Jim J. Graham, 57, was born in Greece and immigrated to the U.S. with his parents in 1954. At 16, he became a naturalized citizen and spent most of his youth in Warren, Ohio. He attended Warren Western Reserve High School from 1967 to 1971 before continuing his studies at Youngstown State University and Ohio Northern University. In 2000, Graham earned his doctoral degree in pharmacy at Ohio Northern. He spent 20 years as a clinical practitioner in the intensive care unit at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown and was eventually promoted to corporate manager of clinical pharmacy services. He has also instructed pharmaceutical classes at Youngstown State, Ohio Northern, University of Toledo, Ohio State University and NEOUCOM.

Although he has never run for political office, Graham recalled the moment he knew he would. “It was Dec. 24 when the senate passed their version of healthcare,” he said. “That was the final straw for me.”

Graham is married with two sons.

Name: Jim Graham

Age: 57

Party: Republican

Resume: Clinical practitioner, corporate manager of clinical pharmacy services, college instructor

Issues

Higher education

* Reward performance of students, teachers and school systems

* De-fund poor performance, offer alternative school attendance

* Level college tuition to be at or below inflation rate

Economic recovery

* Lower taxes for small businesses

* Less regulation on businesses

* Encourage unions to become company stock owners to have more responsibility

Health care

* Give tax credit to health care professionals and institutions to indigents

* Remove obstacles from insurance company competition

* Reform Medicare and Medicaid with faster payments, easy-to-understand coverage; prosecute those who cheat the system

Sources: Jim Graham, jimgrahamforcongress.com