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John Oxendine is the current Commissioner of Insurance of the U.S. state of Georgia. Oxendine, a Republican, was first elected in 1994 and reelected in 1998 and 2002. He is currently seeking reelection as Insurance Commissioner but frequently floats his name for other offices. Oxendine is a graduate of Mercer University and Mercer's Walter F. George School of Law. A state of the United States (U.S. state) is any one of the fifty states, four of which officially favor the term commonwealth which, along with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ... The Republican Party was established in 1854 by a coalition of former Whigs, Northern Democrats, and Free-Soilers who opposed the expansion of slavery and held a Hamiltonian vision for modernizing the United States. ... Mercer University is an independent, co-educational, church-related, private university located in Macon, Georgia and Atlanta, Georgia. ... Contents 1 Abortive campaign for Labor Commissioner 2 Election as Insurance Commissioner 3 Childhood dream to be Governor revealed 4 Automobile controversies as Insurance Commissioner 5 Two abortive campaigns for U.S. Senator 6 Abortive campaign for Lieutenant Governor 7 Reelection campaign as Insurance Commissioner 8 Another switch planned? 9 Future ambitions 10 The Oxendine Family 11 Quotes 12 Links Abortive campaign for Labor Commissioner In early 1993, Oxendine declared himself a Democratic candidate for Commissioner of Labor. When his candidacy was rebuffed by Governor Zell Miller and Democratic Party leaders, Oxendine resigned his membership in the Democratic Party and became a Republican. At the same time, he withdrew from the Labor Commissioner's race where the Republicans already had a candidate and announced that he would instead run for Insurance Commissioner. Zell Bryan Miller (born February 24, 1932) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. ... Election as Insurance Commissioner In the 1994 election, Oxendine opposed Tim Ryles, the incumbent Democratic Insurance Commissioner. Ryles, a consumer advocate, was a controversial figure who had alienated the business community and tangled with the leadership of his own party. Oxendine avoided any discussion of the issues, running television advertisements calling himself a "family man" and "religious man." Oxendine's candidacy was boosted by the Republican landslide of 1994 and an independent expenditure by the insurance industry. He narrowly upset Ryles, winning 50.98% of the vote. Childhood dream to be Governor revealed Days after his election as Insurance Commissioner, Oxendine's father, Superior Court Judge James W. Oxendine, was quoted as saying that the election victory was the first step toward young Oxendine's childhood ambition to be Governor. On November 10, 1994, The Atlanta Constitution printed a 1987 quote from the elder Oxendine about his then 25 year old son: "He has already told me he wants to be governor, and I believe he can do it." Automobile controversies as Insurance Commissioner Oxendine has been involved in several controversies involving state owned automobiles. As Insurance Commissioner, Oxendine used government funds to issue himself a Ford Crown Victoria which he had equipped with a police siren and flashing blue police lights. In 1996, Oxendine crashed his first Crown Victoria into a tree, claiming afterwards that he was swerving to avoid a deer. The automobile was totaled. No charges were filed, and Oxendine used government funds to purchase himself a new Crown Victoria. In a second accident in 1999, Oxendine ran a traffic light and crashed into another vehicle on his way to a Rotary Club speech. Oxendine, who was flashing his police blue lights at the time of the second crash, claimed that he was on his way to a "hazardous materials situation." A joint investigation by the Attorney General and Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) cast doubt on Oxendine's story but no charges were filed. A scathing investigative report found multiple instances in which Oxendine had misused his blue light, including routine trips to the airport. The report was referred to the Department of Public Safety which thereafter revoked Oxendine's emergency light permit and ordered that the blue lights be removed from his automobile. Categories: Possible copyright violations ... In 2002, in violation of an automobile purchasing moratorium ordered by then Governor Roy Barnes, Oxendine used $25,000 in government funds to purchase himself a new Crown Victoria with luxury upgrade package, leather seats and 6 disc CD player. In 2003, the newly elected Governor Sonny Perdue appointed General James E. Sehorn as Inspector General to investigate purchase. An investigative report by the Inspector General accused Oxendine of misusing government funds and directed that he repay the state. Oxendine denied wrongdoing but repaid the funds to the state. Roy Eugene Barnes (born March 11, 1948) was the governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from January 1999 until January 2003. ... George Ervin Sonny Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is the current governor of the U.S. state of Georgia. ... Two abortive campaigns for U.S. Senator In 2000, when U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell suddenly died, Oxendine announced that he was being "inundated" with telephone calls urging him to run for Coverdell's U.S. Senate seat. Oxendine decided against running when Republican Party leaders instead settled on former U.S. Senator Mack Mattingly as their candidate. Former Governor Zell Miller defeated Mattingly to succeed Coverdell in the Senate. Paul Douglas Coverdell (January 20, 1939 – July 19, 2000) was the director of the Peace Corps from 1989 until 1991. ... Mack Mattingly is a former Republican Senator from Georgia, the first Republican to serve