Raymond Louis "Ray" McKinney (born June 20, 1962) is a mechanical services manager from Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...

, and was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress from Georgia's 12th District in 2010. He was a candidate for U.S. President in the 2008 Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 primary, but withdrew on November 14, 2007.

Personal life, education and career

McKinney was born June 20, 1962 in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania

Brackenridge, Pennsylvania

Brackenridge is a borough in Allegheny County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, along the Allegheny River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area.The town is named for Henry Marie Brackenridge. The borough once had glass factories...

. After graduating from Effingham County Public High School, where he was voted "most likely to become a nuclear scientist", McKinney had two years of Gulfstream Aerospace machinist

Machinist

A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...

 training, two years Tool and Die, CFS machinist training, and (through 1990) two years at Savannah for Electro-Mechanical Engineering. He has been in the industry for the last 23 years. McKinney is currently a nuclear services manager for Continental Field Systems in Savannah. He and his wife Lisa live in Lyons

Lyons, Georgia

Lyons is a city in Toombs County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,169 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Toombs County.Lyons is part of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 on the McKinney family farm.

When asked about his educational and work experience, McKinney had this to say about his choice of career:

I think I prefer the term "machinist" above all but my wife thinks I put myself down by saying that. It is the proudest part of my skill set though. Her point is that people respect higher education and by telling people that I am a machinist that they have a lower opinion of who I am. Actually, I am quite proud of it.

His thoughts on skilled trades and why they are good knowledge and experience for someone to have:

Having a skill is like hitting the lottto. You will always have a job, you will always be able to earn a living. It is something that no one can ever take away. You can be a manager all you want, but if you ever go back to your tools you will always be able to find work. College is great but coupled with a skill, that is the golden ticket.

2008 Presidential campaign

McKinney, in a surprise performance, bested Sen.

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 John McCain

John McCain

John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

, Sen. Sam Brownback

Sam Brownback

Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback is the 46th and current Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011, and as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 1996...

, and Rep.

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 Tom Tancredo

Tom Tancredo

Thomas Gerard "Tom" Tancredo is an American politician from Colorado, who represented the state's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009, as a Republican...

 in the Texas Straw Poll

Texas Straw Poll

The Texas Straw Poll is a straw poll for the United States Republican presidential primary elections that was started in 2007 through promotion by Townhall.com. The first poll was held on Saturday, September 1, 2007, in Fort Worth, Texas...

 held September 1, 2007, in Fort Worth

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. McKinney carried 28 delegate votes, or 2.2%.

Along with his mother, he gave complimentary blood pressure checks at a booth at the Fort Worth Convention Center during the straw poll, and addressed the delegates during the main session prior to voting along with candidates Rep. Duncan Hunter

Duncan Hunter

Duncan Lee Hunter is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the House of Representatives from California's 52nd, 45th and 42nd districts from 1981 to 2009....

 of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, Rep. Ron Paul

Ron Paul

Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...

 of Texas, Alabama psychiatrist Hugh Cort, and Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 lawyer John H. Cox

John H. Cox

John Herman Cox is an American lawyer, accountant, businessman, broadcaster, and aspiring politician. He was the first Republican to seek formally the party's 2008 nomination for president, but effectively withdrew from the race in late 2007 and suspended his campaign shortly after.-Biography:Born...

.

During his campaign, McKinney often had the highest ranking at U4Prez.com of all candidates registered with the Federal Election Commission

Federal Election Commission

The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...

. McKinney ended his bid for the presidential race on November 14, 2007, announcing his intention to run for U.S. Congress from Georgia. On July 15, 2008, McKinney lost the Republican primary to John Stone.

2010 Congressional campaign

On March 30, McKinney announced he was running for Congress against John Barrow. According to his website, he has been endorsed by the Tea Party Express

Tea Party Express

The Tea Party Express is a California-based group founded in the summer of 2009 to support the Tea Party movement. Founded as a national bus tour to rally Tea Party activists, the group's leadership also endorses and promotes conservative candidates running for state and federal offices...

.

In the Republican primary, McKinney and Thunderbolt Fire Chief Carl Smith, who earned 43% and 28% respectively, headed to a runoff. On July 25, 2010, Ray McKinney failed to appear for a debate against Smith. However, in the August 10th runoff, McKinney defeated Smith 62% to 38%.

External links

• Ray McKinney for Congress official campaign site
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org