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He began his career in [[Missouri]] government in [[1973]]. He was [[Governor of Missouri]] from [[1984]] to [[1993]]. He was elected to the [[United States Senate|Senate]] from Missouri in [[1994]]. He ran for re-election in [[2000]] against then-Governor [[Mel Carnahan]], who died in an airplane crash about two weeks prior to the election. Due to Missouri state election laws, Mel Carnahan's name could not be removed from the ballot and his wife, [[Jean Carnahan]], announced she would serve in his place if he was elected. Carnahan posthumously won the election, and it was widely reported that John Ashcroft was defeated by "a dead man," as Mel Carnahan's name remained on the ballot. Others contend, however, that Jean Carnahan may have won the election due to the "sympathy vote" for her late husband. Despite his defeat, Ashcroft was subsequently nominated as Attorney General by [[George W. Bush]] in [[December]] [[2000]]. Despite a contentious nomination process, he was confirmed by the Senate.
Ashcroft is considered a leading member of the [[Christian right]] wing of the Republican party and is one of the highest-ranking representatives of the group in the Bush Administration. As a devout [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostalist]], he shuns such activities as dancing and alcohol consumption.
In [[July]] of [[2002]] Ashcroft suggested the creation of [[Operation TIPS]], a proposed domestic program in which government employees would inform on suspicious behavior they encounter while performing their duties. The program was criticized in the media as an encroachment on the first and fourth amendment; and in fact the [[United States Postal Service]] balked at the suggestion, refusing outright to participate. Ashcroft defended the program as a necessary component to the ongoing [[war on terrorism]] but the proposal was eventually abandoned.
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