues to operate our corn and soy farm in North Missouri, so I know first-hand how difficult it can be to make your living from the land. Yet, America’s farmers and agricultural sector are far and away the best in the world. Our bountiful harvests feed our countrymen and hundreds of millions around the world. Without our farmers, Americans from coast-to-coast would not enjoy the high standard of living we’ve come to expect in America.

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—Sam Graves' campaign website, http://www.gravesforcongress.com/issues/