Changes

==U.S. Senate==

==U.S. Senate==

 

In his first campaign for public office, Thompson was elected by the people of Tennessee on November 8, 1994 to the remaining two years of [[Al Gore]]'s unexpired [[United States Senate|Senate]] term. He defeated six-term Democratic Representative Jim Cooper in a 61% to 39% landslide which represented the most votes anyone had ever received for a state-wide office in Tennessee history up to that point. Thompson easily won re-election for a full term in 1996 over Democrat Houston Gordon by an even larger margin than that by which he had defeated Cooper two years earlier. He also beat his record for receiving more votes than any previous candidate for any office in Tennessee history. Thompson won two elections in two years by more than twenty points each.

In his first campaign for public office, Thompson was elected by the people of Tennessee on November 8, 1994 to the remaining two years of [[Al Gore]]'s unexpired [[United States Senate|Senate]] term. When he was returned for a full term in 1996, he received more votes than any previous candidate for any office in Tennessee history. He won two elections in two years by more than twenty points each.  

While in the Senate, Thompson was a member of the powerful Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over taxes, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare reform, and international trade. From this position, he focused on reducing taxes, reforming the U.S. tax code to make it simpler and fairer, and restoring the Social Security and Medicare programs to long-term solvency.  

While in the Senate, Thompson was a member of the powerful Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over taxes, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare reform, and international trade. From this position, he focused on reducing taxes, reforming the U.S. tax code to make it simpler and fairer, and restoring the Social Security and Medicare programs to long-term solvency.