in the US Senate from that state since Reconstruction. ... Zell Bryan Miller (born February 24, 1932) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. ... In early 2003, when Senator Miller announced he would not seek reelection, Oxendine announced that he was again being urged to run for the U.S. Senate. Oxendine told the Atlanta Business Chronicle on January 8, 2003: "We've had countless people across the state asking us to run for the [U.S.] Senate, and I told people I was flattered by their faith in me and that I would consider it. I did consider it to the point of commissioning a poll and the results were every encouraging. It turned out I am one of the best-known and liked politicians in the state." A month later, after Congressman Johnny Isakson announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, Oxendine removed himself from the race saying that he had a "commitment to family and serving out his term as Insurance Commissioner" that would prevent him from running. John Hardy Johnny Isakson (born December 28, 1944), American politician, has been a Republican United States Senator from Georgia since 2005. ... Abortive campaign for Lieutenant Governor In early 2004, Oxendine announced that he would run for Lieutenant Governor three years hence in 2006. His announcement irked party leaders who thought his candidacy was premature and distracted from the 2004 elections. He raised approximately $500,000 for his Lieutenant Governor campaign by the end of 2004. In February of 2005, after State Senator Casey Cagle and Christian political consultant Ralph Reed joined the race for Lieutenant Governor, Oxendine released polling data showing that he led his two opponents. Oxendine insisted that he would stay in the race but two weeks later withdrew and announced that he would instead run for Insurance Commissioner again in 2006. Oxendine has helped raise funds for Cagle but has not given him his official endorsement. Lowell S. Casey Cagle (born January 12, 1966 in Gainesville, Georgia) is a Republican state legislator best known as the candidate opposing national conservative political activist Ralph Reed in the 2006 Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. ... Ralph Reed may refer to: Ralph E. Reed, Jr. ... Reelection campaign as Insurance Commissioner Oxendine is favored by most observers to win reelection as Insurance Commissioner but faces a serious challenge from Democratic attorney Guy Drexinger. Several Republican and Democratic candidates indicated an interest in running for Insurance Commissioner while Oxendine pursued his various exploratory campaigns for other offices, but all except Drexinger have withdrawn. The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Drexinger has raised substantial funds and is the most formidable opponent Oxendine has faced since Ryles. Drexinger recently released two humorous and devastating television advertisments that have electrified the Democratic base. In a parody called "Greenback Mountain," Oxendine is depicted as a gay cowboy engaged in a "love affair" with "HMO cash." In another advertisement called, "No, No, No," Drexinger refuses money offered by two "Fat Cats" who chase him around with wads of "HMO cash." Oxendine has reportedly had trouble organizing his campaign staff. There has been a high turnover of campaign aides and no clear campaign manager identified. Another switch planned? The editors of Georgia political newsletter Insider Advantage have speculated that Oxendine may attempt to reenter the race for Lieutenant Governor if Reed continues to falter, but most observers believe that Oxendine cannot credibly do so. Oxendine used the slogan "Ox '06" for both his failed exploratory campaign for Lieutenant Governor and his current campaign for Insurance Commissioner, allowing him to switch back and forth between races without reprinting his campaign materials. His slogan "Ox '06" could allow him to switch rages again. Future ambitions Oxendine has indicated that he intends to expand the role of Insurance Commissioner to include transportation, education and other issues and that he may run for Governor in 2010, 2014 or 2018. He has also indicated that he may run for the U.S. Senate in 2008, 2010 or whenever a vacancy arises. Others speculate that Oxendine may attempt to reenter the race for Lieutenant Governor in 2006. The Oxendine Family Through his father, Oxendine traces his lineage to the Lost Colony of Roanoke by way of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Oxendine has been married twice. He has two stepchildren with his current wife, Ivy, and a son from his first marriage, J.W. He has one half-sister, Cindy Oxendine, and a sister, Shirley Oxendine Wayman, who has two children, Kira Wayman and Fleur Wayman. A map of the Roanoke area, by John White Roanoke Island is an island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. ... The Colony of Roanoke was the second English colony in the New World, founded at Roanoke Island. ... The Lumbee Tribe of Cheraw Indians of North Carolina is one of eight state and/or federally-recognized tribes of Native Americans in North Carolina. ... Quotes "I am one of the best-known and liked politicians in the state." - John Oxendine, The Altanta Business Chronicle, January 8, 2003. Links Official John Oxendine "Ox '06" Campaign Website Category: American politician stubs

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	John Oxendine: Information from Answers.com (913 words) John Oxendine is the current Commissioner of Insurance of the U.S. state of Georgia. Oxendine, a Republican, was first elected in 1994 and reelected in 1998 and 2002. Oxendine is the son of Gwinnett Superior Court Judge James W. Oxendine, a longtime Democratic Party activist and former professional football player, and the judge's second and now former wife, Lois.
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