Charles Pickering



Charles Willis "Chip" Pickering, Jr. represented Mississippi's third Congressional district as a Republican in the United States House of Representatives from 1996-2008. The district is based in Meridian and stretches from the Alabama border to the Louisiana border, including areas such as Starkville, Natchez and part of Jackson. (map)

Iraq War
Pickering voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Almost Lobbyist
Roll Call reported that Pickering considered leaving Congress in 2003 to take a million-dollar lobbying job with the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. At the time of the offer, he was co-chairman of the Congressional Wireless Caucus and sat on the panels with jurisdiction over the industry, the Energy and Commerce Committee and its telecommunications subcommittee. Pickering ultimately turned down the position, but irked some Mississippi Republicans who had helped raise $2.5 million for his re-election just seven months before. 

Improper lobbying for Bayer
In 2005, Pickering and 26 other members of Congress sent a letter, written with the assistance of Bayer Corporation lobbyist and long-time friend of Pickering, to Lester Crawford, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. The letter asked Crawford to set aside an administrative judge's decision regarding the proposed ban on a Bayer-manufactured drug used to fight poultry infections at factory farms. The judge had cited "growing scientific evidence suggesting that the practice was reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics vital to human health." The letter argued that the poultry medicine was "absolutely necessary to protecting the health of birds."

The Washington Post reported, "In stepping in, the congressmen entered a murky area and overstepped legal limits on their involvement, FDA officials said. While members of Congress frequently write to agencies as part of regular oversight, they are not supposed to intervene in formal, trial-type proceedings."

Will not run for reelection in 2008
On August 17, 2007, Pickering announced that he would not seek reelection in 2008, despite representing a heavily Republican district and having no significant challenger. In his announcement, he hinted at a continued future in politics, saying, "I continue to view public service as a noble calling. I am not saying a final farewell, but hopefully, simply taking a leave of absence."

Until this announcement Pickering was widely expected to run for the Senate seat left vacent when Trent Lott (R-Miss.) retires at the end of 2007

Background
Pickering was born August 10, 1963 in Laurel, Mississippi. His father is Charles Pickering, Sr., a notable judge and early leader in the Mississippi Republican Party. He graduated from Baylor University in 1989, serving as a Southern Baptist missionary to Hungary. Soon after his graduation, President George H.W. Bush appointed him as a Department of Agriculture liason to the former European Communist countries. After returning to the United States, he served as a staffer for Senator Trent Lott from 1992 to 1996.

Congressional Career
After a year as a staffer for the Senate Commerce Committee, he returned to Mississippi to run as the Republican candidate for the 3rd District. Congressman Sonny Montgomery, a 30-year Democratic incumbent, was not running for reelection. He was unopposed for reelection in 1998 and defeated token Democratic opposition in 2000.

In 2002, Pickering was pitted against fellow Congressman Ronnie Shows, a Democrat from the neighboring 4th District, after Mississippi's sluggish population growth cost it a House seat. Shows' Jackson-based district was merged with Pickering's district, though more of the residents of the new district had been represented by Pickering than Shows. Shows ran a vigorous campaign which attempted to tie Pickering to the recent WorldCom scandals, but Pickering won with over 60% of the vote in the new 3rd District, carrying even the portion of Shows's district in the 3rd. In 2004 with no Democrat in the race, Pickering faced Independent candidate Jim Giles who received 39,394 votes.

Pickering is arguably one of the most conservative members of the House with a lifetime rating of 96% from the American Conservative Union. He has sometimes been mentioned as a candidate for the Senate seat of his former boss, Senator Trent Lott, should Lott retire in 2006. 

2006 elections
No major candidates announced their intentions to contest Pickering’s seat in the November 2006 election. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006)

Committee assignments in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection
 * Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
 * Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
 * Subcommittee on Health
 * Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
 * Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
 * House Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Co-Chair, Congressional Wireless Caucus
 * National Republican Congressional Committee
 * Republican Policy Committee

Boards and other Affiliations

 * National Guard and Reserve Components Organization

Contact
DC Office: 229 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515-2403 Phone: 202-225-5031 Fax: 202-225-5797 Web Email Website

District Office - Brookhaven: 230 Whitworth Street Brookhaven, MS 39601 Phone: 601-823-3400 Fax: 601-823-5512

District Office - Meridian: 823 22nd Avenue Meridian, MS 39301 Phone: 601-693-6681 Fax: 601-693-1801

District Office - Natchez: 308 Franklin Street Natchez, MS 39120 Phone: 601-442-2515 Fax: 601-442-2311

District Office - Rankin: 110-D Airport Road Pearl, MS 39208 Phone: 601-932-2410 Fax: 601-965-4598

District Office - Starkville One Research Boulevard, Suite 206 Starkville, MS 39759 Phone: 662-324-0007 Fax: 662-324-0033

Resources

 * Official website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Articles

 * Pickering Weighs Bolting for CTIA
 * Lawmakers' Help for Drug Firm Tests Limits
 * Dan Morgan and Marc Kaufman, FDA was pressured on Bayer antibiotic ban, Congressmen enlisted to influence decision ''Post Gazette.com," (From the Washington Post) Sunday, May 01, 2005.