Editing Chris Shays (section)

{{Short description|American politician (born 1945)}}
{{distinguish|Christopher Shale}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Chris Shays
|image        = Chris Shays official photo.jpg
|state        = [[Connecticut]]
|district     = {{ushr|CT|4|4th}}
|term_start   = September 9, 1987
|term_end     = January 3, 2009  
|predecessor  = [[Stewart McKinney (politician)|Stewart McKinney]]
|successor    = [[Jim Himes]]
|state_house1 = Connecticut
|district1    = [[Connecticut's 147th House of Representatives district|147th]]
|term_start1  = January 8, 1975
|term_end1    = September 8, 1987
|predecessor1 = James F. Bingham
|successor1   = [[Christopher Burnham]]
|birth_name   = Christopher Hunter Shays
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1945|10|18}}
|birth_place  = [[Stamford, Connecticut|Stamford]], [[Connecticut]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|death_date   =  
|death_place  =  
|party        = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|spouse       = Betsi DeRaismes
|children     = 1
|education    = [[Principia College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[New York University]] ([[Master of Business Administration|MBA]], [[Master of Public Administration|MPA]])
|module       = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Rep. Chris Shays Discusses Bipartisan Consensus on the September 11 Commission Recommendations.ogg|title=Chris Shays's voice|type=speech|description=Shays discusses bipartisan consensus on the [[9/11 Commission]]'s recommendations<br/>Recorded October 7, 2004}}
}}
'''Christopher Hunter Shays'''<ref name="freepgs">{{cite web |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/shays.htm |title=Shays |website=freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121202100358/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/shays.htm |archive-date=2 December 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> (born October 18, 1945) is an American politician. He previously served in the [[United States House of Representatives]] as representative of the [[Connecticut's 4th congressional district|4th District]] of [[Connecticut]] from 1987 to 2009. He is a member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]].

Shays was the only Republican congressman from [[New England]] elected to the [[110th United States Congress]] in the 2006 midterm elections. His loss to [[Jim Himes]] in the 2008 election made New England's House delegation entirely [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] in the [[111th United States Congress|111th Congress]]. He was the most senior member of the House of Representatives to be defeated in the 2008 election.

In 2009, Shays was appointed to co-chair the Commission on Wartime Contracting.<ref>[http://www.wartimecontracting.gov/ Commission on Wartime Contracting]</ref> The commission is an independent, bipartisan legislative commission established to study wartime contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Created in Section 841 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, this eight-member commission is mandated by Congress to study federal agency contracting for the reconstruction, logistical support of coalition forces, and the performance of security functions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He co-chaired the government watchdog commission that identified and raised alarm over $60 billion of waste, fraud, and abuse in wartime contingency contracting and presented to Congress reforms to address this wasteful spending.<ref>{{cite web|title=Transforming Wartime Contracting: Controlling Cost Reducing Risk|url=http://www.wartimecontracting.gov/|work=Commission on Wartime Contracting Final Report|publisher=Commission on Wartime Contracting|access-date=January 9, 2012}}</ref>

Shays was a candidate for the [[United States Senate election in Connecticut, 2012|2012]] Republican U.S. Senate nomination to replace retiring Connecticut senator [[Joe Lieberman]].<ref name=Senate_announcement>{{Cite news|url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/ex_rep_shays_makes_senate_bid_official-208255-1.html?pos=hln |title=Ex-Rep. Shays Makes Senate Bid Official |last=Toeplitz |first=Shira |newspaper=[[Roll Call]] |date=August 22, 2011 |access-date=August 23, 2011}}</ref>
However, he lost the August 14 primary to [[Linda McMahon]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20130129075419/http://www.myfoxny.com/story/19278601/mcmahon-wins-connecticut-senate-gop-primary?Call=Email&Format=HTML]</ref> To date, he is the last Republican to have represented Connecticut in Congress.